Since its inception with the launch of a 41-bedroom share house in 2014, five shared office spaces offering private rooms and hot-desking options, an English preschool, a chef’s kitchen, an art gallery, 80 one-room apartments, 2 gyms and a handful of event spaces have been added in Sugamo and Otsuka.
The pandemic has been a challenging time but the community has adapted and grown. In 2021, RZP became Toshima-ku’s only incubation office to be certified by the Tokyo Metropolitan government and also launched a collaboration with Sugamo Shinyou Kinko to support micro-entrepreneurs.
Grand coworking space Annex coworking space
RZP Lounge has seen a successful weekend market sprout up with individual vendors selling various goods such as flowers, vegetables, crafts and homemade bread, grilled on an outdoor barbeque and served with milk straight from the farm.
In keeping with the philosophy that friends of Ryozan Park are friends for life, a number of former share house members have returned for a second stay, perhaps seeking the camaraderie of communal living again after the isolating experience of the pandemic.
Despite the company’s expansion, the community remains as close as ever. In keeping with the philosophy that friends of Ryozan Park are friends for life, a number of former share house members have returned for a second stay, perhaps seeking the camaraderie of communal living again after the isolating experience of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, preschool families are relishing the opportunity to restart parents’ lunches and other social events that make the school community so supportive and unique.
English preschool Lounge, coworking and event space
Next in the works is Ryozan Park ‘Green’, set to start construction in Otsuka in 2022. The building, designed by architect and Kyoto University professor, Hirata Akihisa, will be Ryozan Park’s first share house for families featuring a rooftop garden with composting facilities and will also be home to an incubation office for startups involved in urban agriculture and sustainability, and ground floor cafe.
Also opening soon in Otsuka is a 12-metre-squared micro space currently being fashioned by Nagano artisan and frequent collaborator, Koike Masahisa. It will be offered as a gallery, tearoom, event space, and pop-up shop.
