Komaba International Student House – a personal review.

I found my answer to Lomo’s questions regarding my current dormitory, Komaba International Student House to be rather lengthy that I decided to post a whole entry on it.

The Jasso's introduction to the dormitory could be found here. I don't know much about any other dormitory except that they are often a lot more expensive than what I have to pay ;-)

Travel from Komaba to Waseda daigaku is about 50 -60 minutes, door to door. This includes a short walk from the dorm to Komabatodaimae eki, boarding a Keio Inokashira train to Shibuya, a short walk to JR eki in Shibuya, boarding a JR Yamanote train to Takadanobaba and a 20 minutes walk to Waseda daigaku.

What do I think of Komaba International House? If you have been following this blog long enough (or care enough to dig the archive) I think it’s quite obvious that I am quite fond of this place. It’s convenient.

It’s just 2 eki away from Shibuya, and not that far from Shinjuku. It’s a lot more convenient to be placed in Komaba than Soshigaya, the other Jasso dormitory. If you are lucky like me, you won’t get the room next to the railtrack (which I find very noisy), but even then, friends have told me that after a while they get used to the sound of trains passing by

The fee is just about 35,000 yen monthly with 24/7 internet connection. Utilities fees are paid depending on one’s own consumption. I normally pay only 4000 – 5000 yen for water/electric/gas combined.

The room is cozy for single occupancy. Own toilet & bathroom, with bed (bed is almost a luxury in Tokyo), air-cond/heater, reliable internet connection, fridge and spacious closet and racks. Laundry for pillow cases, bed sheets and blanket covers are provided about 3 times a month.

While it’s not permitted to let others stay overnight, it’s okay to entertain friends. There are plenty of common rooms with TV (one at every fllor in Building 2), large spacious kitchen with dining area and for quiet moments – there’s a large study hall and private meeting rooms that can also be used as study room.

There are a lot of activities for residents – Nihongo class, Go (Japanese chess) class, Karate, Aikido, Taekwondo, futsal on Sundays. Then, there are activities jointly organized with KIND, Komaba International Friendship Club, such as mochitsuki, cultural day, tea party, bazaar, free service for mending clothes. And there’s a koen nearby, in case one needs to unwind and take a walk during the weekend or after a long tiring day.

It's easy to make new friends from all over the world here, most of them Mambusho students too. (Just the other week, I was exchanging notes with a Korean friend and a Chinese friend about Korean dramas, conversing in a mix of English and Nihongo. I also met an Israeli for the first time here in Komaba) There are Japanese Resident Assistants to seek out for little assistance, and the dormitory even provides monthly professional counsellors's service.

The staff are friendly and understanding too. I didn’t pay my room fees until about a month after my arrival because of lack of funding and they were okay with that. And everything was catered for upon arrival – a Jasso officer waiting at the airport, free transportation to the dorm, smiling staff waiting for me to enter the nice room and rest right after arrival.

Would I recommend it to any other Mambusho student?
Absolutely.