Building a Share House Where People Can Speak Honestly: Inoji’s Interview (Part 1)

2026.08.29
2026.08.29

Hello.
I’m Inoji from Kobe Share House WARAI.

Inoji is both the owner of WARAI and a resident of Organic. After more than 15 years of running share houses in Kobe, he explains the values behind WARAI: honest communication, long-term relationships, natural living, and a home that feels like an extended family.

Read the Japanese version

Watch the full interview

This article has been edited for clarity while preserving the meaning of the original interview.

Inoji on the Values Behind WARAI

Owner, Resident, and Nature Lover

Inoji began operating share houses more than 15 years ago. He enjoys playing guitar, cycling, digging bamboo shoots, gathering seaweed, and harvesting food from the mountains and sea. At Organic, raising chickens is part of everyday life.

Five Share Houses Along Kobe’s Coast

WARAI operates five share houses between Shioya, Tarumi, and Maiko, along with rental homes for individuals and families. The houses bring together people of different generations and nationalities.

Natural-material renovations and environmental awareness are recurring parts of the community. More important than any single lifestyle is the wish to create relationships where people can speak honestly.

Honest Conversation Before and After Moving In

Inoji asks prospective residents about their concerns and invites them to ask him anything. The name WARAI combines ideas of harmony, enjoyment, ease, and a place to belong.

Website photographs can show smiling residents, but real shared living is more complex. Comfort depends on each person’s preferences, habits, and needs. Inoji hopes residents will still look back on their years at WARAI as an important and positive chapter.

Relationships That Continue for Years

Some residents have stayed seven, eight, nine, or even twelve years. Even when people move out, Inoji hopes they will remain connected with WARAI and with the people they met there. Speaking from the heart is essential to building those long relationships.

Housemates as an Extended Family

Living at Organic, Inoji feels that residents form a large extended family. He wants to help whenever he can, and he also wants his own family to be able to ask housemates for support with chores or childcare.

They are not related by blood, yet the connection can feel deeply familial. Seeing his wife and daughter relax among the residents has strengthened his belief in shared living.

Interviewed by Kuboken, a resident of Arch.

Continue to Part 2: conflict, communication, and Inoji’s vision