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【Event Recap】BORDERLESS HOUSE New Year Party 2024 !

Greetings from Borderless House.

Can you believe it’s already been a month since 2024 began? Time sure flies! We’ve settled back into our daily routines after the holiday season, but today, I’d like to take you back to the New Year’s festivities for a moment!

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing a recap of our joint New Year’s party held on January 27th. It was an eventful day filled with laughter, bonding, and cultural exchange, and we’re excited to give you a glimpse of the fun we had.

So, let’s dive in and relive the excitement of New Year Party 2024!

We had the pleasure of hosting over 60 former and current residents from all 25 houses in attendance! It was a vibrant mix of nationalities and backgrounds, with everyone eagerly engaging in conversations, sharing stories, and reconnecting with old friends.

Calligraphy Competition, Quiz Time, and Mochi Pounding!

Our first activity was a calligraphy competition, a nod to the traditional Japanese New Year’s practice of “kakizome.” Instead of setting specific goals for the year, participants were encouraged to express themselves freely through words or illustrations. The creativity and enthusiasm displayed by each team were truly inspiring!

Following the calligraphy competition, we switched gears to a Borderless House-themed quiz. Teams competed against each other, answering questions about our houses, staff members, and various cultural tidbits. It was impressive to see the depth of knowledge and teamwork on display!

And of course, no New Year party would be complete without mochi pounding! Participants gathered around as we prepared fresh mochi using traditional mortars and pestles. The rhythmic pounding and laughter filled the air as everyone worked together to create delicious mochi treats.

As the evening drew to a close, we couldn’t help but reflect on the success of the event. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we were thrilled to see the sense of community and camaraderie that flourished throughout the day. From heartfelt conversations to shared laughter, it was a celebration to remember.

Embracing the Future: Building on Memories, Cultivating Community

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue fostering connections and creating memorable experiences for our residents. Be sure to stay tuned for future events, as there’s plenty more fun to come!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the New Year Party 2024. Here’s to another year of friendship, growth, and unforgettable moments at Borderless House Tokyo!

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Savoring Autumn: A Gourmet BBQ Experience with Borderless House Community

Welcome back to Borderless House!

Today we’ll delve into more exciting community information from Borderless House Kansai.

In this blog, we’re spotlighting yet another engaging event for our residents – the ‘BBQ Networking Event’ held last November. This BBQ gathering, which saw enthusiastic participation from 15 residents, including both international and Japanese members, was a resounding success!

Let’s dive into a quick recap of the day’s lively happenings.

BBQ Networking Event Report

At this event, members from five different houses came together, making it a great chance to meet new friends from beyond our own houses.

The event was truly international! We had people joining from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, France, Austria, Hungary, and many other places.

We were really happy to have our residents’ friends join in too. It made the event even more fun for everyone.

Our BBQ took place at Expo ’70 Park in Osaka. We had a lovely sunny autumn day, and the park’s fall leaves were just gorgeous. It couldn’t have been better!

Once we all said hello to each other, it was time to start the BBQ. Chopping veggies, grilling meat – everyone did a great job. Living in a share house really shows; our teamwork was amazing!

At the BBQ, while we were eating, everyone talked about what life is like in their own share houses.

It was really interesting because we all live in different houses. We shared tips on how to make living together more enjoyable, using our own experiences. This kind of chat, which is really special to Borderless House, made the day even more fun.

After we finished the BBQ, we all went for a walk in the beautiful, green park to enjoy the autumn scenery.

It felt like we had known each other for a long time, even though we had just met that day. Everyone was saying things like, “I had a great time!” and “Thank you for inviting me!” It was a day filled with lots of smiles.

In Borderless House Kansai, we’ve had lots of different events!

We plan to tell you more about what we do in our blog posts coming up. We’d be really happy if you keep an eye out for our new updates!

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Game On! Building Friendships at Borderless House Exciting Board Game Night

Hi there! We’re back at Borderless House.

Today’s blog is about more fun stuff from Borderless House Kansai, right after our udon-making event!

This time, we’re excited to share the highlights from our board game meet-ups, held in October and November last year. Although we’re sharing this a bit later, last year was packed with fun events in Kansai, so stick around for more stories and laughs! 

Board Game Gathering in Kyoto, Japan!

For our latest event, we aimed to not only strengthen the bonds between our residents but also to help everyone get more comfortable with Japanese in a fun way. We believed that engaging in games and various activities would naturally spark conversations, making the idea of speaking Japanese less daunting.

We chose a board game café located close to one of our houses for the venue.

At the cafe, we were amazed by the towering stacks of board games, reaching almost up to the ceiling! The owner, with a collection from all around the world, helped us pick out the perfect games for our group.

For our October gathering, we went with a card game. The fun part? We had to quickly make up stories based on the pictures on the cards. Trying to do this in English added an exciting twist!

There was a buzz of anticipation as we all watched to see which card would be played next. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the players’ every move.

At the café, one of the regulars happened to be there and was so intrigued that they asked, “Can I join in?” Thanks to this, our October event turned into a lively session with about 10 people playing and having a great time!

The best part about these games is they’re just as fun whether you’re in a big group or a small one. They offer a great mix of excitement and the chance for deeper conversations. We’re definitely looking forward to hosting more of these events!

Over the past year, Borderless House Kansai has been bustling with various activities. We’re excited to keep sharing these experiences through our blog. Stay tuned for more updates, and we hope you enjoy following along!

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Experience Udon Making: A Community Event at BORDERLESS HOUSE Kansai!

Hello there! This is Borderless House, ringing in the New Year with you!

Happy New Year to everyone! As we kick off 2024, we’re excited to fill you in on what’s new at Borderless House in the Kansai region.

We run a network of 55 share houses in Japan, with 11 of them located in the vibrant Kansai area, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Our share houses in Kansai may be fewer in number than in Tokyo, but they offer a close-knit and lively community feel that’s really special.

In this spirit, we’re thrilled to bring you a special feature on a highlight event from last year – the Udon Making Experience, proudly hosted by Borderless House Kansai!

Cooking Up Connections: Udon Making Workshop

We had a great time hosting an Udon Making Experience in the kitchen at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.

The idea came from one of our university student residents who loves food. Before leaving our house, they wanted to do something fun and special with everyone.

The event was a big hit! We had 20 people join us, including international students from Ritsumeikan University and friends of our residents.

Udon is a popular dish that many people, including foreigners, enjoy eating. But making udon from scratch is something not many people, even in Japan, have tried. This event was a fun chance for everyone to try making udon themselves.

The best part of making udon? It was stepping on the dough!

It was a strange and fun experience to make food by stepping on it. This surprised everyone who joined in. We all stepped and pressed the dough very hard.

After stepping on the dough to make it firm, we rolled it out and cut it into noodles. Everyone was excited to try cutting the noodles, even though it was new for many of us.

We didn’t just make udon. We also tried making inari sushi and shiratama, a sweet dessert.

There were 20 of us, and we worked in teams. This way, everyone got to taste what we made. We all helped each other and worked well together in the kitchen!

Funny thing about the event – none of our team or student members had made udon before!

We were all starting from scratch. But we really wanted to make the event enjoyable for everyone. So here’s a little secret: we stayed up late the night before practicing how to make udon. Everyone got a good laugh when they heard about our last-minute training!

At Borderless House Kansai, we didn’t just stop at udon making. Throughout the past year, we organized a bunch of different events! We’re excited to share more stories and updates on our blog. We’d love it if you keep an eye out for our future posts and enjoy them!

 

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【Event Review】Halloween Fun at Borderless House Tokyo: A Night to Remember!

Hello everyone! Welcome to Borderless House!

We’re an international exchange share house, Borderless House, nestled in Japan, where daily life is enriched by the diverse cultures and backgrounds of our housemates from around the globe. 

Driven by our desire to foster connections beyond just those in the same house, we aim to broaden horizons through intercultural understanding. In line with this vision, on October 21st (Saturday), we organized a grand Halloween party, uniting 44 of our houses in Tokyo.

Marking our first major inter-house event since the onset of COVID-19, the anticipation and a hint of nervous excitement were palpable among our organizing team. The event turned out to be a resounding success, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of 85 participants from 24 houses, all contributing to a lively and memorable celebration!

Experience the vibrancy and excitement of the event through our video recap! 

Bringing you the Halloween Party Scenes!

To facilitate encounters beyond the confines of individual houses, the party venue was set in a certain event space in Takadanobaba. The party, which started at 6 PM, kicked off with an icebreaker for self-introductions, designed to ease the tension and encourage interaction even among those meeting for the first time.

Light snacks and drinks were also provided, quickly creating a warm and friendly atmosphere at the venue. The goal of this event was to foster connections between housemates from different houses. To encourage mingling beyond the usual cliques, the icebreaker involved grouping members from various houses. The atmosphere quickly became lively with animated conversations filling the space.

A Frenzied, Eco-Friendly Mummy Game!

As the venue buzzed with warmth and excitement, it was time for the thrilling game corner! Participants were randomly divided into teams to compete in the ‘Mummy Game,’ where they wrapped each other in toilet paper as quickly and creatively as possible, adding to the event’s excitement.

In this game, we emphasized not only creativity but also environmental consciousness. Instead of using toilet paper, we provided rags made from recycled fabric, challenging participants to transform into a mummy using as little material as possible. This added a unique twist to the scoring criteria.

The housemates competed enthusiastically, each aiming to be the top mummy in terms of speed, appearance, and eco-friendliness. The winner was decided by the volume of applause from the audience, with the victorious team receiving QUO cards as prizes. The participants, fully engaged and reminiscent of their childhood days, wrapped each other in cloth, bringing an energetic buzz to the venue. They enjoyed themselves so thoroughly that it seemed they forgot they had just met that day, bonding over the shared fun.

The highlight of the event was the Costume Award!

As the Halloween party drew to a close, we held the much-anticipated “Costume Award,” where attendees voted for the most impressive costume. The winner, dazzling in style, was a housemate adorned in a delightful pink sailor outfit!

Time always seems to fly during such joyous occasions. The party, alive with energy from beginning to end, eventually reached its conclusion. We capped off the event with a group photo, capturing a lasting memory for all participants.

This event marked Borderless House’s first large-scale social gathering in some time. We extended invitations not just to current residents but also to former housemates and their friends, creating an environment brimming with cheerful conversations and smiles. It was a gathering that truly reflected the warm, family-like spirit of the Borderless House community.

New Connections Forged at the Party

 

At Borderless House, an international exchange share house, we don’t just share a living space; we share cultures, experiences, and memories.Through our regular events, we transcend the boundaries of our homes, fostering a community that cherishes cultural understanding and global friendships.

Immerse yourself in this rich tapestry of international experiences. Join the Borderless House community and embark on a journey of cross-cultural discovery!

Explore your options and find your place in our global family:

▶Discover Share Houses in Tokyo

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