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Experience island community and the beautiful natural views of the south. |
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Here at Tokyo Sharehouse we’ve showcased houses all the way from Hokkaido down to Kyushu, and now we’ve gone even further - Okinawa! To date I have personally visited sharehouses in Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Shikoku and Cambodia, experiencing the merits of share life through my own eyes by interacting with the locals of each area. This time, my first trip to Okinawa coincided with great t-shirt weather. I walked around town captivated by the distinct stone-walled buildings and unique vegetation, falling in love with my surroundings. Also, everyone involved in sharehouse management here is extremely hardworking and serious about what they do. They are earnest and single-minded in creating better environments, reading book after book on sharehouses, and even going all the way to Tokyo to check out other share properties and network with companies there. That said, these managers are not just recreating what they have learned from books, but developing houses that mesh with the Okinawan land and climate with the knowledge they have gained from personal experience. Let’s have a look at some Okinawan-style sharehouses! |
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 This is the shared living and dining area, its classy decor creating a polished atmosphere. The house is kept beautiful and clean by the management.  Watching television at night gathered around the table like a family. Events such as welcome parties are often held in the house. |
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 The living and dining area is a simple space with a white color scheme. Look up something on the internet when you need to with this conveniently provided communal computer.  The kitchen has everything you need, including a microwave. Everything was nice and clean when I visited - maybe the housemates here are always clean up after themselves? |
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 The shared areas have been spaciously designed to help the children in the house live and play happily, with splashes of color here and there to please them.  At the idea of the manager, who has three children himself, the house provides services such as babysitting and dinner preparation to help busy mothers. |
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In Japan April is the season of moving house, the new school year and new working environments, and as we are halfway through the month I am sure everyone is starting to get familiar with their new acquaintances and surroundings. It’s that season where everyone is trying to remember new names and faces, and it’s the same kind of atmosphere for sharehouses in Okinawa. While shared living is thriving in Tokyo, it’s only only just beginning to gain recognition in Okinawa.
That being said, speaking with both the management and residents of sharehouses here, there is less of a distinction between ‘creator’ and ‘inhabitant’ and more of an effort to build up a community while enjoying life together. With plans of building sharehouses on Miyako island the industry can only go up from here. Many people are migrating to Okinawa, and with sharehouses as motivation to move to the islands it is entirely possible that new encounters and connections never experienced before will be created here.
Sharehouses have the potential to connect island locals with people from mainland Japan, and I hope more houses are developed in Okinawa in the near future.
/Author:Watanabe
