The Life of a Keio Student (1)
At present, around 6300—almost 30%—of Keio's second- to fourth-year undergraduate students live away from home. In this feature we introduce some of the types of housing in which Keio students live: student dormitories, share houses*, and prefecture-specific dormitories* for students from outside Tokyo. Catch a glimpse of students' homes and thoughts on their lifestyles.
* Share houses and prefecture-specific dormitories will be featured in “The Life of a Keio Student (2)”
Omori Student Dormitory (Ota-ku, Tokyo): One student's "undercover" report
Over the last few years spent commuting between Mita Campus and his family home in Atami, a two-hour train journey south of Tokyo, Daiki has often considered living in the dormitory, but never quite got round to making the move.
Originally from Shizuoka Prefecture, Yoshiko chose to live in Omori Student Dormitory, an international dormitory, to have the chance to mix with international students. As a Resident Assistant (RA), one of her roles is to offer advice and assistance to international students.
Ryutaro, from Ibaraki Prefecture, wavered between living alone or in a student dormitory before choosing Omori Student Dormitory. Since becoming an RA six months ago, he has made the most of the opportunity to make friends with international students.
Daiki Kojima makes a two-hour commute from his parents' home in Atami to attend lectures at Mita Campus. He visited Omori Student Dormitory and spoke to residents Yoshiko Yamada and Ryutaro Onuma to find out about life at the dormitory. Quizzing them on everything from meals and curfews to socializing with international student residents, he discovered dorm life at Omori to be convenient, comfortable, and full of friends.
Daiki: I have successfully infiltrated the Omori Student Dormitory! Something smells good— I guess curry is on the menu tonight. What's the food like?
Yoshiko: We have two cooked meals each day, one in the morning and one in the evening, prepared by the dorm mother and the kitchen staff. The food is really good; each meal includes several different side dishes and the menu is varied.
Ryutaro: You can grab dinner anytime between 18:00 and 21:45. The curry is self-service, so everyone goes for the best bits—if you turn up a bit late, it's best to wait for a fresh batch!
Daiki: Students living in the dormitory seem to eat better than those living at home or alone; most mornings I don't have time for breakfast. How long does it take you to get to campus?
Yoshiko: We're about halfway between Hiyoshi and Mita Campus, and Kamata station is just a 15-minute walk away. In total, it takes me around 40-45 minutes to get to either campus. We have a midnight curfew, but you can make it back in time even if you leave Mita a little after 23:00.
Daiki: A one-way trip from Mita to my home in Atami takes me two hours. I always have to leave student parties and gatherings halfway through. I feel like I'm losing half my youth to the commute! By the way, do you get enough privacy?
Ryutaro: We all have individual rooms. Each comes with furniture, air conditioning, and a small sink. The bathrooms and toilets are shared, but apart from that you're free to seclude yourself in your room and concentrate on your study. The floors are separated between the sexes, and men are not allowed on the women's floor. The bathroom is in the style of a public bath, but there is also a shower room with individual showers. A lot of the American and European students prefer just to shower.
Daiki: What is it like to live with students from around the world?
Yoshiko: International students tend to have a positive and proactive attitude which I find really inspiring. At the moment there are 99 Japanese students and 26 international students—including students from America, Canada, the UK, Russia, Taiwan, and China—living here. It is easy to get chatting with other students at mealtimes, or when doing laundry or having a bath. We all have lots to ask each other, so even little things, like a quick question about Japanese food, get us talking and help us to get to know another each other and eventually build up close friendships. I have been on trips to Taiwan and Canada to visit friends I made while living here. I am studying Chinese, so it is great to have the opportunity to talk to native speakers.
Daiki: Sounds like you've made some lifelong friends. I'd love to have the chance to get to know more international students. There are international students in some of my classes, but we don't really have the opportunity to chat outside of class. I imagine it's easier to really get to know each other when you live together.
Ryutaro: I made friends with a 26 year-old international student from Russia who had experience working at the Russian office of a Japanese company. I learned a lot about international business and even improved my English.
Daiki: You are making me really jealous! It sounds a lot like studying abroad...at home.
Yoshiko: It's also easier to make friends with students from other years and other campuses. It's really fun to live with such a variety of people, who all have different hobbies, goals, and ways of thinking.
Omori Student Dormitory
A dormitory exclusively for Keio students, run by Keio University in cooperation with dormitory management company Kyoritsu Maintenance Co., Ltd..
Omori Nishi 7-4-27, Ota-ku, Tokyo
*This article appeared in the 2013 summer edition (No.279) of “Juku”.
*Position titles, etc., are those at the time of publishing.