As part of our guide to renting an apartment in Osaka, we present this guide to coliving in Japan.
Japan is a popular destination for travelers and digital nomads. The low crime rate, variety of food, and quality of living are just a few of the reasons that these foreigners could start considering a longer stay. The normal method of staying long term would be to rent apartment unit. But since apartment contracts in Japan are usually two years, these visitors may consider other forms of accommodation where they could stay a shorter amount of time; such as coliving in Japan. Whether it be in the form of wandering from city to city or staying in one location for a prolonged period of time, there are different coliving options for different needs.
The Several Forms of Coliving in Japan
Coliving is a broad concept of multiple people living together. If this is a group of friends or family, this could be considered room sharing, or just being roommates. In this case, the housing contract could be under one name. Coliving in Japan would more generally refer to what the Japanese call share houses. Share houses are usuallly furnished, include utilities like electricity and internet access, have shared appliances (like a refrigerator, stove, etc.), and also come with household items for shared spaces like kitchens and living rooms.
Share Houses in Japan
Coliving spaces are often called share houses in Japan, with multiple people living in a house, an apartment unit, or or building with shared facilities.
Share houses in Japan are often foreigner-friendly, and can cater to working holiday visitors, digital nomads, and other long stays in Japan. Some coliving spaces in Japan are marketed to foreigners, and the intentional focus on community can create a situation with several international residents living together.
With coliving housing in Japan, there is typically a shared building where each individual signs a contract with the owner to rent their own “room.” Other features such as a bathroom, kitchen, washing machine, etc., are shared among the residents. This is common in a house-type share house. There are also apartment-type share houses where the units are more private (like typical apartments), but with some communal spaces and appliances shared between residents.
Japanese share houses can be managed by a single owner by themselves, or by a share house management company that runs coliving housing as a for-profit business model. When a company manages the share house, residents may have no chance to meet, interview, and screen newcomers to accept or reject them. The main reasons for choosing a coliving accommodation are: to live with others and become a part of a community, renting a room for less money compared to normal apartments, and being able to lease for a shorter period than usual contract terms.
If your stay is between a few months and two years, and if you would prefer the community-style living, a Japanese share house might be for you.
Share House Management Companies in Japan
As we mentioned above, there are companies that run share houses catered to foreigners, but they could be hard to find. We have compiled a list of the biggest names in the Japanese share house management market, to help your search for a share house in Japan. General searches for share houses might help, but if you are looking for areas outside of Tokyo such as coliving in Sapporo or share houses in Osaka, it may be better to search for those specific locations.
Oak House
– Main Areas: Metropolitan Areas
– Website: https://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/
– Phone Number: 03-6452-6961
– # of Share Houses: 541
Social Apartment
– Main Areas: Tokyo, Kansai
– Website: https://www.social-apartment.com/eng/
– Phone Number: 0120-691-930
– # of Share Houses: 47
Tokyo Beta
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://www.tokyobeta.jp/en/
– Phone Number: https://www.tokyobeta.jp/en/contact/
– # of Share Houses: 1047
Fresh Room
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://www.freshroom.jp/en/
– Phone Number: https://www.freshroom.jp/contact/
– # of Share Houses: 20
チューリップ不動産 (Tulip Real Estate)
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://tulip-e.com/en/
– Phone Number: 03-6914-7366
– # of Share Houses: 49
クロスハウス (X-House)
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://x-house.co.jp/en/
– Phone Number: 03-6712-4346
– # of Share Houses: 6414
ひだまり (Hidamari)
– Main Areas: Various Areas
– Website: https://sharehouse-hidamari.com/en/
– Phone Number: se*****@***********ri.net
– # of Share Houses: 44
Sakura House
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://www.sakura-house.com/
– Phone Number: 03-5330-5250
– # of Share Houses: 90
Borderless House
– Main Areas: Tokyo, Kansai
– Website: https://www.borderless-house.com/jp/
– Phone Number: 03-5829-9161
– # of Share Houses: 77
Share House 180
– Main Areas: Japan
– Website: https://www.sharehouse180.net/en/
– Phone Number: 052-898-2714
– # of Share Houses: 218
Japanese Share House Portal Websites
These above websites contain a number of share houses, making them look like portal websites. However, every single unit listed on these websites are share houses that the company manages and markets. If you are looking for something more like SUUMO or AtHome, where each property is listed by a different owner/manager, the below websites are for you. Share house portal websites work the same way a normal property portal site does: the owner wants residents, they pay an advertisement fee, and then they are allowed to advertise on the portal website and market for new residents.
Tokyo Sharehouse
– Main Areas: Japan
– Website: https://tokyosharehouse.com/eng/
– Contact: https://tokyosharehouse.com/eng/contact/
Share Parade
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://sharepare.jp/en
– Contact: https://sharepare.jp/inquiry
Shares
– Main Areas: Tokyo, Kansai
– Website: https://shares.house/L_en/
– Contact: in**@****es.house
ShareShare
– Main Areas: Tokyo
– Website: https://share-share.jp/en/
– Contact: 0120-549-639
Share Park
– Main Areas: Tokyo, Kansai
– Website: https://share-park.com/
– Contact: in**@********rk.com
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Find Osaka Agents is a product of 三足紋合同会社.
For information about Sapporo or property and housing in the Hokkaido region, see:
— Sapporo share houses
— A list of guest houses and hostels in Sapporo
— Descriptions of short-term housing in Sapporo
— How to buy property in Hokkaido
— Coliving in Osaka