Navigating Dangerous Neighbors and Scales from the Eyes in the Moving Season Maze

“I’ll prepare it here, so could you change to the specified fabric softener?”

Spring is the season of moving. Many people may have started a new life in a new home. One worry with moving is what kind of neighbors one will have. Just as there’s the term neighbor roulette, depending on the type of neighbor you get, there’s a risk that your life there could become unpleasant.

“Neighbor troubles are increasing year by year,” says Nakazato-san of Vanguard Smith, which provides neighborhood dispute resolution support services. They listen to various troubles reported by subscribers and intervene between both parties to resolve the disputes.

Nakazato-san, who hears complaints from many neighbors every day, says they’ve stopped being surprised by most things. However, even Nakazato-san was surprised when someone complained about being bothered by the smell of fabric softener from the neighbor’s house.

At that time, the request to change to the specified fabric softener provided here was not accepted by the other party.

“It seems that instead of the cause of troubles increasing, there’s a sense in society that if something doesn’t sit right with you, you’re allowed to assert yourself regardless. If you can’t tolerate things that don’t meet your standards and you believe you’re not wrong, you speak up first. I feel this atmosphere contributes to the increase in complaints and troubles.”

A letter from a customer saying, “I want to be your friend.”

According to Nakazato-san, 70% of troubles are related to noise, such as footsteps, washing machine or vacuum cleaner noise, and children’s voices.

“Recently, because people often don’t know who lives next door, distrust and anxiety towards neighbors increase due to noise, and sometimes people even report to the police.”

At night, hearing voices like “Die!” or “I’ll kill you!” coming from the next door is scary. It’s understandable to feel like reporting to the police. However, it turns out sometimes it’s just someone using a headset while playing an online game, making their voice loud.

Also, there’s often a problem with smells besides noise. Cigarette smoke from the neighbor’s balcony drifting in, causing the laundry to smell, or cooking smells drifting in and bothering are common issues.

“Some properties explicitly prohibit smoking on balconies, but if not, it becomes difficult to address. Additionally, with the increase in residents of foreign nationality, sometimes the smell of unfamiliar spices used in cooking becomes an issue. However, cooking cannot be prohibited. In such cases, the only option might be to take defensive measures like closing windows.”

It’s rare, but there have been cases where a letter was dropped in from the neighbor saying, “I want to be friends, so let’s exchange contact information.”

“It seems like they sent the letter casually suggesting exchanging SNS IDs, but the recipient feels scared. In such cases, it’s best to ignore it. If there’s continued contact, or if there are acts like being watched through windows or being followed, it’s better to consult the police.”