By: Maia Ganley

I have spent almost three months studying in Japan, and there are many things that I did not expect about my accommodation, as well as cost of living, that I decided to write about.

Kansai Gaidai University offers two halls of residence, Global Commons: Yui, and the Seminar House. In some cases they offer homestays, but the demand for home-stay families differs depending on the year, and the number of families willing to participate.

The differences between Global Commons: Yui, and the Seminar House

Yui is multi-national, you get your own room with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, and is about a fifteen minute walk from campus.

The Seminar House is Japanese-focused where you speak Japanese with the staff (you do not need to know Japanese already to apply here), sleep on a futon in a shared room, and is about a fifteen to twenty minute walk from campus.

I currently live in Yui, so don’t quote me on the Seminar House info being 100% accurate, this is what I have heard from residents. 

In Yui, I have been able to meet many people from a variety of different countries; while primarily filled with international students, the Residential Assistants are all Japanese. There are a also a few Japanese students per floor. When I was first choosing a residence hall, it was difficult because I wanted my own space, but was worried about my Japanese exposure if I chose to live in the multi-national hall. The truth is, your exposure depends on you – what you go out to do and who you surround yourself with.

If I had to compare Global Commons: Yui to a residential hall at The University of Waikato, it would be College Hall in terms of structure. There are five floors with two to three different units per floor. The main differences are that the units are separated by female and male – they separate you based on the sex listed on your passport. To get onto your side, you scan in with a key card, and then can catch the elevator (yes, an ELEVATOR), or take the stairs up to your floor.

When I first got here, it took me about twenty minutes to figure out how to leave. Honestly the best thing to do if you are bad with directions like me is to find the nearest person and ask them to show you the way to freedom.

For the cost of living, I discovered the life hack of eating lunch and dinner at the campus cafeterias as opposed to cooking for myself. On-campus lunch at a cafeteria can cost around 500 to 600 yen ($5.70 – $6.85). Dinner at the cafeteria costs 600 yen. Currently I am living off of a weekly budget of $200, which includes food, transport, activities for the week, souvenir shopping, phone bills, and basic necessities. But you would be able to live off of less per week, especially because cooking for yourself can sometimes be even cheaper than the cafeteria food.

Speaking of money – PLEASE BE CAREFUL AT THE GAME CENTRES!!! They are so fun and so worth visiting. BUT they are rigged and a very easy way to spend away to get the Pompompurin plushie that you want.

Excited to see what else lies ahead.