Housing Options
Dormitories
Staying at the dorms offered by Keio University is probably one of the easiest ways to make a whole lot of international friends. It's also a much easier and more cost-effective option than trying to find an apartment on your own. See the table below for a summary of the dorm options. I thought this was an easier way to directly compare each dorm.
For more complete information, please visit Keio's Housing for International Students page.
Information in the table below is current as of Fall 2015.
For more complete information, please visit Keio's Housing for International Students page.
Information in the table below is current as of Fall 2015.
Hiyoshi International House is an apartment-style dorm that you share with one roommate. So there is a main area with the kitchen, bathroom, and washing machine, and you and your roommate have separate bedrooms. I like this better than what you think would be a traditional dorm (just one room). Both Plume IS and Motosumiyoshi include kitchenettes, private bathroom/shower, and washing machines. I would rather have all of these things in my room than have to leave to make food, shower, or wash my clothes so I think that is super convenient. I also would like to stay away from the dorms with a strict curfew. Motosumiyoshi is also the largest room... Based on this info, my top choice is Motosumiyoshi and my second choice is Hiyoshi. I will go into more specifics once the time comes that I apply for the dorm. Along with facilities, make sure you find out the locations of these dorms. It looks like all of the options are a 40+ min commute to Keio's Mita Campus (including walking and train), but within walking distance of the Hiyoshi Campus.
Homestay
Homestay can also be an option depending on your school and what kinds of programs are available. I know that some students chose to go with this option so that they'd be able to practice the language with their host family. It can also nice to have "a second family" away from home. If you are interested in homestay, you may have to do some research about this and talk to your advisors/host university. I didn't research this option for myself, so I only know very little based on other people's experiences.
Share Houses/Apartments for Foreigners
Although the dorms provided by the host university are probably one of the safest options, I wanted to do a bit of research into apartments/share houses that are offered to foreigners in Japan. It is difficult for a foreigner to get a normal apartment because you would need a local Japanese co-signer, have to pay key money, the agent fee/reikin, etc. Also, most apartments don't come furnished. It's just a lot of work that's involved, especially if you don't know any Japanese locals who could help you out. So I did some research and found this company called Sakura House, which is a Japanese real-estate agency that provides monthly apartments, share houses, and dorm rooms to international students, interns, working professionals and long-term vacationers. Their accommodations are fully furnished and equipped with internet access. Another similar company to look into is Oak House.
If you are wondering what a "share house" or "guest house" is...
A "share house" means that some of the facilities are shared. The room is private and lockable with a key, but you would have to share the common areas such as the kitchen, living room, toilets and bathroom with the other residents of the house. A share house is also called a "guest house".
There are some pro's and con's to going with this option. One thing that I liked was that if family or friends from back home wanted to come visit you, they could stay at your apartment for 2,000 yen per night (about $20). Sakura House just wants to be notified in advance. The dorm rooms that are offered by the host university have pretty strict rules about visitors, so more than likely you wouldn't be able to have any family/friends in your room without breaking a bunch of rules. On the other hand, unless you are able to check out the share house/apartment before you move in, you don't really know what it looks like and if it will actually work for you. Also, share houses are "shared" with other people and you won't know if you will get along with these people, if they are clean, etc. So there is some risk in going with this option. i've seen some really mixed reviews. Some people have had great experiences while others have had bad ones.
There were share houses/apartments offered by Sakura House that were actually way closer to Keio's Mita campus than the dorms that were offered by Keio. Sakura House has hundreds of housing options with a broad range of prices.
If you are wondering what a "share house" or "guest house" is...
A "share house" means that some of the facilities are shared. The room is private and lockable with a key, but you would have to share the common areas such as the kitchen, living room, toilets and bathroom with the other residents of the house. A share house is also called a "guest house".
There are some pro's and con's to going with this option. One thing that I liked was that if family or friends from back home wanted to come visit you, they could stay at your apartment for 2,000 yen per night (about $20). Sakura House just wants to be notified in advance. The dorm rooms that are offered by the host university have pretty strict rules about visitors, so more than likely you wouldn't be able to have any family/friends in your room without breaking a bunch of rules. On the other hand, unless you are able to check out the share house/apartment before you move in, you don't really know what it looks like and if it will actually work for you. Also, share houses are "shared" with other people and you won't know if you will get along with these people, if they are clean, etc. So there is some risk in going with this option. i've seen some really mixed reviews. Some people have had great experiences while others have had bad ones.
There were share houses/apartments offered by Sakura House that were actually way closer to Keio's Mita campus than the dorms that were offered by Keio. Sakura House has hundreds of housing options with a broad range of prices.
Staying with family
If you have family or close friends that live in Japan, you could choose to live with them. I have close family friends that live in Tokyo and I did consider this option. Early on when I was thinking about whether to go with MIX or SAC, I asked both programs if this option was allowed. For SAC, you must stay with the host family or whatever option that is included in your package. This makes sense though because you're studying abroad with a group of other UHM students and a faculty member. MIX told me that staying with relatives while studying abroad is OK. It saves you a bunch of money but on the other hand, you won't get that same experience of dorming with many other students and making friends. You will still make friends in your classes for sure so it just depends. I decided not to go with option because I didn't want to be a burden to my family friend and I also wanted that experience of living on my own.
**Update: This is what I ended up doing
After thoroughly researching all of my options, I ended up applying for the Keio Dorms. I set an alarm in my phone to remind me when the dorm application opened (Japan time) and literally applied the minute I could. This allowed me to get my first choice dorm and I was soooo happy about that! I can't stress enough, that if you want your first choice, apply early. i know some people who applied 20 minutes after the application opened and their first choice was already full. In short, my first choice was Motosumiyoshi, second was Plume IS and third was Hiyoshi (or Plume was third and Hiyoshi was second, I kind of forget).
Anyway, I basically thought that going with the dorms was the safest and most affordable option. At the time that I was abroad, I ended up paying a little over $500 a month for rent at Motosumiyoshi, which for basically being a studio apartment was incredibly affordable. I talk about this more on one of my blog posts but there were definitely pros and cons about dorming. I will list them below:
Anyway, I basically thought that going with the dorms was the safest and most affordable option. At the time that I was abroad, I ended up paying a little over $500 a month for rent at Motosumiyoshi, which for basically being a studio apartment was incredibly affordable. I talk about this more on one of my blog posts but there were definitely pros and cons about dorming. I will list them below:
.Pros (Motosumiyoshi)
Cons
If you do plan to dorm, Motosumiyoshi is definitely your best bet. All the other dorms are pretty far from Mita too, so might as well stay at the nicest place!
For more information check out my other blog posts about the dorms.
- It's an amazing building, very new and clean
- Security of the building itself is great so I felt very safe
- I had everything I needed in my room and all to myself (bathroom with shower/ofuro, toilet, kitchenette with a hot plate, microwave, fridge, and sink, my own washing machine, balcony, and air conditioning/heater). All the amenities were definitely my favorite!!
- Classmates were nearby so I could go over to my friend's rooms anytime
- The dorm managers (Mr. and Mrs. Kotani) were the sweetest people ever!
- The dorm is right upstairs from a grocery store and sushi restaurant (I'd go there a lot)
- 10 minute walk to Hiyoshi campus
- Easy access to Shibuya (no transfers by train)
- I was actually nervous about dorming because of the possibility of a strict visitor policy, but this wasn't really the case! Contact me if you'd like more info about this.
Cons
- Distance from Mita Campus (45 minute commute including walking to the station, the train ride, then walking to school)
- It is an easy commute though (if it's not rush hour), because there are no transfers
If you do plan to dorm, Motosumiyoshi is definitely your best bet. All the other dorms are pretty far from Mita too, so might as well stay at the nicest place!
For more information check out my other blog posts about the dorms.