Living under the same roof with strangers, sometimes eating together, going out somewhere, and throwing parties on special occasions.How many people in the world have the experience of living in a share house in their lives?

Mori House is an old private house share house located in a small village called Kawada in Sabae. Even if someone asks me, "What kind of place is this house?"

However, the characteristics of Mori House are that "people are open and fluid," "there are no rules that force you to do something," and "everyone is a stranger."

A public place like a park where residents and non-residents come and go as well as functions as a house.

This time, I would like to introduce a little bit of the life of a share house in such a slightly unusual countryside.

What exactly is Mori House?

The "Mori House" introduced this time are three shared houses located in the village of Kawada in Sabae.A total of about 3 residents live in buildings called Mori House Main Residence, Gohei Residence, and Gohei Residence Western-style Annex.
▲Mori House Hontaku (Old private house share house with about 8 rooms)

▲Gohei-tei (Another share house that the landlord rented due to the increase in the number of residents of the main house. There is a shrine on the premises. LOL)

▲Gohei House Annex (This is not strictly a share house, but there is one resident and a cat. I like her garden-picked horsetail tsukudani.)

The house is surrounded by mountains and rice fields, where you can see various creatures such as mandarin ducks and fireflies in each season. (Occasionally bears, deer, wild boars...)

Participate in grass cutting in the district, hold sessions with local people on the stage of town festivals, and in winter climb on roofs to remove snow that has piled up about 1m.



I think that "THE country life" probably refers to the life here.
Then, we will approach what kind of people actually operate and what kind of people live.

A share house run by the self-proclaimed cheerful landlord Kazuki Mori

In a share house, there are people called landlords and owners, and in Mori House this person is Kazuki Mori. (Hereafter: Mr. Mori)
Yamagata-born immigrant and freelancer who loves music.Her laugh is "ahhhhhhh", she doesn't have many barriers to people, and in a word she is a friendly character.

Mr. Mori, who is at home, wants to start a drinking party at home right away, but he gets drunk in no time and is almost asleep before he realizes it.

Mr. Mori who sleeps like a clay figurine.

I graduated from the University of Tokyo and am a former consultant, but for better or worse, if I live with you, I hardly ever remember such a title.They are just human beings.

I feel that the reason why people who are not interested in labeling and titles gather in this house is because Mr. Mori unwittingly creates that kind of atmosphere.

"Let's just keep it as it is."
This is the kind of landlord who is always nervous and doesn't "manage" everyone.

There are no rules, but harmony with nature is born

In a trouble-free share house, there are almost always rules, and the residents seem to adhere to them.

"Trash disposal and cleaning are done in shifts", "Bathrooms are open until __ o'clock", "Do not leave personal items in shared spaces", and so on.But what about this house?There is no set rule.

If I had to say it, it would be about writing names with a pen on things I don't want to be stolen. (Sometimes I still get eaten. Lol)



You might think, "How can we live together if there are no rules?" People who are good at doing things do,” and “the concept of shared space is weak in the first place.”



However, of course, it doesn't feel good to be dependent on others, so I feel like each of us is trying to balance things out in some way, such as saying, "I'm not good at throwing away trash, but let's do the washing up."There are almost no quarrels between residents, but I think that harmony is achieved by having respect and gratitude for each other. (Especially, I can't get my head up to the resident N who always works hard to throw away the garbage.)



Every day I feel that everyone has a high level of tolerance in all aspects, but more than that, we gather people who don't expect too much from people, don't ask too much, instead of ``don't forgive people'' or ``don't get angry''. There may be a lot of people who are coming or going to be.I think that such accumulation is connected to the looseness and tolerance of this house.

And most of them are sloppy and rough.So if you're worried about the details, don't want your pace disturbed, or tend to overestimate the other person's feelings, it might be a bit stuffy.

It's like each of them is living their own life, but at the same time, they're genuinely enjoying their time with their cohabitants who happen to live next to them.For me personally, I feel completely at ease with that atmosphere.

What kind of people live in Mori House?

I wrote about people who live there, but the reality is that there are many people who don't know whether they live there or not. There are 41 people in the LINE group (as of May 2021), but about a dozen of them actually live there.

The age group is in their 20s to 40s, and the late 20s is the volume zone.Some residents are from Fukui Prefecture, but many of them migrated from outside the prefecture, and it is not uncommon for them to have no connections or ties to Fukui in the first place.

Also, some people live there for two years, some go to another place after about two weeks, some stay every day, and some come back occasionally.

Mori House has such a diverse lifestyle.I will briefly introduce the people who actually live there by type.

Type 1: Working people (company employees, sole proprietors, freeters)

About half of the people at Mori House are probably working in some way.Shop clerks, writers, PM (project management), designers, manufacturers, etc.There are many members who started new jobs after moving to Fukui, and recently there are residents who have become public servants from freelancers.

But to be honest, I don't know much about the specifics of what they do.What they have in common is that there are many people who enjoy working while blending into the community, and that everyone is a moderately hard worker.Even today, I hear voices saying "Have a nice day" and "I'm coming" from the window.

Type 2: College student

followed by students.Mainly college students, but during long vacations such as summer vacations and holidays, or during the workshop open event held in October every yearRENEWIn many cases, they stay temporarily only when

When you live in this house, the concept of age fades away...or rather, it's just that people aren't interested in age. When I talk about things like that, I often end up with conversations like "I'm already 20!"

Also, the reason why students flow in is that the landlord usually persuades them to bring them.And the kidnapped student will kidnap another from another place.It's become like a dangerous story.

In some cases, there are people who take time off to come and visit us again and again, and then become residents.

Type 3: Neat

What impression do you get when you hear the word "NEET"?I wonder if it's okay to call it this town... but at least the people around Mori House tend to love NEETs. (My research)

This is because there are unexpectedly many cases in our daily lives where people say, “If you have a hand that you can borrow without hesitation, I want you to help me out a little!” "I want you to carry something heavy with me", "I want you to follow me a little bit", "I want you to take on some simple tasks", "I want to eat with someone today", etc.

Also, since they are basically at home, they will receive parcels, and I can feel relieved that there are people who will always be at home in the first place.

There are people sleeping under the kotatsu, people just live there.I think that a house becomes a house only when there is such a scene.

Type 4: strangers

I don't live there anymore, but when I come home, there are strangers sitting in the living room, and there are so many shoes in the hallway that I can't even step on them.Before the outbreak of the new coronavirus, it seems that there were about 200 people a year. (Landlord survey)



The living room is filled with the laughter of strangers.When I first moved in, I was puzzled by the fact that my house was so open, and sometimes felt strangely nervous and stressed.However, it seems that it has become a daily routine for me, and I am a little nervous about the days when there are only residents. (I hope the corona will be settled soon.)



The joy of meeting people at the moment when people connect with each other, and unexpected excitement awaits beyond chance.It's a chance for friends to get to know each other, and it makes me happy when people come to talk to the residents and have a refreshing look on their faces.I would like people reading this article to come to Mori House, so please search for "Share House Moritei" on googlemap. (Please feel free to contact me.lol)

Mori House Summary

I've told you about Kawada's share house, but I hope you got a little sense of the atmosphere.

The Kawada area, where Mori House is located, has always been a “manufacturing town” with many craftsmen.However, most of the people who come to this house are "people who don't fit in there, people who have nothing to do with it, people who aren't".



The access from Sabae station to my house is bad, and there are still few shops around.However, when I first came here, I felt that there was something there.



"Try it yourself"
With such a mindset, plans may be born.Nabe Para, curry making workshops, renting empty houses and holding events...

Residents often say, "I'm going to do XX, so if you're interested." (Of course, you don't have to do anything.)



One day, a certain resident
"I feel like every day in this house is never the same. That's why every day is special and unforgettable."
It said.

Certainly, things that we thought were extraordinary often suddenly become the new normal.

Perhaps in this house, it would be difficult to live a glittering and spectacular life that everyone would envy, or to keep seeing the same scene every day.

However, you can feel the preciousness and value of "just being there" through the life of this house.You will know the difference between being alone and being alone.



I feel the difficulty and gratitude of "living with someone", and I feel that through daily communication, I am able to experience what is necessary for human beings, respecting others and valuing myself.



Today, each of the residents is alone, yet they are all together.

And I'm excited for someone's visit.