As the weather slowly cools down and we start to feel autumn approaching, how was your summer? Did you make fun memories – trips, BBQs, fireworks. summer festivals?
At Borderless House Kansai, residents from our Kyoto and Osaka International Share Houses gathered at the spacious Kyoto Uji House for a major cultural exchange event, including the popular Japanese summer tradition, nagashi somen (flowing noodles) experience.
About 30 residents joined this lively community event, connecting different share houses in the Kansai region. Through language and cultural exchange, everyone met new people and forged new international friendships.
Here’s a look from that memorable day!
Connecting across share houses – an event planned together with student residents
Borderless House wants residents to connect beyond the house they live in, while experiencing uniquely Japanese summer traditions. To encourage this, we regularly host international exchange events involving multiple share houses.
↑Residents planning with Borderless House Staff.
For this event, student residents took the lead in planning and organizing the entire event! From preparation to hosting, they worked together and made it happen.
Language exchange naturally happening while preparing food
About 10 residents gathered in the large kitchen of Kyoto Uji House.
They prepared food together while casually switching between Japanese and English.
Everyone worked together to prepare toppings for the somen noodles and made rice balls.
“What is this called in English?”
“Is this how you shape it?”
Conversations bounced back and forth, with Japanese and English naturally mixing – that is the Borderless House atmosphere.
Handmade nagashi-somen, time to eat!
Once lunchtime arrived, everyone gathered and the long-awaited nagashi-somen started.
Residents split into three groups:
one group to send the noodles down the bamboo slide,
one group to catch and eat them,
and one group to prepare toppings and sides.
After a while, the teams rotated so everyone could enjoy everything.
A real bamboo noodle slide! Everyone was careful not to break it as they took turns…
Every time someone skillfully caught the flowing noodles, you would hear little cheers like,
“Wow, nice!” or “Ohh!”
At one point, the bamboo slide almost broke – but even that turned into fun and laughter.
“People said things like, “I have not done nagashi-somen since elementary school!”
and “We don’t have anything like this in my country!””
What stood out the most was seeing residents from all around the world who came to Japan from different countries, completely absorbed in the activities and having fun together was truly memorable.
↑Everyone relaxing together in the tea room area
To wrap up the day, everyone gathered in the living room, enjoying shaved ice and chatting.
「What brought you to Borderless House?」
「What’s the vibe like in your house? 」
From there, the conversation naturally expanded into topics like travel and personal hobbies.
I hope that the new connections formed here, crossing nationalities and languages, will make life at Borderless House even more enjoyable.♪
We asked the student resident who planned and hosted this event how she felt afterward.
“I was nervous since it was my first time planning an event, but thanks to everyone’s help, we created an amazing Japanese summer experience together. When people thanked me afterward, it made me so happy!”
“I want to join more events where I can meet friends from around the world!”
If you felt the same way while reading this, then maybe next time, it’s your turn.
Why not join us at Borderless House and enjoy international exchange together?
Don’t just read about this excitement—live it!
It’s time for you to be the next star of your own global adventure. Why wait for “someday” when you can act “right now?” Borderless House is your gateway to the world, ready to transform your life into the most stimulating experience possible. Stop putting off your dreams. Join us, break past language and cultural barriers, and start building an unforgettable life today!
▶ See all Share Houses in Tokyo
▶ See all Share Houses in Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto
▶ See all Share Houses in Sendai
On each House Details page, you can check the current residents’ nationalities, genders, ages, and even read their self-introduction comments. Be sure to take a look!
