Concept

The Headquarters Kobe is a sharehouse located in the heart of the lively Suidosuji shopping arcade, near Ojikoen Station in Nada Ward, Kobe. Open-minded residents from the local neighborhood, across Japan, and around the world come together here — sharing daily life, inspiring each other, and building something special.

The Suidosuji shopping arcade is an incredibly convenient place to live, with fresh produce, everyday essentials, and home-cooked side dishes just steps away. When you feel like a long hot bath, there’s even a hot spring bathhouse nearby. Sannomiya, Kobe’s city center, is about 10 minutes away. Kobe University is close, and Osaka is easily accessible too.

Each morning starts with “Good morning,” and every evening someone greets you with “Welcome back.” Cook dinner together, throw a party now and then, read on the rooftop, or fire up the barbecue and splash in the pool in summer.

What you share at a sharehouse isn’t just a house — it’s life itself. The joy, and sometimes the struggles too, all become part of a story. The connections and experiences you gain here will become treasures for the rest of your life.

Headquarters is a place where residents gather, grow, and launch into the world — while always having somewhere to return to.

Building Overview

The Headquarters Kobe occupies floors 3 through 5 (plus the rooftop) of a compact 5-story building facing the shopping arcade. There are 10 rooms in total — 5 on the 3rd floor and 5 on the 4th floor. The entire 5th floor is shared space!

The breezy 5th floor is mostly shared space — a large kitchen, living room, bath, and more. Every floor, including 3F and 4F, has toilets and sinks. 1 bathtub room, 1 shower booth, 6 sinks, 3 toilets (all with washlet), 2 washer-dryers, a kitchen with 2 gas burners + 1 IH cooktop, and 5 refrigerators/freezers — fully equipped.

Each floor is about 70 sqm, totaling around 210 sqm across three floors. Including the rooftop, that’s close to 280 sqm. Per person, it’s actually quite spacious for a sharehouse.

About the Owner

Allow me to share a little about why I run this sharehouse.

The origin of this venture goes back to the four years I spent living in a dormitory during university. Students from every year — first through fourth — shared rooms, and we lived under one roof alongside older alumni who would occasionally visit. We talked, laughed, clashed, and learned together.

Even back then, friends living at home or alone would say things like “Isn’t living in a dorm boring?” or “Do you have any freedom?” or “Isn’t the rota a hassle?” But the time I spent in that dorm was truly irreplaceable. The friendships I made there are among my life’s greatest treasures. Through living alongside so many different people, my understanding of the world grew in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Looking at the world today, social media is flooded with surface-level communication, while real human connections seem increasingly fragmented. Young people raised on social media have sharpened their ability to match the vibe in short messages — but seem to avoid expressing genuine opinions, and too easily say “we’re just different” when things get hard. Reading the room has become the highest priority. Is that really OK? Isn’t that just a shared illusion?

That’s exactly why I want young people today to experience communal living. Of course, sharing a physical space with others comes with some inconvenience. When unspoken expectations clash, you have to work things out.

But beyond that, communal life offers so much more: laughter, connection, a sense of security, and the joy of learning and meeting new people. Going out together, traveling, sharing everyday meals, getting into heated game sessions, the occasional argument, and long late-night conversations. Some residents have even gone from housemates to partners to married couples.

A sharehouse that’s rich in learning and connection — that’s what I hope this place can be. With that in mind, I run this business to offer a space that colors some of the most important pages of the lives of those who live here.

Hoshino and Company LLC
Representative: Hironari Hoshino