Here’s How You Can Live in Japan, Free-Of-Charge

Move to Japan without having to fork out a single cent? It sounds too good to be true! Like who the hell even gets these kinds of chances?
But crazily enough, this is real, and at the heart of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is Japanese retail company MUJI, who are looking for volunteers to live in a specially designed house in Kamakura, a seaside city that is located just south of Tokyo.

13882567_1050278945040937_1254734007924524459_n-1

Dubbed “The Window House”, the home is fully furnished with all kinds of MUJI fixings, with windows placed in strategic locations to create a balanced sense of light and air. It’s pretty much an experimental concept, and what MUJI wants volunteers to do is to give feedback on the design of the house.
Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 2.14.44 PM

Successful applicants get to live in the house for two years straight, rent-free. They’ll also receive free MUJI furniture for life! Still, it won’t be all plain sailing, as volunteers have to constantly fill up questionnaires about the experience of living there.
That being said, if you can speak Japanese, and you’re looking for a change of scenery, then by all means volunteer, because MUJI is still accepting applicants. Just don’t expect the hustle and bustle of Tokyo in Kamakura. It is a resort town after all, and its population is a whole lot less dense than Japan’s capital city.
To apply to stay in The Window House, you’ll need a MUJI passport app, which can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play. Following that, you’ve got to fill up an application form and share the lottery on Facebook or Twitter by 31 August 2016. The winner will be selected in October 2016 and will move in the house by March 2017.
Get the MUJI passport app at www.muji.com/jp/passport. Fill out your application form at muji.net/monitor2016.
Now check out what The Window House is all about: