Student Study Abroad Tips – Dorming (in Japan)

A beautiful view of a street area surrounding Kyle’s residence.

Compact Scholar student Kyle Sablan recently studied abroad to Japan under the Gilman Scholarship and is eager to share his travel experience and tips with prospective study abroad students. Read his personally run blog Study Abroad at Yokohama National University; this week, we’ll focus on Kyle’s experience with student lodging in Japan; specifically, dorming at Yokohama National University.

Here’s a brief summary about Kyle’s experience with dorming in Japan:

• The room: Kyle lived in a single which came included with a bed, a desk, closet, small kitchen area, small bathroom area with a fridge, storage, and a balcony. Each dormitory floor also offered a free-use vacuum and washer and dryer, which cost about 100 Yen (about 0.93 USD) per use.
• The rent: Bills covered rent and electricity and were around $200 each month. You were able to pay them at the post office or any convenience store. Kyle notes that this method of payment was convenient because of the frequency of convenience stores in the area.
• 

  A picture of a corner of Kyle’s dorm room, which features the dorm-provided desk and wardrobe.

  Room personalization: Kyle’s dormitory offered specific wall areas for you to pin things, and allowed students to bring in other pieces of furniture at their wish. Kyle also mentions that the start of the school term hosted a “Free Market” where dorming students were able to purchase secondhand belongings that had been left behind in the dorms by past residents.

Kyle also discusses the best areas around the university to purchase home goods as well as his experience with the dormitory landladies. Be sure to view his whole blog post here!