When a living room is used as an event space for people who are not residents, we collect a portion of the participation fees as a contribution to shared expenses.

You are generally free to use the shared spaces as long as you communicate considerately with your housemates.

As a rule, smoking is prohibited both indoors and outdoors at all houses. All members of the management team are non-smokers. In some cases, smoking may be permitted only on a balcony or in front of the entrance, but only after discussion with the management team and every housemate, and only if everyone agrees.

Organic: bicycle parking and car parking are available.
Grand Blue and Arch: bicycle parking is available; a monthly car park is a three-minute walk away.
Ocean: bicycle parking is available, but there is no car parking; please use a nearby car park.
Garden: neither bicycle parking nor car parking is available; please use nearby parking facilities.

Yes. All houses have a bathtub.

Please feel free to use the shared spaces while communicating with your housemates.

All rooms are non-smoking. When making phone calls or talking, please be considerate of housemates in nearby rooms, especially when they are sleeping.

All houses are close to stations in neighborhoods we consider safe. Each private room can be locked from the outside; please use the lock as needed.

Summer and winter bedding sets are available to rent for ¥5,000. We also provide furniture such as beds, clothing storage boxes, desks and chairs.

Yes, the provided furniture can be removed. For beds, we ask residents to use the provided bed whenever possible.

After viewing the house, choose your room and transfer a reservation payment. If you will move in within 30 days, the reservation payment is ¥10,000; for 31–60 days, it is ¥20,000. Rent starts accruing from day 61. The reservation payment is deducted from your total initial costs. Please pay the initial costs by bank transfer at least seven days before your scheduled move-in date.

We mail two copies of the contract and a return envelope. Please return both completed copies, signed and stamped by you and your joint guarantor, together with copies of identification for both of you. Once your move-in date is confirmed, we email the initial cost details. Please arrange fire insurance by your move-in date, including that day. We can introduce an agent for Tokio Marine & Nichido.

On move-in day, please bring your personal seal. We will review the contract together, apply the required seals across the copies, and hand over your keys.

During a phone conversation or house viewing, we consider whether we can communicate comfortably and whether our expectations and approach to shared living are a good fit. We do not impose restrictions based on age, gender or nationality. Our residents come from Japan and overseas, with a diverse range of backgrounds and ages, including people in their 20s through 50s.

Both you and your joint guarantor need to sign and stamp the contract and provide a copy of identification.

Please pay the following month’s rent by bank transfer between the 20th and the last day of each month.

Yes. You can move to another room within the same house without a handling fee. Moving to another house incurs a handling fee of ¥3,000.

Yes. You can reserve a room by transferring a reservation payment of ¥10,000. Online viewings are also available, and we recommend viewing the room before applying.

Yes. Freelancers already live in our houses. For remote meetings, you may freely use your room or shared spaces while other residents are out. When housemates are home, please check whether your voice or meeting audio would disturb them; you can work at home if everyone is comfortable. If housemates’ everyday sounds disturb your work, options may include using a nearby vacant house or another property we manage, when available, or working at a café or library.

Short stays are welcome. We generally discuss arrangements together rather than impose fixed rules, but guests staying less than one month are asked to follow the longer-term residents’ routines, waste disposal arrangements and shared agreements. Stays starting from one night are limited to people considering living in the share house for at least one month, or friends and friends of friends. We will confirm who introduced you. Arrangements depend on room availability, so please contact us.

This depends on the size and layout of the room. Please contact us to discuss your needs.

Initial costs consist of prorated rent plus ¥10,000 for utilities and internet, a ¥10,000 administration fee, a ¥20,000 refundable deposit, and fire insurance. Fire insurance is approximately ¥9,000–11,000 per year and is arranged directly with an insurance agent. Costs may vary with the length of stay. Please check our official website for details and current campaigns:
https://sharehouse-warai.com/vacant-room-info

We do not charge a separate common service fee. Other shared expenses may include jointly purchased household supplies, usually around ¥200–300 per month depending on the house and residents, and a neighborhood association fee of ¥200 per month.

Initial costs consist of prorated rent plus ¥10,000, a ¥10,000 administration fee, a ¥20,000 deposit, and fire insurance. The monthly ¥10,000 consists of ¥8,000 for utilities and ¥2,000 for internet. Utilities are reconciled against actual costs annually, with a May closing date; the adjustment is notified around August and reflected in the following month’s rent. Fire insurance is approximately ¥9,000–11,000 per year and is arranged directly with an insurance agent. The deposit is normally refunded in full when you move out. If room damage or stains require repairs that cannot be covered by fire insurance, repair costs are deducted and the balance is refunded. Stays shorter than three months have a different fee structure; please see our official website:
https://sharehouse-warai.com/vacant-room-info

Yes, visitors are very welcome. Please let your housemates know in advance through the house’s LINE group.

Yes, overnight guests are welcome if you discuss it with your housemates and everyone is comfortable. Please keep voices considerate, as sound can carry to other rooms. We charge ¥500 per night as a contribution to shared expenses. For stays of one month or longer, the charge is ¥10,000 per month. If management staff prepare a bedding set, an additional ¥2,000 applies.

Yes. Fiber-optic internet and Wi-Fi are available in both shared spaces and private rooms, so you can connect immediately.

All residents are required to attend “sharing” meetings with the management team. We hold these whenever a new housemate moves in and whenever someone would like time to discuss an issue. These meetings are a chance to get to know each other and talk about shared spaces, noise, concerns and anything we want others to understand. We value communication, trust and each person’s feelings more than simply following rules.

We also hold monthly shared meals for current residents of Warai’s five houses and prospective residents attending viewings. We enjoy talking about daily life and making plans together. We organize dialogue sessions focused on listening to one another, with the aim of building relationships where everyone feels safe to talk about anything. Sharing meetings are mandatory; shared meals and dialogue sessions are optional.

Pets are generally not allowed. However, they may be welcomed if every current resident wants to accept the pet as part of the household and live together. Pets should normally stay in the owner’s room; in shared spaces, please carry them or keep them in a cage. An additional monthly charge of ¥1,000 applies to small animals that fit in one hand, such as hamsters or small birds, and ¥3,000 to larger pets that can be held in your arms, such as dogs, cats or rabbits.

We generally do not set fixed cleaning rules. When more people live in a house, residents often agree on a rotating schedule. Some prefer regular duties, while others prefer to clean when they notice something needs doing. Residents discuss ideas together, so arrangements may be introduced, removed or changed over time. Whenever a new housemate moves in, all residents and the management team hold a sharing meeting. Please see the FAQ answers about house rules and getting along with residents for more information.

Please notify us at least 30 days before your move-out date. If you give less than 30 days’ notice, you may move out immediately, but rent remains payable through the date 30 days after your notice.

Yes, in principle. We inspect the room with you and then settle any amounts due when you move out.

The figures recorded in our Japanese FAQ are approximately 30% men and 70% women. Age ranges are approximately 30% in their 20s, 40% in their 30s, 20% in their 40s, and 10% aged 50 or above. Approximately 90% are Japanese and 10% are international residents. Of the Japanese residents, around 60% come from Kansai and 40% from other regions. International residents have come from the UK, the Philippines, Switzerland, the USA, Australia and other countries.

We aim to create a home where people can learn English through everyday life and welcome international residents. Our Japanese FAQ describes keeping one of the ten rooms in the Maiko area across Grand Blue and Arch available for an international resident. We have no age limit; anyone able to live independently is welcome, regardless of age, gender or nationality.

For residents: monthly house viewings and shared meals, monthly farm work in Miki, annual miso making, and seasonal events such as cherry blossom outings, barbecues, seaside activities and Christmas parties.

Events open to the public include a monthly English conversation café, the Tarumi Tanoshikaru handmade market each month except winter, monthly listening and dialogue sessions, monthly film screenings and a free community meal, annual winter mochi making, occasional talks with guests, a stall at Earth Day Kobe each May, and other independently organized events.

Yes. Please feel free to invite your friends.

The living rooms at Organic and Arch can be used as event spaces. Events in the Grand Blue living room or your private room should be discussed with your housemates. Activities that your housemates enjoy are very welcome.

No. Participation in events is optional. Please note that the separate sharing meetings described in the house-rules FAQ are mandatory.

Yes. We hold monthly shared meals for residents of Warai’s five houses, as well as seasonal events such as cherry blossom outings, barbecues and Christmas parties.

Please see the FAQ answer “What kinds of events are held in the house?”

Some events are held regularly each month, while others are seasonal or occasional.

That is fine. The landlord and staff can support you in English and Chinese. A willingness to communicate matters more than your language proficiency.

That is fine. Most residents are Japanese, and you do not need to speak English.

We value opportunities to communicate. As we understand each other better, it becomes easier to care for our housemates and openly share concerns, making the house more comfortable to live in. Whenever someone moves in, all residents and the management team hold a sharing meeting to discuss shared spaces, noise and anything we want others to know. We value communication, trust and each person’s feelings more than simply following rules.

We also hold monthly shared meals for current residents of Warai’s five houses and people attending viewings, and dialogue sessions focused on listening to one another. We aim to build relationships where everyone feels safe to talk about anything. Sharing meetings are mandatory; shared meals and dialogue sessions are optional.

We welcome people who can be themselves, are open-minded and generous, and take an interest in different ideas, values and ways of life. We value people who can express their own wishes, listen to others, enjoy spending time together or welcome others doing so, and enjoy both giving and receiving. Emotional independence and thoughtful communication are important.

Warai may be less comfortable for people who strongly insist their own view is right, blame others when things do not go as expected, try to control others, or do not wish to listen to different opinions. It may also be difficult for people who struggle to balance their own needs with relationships, suppress their feelings excessively, are very preoccupied with others, or find independent daily living difficult.

Everyone is free to choose. Some prefer eating alone, while others enjoy shared meals. Residents with similar schedules may share food spontaneously, or arrange meals through the house LINE group. Management may help with ingredients or drinks when a resident organizes a meal for everyone.

We ask residents to share refrigerator space considerately. Needs for the freezer, drinks compartments and vegetable drawer vary, so arrangements are discussed together. Labeling bags or baskets with your name can help keep items separate.

Our approach includes renovating with natural materials such as plaster walls, solid wood floors and Japanese rush tatami, making fermented foods such as miso and mirin-style seasonings each February, and farm work. We also organize monthly resident meals and occasional activities such as yoga, sand bathing, slacklining and seaside outings, according to participants’ interests. These are lifestyle and community activities, rather than medical infection-prevention measures.