If you’re looking for a place to live in Japan as a student, you may be interested in living in a share house. Sharehouses are a relatively new type of rental residence in Japan where multiple unrelated individuals live together, sharing all spaces except their own private rooms. With both private spaces and communal areas, residents can enjoy the freedom of living alone while simultaneously still having a sense of security from having other people in the house. These places are often pre-furnished, affordable, and a great opportunity to interact with locals and foreigners. On the other hand, there might also be a clash of cultures, or conflict over different understandings of appropriate behavior and manners.
Taking your shoes off before entering rooms is a well-known and common custom around the world, but what other etiquette should you know when living in a Japanese sharehouse with other people?
Let’s take a look at some general etiquette, as well as the etiquette for different communal areas (kyouyuu supe-su 共有スペース) of the house.
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Jump to:
- General Rules for Living in a Japanese Share House
- Kitchen Rules in a Sharehouse
- Bathroom Etiquette in a Sharehouse
- Sharehouse Etiquette for the Laundry Room
- Entrance (genkan 玄関)
- Using a Dining Area in a Japanese Sharehouse
- What to Do if There’s Conflict in a Japanese Share House
- Conclusion
Responsibilities for general duties such as taking out the garbage, cleaning around the house, and buying daily necessities will likely be assigned (toubansei 当番制). Make sure to check when and what your responsibilities are, as sometimes there may be penalties (bassoku 罰則) if you forget to do your task.
When taking out the garbage, you should also look out for local garbage disposal rules. Japan has strict rules on garbage separation (gomi no bunbetsu ごみの分別), that sometimes go beyond the main categories of combustibles (moeru gomi 燃えるごみ), non-combustibles (moenai gomi 燃えないごみ), and recycling (shigen gomi 資源ごみ). The pickup schedules also vary by ward, and garbage that does not comply with the separation or pickup rules will usually not be collected by the garbage collectors. Check your local garbage disposal guide for more information about the rules in your ward!
Some additional rules include a no-pets policy and smoking restrictions. Many sharehouses have a no-pets policy (petto kinshi ペット禁止), because of potential mess, allergies, and accidents involving other residents. For similar reasons, smoking is usually not allowed within premises, although some sharehouses have designated smoking areas. For residents who smoke outside of the premises, it is considered polite to use air fresheners to remove the smell of smoke from your clothes.
There are usually also rules for inviting friends and family over. Some sharehouses may not permit guests, so we recommend checking with the rule book or management company (kanri gaisha 管理会社) beforehand. Even if it is allowed, it is considered good manners to inform other residents in advance and make clear what areas guests are allowed to enter. Sharing the rules with your guests in advance will also be one way to avoid potential conflict.
Check out: How to Set Up Gas, Electricity and Water in Your Japanese Apartment
As with all other communal areas, cleanliness (seiketsu 清潔) is expected in the kitchen. Common rules include washing dishes and kitchenware immediately after use, cleaning up after food scraps (nama gomi 生ごみ), putting things back in their original place, and not leaving food in pots. Smells can sometimes be a problem too, especially in sharehouses where some people might not be used to certain smells from a different culture.
One way to prevent conflict is airing out (kanki 換気) the kitchen after cooking. Refrigerators and pantries should also be kept clean and organized, by writing your name on the food that you buy or make, cleaning up after spills, and throwing away expired foods (kigen gire no tabemono 期限切れの食べ物). It’s always a good idea to return the kitchen to how it was originally, or cleaner!
Check out: Guide to Choosing Between Sharehouse vs Homestay in Japan
In sharehouses, shower times are usually restricted to a certain duration (jikan seigen 時間制限) to keep other residents from waiting, and might even follow a waiting list system. Even if there is no specific rule, keeping shower times short is considered manners and a good way to avoid conflict.
Another common problem with bathrooms is clogged shower drains (haisuikou no tsumari 排水溝の詰まり), which is understandable since multiple people are using the same bathroom. No one likes removing someone else’s hair from the drain though, so the general rule is to remove your hair from the drain after each shower, regardless of the length or volume of your hair.
To prevent clutter and from people using each other’s belongings, residents are also encouraged to not leave any personal items in shared spaces, including bathrooms. For the sake of convenience, people commonly prepare a shower set in a small bag or basket with their toothbrush, shower amenities, and hair dryer, just as if you were going to a sento (銭湯)!
Depending on the size of the sharehouse, there might be a room dedicated to laundry, with washing machines (sentakki 洗濯機) and dryers (kansouki 乾燥機). To not keep other residents waiting when the number of machines are limited, residents are expected to remove their clothes shortly after their cycle is finished. Multiple people using the same machines will also cause lint to build up quickly, so it is good manners to remove lint from the net after each use.
Entrance (genkan 玄関)
This is probably where you’ll see the ‘no shoes inside’ (dosoku kinshi 土足禁止) sign, but apart from this, there are several rules to keep the space clean and organized. Some sharehouses set a limit on the number of shoe residents can keep at the entrance, and all other shoes must be kept in their respective rooms. Shoes and umbrellas at the entrance will be expected to be kept and organized in the shoe closet (kutsu bako 靴箱) and umbrella stand (kasa date 傘立て) respectively.
Another common problem is forgetting to lock doors and windows (kagi no shime wasure 鍵の閉め忘れ). Although Japan is relatively safe, making sure that windows and doors are locked before going to sleep will ensure the safety of yourself and others.
The dining area or living room will be the main area for residents to gather, eat, and have fun, but you should keep in mind several Japanese table manners. To keep the place comfortable for everyone, the area will be expected to be kept clean by wiping down tables after use and cleaning up after oneself. The noise level may also be strictly regulated, with limits on the TV volume or quiet hours during which residents must only talk quietly in communal areas. Residents are also discouraged from taking calls in communal areas and even private rooms for reasons of privacy and noise levels. Instead, it is proper etiquette to take or make calls outside the sharehouse.
Even with all these rules, conflicts might still happen. Some might not have the same interpretation of the rules, or just simply choose to ignore them, especially if there are little to no consequences.
In the case of a conflict, there are a few different ways to tackle and solve the problem.
1. Talk to your roommate
The first thing to do is talk to your roommate and see if the problem can be solved amicably. Here are a few phrases that can come in handy.
片付けてください。
Katazukete kudasai.
Please tidy the area.
テーブルを拭いてください。
Teburu o fuite kudasai.
Please wipe down the table.
Other common situations in a Japanese share house where you might need to address the problems are:
| Situation | What to say |
|---|---|
| Asking someone to remove their clothes from the washer or dryer | 洗濯／乾燥が終わってます、洗濯物を出してもらえますか？ Sentaku/Kansou ga owattemasu, sentakumono o dashite moraemasuka? Your laundry is done, can you take it out of the machine? |
| When someone is being loud during quiet hours | 壁が薄くて声が聞こえるので、〇〇時以降は静かにお願いします。 Kabe ga usukute koe ga kikoeru node, 〇〇ji ikou ha shizukani onegaishimasu. The walls are quite thin, and I can hear you quite well, so please keep the volume down after 〇〇 o’ clock. |
| When someone forgets to lock the door | 玄関の鍵を閉め忘れていたので、気をつけてください。 Genkan no kagi wo shimewasurete itanode, kiwotsukete kudasai. You forgot to lock the door, so please be careful next time. |
2. Contact the management company
If talking to your roommate doesn’t work, the next step would be to contact the management company. Management staff frequently deal with similar problems and will be able to give advice and suggestions or even step in to mediate the situation. Possible methods of intervention include setting up posters (hari gami 貼り紙) to remind residents of certain rules, or handing a warning (chuui 注意) to those who are loud during quiet hours.
Here is an example of how to contact the management company:
Introduce yourself:
(シェアハウス名)に住んでいる(名前)です。
(sheahausu mei) ni sundeiru (namae) desu.
I’m (name), and I live in (apartment name).
シェアメイトとのトラブルで連絡しました。
Sheameito tono toraburu de renraku shimashita.
I am contacting you because I’m having trouble with another resident.
From here, you can start explaining your trouble or concern.
(名前)がいつも共有スペースを使った後に片付けません。
(Namae) ga itsumo kyouyuu supeesu wo tsukatta ato ni katazukemasen.
(Name) never cleans up after themself after using communal spaces.
他のシェアメイトにも迷惑をかけています。
Hoka no sheameito nimo meiwaku wo kakete imasu.
It’s a nuisance for other residents too.
After you go through the situation, it’s good to be direct about what you want the management company to do.
管理会社に対応してもらえますか？
Kanri gaisha ni taiou shite moraemasuka?
Can you do something about this?
管理会社から注意してもらえますか？
Kanri gaisha kara chu-i shite moraemasuka?
Can you warn them for us?
Other words that can help describe the problem are:
| Situation | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Being noisy | うるさくしてる | Urusakushiteru |
| Breaking the rules | ルール違反 | Ruuru ihan |
| Doesn’t separate garbage properly | ごみをちゃんと分けない | Gomi o chanto wakenai |
| Doesn’t take out the trash | ごみ出しをしない | Gomi dashi o shinai |
| Ignores assigned duties | 当番の役割を無視する | Touban no yakuwari o mushi suru |
3. Contact the police
In the case that the conflict involves stealing or other types of crime, or if it escalates into violence, the police should be contacted.
Apart from the emergency call (110), Japan’s police department has a consultation hotline (#9110) that also deals with neighborhood problems, such as those in sharehouses.
Calling #9110 will connect you to a police safety counselor who will give you advice on how to handle the situation or connect you with other governmental agencies if appropriate. If they deem the conflict malicious, the police will help provide guidance and warnings to the offender.
Conclusion
Sharehouses are great places to live in if you’re new to Japan and looking for an affordable and convenient residence in the city. It’s also perfect for those who want to get to know more people, as it provides a great way to connect with locals and other foreigners, learn each other’s culture, and get used to Japanese customs. However, living and sharing spaces with others may lead to conflicts at times, especially if your roommates do not share the same cultures and expectations.
A good understanding of general Japanese etiquette and the rulebook as well as good communication with your roommates will be essential in keeping the peace in the sharehouse. If that doesn’t work, you always have the management company and even the police to rely on!
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