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Discover unique cultural experiences and interactions beyond hotel stays through our exclusive “BORDERLESS TRAVEL” program for residents!

Hello everyone! Welcome to Borderless House.

Here at Borderless House, the new friendships and interactions under one roof provide a unique sense of fulfillment that only comes from living it.

Japanese residents might find themselves teaching Japanese to their new international housemates, assisting with various administrative procedures, and adapting to life in Japan. This mutual support mirrors the help we would seek if we were traveling or living abroad ourselves.

Stepping out of the comfort of home takes courage, but a warm community waiting at your destination can make any overseas adventure enjoyable and reassuring.

Today, we’re excited to introduce BORDERLESS TRAVEL, where you can enjoy short stays at Borderless Houses in different countries and meet new housemates across borders.

We’ll share the story of Yuzuki, who ventured from Kyoto’s Nishijin House to spend a week in February 2024 at KORYODAE2 HOUSE in Korea. Yuzuki will tell us about her experiences in Japan, her adventures in Korea, and the allure of BORDERLESS TRAVEL.

We also have comments from Robin, the manager of BORDERLESS KOREA, so stay tuned till the end for more insights!

Click here for more details on BORDERLESS TRAVEL!！

Embracing English: Yuzuki’s Journey at Nishijin House

Yuzuki’s time at Nishijin House brought about a significant shift in her views on English and international interactions. She explained that her decision to move there stemmed from a desire to conquer her fear of English and engage with people from different countries.

Although she initially enjoyed English, the stress of exam preparation diminished her passion, and she struggled to speak fluently. Yuzuki realized the limitations of speaking only Japanese and saw the potential of English to connect her with diverse cultures and ideas.

Driven by the need to immerse herself in an English-speaking environment, Yuzuki chose to live at Borderless House.

───Did you consider any other share houses before choosing Borderless House?

Yuzuki: Actually, I didn’t look anywhere else. I decided to move into Borderless House the same day I visited. The environment offered the perfect mix of English practice and social opportunities, all within my budget. Plus, I was planning to study abroad the next year, so the idea of practicing for that experience while still in Japan seemed perfect to me.

─── Could you tell us about your housemates at Nishijin House?

Yuzuki: On my first day, one of my housemates surprised me by inviting me to a party right away, which was unexpected (laughs)! Initially, I was nervous, but everyone was so welcoming that I quickly warmed up to them.

I formed a close bond with a foreign housemate, and we often went out together. I also shared unique insights with a working professional housemate. Whenever we faced challenges or disagreements in our shared living situation, we were able to discuss and resolve them during our regular house meetings at Nishijin House. It truly was a great community to be a part of.

───Have you noticed any personal growth or changes during your time at Nishijin House?

Yuzuki: Absolutely! Initially, spending time with people from other countries was out of the ordinary for me, and it came with a bit of tension. But after living in Borderless House, I’ve become comfortable engaging freely in conversations without considering race or nationality.

It’s been incredibly enriching to learn from the diverse perspectives and strong convictions of my housemates.

Embarking on My First Solo International Journey with BORDERLESS TRAVEL!

───How did you become interested in BORDERLESS TRAVEL?

Yuzuki: I’ve known about the program since I moved in and always wanted to try it. I felt staying at a Borderless House abroad would be more enriching than solo hotel stays, allowing me to learn the language and engage with locals.

It seemed like a perfect way to prepare for my first solo international trip before studying in Canada this summer.

─── Your first experience living abroad was with BORDERLESS TRAVEL. Did you encounter any challenges during your travel?

Yuzuki: It was quite nerve-wracking, especially going through immigration for the first time and figuring out train transfers on my own. But luckily, everything went smoothly without any major problems!

Yuzuki: When I got to Koryodaes House, I was greeted by Robin, the staff member I had been communicating with by email. Meeting him in person really helped me settle in. He showed me around and shared some local tips and places to visit.

───Traveling abroad for the first time can be quite daunting. Did you notice any notable differences during your stay in the Borderless House in Korea compared to Japan?

Yuzuki: Definitely. For example, I had to separate organic waste from burnable trash, and in public restrooms, I couldn’t flush toilet paper but had to discard it in a bin.

Living in an environment close to the local lifestyle, unlike a hotel stay, made me more aware of these cultural differences. This is one of the unique advantages of BORDERLESS TRAVEL.

Language Learning, Cultural Exploration, and International Connections: Maximize the Benefits of Short-Term Stays!

───During your seven-day stay, did you make any specific efforts?

Yuzuki: I focused on being proactive in starting conversations with my housemates. It was my first time in a shared room overseas, and I quickly hit it off with my Italian roommate on the first day. She left for Tokyo the next day, so we couldn’t meet again, but we kept in touch through Instagram, sharing messages and updates about her trip.

Many of my housemates were interested in Japan, so we enjoyed mingling and conversing in Japanese, English, and Korean.

───Did you also converse in Korean during your stay?

Yuzuki: Yes, I’ve been a fan of Korean dramas, which helped me learn the language pretty naturally. I actually speak Korean better than English! While there, Robin invited me to a Language Exchange event, where I got to meet and chat with people outside the house, making my stay even more enjoyable.

───It sounds like you made the most of your 7-day stay! What other activities did you do?

Yuzuki: I visited historic sites and museums that caught my interest. I dressed in traditional Korean clothes and explored Gyeongbokgung Palace, and I also went to the DMZ near the North Korean border.

I participated in a tour aimed at Japanese visitors and connected well with other participants. We discussed how the conflict known in Japan as the “Korean War” is referred to in Korea. Learning about Korean perspectives on their history was incredibly insightful.

─── Reflecting on your 7-day stay, could you highlight what makes BORDERLESS TRAVEL so special?

Yuzuki: Definitely! The program offers deep cultural experiences and meaningful interactions with local housemates that you just can’t get from staying in a hotel. It allows you to live much closer to how the locals do, which is unique to BORDERLESS TRAVEL.

I think even short stays can provide significant learning and insights. I recommend starting with a stay in a domestic Borderless House to get a feel for international exchange before trying out the program.

A Message from Robin, Korean Operations Staff

BORDERLESS TRAVEL, with its strong emphasis on tourism and travel aspects, offers an exciting experience that’s a bit different from our usual resident support. It was Yuzuki’s first solo international trip, so we actively shared information about tourist spots and recommended gourmet spots to ensure she could fully enjoy her time in Korea.

With a recent expansion in our staff at Borderless House Korea, we’re now even better equipped to support our guests in a variety of ways.

I enjoy keeping up with the latest trends and sharing new information, so I encourage you to take advantage of BORDERLESS TRAVEL and come visit us in Korea.

I’m looking forward to meeting you!

 

 

ーーーーーーーーーーーー

BORDERLESS TRAVEL, part of the Borderless Mates program, is an exclusive initiative for residents that offers connections beyond the typical share house experience.

Please note that due to the availability of vacancies at the destination, we may not be able to accommodate your preferred timing or house. We recommend contacting us before booking your flight.

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【NEWS】 6-months Contract with 10% Discount!

 

Hello, this is Borderless House.
Hope you are doing well!

Today, we announce our new type of the contract.

Originally our basic contract was for 1 year and you can move out anytime in 1 year as long as you notice us by 30 days before.

In case you already know the exact move-out day when you reserved, the period can be exactly the months and days you stay.

This time, we started to have a new type of the contract with discount for the people who are planning to live more than 6 months.

New Contract Type

<Contract type>  6 months contract
<Feature>  You get 10% off on your monthly rent for 6 months.

Notes

*The deposit amount is same (₩500,000).
*The utility fee (Water, Gas, Electricity and Internet) is not discounted.
*If you move out within 6 months, we cannot refund all deposit.

Other Information

We are afraid that we cannot refund the rent for the people who have been already living in our house more than 6 months. If you are planning to live more than 6 months from November, we can have the new contract with the discounted rent from November.

 

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us. -> HERE
Have a nice day!

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【Tenant’s Interview】Changes in myself while living in Borderless House

Hello, this is Ayako from Borderless House!
Summer has just come here in Seoul. How are you doing?

This time, I talked with Euihyun about the living in share house and how she changed there. If you are you considering about moving into Borderless House, this interview must help you!

Also, if you are interested in learning languages, living abroad or having international experience, you must enjoy reading 🙂

Let’s get start it!

What were you doing before moving to Borderless House?

After I graduated from university, I was working but I quit after 1 year and then I went back to my parent’s home.  I was struggling with my future. I was willing to live abroad or work abroad but I was not sure if I really could do it.  And if I want to live or work abroad, I need to practice English in daily life so I had been thinking this kind of things. 

What made you decide to move to Borderless House?

I was not sure which way I should go but I was sure about the things that I need to do, which is to have a similar experience to the one I was dreaming.

“Let’s live in an English-speaking environment. It must be like paying the cost for English academy and accommodation altogether reasonably!” So I chose this International Share House, Borderless House.

How was the result?

I could get used to living there only after one day! (haha) I just spent every single day normally and I suddenly found myself like I was changing and growing up a lot. I can tell you these three things. 

Firstly, I could choose the room which matched with all of my preferences

For me, it was important to have a shared space and personal space both. The house I chose met this condition so this was the first reason I chose here.

The house I chose is Chungjeongno1 House and it has the most active community so I thought I could have many opportunities to speak English with housemates.  

I also wanted to live in a spacious room so I chose a double room.
I was planning to decide if I live longer or not after I live for a month and the minimum staying period in Borderless House was 1 month so it was also an advantage compared to the other share house companies. 

I could made a choice, considering where and how to live and my own standards and conditions. Then my independent life started.

 (With my roommate, Jessica)

Secondly, I was able to experience the future life indirectly.

Although it was a vague goal, I knew that going abroad is a choice which I have to spend a lot of cost, time and energy. Also I will be separated from family and friends.

I thought living in Borderless House would become an opportunity to judge whether I could challenge abroad.

While living there, I realized that I really like English. Whenever I have time, I chose to talk with foreign friends even though there were some Korean friends. Of course speaking in English is not easy but at the moment I learned and it was fun to share my opinions with friends from other countries. I realized that English (language) is a tool, a way to open new doors.

(Dinner with my housemates)

Thirdly, my view of life and possibilities for my life have broadened

I was thinking that it was very difficult to study and work abroad. However after I lived at Borderless House, I realized that “It might not be so difficult to live in other countries. Just as I can choose to live in Korea, this is also the thing I can choose.”

While living in an international exchange share house, I realized that I had strong desires to speak English well and to live in various places. So I started to believe in myself more.

Do you have anything you would like to tell those who are considering moving into Borderless House?

You can see this sentence on the Borderless House web page.
‘Living in International exchange Share House, step to the world.’
Maybe it sounds a little bit abstract.

However,  if you have even small interest in using English and living in an international environment, you can ask yourself about it. What is the international exchange destination for you?

In my case, I could get the answer after I decided to live in an international exchange share house. The daily life in international environment always gave me some questions and I kept thinking about the answers and then I could reach to my own answers.

To get a mutual understanding by talking or discussing in English.
To get a confidence that I can live abroad out of Korea.
To get to know that there are something that I can do even in other countries.
To have friends abroad and feel the friends’ countries very close

These are the definition of what is international for me.

If you have the ability you want, put yourself into an environment where you can practice it. I can confidently tell you that you will have your own international meaning, even if you cannot guarantee what experience you will experience!

Thank you for those kind words. Thank you for today 🙂

Today, I always worry or think about friends from all over the world.
Actually we had a conversation via Skype with my previous housemates a few days ago. The color of the sky in each screen was different. It was 11pm in Korea but it was at 10am in the United States, and 4pm in Switzerland. However, we were glad to see one screen and said hello each other. Someday I will visit their countries to meet them in person. And I will tell them like this.

“Hey! I came near your house! come out! Let’s eat dinner! “

 

 

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【Let’s travel abroad!】 Your housemates are waiting for you even in other countries!

Hello, this is Borderless House!

Do you like traveling abroad?

Borderless House has share houses in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. So we have a special program only for our tenants which you can stay in other share houses in other countries for free.

It’s called “House Exchange Program”.

You can stay for 5 nights at minimum and for 1 month at maximum so it is convenient when you go to other countries for travel or short study on vacation!

If you use this program when you travel alone to a country you visit for the first time, how will it be..?

Today, let me introduce Motomu who is living in a house in Tokyo and came to Korea, using this House Exchange Program.

Motomu’s profile

・4th grade in a university in Tokyo
・Going to start working in his hometown from next spring
・Living in Borderless House for more than half a year
・Moved in Borderless House in order to practice English and make friends from other countries
・Likes music, calligraphy, cooking, and Kendo

 

（↓ Once he moved in, he could get friends at his house! He is on the left.）

What made you use “House Exchange Program”?

That’s because I can have housemates even in the country where I never visited before and I can be a friend of them!

And I don’t need to pay any fee so it was also an attractive point! It is a nice concept for students who don’t have enough money. lol

 

（↓He could easily get close to his housemates within a few hours!）

Why KOREA？

I decided to visit Korea this time because I’m from Fukuoka which is really close to Korea and most of my friends already had visited Korea.

I had been thinking that I wanted to visit as soon as possible while I have enough time.　

And also I like spicy food so I wanted to try them!

（↓Korean food Motomu tried while he was in Korea,）

How did you spend time with your housemates?

I could enjoy the time with all the housemates!

On my arrival day, one of the housemates Alice cooked food for me. She is a really warm and kind person like a mother for everyone. I was really happy for her warm welcome.

If I go to the living room, I could meet someone so I think I was drinking all the time with my housemates. lol

There were Japanese tenants and they guided me to some famous sightseeing places. We visited some historical places and enjoyed Korean food together.

I ate a lot and drank a lot but it was super fun!

 

（↓The places he visited.）

What was the most memorable experience?

It was the drinking with a housemate and the housemate’s friend and the friend’s friend. lol  Most of the members meet each other for the first time.

At first, I thought only I was the new person but later I got to know that most of us were the first time to meet and there was a person who lived in Borderless House Kyoto and came to Korea just for a trip.

It was unexpected members but connected with Borderless House so we could be close soon and it was the most fun moment in my stay! 

（↓Eating Korean food together.）

Did you discover any new things in yourself?

The house I stayed in Korea was bigger than the one I live in Tokyo and the house has more members and an at-home atmosphere.

It might be because of the big number of people but everyone was just like a family member and I would like to see them again.

Koenji2 House has really fancy facilities with a music studio. However, some members use the studio just for their own purpose. I hope we can use the place together in order to make our community more active. I thought it was important to change their minds gradually!

I want to tell that to my housemates in Korenji2 House in order to reproduce the at-home atmosphere in my house in Seoul!

 

（↓At Han River at night.）

Any other things to tell?

I want Borderless House in the United States and Australia, too! lol

(Staff: Oh, yes! We will do our best to realize it !!!!)　

（↓Near the house. All tenants like the neighbor dog.）

Editorial note

In Japan, he usually welcomes housemates from other countries as a local person but in Seoul, he was welcomed by his housemates as a new housemate from another country.

It must have been a new experience for him.

Your housemates are waiting for you in other countries which you never visited before.
Borderless House is such community that you can connect to the world.

Why don’t you try to have an at-home travel experience like this in Borderless House? It must be totally different from the one alone.

 

Please check it our the detail of House Exchange Program here!

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We held the international event “The Bibim” in Seoul!

Anyeonghaseyo! This is Borderless House Seoul.

How was your summer vacation?
On, August 15th was the independence day, which has a special meaning in Korea.

On the day, we Borderless House Seoul held an event “The Bibim” for international exchange at one of our share house.
Today we would like to share about this event in this blog!

The first event by Borderless House Supporters!

This event was planned and managed by Borderless House Supporters who are students and living in our house to support the house community and management. They started planning a few weeks before. In order to make it a good event, they gathered at our office several times and prepared well.

Although the outside was raining, over 20 tenants joined to this event from different houses!

The main content of this event was to make Korean food “bibimpab” by winning some games. If the team could win the game, they can get a dish to put on the rice to make bibimpab.
The name of the game is, “The Bibim”!!!!

(We gathered at Borderless House Hongdae2, which has a huge living room.)

Exciting game to get the dish!

The first round was, “Who drank alcohol?”.

4 members of the team drink a cup of water or alcohol in front of everyone at the same timing. Only one cup has alcohol (Soju) so the audience will point out who drank the alcohol. If the team could fake and the person who drank the alcohol didn’t get pointed out, the team can get one dish for bibimpab!

Since the team could think about how they cheat the audience beforehand, some teams tried to pretend that they all drink water or other teams pretended that they all drink Soju. Each team did great acting!
（This is Dani, pretended to drink water although she drank a cup of Soju.）

The second round is “Speed Drawing”

3 members in one team draw one object together by 3 seconds each. Then another member answer what they tried to draw. If he or she answered the correct one, the team can get the dish.
3 seconds is super short! Even if we are grabbing a pen, staff will take it off after 3 seconds. It was really difficult to complete drawing and we laughed a lot by seeing the weird picture!

What is this, you think?
The answer is.. Penguin!!

The third round is “Gesture Game”!

We take turns in a team and if we can get correct answers more than a certain number, we can get the dish. This game can be learning of new language.

“Ahhhh, that word.. in my language, we say XX but how do you call it in Korean or English?”  “It is XX!!”  like that.

（She is trying to express the word “Exciting”. It was difficult!）

The fourth round is “Gongi (Air) game”!

This is a Korean traditional game. We throw small balls up and catch by the back of the hand. And we throw them up again then catch them by hand. We compete for the number of balls which we could catch as a result. 

This is actually super difficult! Since this is a Korean traditional game, most of the Korean members got high points! Members from other countries, they reacted like can you do that?”.

We have these balls in our office so when you visit our office for the payment, why don’t you try it?

（Can you guess if she could catch the balls?!）

The last round is “Intro Quiz”!

As you know, we listen to an intro of the music and answer the title of the music.
“I know! I know this song but I forgot the title..! What was that?” 

（The last round was so exciting!）

Finally, we can eat!

Now all the games are done. Unfortunately, there were some teams which couldn’t get all the dishes but we share every kind of dishes finally and the delicious bibimbap was completed!

The “Bibim” International exchange

“Bibim” means “mix” in Korean. Famous Korean food “Bibimpab” consists from “Bibim” (mix) and “Pab” (rice).

In this event, tenants from Korea, Japan, UK, USA, Mexico, Germany, and Thailand joined. We enjoy the language and Korean culture by playing the games together. It was just like “Bibim” of culture.

On the independence day of Korea, people from various countries gathered in one place, laughed a lot together and enjoyed Koran culture together. This event became a kind of touching one as Borderless House Staffs who wish for peace in the world.

Special Thanks!

For supporters, who did from planning to preparing and MC, every organizing really well, thank you very much!

For Borderless Staff Bona, who was organizing supporter members, Rani, who was preparing bankside like cooking, Yona, who made the atmosphere exited, thank you very much!!
（Our staff cooked the dish for bibimpab!）


（Supporters!）

What the next event is..? Please be looking forward to it!!!!

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HOUSE EXCHANGE Emi Tokyo to Seoul

House Exchange from Tokyo to Seoul!

 

Hello, this is Share House Borderless House!

One of our tenants in Tokyo, Emi has been to Seoul for a week by house exchange program!

She told us that it was really nice trip and she made many good memories in Seoul!

Why don’t we look around her trip with housemate to Seoul?

 

 

 

Hello, my name is Emi and I am staying in one of Borderless Houses in Tokyo!

I got vacation from my job, so I decided to visit Seoul with my housemate Chizuru.

I really got excited because this is my first trip to abroad!

It was really nice to participate Free House Exchange program of Borderless for my first trip!

 

 

I am interested in cooking, especially learning how to make foreign food.

So I decided to take a cooking class in Seoul with my housemate.

This class was for foreigners only, so I could meet many people from abroad!

It was really good time learning how to cook some Korean dishes.

I would like to make this dish for my housemates in Tokyo someday!

 

 

Not only for learning, but also having Korean local food was really awesome!

I had a lot of dishes such as Tteokbokki, Naeng-myun, Injeolmi etc.

This is one of dished which I had with my friend in Seoul.

It was so sweet and delicious! I cannot forget the taste of it here in Tokyo till now!

 

 

I was staying in one of houses of Borderless in Seoul.

The best thing in the house where I have stayed was the view!

The house was on 33rd floor, so I could enjoy awesome night view every night.

I would like to say thank you to staffs of Borderless House Seoul team.

that they made me to stay in this wonderful house!

 

 

These are my housemates during the term of my stay in Seoul!

I was really happy that I could make many friends in here Seoul.

Although they are going to school or work, they always helped me a lot.

I got really helpful information from them all days!

 

 

One day, one of my housemates in Seoul take me to nice Cafe.

It was really nice and I was really happy to have time with her.

Someday if she will come to Tokyo, I am surely take her to awesome places!

I would like to say thank you for all who stayed with me in Seoul!

During the term of my stay in Seoul, I had many nice experiences with all the housemates.

I think if I did not participate this program, I could not have local friends like this!

If I can get more vacation from company, I would like to participate this program again!

Thank you Borderless, I could make many good memories because of this program!

 

* Only for tenant *

If you want to join our House exchange program,

feel free to contact us! Always welcome!

Please refer to the link below for more information.

http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange

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HOUSE EXCHANGE Franz Tokyo to Seoul

 House Exchange from Tokyo to Seoul!

 

Hello, this is Share House Borderless House!

One of our tenants in Tokyo, Franz has been to Seoul for a week by house exchange program!

He gave us so many adorable pictures and comments what he felt in Seoul.

Why don’t we look around his first travel to Seoul?

 

 

Hello, my name is Franz and I am from Sweden.

Since I am staying in Tokyo from a few months ago,

I always wanted to visit another countries near Japan.

When I heard that I can stay in one of shared houses of Borderless

in Kansai, Seoul and Taipei by FREE HOUSE EXCHANGE program,

I thought this is really great chance for me.

 

 

I was planning to visit Seoul from quite long time ago,

so I decided to visit Seoul with this wonderful program.

I could stay one of shared houses in Seoul for free,

and I was really feel comfortable to make a plan for my first trip.

A staff of Borderless House Seoul recommend me some houses

where I can stay during the term I visit Seoul, and I chose Hongdae 5 House.

 

 

They were my housemates during my stay in Seoul!

They were so nice and helpful.

I feel so friendly with them, although I stayed there only for a week.

I thought it is possible to be real family with unknown people in Borderless House.

I hope to meet them again, if I can have chance to visit Seoul once again!

 

 

I really loved to visit many famous attractions in Seoul.

I could see many sites in Seoul with many recommendation from my housemates.

It feels so nice when I visit a country for the first time!

Although I am staying in Japan now, I would like to visit Seoul for a long time someday!

 

 

I would like to say that Han-river was the best place in Seoul where I visited.

Hongdae 5 House where I stayed during the term I stayed in Seoul,

has really good access to anywhere in Seoul.

Especially for Han-river and Hongdae, those were really close to the house.

It was so convenience to visit all around Seoul by subway line No.2 from the house.

 

This dish called 짜장면 and 탕수육!

My housemates highly recommend this dish to try.

It was so nice that I could try many dish in one menu!

And I got surprised that it delivered so fast.

I felt it came just we cut the call for taking an order!

 

 

I really want to say thank you to all my housemates.

Although they have their work or schedule, because they are actually ‘living’ in Korea,

they always helped me to find good places where I should visit in Seoul,

and they took me to good restaurants for dinner!

I think the best opportunity for this Free House Exchange Program is that

I can make local friends who actually living in Seoul.

When I travel somewhere, I could visit places where are famous for sightseeing only.

But this time, I am sure that I could feel as many things as I can feel in Seoul as a tourist.

Thank you Borderless!

 

* Only for tenant *

If you want to join our House exchange program,

feel free to contact us! Always welcome!

Please refer to the link below for more information.

http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange