"Imagining in a Share House" is a talk event held at "Roopt," a share house utilizing a retro property, 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 second installment of the Shiogama Kaigan-dori edition, we invited Yuta Chida, a native of Shiogama City who is currently based in Shiogama and engages in art activities there, to fantasize about various aspects of share house life in Shiogama.
This time, we delved into Ms. Chida's eventful life so far, and discussed the significance of living in a share house and the joys of living in Shiogama. The atmosphere was bright and cheerful from start to finish, and we also had some inspiring discussions that will make you think, "Share houses are great!" and "I want to try living in a share house!" So please look forward to reading on.
Born in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture in 1980. Art coordinator and performer. Graduated from Miyagi University of Education. From 2011 to 2014, worked at the ART Revival Connection TOHOKU (now ARCT) secretariat, and served as its representative from 2015. From 2014 to 2018, served as festival manager for the Sanriku International Arts Festival. In 2016, established Arts Ground Tohoku, a general incorporated association. Utilizing her experience as an elementary school teacher and in contemporary dance, she plans and produces projects for the region and performing arts in Tohoku.
First, let me briefly introduce Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, the setting for this "fantasy."
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori is a four-story share house located about 30 minutes by train or car from Sendai Station, and a 1-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama Station on the JR Senseki Line. The second floor has a common space and rooms for short-term rentals, while the third and fourth floors have a total of five private rooms for share house residents. The house offers a glimpse into Shiogama's "artistic" atmosphere, with features such as bookshelves utilizing the steps of the staircase, a ceiling painted in tricolor, and tatami mats that were discarded during renovations embedded in the walls.
For more information about Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, please see this share house information page.
Watanabe: Ms. Chida, you're from Sendai, and you spent your elementary and junior high school years in Shiogama, and then you lived abroad, right?
Chida: Yes, when I was in junior high school, I went to Germany for a year on an exchange program and stayed with a family that had three boys. But I got homesick because all I could hear was German, and I would go back to sleep after waking up because I didn't want to hear German. I'm sure my host family thought I was a child who slept a lot (laughs).
Watanabe: That's interesting right from the start (laughs).
Chida: After that, I got used to life in Germany, which was good, but on the other hand, I hadn't been exposed to Japanese at all, and I was shocked when I spoke to a Japanese person after six months and couldn't speak any Japanese (laughs).
Watanabe: After all those experiences in Germany, you returned to Japan, right?
Chida: I graduated from a local high school, then went to Miyagi University of Education, and after that I worked as an elementary school teacher in Tokyo. I lived in a men's dormitory at university, and I also shared a house with friends in Tokyo, so looking back, I spent a lot of time living with people other than my family.
Watanabe: I'd like to hear more about your shared living experience later. You're currently working in the art field, so your experience as an elementary school teacher was a bit surprising. What was the reason behind that?
Chida: Actually, I became an elementary school teacher to raise funds.
Watanabe: What do you mean by fundraising?
Chida: I have a favorite izakaya (Japanese pub) in Sendai, where interesting people, like those involved in theater, often gather. I loved the atmosphere there and dreamed of opening a place like that myself, but I needed money. So I made a plan to work as an elementary school teacher for about five years to save money, and then train at a restaurant for about five years before opening my own place.
Watanabe: So that was the plan! It was a five-year plan, but you actually left after three years.
Chida: Looking at the other teachers around me, I noticed that after about three years, they were entrusted with important positions, and I thought, "If I continue for five years, it seems like I won't be able to quit easily," so I decided to resign after three years. At the same time, I also broke up the shared house I was living in with my friends, and since I didn't have any money at the time, I decided to go back to my parents' house, but in the end, I didn't go back to my parents' house and ended up going straight to Honduras (laughs).
Watanabe: That's quite an amazing place (laughs).
Chida: My mother was in Honduras at the time to create a dance piece, and she asked me to come over so she could help with the creation. I hadn't decided what I was going to do next, and I didn't have many belongings because I was living in a shared house, so I sent only the unnecessary items back to my parents' house and went straight to Honduras.
Watanabe: By the way, who received that package for you?
Chida: I still don't know what happened (laughs).
Watanabe: Was Honduras a completely different environment from Japan?
Chida: Yes, the security situation was completely different. For example, it was dangerous to walk outside so I spent most of my two-month stay traveling by taxi, and there were gun lockers in regular shops. Unlike Japan, Honduras is a country where handguns are widely available, so I was surprised by that difference.
Watanabe: It's hard to imagine if you've never been there... Were there any memorable events during your previous stay in Germany?
Chida: I'll never forget Christmas Day. In Japan, it's customary for adults to give presents to children, but in Germany, each family member prepares and gives presents for everyone. Of course, I didn't know that, so I was the only one who didn't bring a present and just received one, which was quite embarrassing (laughs).
Watanabe: I couldn't stand that (laughs).
Chida: There were many other things that made me feel the difference from Japan, such as the fact that alcohol and tobacco are allowed from the age of 16, and that people have a strong interest in politics. I think the biggest takeaway from living abroad was learning that there are many differences that you can only understand by living together.
Watanabe: The attitude of "it's natural for others to be different," which you might have when living abroad, might also be important in shared living or family life.
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