Founder Interview Part 2｜Leaving Corporate Japan to Start Come on UP

Good evening! I’m Yasuko Nagase, founder and CEO of Come on UP, one of the early pioneers of international share houses in Japan.

Back in 2006, when the idea of a “share house” was still unfamiliar to many people in Japan, I decided to leave my corporate career and start something of my own. This is Part 2 of my story—how I went from working at a major Japanese company to launching Come on UP.

Leaving the Company and Starting Come on UP

Around my third year at the company, I started thinking:

“Maybe I should quit and start my own business.”

What I had in mind was simple: I wanted to create a fun place where people could naturally gather—a hangout, a place to belong.

I had always loved bringing people together. When I was a student, my friends and I would organize events and parties with the kind of energy that said, “Let’s change the world together!” We loved gathering, talking, and spending time together.

But once we all started working, everything changed. Everyone became busy, and it became harder to get people together. We might have a great party one night, but the next day everyone would return to their separate routines. For me, that started to feel a little empty and lonely.

Then I thought:

“What if I created a place where people could be around each other every day?”

That was when the idea of running a share house first came to me.

My Boss Was Worried—and Tried to Stop Me

My boss was concerned and told me:

“Starting a business is difficult. Why don’t you wait until the idea is more developed?”

He was genuinely looking out for me. But once I wanted to do something, I wanted to do it. So while continuing my full-time job, I started preparing to launch the business on the side.

At the time, Panasonic had an internal entrepreneurship program that financially supported employees who wanted to launch new businesses within the company, so I decided to apply. However, getting accepted was extremely difficult. Only a small number of business plans approved by senior management would make it through.

My first business plan was heavily criticized. I revised it based on their feedback, only to receive more criticism. Then I rewrote it again.

I revised the plan, received more feedback, and went back to rethink everything—again and again.

The biggest problem was that the issue I felt so strongly about simply did not seem to resonate with the senior people reviewing the proposal.

I began to wonder:

“How many years is it going to take me to convince them?”

Then another thought came to me:

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just do it myself?”

That was the turning point.

After four years at the company, I decided to leave. I took out a loan, purchased a property in Ebisu, and finally started operating the share house I had been dreaming about.

Come on UP had begun.

Thank you so much for reading again today 😊

This is a busy moving season in Japan, and our Come on UP team is currently handling lots of inquiries, house viewings, and new move-ins every day. If you’re thinking about starting a new life in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, or Kyoto, feel free to take a look at our share houses and see what kind of community might fit you.