Living in the Land of the Rising Sun

I promised a little bit about dorm living here at Nanzan, so here it is.  First of all, let me preface by saying that there are apparently numerous dorms here around the university, and I only have solid details about a couple of them.  Fortunately, one of them is currently the main female dorm, the other is an off campus, shared dorm for men.  All pictures of the Nanzan Koryu Kaikan are courtesy of Sara Young, a friend of mine from ISU that’s a fellow ISEP exchange student.

So, the dorm I’m in, Dormi Kawana or ドーミー川名is about a 15 to 20 minute walk west of campus.  The first day, I got a cab ride so I didn’t have to drag my luggage and get lost with it, since I really didn’t know where I was going.  The cab seemed pretty reasonable at about 4 dollars or 450 yen.  When I arrived, it took a while for someone to let me in since you have to have a key to get into the building.  Good for security later, not good for standing on a curb with your bags in the heat and humidity.

  

The view of the outside of the dorm at day and at night, as well as
the view from my room just before dawn.  Having a window
that faces east has been a blessing and a curse.  I don't really
need to set an alarm, the latest I've woken up has been 6:30. 

 After about 20 minutes or so, I got lucky and someone came out and let me into the building.  Once inside, the gentleman that runs the place showed me around, and with the help of a South Korean student from Nagoya University who translated for us, managed to give me all of the relevant information such as meal times, costs, curfew, and such.

One of the most interesting thing about this dorm is that you aren’t allowed to wear your street shoes inside.  There is a changing area where you change into slippers or house shoes to wear in the dorm.  The first few days I was stuck with a pair of loaners that were much too small for my western feet.  Since then, I’ve replaced them with much more comfortable ones.  I hold this as one of the better investments I’ve made since being in Japan.   From my understanding, the other dorms don’t have to change shoes like that, just Dormi Kawana.

As far as actual living arrangements go, Dormi Kawana has single rooms, but community washrooms on each floor.  On the ground floor, there is the dining room and a community room with a TV and vending machines.  On the top floor, there’s also a community shower and laundry room, and a more traditional bathroom or onsen ( おんせん ).  While I’m a bit excited to try the Onsen, my western sensibilities haven’t let me relax enough to soak in a tub full of other naked men yet.  Even if it is the size of a swimming pool.  The other dorms are arranged differently.  They have suites that have a kitchenette, common room, bathroom, and then four private rooms.  In each suite, there is a native Japanese student who is sort of the suite’s Japanese guide.  Being at Dormi Kawana, especially over the first week before classes really started, made it more difficult to meet people. 

  

The desk and balcony view of the Nanzan
Koryu Kaikan dorms' single room, as well as a shot of the extra
long twin bed, and part of the wardrobe.  There's also
storage under the bed you can't see in the pics.

Dormi Kawana is also unique in that it features a dining hall that serves breakfast and dinner.  The other dorms, including Nanzan Koryu Kaikan, only include kitchens, and you have to prepare your own meals.  There is however a difference price wise.  The other dorms that include kitchens instead of the dining hall are much cheaper and give you a refund for your meals.  My refund for meals is much smaller, since so much is provided for me.

 

My first breakfast at Dormi Kawana, and a dinner. Pretty
much every meal features miso soup and plain white rice.  
This dinner was some kind of gyudon (ぎゅうどん) or beef bowl. 

Some things that I don’t like about my dorm include that it didn’t have a trashcan in my room, and the pillow that was here (and at the other dorms from my understanding) was this hard, beanfilled pillow that was very uncomfortable.  I’ve since bought my own memory foam one and I’m sleeping much better because of it.  Residents at all the dorms have to provide their own towels, though bedding is provided.

  

Pictures of my room.  I have two wardrobes, a desk, a little cabinet,
and of course my own extra long twin bed.  The walls are really bare,
but friends and family are helping with that by sending me
pictures to frame.

That pretty well covers the living situation here at Nanzan.  I think it’s going to be a good experience, and living in the more isolated Dormi Kawana certainly has it’s pros and cons, as do the other dorms.  I think the biggest advantage of the Nanzan Koryu Kaikan is that it is right across the street from campus.  That alone has saved the people I’ve met over there a lot of walking.  But hey, on the upside, between the change to a much leaner, healthier diet and all the walking I’ve been doing, I’ve dropped almost 10 pounds!

Next post, which will be either later tonight or tomorrow sometime will be about the first few days here in Nagoya and what all is around campus and the dorms!