As popularized by Netflix reality show sensation Terrace House, co-living spaces in Japan comes largely in the form of a sharehouse (シェアハウス). Sharehouse companies flip various aging properties, from old Japanese estates to vacated corporate housing, and inviting university students and professionals of all backgrounds to build their communities as well as long-lasting friendships.

This summer, we had the opportunity to sit down with one of Tokyo’s leading sharehouse companies, Oakhouse, to discuss their decision to incorporate an Undokai as one of their main community events.

Sharehouse communication exchange campaign! A truly global Sports Festival with participants from more than 20 countries

Oakhouse Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Oakhouse”) operates and manages more than 6,400 rooms around the country under the motto “The world’s largest share house that offers opportunities to enjoy, delight and grow through living”.

We redefine the sharehouse concept as a “Social Residence” where residents of various nationalities, ages and occupations share and learn.

On this occasion we held an Undokai, or sports festival, for our new residents.  

After the event, I spoke with Ms. Serizawa, the manager of their sports festival, and Ms. Saito, an Oakhouse employee.

A challenge for a sports event for the largest sharehouse

Please tell us about the background of the Undokai.

Serizawa: Oakhouse has a futsal festival (indoor soccer) called the Higako Cup that is held three to four times a year at the futsal grounds in the Higashi Koganei sharehouse. However, it has been difficult for women and inexperienced residents to participate, so we started planning a second, more inclusive sports festival for everyone.

Saito: As a resident of Oakhouse, I wanted an event that everyone could enjoy. Oakhouse holds events every week for residents of all our properties, and we hope that enjoying these events holds an attractive value for living at Oakhouse long-term.

Serizawa: When I proposed an in-house Undokai, it was immediately accepted because [all Japanese staff & residents] have done it before. Also due to the fact that we have residents from more than 100 countries, an Undokai was perfect for them as a way to experience and enjoy Japanese culture.

An Undokai for a melting-pot of participants regardless of culture and language

How was the residents’ reaction after deciding to hold an Undokai?

Serizawa: One Japanese resident said “Sounds fun!” and one foreign resident asked, “What do you do at the Undokai?” So, we explained about the Undokai using illustrations and explanations on the participant recruitment website. Undokaiya took care of the event planning for us, so we tasked ourselves with creating a website in English and Japanese, and we focused on recruitment, applications, and participation.

Serizawa: We received messages from the page’s inquiry form saying “It’s my first time to participate in an Undokai! I’m excited!” and “Thanks for putting this together!” That gave us a lot of motivation.

In the end, how many people signed up?

Serizawa: There were more than 100 names registered from 75 people! That’s in part because we were able to fully focus on recruiting instead of planning.

Saito: On the day of the event, residents from more than 20 countries were able to participate. There were no barriers because residents assisted one another and Undokaiya’s English-speaking staff helped out.

How excited were people on event day?

Serizawa: During the opening ceremony, the foreign participants were so excited that they started marching before the music even started, and I was at a loss of what to do! (lol) After that, things proceeded smoothly.

Oakhouse event staff: The obstacle race was the climax, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Foreigners ran in every race and I was blown away. It was crazy!

Serizawa: Exactly! After the event, participants were chatting with people whom they matched to those cards. I heard them talking about how nice it was that they could meet people from different sharehouses and make friends. It was a great starting point to trigger communication between them.

Saito: In the end, the Oakhouse employee team won the championship. After all, they’ve participated in Japanese sports festivals a bunch of times, but next time our foreign residents should be more seasoned and it should be even better.

Serizawa: The competition was done in such a way where it was easy for everyone to participate, but when it was over, some participants were really amped up and wanted to ramp up the excitement even more. So we want to try and fulfill that sentiment for them for next time.

I guess you have your next concept. So, what does your next Undokai look like?

Saito: Among the events held by Oakhouse, our summer camp and in-house festival called Kama Fest are the largest, but I’d like to establish the Undokai as our third main event.

Serizawa: That’s right. Those two events are hosted by Oakhouse and ran by our employees, and about 25 of them participated in this first ever Undokai. It was effective in bringing tenants and our staff closer together, and would be a great method of training for our new employees.

The amount of passion Undokaiya delivers is the deciding factor

Lastly, please tell us why you chose Undokaiya to conduct this sports festival.

Serizawa: Actually, during the planning stages, when we were investigating concepts like sweet run and sports festivals, you were one of the five companies we consulted. When we met in January, I worried about a lot of things and asked about a range of issues. You told me,

“When it comes to a sports meets, no one can match us.
No one brings the amount of passion to an event like us.
If you want to do one, please leave it to us!”

The fact that you are a pros who have the know-how and foreign staff was one of the contributing factors, but the passion you deliver was the deciding factor.

Serizawa: I am really grateful to Undokiaya. On the day of the event, all of your staff, including the part-timers, put their heart into it. What’s more, I occasionally go to the cafe you guys manage. When I was there last time your staff were having a meeting regarding an upcoming Undokai, and they were really animated and passionate. That was great to see. 

Undokaiya Staff: Yeah, we sure are a noisy lot! (lol)

On a final note, what do you want your next Undokai to look like?

Saito: I would like to create a unique sports festival where we can decorate the venue with Oakhouse colors or a logo to give it more of an Oakhouse feel. 

Serizawa: For my part, I would like to introduce a sub-event corner that utilizes tenants’ special skills and introduce the Oakhouse point system!

After this, in thinking about our next sports festival assignment, our own Undokai staff burned with passion even more.
Thanks to everyone at Oakhouse!

For more information on how to get your co-living, study abroad or foreign exchange group a sports festival team building event in Japan, feel free to drop us a line.

External Links

• Let’s introduce our Undokai channel “MITACHAN” to you:
  
• Featured in “Weekly National Rental Housing Newspaper”
  https://www.oakhouse.jp/contents/topics/?p=3101 (Japanese)
• The event is featured on the blog of an athletic meet participant, Pro Gambler Buki.
  https://www.oakhouse.jp/blog/tokyonomado/?p=11556 (Japanese)
• Oakhouse Official Website
  English: https://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/
  Japanese: https://www.oakhouse.jp/

Originally appeared in Japanese on our company website: https://undokai.co.jp/archives/column/oakhouse_sama
Translated & edited by Michael Carter