"Imagining in a Share House" is a talk event held at Roopt, a share house utilizing retro properties, where the landlord and guests can freely fantasize about fun ways of living, such as "Wouldn't it be great if we could do this?" or "Wouldn't it be nice to have this?". For the first installment of the Higashimatsushima Shintomei edition, we invited Masayo Sekiguchi, who works as a migration coordinator for Higashimatsushima City, connecting people with the town and people with each other, and we fantasized about all sorts of things about living at Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintomei.
The theme was "How to enjoy a huge house by the sea?" and it was a meeting where Ms. Sekiguchi and the participants came up with many imaginative ideas. We encourage our readers to read along while imagining what they would like to do in a huge house by the sea.
Originally from Tokyo, she worked as a graphic designer at a music production company in Tokyo, designing CD jackets and concert merchandise for artists. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, she began volunteering in Tohoku and moved to Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture in 2016. As a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team, she created posters for the city and package designs for farmers and fishermen, while also establishing the civic group H×Imagine, which plans exciting events for the town. Currently, she works as an immigration coordinator, engaging in various activities related to promoting migration and settlement.
First, let me briefly introduce Roopt Higashimatsushima Shin-Tomei, which will be the setting for this "fantasy."
Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintomei is a share house and guesthouse located in Higashimatsushima City, on the east side of Matsushima, one of Japan's three most scenic spots. It features six private rooms and one guesthouse room. Its most distinctive feature is the spacious rooms, averaging 12.25 tatami mats in size, making it suitable not only for individuals but also for partners and families. This two-story share house is a 15-minute walk from Higashimei Station on the JR Senseki Line. With a large balcony on the second floor and the sea nearby, it's a base where you can enjoy yourself both inside and outside the share house.
For more information about Roopt Higashimatsushima Shin-Tomei, please see this share house information page.
The first half of the event consisted of a talk session moderated by Kyoko Watanabe, CEO of Makigumi Co., Ltd., the owner of the "Roopt" share house, who asked questions to guest Sekiguchi. Many questions and comments were also received from the event participants, making it a very pleasant event.
Watanabe: Ms. Sekiguchi, you joined the Higashimatsushima City Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team in 2016 and are still active as a migration coordinator for Higashimatsushima City, but before that you were working in Tokyo, right?
Sekiguchi: Yes, I worked in the music industry as a designer for 13 years. I designed CD jackets and tour merchandise for artists, and I also worked as a coordinator, going on location scouting trips with photographers and others. It was an enjoyable job, but I ended up quitting because the demanding workload took a toll on my health. That was during my time in Tokyo.
Watanabe: I hear you've also designed merchandise for some super famous artists. What led you to move to Higashimatsushima after that?
Sekiguchi: I've been coming to Miyagi Prefecture frequently since 2011 as a volunteer for earthquake recovery efforts, so I've had a connection with the area since then. A little while after I retired, someone from the Higashimatsushima City Hall asked me, "Would you like to work for the city as a designer?" I never imagined I could live in Miyagi as a designer, so I said "absolutely" and decided to move and work there. To be honest, I initially thought I was being hired as a city hall employee, and only later found out that I was part of the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team (laughs).
Watanabe: That's an inside story (laughs). You're currently working as an immigration coordinator, but are you actually seeing an increase in the number of people moving here?
Sekiguchi: The number is increasing. The city is also putting a lot of effort into supporting people to move here, and I feel that the recognition of the name "Higashimatsushima City" itself is increasing, perhaps because of that. The neighboring town of Matsushima is certainly more famous, but it feels like it's taken time for people to realize that "there is a different town called Higashimatsushima City."
Participant 1: Compared to Sendai or Ishinomaki, what advantages do you think there are to moving to Higashimatsushima?
Sekiguchi: There are a lot of interesting people in Sendai and Ishinomaki, and I sometimes envy them, but that also means that Higashimatsushima has a lot more opportunities for engagement. The distance between residents and businesses is close, so I feel that it's easy to get asked questions like, "Can we do something like this?" By the way, it's only a 35-minute train ride from Sendai, so the number of people moving from Sendai is increasing.
Watanabe: For people who want to work hard from now on, this city might be a place where there are many opportunities to succeed.
Watanabe: Going back a bit, what kind of life did you lead in Tokyo?
Sekiguchi: Actually, I lived in a shared house the whole time I was in Tokyo. So I was quite happy when you reached out to me this time (laughs).
Watanabe: Oh, really! What kind of share house was it?
Sekiguchi: I was living with people in similar professions to mine, such as media editors and people in the television industry, but everyone's work hours were different, so there were times when I wouldn't see even the person in my room for more than half the week (laughs). But even though I couldn't see them, just being able to sense their presence gave me a sense of security, so I think that's one of the good things about living in a shared house that you don't get when living alone.
Watanabe: That way you don't have to feel lonely. Has your life changed since you moved to Higashimatsushima?
Sekiguchi: I started living alone in Higashimatsushima for the first time, and there were both good and bad things about it. On the good side, I was able to live in a spacious house for about the same rent as living alone in Tokyo, and I thought it was fun to be able to live comfortably. On the other hand, even though I was living alone, I had too much space in the room, and buying furniture and appliances was difficult both financially and in terms of effort.
Watanabe: One of the biggest advantages of a share house is that you don't have to prepare everything yourself; you can share and use everything.
Sekiguchi: Also, having acquaintances around provides emotional support, which is another advantage of living in a shared house.
FIND YOUR STAY
Please feel free to contact us for any inquiries regarding accommodation reservations, move-in consultations, viewing appointments, media inquiries, etc.
inquiry
