Share houses in Tokyo come in all shapes and sizes, but a nonprofit organization for rescue dogs has taken a fresh approach with a home where abandoned canines are housemates.
"Wans Heim," which draws its name from a colloquial Japanese word for "dog" and the German word for "home," occupies the first floor of a two-story house in the quiet city of Higashiyamato in western Tokyo. On the second floor is a dog shelter run by Wanspace, an organization headed by its founder Mie Suzuki, who also came up with the idea for the share house.
"It was ideal for my dog, and I could also share my life with others," said Atsuko Takada, a woman in her 50s who moved into Wans Heim as soon as it opened in May 2018.