We check out Films Wako, a “social apartment” building with a movie theater inside

And the price for a room is actually super reasonable!

You probably know that rent in Tokyo can get a little pricey, especially in the center of town. That’s why a lot of people prefer to live just outside the city center, or in neighboring cities, sometimes sacrificing a shorter commute time for affordable rent.

But what if we told you there’s an affordable apartment complex just 25 minutes from the Tokyo city center that also has a built-in movie theater just for its residents?

Yeah, we thought you’d be interested. It’s called Films Wako and it’s located in Saitama, north of Tokyo, near Wakoshi Station on the Tobu Tojo Line, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, and the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line. It’s a social apartment, which is like a combination of a share house and a private apartment building. It offers private rooms for every resident as well as surprisingly stylish communal spaces–all starting at just 60,000 yen per month (US$546.09). With a price like that, we just had to check it out.

Wakoshi Station is just 13 minutes from the popular shopping area of Ikebukuro, and 25 minutes from Tokyo Station. Since it’s a terminal station on both the Tokyo Metro Lines it services, it’s one of those treasures where, if you’re lucky, you can actually be the first to get on the train and secure a seat on your commute.

Films Wako is just a 10-minute walk to Wakoshi Station, making it a really excellent location for working Tokyo-ites. It’s a five-story, reinforced concrete building with 123 rooms. Its size surprised us. It even had a fancy front entrance that made it look like a movie theater!

Upon entering, we were greeted by a person in charge, who offered to give us a tour.

They first took us to the shared lounge. It’s designed to look like the lobby area of a movie theater–and they’ve done a pretty good job on it!

It has a really funky feel that is both retro and modern at the same time. It looks so cozy!

It’s way cooler than we could have imagined.

There’s even a pool table!

Some of the classic deco also reminded us of a New York bar.

Who would have thought that you could live such a classy lifestyle in an average residential area like Wakoshi?

There’s also a shared workspace where you can work or study…

A studio for yoga and dance…

And even an unusual-looking photo studio area!

Of course, the main thing we had to check out was the movie theater. It’s the main attraction of this apartment complex, after all!

To our surprise, it was super nice, with ambient lighting and plush red carpeting.

It had 16 seats, which are actually the same kind you’d find in a regular theater. They’re super comfortable, so you can really sit back and relax while enjoying a film. They even have cup holders!

And with a 150-inch screen and a 7.1 surround sound system, you’ll get a very similar viewing experience to a real theater, too.

True to the social nature of the complex, when using the room, residents must announce when they’re using the room and what movie they’re playing so that other residents can join them. The idea is for it to be a social experience, a chance for everyone to connect.

We also got a chance to check out one of the rooms on our tour.

Each room is about 13.4 square meters (144.2 square feet), which is about the standard size of a studio apartment in Tokyo.

Image by Films Wako

The rooms are very simple, outfitted with only a closet and an AC unit. But with 13 square meters, you’ve got a decent amount of space to work with!

The wooden floors and big window give the room a nice, bright, airy feeling. There is also a good-sized veranda, for those cool nights when you want to sit outside–or for when you do a massive load of laundry.

Because these are social apartments, the toilets, baths, showers, and laundry facilities are all communal. It seems like there’s plenty of opportunities to run into your neighbors!

Housekeepers keep the communal spaces clean, so you don’t even have to worry about that.

Their cost is an additional fee for the apartments, but even with that added to the rent, the monthly cost to live in Films Wako is very affordable. There are several different kinds of plans, and the longer you commit, the cheaper the rent. For a two-year contract, for example, the rent starts at just 60,000 yen per month. You can opt for a shorter contract of one year and pay 4,000 more per month, or ditch the commitment and go monthly for an extra 8,000 yen.

Added to the cost of rent–regardless of contract–is 8,000 yen for maintenance, 500 yen for insurance, and 11,000 yen for electricity and water, for a total of 79,500 yen per month for the two-year plan. The Internet is free! Plus, the electricity and water costs are fixed every month, so you can use the AC as much as you like in the summer, without worrying about the electricity bill.

If you’re interested in moving in, check out the website for apartment availability. There’s even an English-language option, so we can probably assume the rooms are open to foreign residents as well. It’s definitely a beautiful place, in a great location, for a decent price, so it’s worth checking out if shared living is your jam.

If you don’t really want to share bathrooms and kitchens, though, don’t worry; here’s a list of the cheapest Tokyo neighborhoods, so you can still find a place to live in the big city that works for you.

Images © SoraNews24, except where noted
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