Co-raising children @ Family friendly Kichijoji share house

Wouldn’t It Be Nice to Co-Raise Children?

My daughter is an only child. A while back, whenever I was busy in the kitchen cooking, she would sit by herself and watch videos. Over time, that turned into a habit, and she wanted to watch more and more screen time. In those quiet moments, I found myself wishing so deeply that she had other people—and other children—to play with.

That wish inspired a big leap: I decided to open up our Kichijoji house as a family-friendly shared house.

I’ll never forget the first week after another family moved in. I needed to run out to the store to get some eggs, but my daughter was fast asleep. Hesitantly, I asked our new housemates if it was okay to leave her while she slept.

They smiled and said, "Of course, go ahead!"

As I stepped outside and walked to the store alone, knowing my child was safe and looked after, a strange feeling washed over me. I felt as if I had wings to fly.

Real Talk: What We’ve Learned After 4 Families

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of sharing our home with four incredible families. Kids played together, squabbled together, and grew up side-by-side like siblings.

And let’s be honest—it wasn't always a smooth fairy tale! Shared living comes with real-life hurdles:

A New Idea for the Next Chapter: To make daily life smoother, we’re learning and adapting. For example, if each adult takes charge of cooking dinner just one night a week, it would massively cut down on the evening hassle for everyone. (Other than those shared dinner, we still do have a base that each people takes care of their meal.)

Graduations & New Beginnings

Each family usually occupied 1–2 private rooms. Over time, as their lives grew—welcoming new babies, getting remarried, or buying their own homes—they eventually "graduated" from our shared house.

Even after moving on, we deeply cherish the unique childhood memories and social foundations our kids built during those years. Watching them form deep bonds from a young age has been priceless.

Looking for Our Next Co-Raising Family!

As our home enters its next chapter, we are looking for a new family to join us in Kichijoji.

We’d love to connect with a family who:

Let’s Connect!

If the idea of co-raising resonates with you—or if you're curious about how our family-friendly share house works in practice—we’d love to talk.

Come on UP Kichijoji