Author: Mika Arimoto
Editor: Saki Arimoto
Living far away from home can be difficult, and dormitory life might be overwhelming and new. Do not worry as we got you covered!
TIU offers dormitories for international students from different countries moving to Japan for up until a year. Currently, there are 6 International Housing located in Kasumigaseki, Kitasakado, and Kamifukuoka. For R1, it is a dormitory and a single-type unit. For R2, R5, and R6, these dormitories are shared room types.
There are also dorms in Kitasakado as well as Kamifukuoka.
I interviewed some of the former tenants of dormitories to share their experience living in TIU dormitories:
Khan Hoa Nguyen (3rd year IR student former R5 tenant)
How was your first year living in the dorm?
It was great especially if you have no problem sharing a room since there is no private room and no wall to separate the space.
How do you keep your room clean and stay on budget?
I already applied for a part-time job in my first year of university and applied for a JASSO scholarship which helped me stay on budget. To keep my room clean, I always clean my room every week mostly by vacuuming the carpet and changing the drap. There was also a dorm manager who also maintained the dormitories clean particularly in the common area. Aside from maintaining the dormitories clean, the dorm manager helped me do my laundry which saved me a lot of time.
Trang Do (3rd year BE student former R1 tenant)
How was your first year living in the dorm?
It was fun and not so lonely because luckily, I had my friends from the same high school who always kept me company. Also, RAs helped me communicate with the Japanese managers and made my dormitory life easier.
How do you keep your room clean and stay on budget?
I was able to keep my room clean because thankfully, dormitories have vacuums for students for students to use. Also we had room checks that pressured me to keep my room clean. To stay on budget, I cooked my own meal and made bento which helped not only save money but to stay healthy.
We also have Resident Assistants (RAs) aside from dormitory managers that help international students adjust their lives in TIU and Japan. For further explanation, we asked the current RAs!
Naoki Moriyama (1st year student taking masters in IR)
What does RAs do?
RAs duties include explaining how to use equipment in the dorms such as the dryer, kitchen, washing machine, trash disposal area and the like. And needless to say, living in a foreign country, especially in the time of coronavirus, must be very tough. We are also here to become your friends whom you can ask anything!
Why did you become an RA?
I have helped many E-Track students for almost 2 years as one of the SLI internships, Peer Assistant, which made me realize what kind of obstacles are in Japan for international students. I believe that RA is also another great chance to help out the people in need!
Message for new students:
While fulfilling my responsibilities as RA, I myself am a Master’s student in E-Track majoring in international relations and I love teaching Japanese. Let’s study together sometimes and enjoy our campus life!
Tsuzuru Sasaki
What do RAs do?
We, the RAs, support dorm students to get used to living in Japan, especially those who just came to Japan or left their family for the first time. Since the students should be living by themselves after leaving the dorm, they need to know Japanese manners and lifestyles. We provide support and advice in order to make it easier to be accustomed to live in Japan. Our goals are to be a supporter and a peer who can be easy to rely on for dorm students.
Why did you become an RA?
I knew that I love to help people and that is what I will do for a living, so I decided to become RA to help students as much as I can. Besides, I realized that RA is the best opportunity to meet international friends even in Japan and learn how to deal with some problems under intercultural situations. That’s why I jumped at the enticing opportunity to be an RA!
Message for new students:
I know you’re excited and have mixed feelings about coming to Japan, but I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience of studying in Japan! Please let us RA help you and make it better, so please be assured that you can be independent to live in Japan and understand Japanese interesting culture. I can’t wait to see you all at the International Dorm and TIU campus!
These are just two of many friendly and supportive RAs so feel free to reach out to them once you move in! Once again, welcome to TIU.
Times Of TIU 