On any given weekday some 15 to 20 residents of a four-story apartment building in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu converge in the Scandinavian-style cafe-lounge at around 9 p.m. to converse in English.
The residents, of both sexes and of varying ages and nationalities, including Japanese, share a common kitchen to cook their meals and chat about life, studies or whatever comes to mind.
This is an ordinary scene at Will Fuchu, an English-immersion share house where nearly 70 residents — 70 percent Japanese and 30 percent from overseas — live together to experience a life of mixed culture.