"Daydreaming in a Share House" is a talk event held at Roopt, a share house utilizing retro properties, where landlords and guests freely imagine fun ways of living, thinking "it would be nice to do this" and "it would be nice to have that." This second installment of the Shiogama Kaigan-dori edition invited Yuta Chida, an artist from Shiogama who is currently based there, to daydream about share house living in Shiogama.
This time, we delved into Mr. Chida's "eventful" life so far, and discussed the significance of share house living and the joys of living in Shiogama. The atmosphere was bright and filled with laughter throughout, and some passionate discussions emerged that made us think, "Share houses are great" and "I'd like to try living in a share house," so please enjoy reading on.
Born in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture in 1980. Art coordinator and performer. Graduated from Miyagi University of Education. From 2011 to 2014, served as the secretariat for ART Revival Connection TOHOKU (now ARCT), then became its representative in 2015. Festival Manager for the "Sanriku International Arts Festival" from 2014 to 2018. Established "Arts Ground Tohoku" in 2016. Utilizing his experience as an elementary school teacher and in contemporary dance, he plans and produces projects for regional and performing arts in Tohoku.
First, let's briefly introduce Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori, the setting for this "daydreaming."
Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori 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 vacation rentals, while the third and fourth floors have a total of five private rooms for share house residents. It's a place where you can experience Shiogama's "artistic" atmosphere, with bookshelves built into the stair risers, a tricolor ceiling, and tatami mats repurposed as wall decorations during renovation.
If you want to know more about Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori, please refer to this share house information page.
Watanabe: Mr. Chida, you were born in Sendai and spent your elementary and junior high school years in Shiogama, and then you experienced living abroad, right?
Chida: Yes, when I was in junior high school, I went to Germany for a one-year exchange program and stayed with a host family that had three boys. But I got homesick because all I heard around me was German, and I ended up sleeping in when I woke up because I didn't want to hear German. I'm sure my host family thought I was a heavy sleeper (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 completely stopped speaking Japanese. It was a shock when I tried to speak Japanese with a Japanese person after six months and couldn't (laughs).
Watanabe: After all those experiences in Germany, you came back to Japan, right?
Chida: I graduated from a local high school, went to Miyagi University of Education, and then worked as an elementary school teacher in Tokyo. I lived in a men's dormitory during university, and I also lived in a share house with friends in Tokyo, so I guess I've spent a long time living with people other than my family.
Watanabe: Please tell me more about your share house experiences later. Since you're currently active in the art world, being an elementary school teacher is a bit surprising. What was the reason for that?
Chida: Actually, I became an elementary school teacher to raise funds.
Watanabe: Raise funds for what?
Chida: There was a izakaya in Sendai that I frequented, and interesting people like theater professionals often gathered there. I loved that atmosphere and dreamed of creating a similar place myself, but I needed funds. So, I made a plan to save money by working as an elementary school teacher for about five years, and then train at a restaurant for another five years before opening my own place.
Watanabe: So you had such a plan! But you actually resigned after three years instead of five, right?
Chida: Looking at my colleagues, I noticed that after about three years, they started being assigned important positions, and I thought, "If I continue for five years, it might be hard to quit." So I resigned after three years. At the same time, my share house with friends was also disbanding, and since I didn't have money then, I decided to go back to my parents' house. But in the end, I didn't go back home and ended up going to Honduras instead (laughs).
Watanabe: That's another incredible turn (laughs).
Chida: My mother was in Honduras at the time to create a dance piece, and she asked me to come help her with the creation. I didn't have any plans for what to do next, and I had few belongings from living in a share house, so I just sent my unnecessary luggage to my parents' house and went straight to Honduras. That's how it happened.
Watanabe: By the way, who received that luggage?
Chida: I still don't know what happened to it (laughs).
Watanabe: Was Honduras a completely different environment from Japan?
Chida: Yes, especially the public safety was completely different. For example, it was dangerous to walk outside, so I spent most of my two-month stay traveling by taxi, and ordinary shops had gun lockers. Unlike Japan, Honduras is a country where guns are widely available, so I was surprised by that gap.
Watanabe: It's hard to imagine if you haven't 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 to everyone. Of course, I didn't know that, so I was the only one who didn't bring a present and just received them, which was quite embarrassing (laughs).
Watanabe: That's unbearable (laughs).
Chida: There were also many other moments where I felt the difference from Japan, such as being allowed to drink and smoke from age 16, and a strong interest in politics. I think a big takeaway from living abroad was learning that "there are many differences you won't understand unless you live together."
Watanabe: The attitude of "it's natural for others to be different," like in overseas living, might also be important in share house living and family life.
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