A Floating Island in the City Sky: Tabata-Laputa

A resort experience like a dream, enjoying the city on a rooftop terrace

TABATA Laputa is just a 5 minute walk from Tabata station along the Yamanote and Keihin Tohoku lines, sitting in the corner of a quiet residential area.

 It’s said that Laputa was a name taken from the flying island of the “Laputa Kingdom” which appears in Gulliver’s Travels.  I was certain the name came from Ghibli Studio’s “Castle in the Sky”, but apparently Ghibili’s Laputa was originally from Gulliver’s Travels as well.

 However, if you’re wondering why it’s named after a flying island, it’s because of the rooftop terrace with an incredible sense of openness.  Surely open air living under the stars where everyone can talk and eat together makes share house living much more fun.  Furnished with deck chairs and parasols like a resort poolside, by all means we encourage you to give this city resort a try.

 Now let’s take a look at the rooms!

Here we have the entrance to the share house.  If you take off your shoes and head up to the 2nd floor, you’ll encounter an adorable “WELCOME” sign.  While reflexively mumbling to yourself “Excuse me for disturbing you”, if you go up again to the 3rd floor, you’ll arrive at the main lounge. Having the shared space on the upper floor seems to be a rather rare share house layout, but to that end, there is sufficient lighting, and considering its bright colors and spaciousness for relaxing together, I think it’s for the best.

Here’s a look at the living room. Naturally, the interior includes a sofa and good overhead lighting. Also, the curtains and flowers decorating the table give the room a uniform design creating a simple yet distinct atmosphere.

The kitchen is equipped with a full array of cookware and tableware.  It’s also fairly spacious, so I think this would be a good share house for those who love to cook. Perhaps a bit unusual, but the washing machine has also been placed in the kitchen.  While definitely something you don’t normally see, perhaps you can use washing dishes as an opportunity to take care of laundry.

This is the restroom on the 2nd floor. It has quite a unique design.  At first glance it looks like lots of toilet paper piled up along the walls, but this is actually the wallpaper, and there’s only 1 roll of actual toilet paper (lol).  So, if we take a peek over at the washstand, a shower head has been installed next to it.  I suddenly wondered how one would put this shower to use, but from a woman’s point of view perhaps this could be helpful.

Separate from the shower room is a wash room that includes a bathtub.  If you’re Japanese, you’re sure to be longing for a nice bath! Along the stairs when going from the 3rd floor up to the rooftop, there’s a design depicting blue birds flapping their wings as they fly from inside the house to the wide open blue skies outside. I think it makes the trip up to the rooftop more enjoyable for the residents.  And once you’ve accompanied the birds on their way outside, you’ll be greeted with a nice wooden table and chairs to rest your wings.  On a day with nice weather, this is probably used in place of the main lounge.

There are 8 rooms in this house. Some of the rooms are Japanese style while others are Western style (Although this is only for available rooms). So be sure to check the rooms when you stop by to visit. While extraordinary large scale share houses with extravagant facilities are very interesting, I think there are a lot of people who’d prefer a calm and relaxed sense of living when making a place their home.  At TABATA Laputa, the rooms do not all have the same size or a uniform design.  Some of them have verandas, substantial storage space, are ensured to be spacious, etc.  What one wants most varies from person to person, so I think it would be best to visit the share house and check the rooms if you’re looking to move in.

For women who’d, rather than a busy lifestyle living together with lots of people, emphasize living at their own pace in a place that’s calm and safe, I think this may be the share house for them.  TABATA Laputa is a newly opened share house so there are still openings available, but I have a feeling the rooms will fill up fast, so if you’re interested be sure to send in an inquiry.

This is living together with other women.  For example, you return home from work and it’s late, but when you open the door you can hear someone’s home.  It’s moments like these that I think make living in a share house so fantastic.

I’m sure there are those who have moved to the Tokyo area for whatever reason, and until now have lived life a bit recklessly.  However, you’re thinking of making a change to the monotony of the television’s laughter or the low groan of the half-broken air conditioner that make up your everyday life living alone.  If you begin living a life where you’re not alone, the world around you which you’ve grown so accustomed to may start to look a little different.

This share house is an island floating in the city sky, and not just your dreams or fantasies, but a life filled with the voices and laughter of your share mates could be waiting for you on the other side of the door when you come home.  Before you know it, you may find yourself heading home a little bit faster than before.

/Author: Kagawa

House DetailTabata Laputa

Area	Kita-ku, Tokyo
Rent	-
Access	JR Keihintohoku line etc., Tabata Station 5 min walk
Condition	Female
Now fully occupied