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Notes regarding housing for foreigners

The Problem...

If your accommodation is expensive, of poor standard or a long distance from your school, then the odds will be stacked against you. To be able to concentrate on learning the language, you need a reasonably comfortable standard of living. In most Japanese cities and especially in Tokyo, 45-90 minute one way commutes are considered normal. However for students, long commutes are neither practical nor desirable. The fact is that long commutes and poor accommodation will adversely affect your studies. Public transport in Japan is usually crowded and expensive.

Good housing can be difficult for foreign students to obtain, and most real estate agencies will insist that a foreign student have a Japanese guarantor. Many Japanese institutions including universities rely very heavily on private vendors for accommodation as very few have invested in suitable accommodation for foreign students. Even if they are willing to act as a guarantor for foreign students, they have no day-to-day management control over the quality, cost, security, hygiene and cleanliness of the accommodation or over who the other residents are. To study effectively, you need a supportive environment. A "gaijin house" or mixed use dormitory is very unlikely to have study and internet facilities or residents with similar objectives or lifestyle.

Cost is also a problem. Please note that in Japan it is standard practice for most real estate agents to charge 3-4 months rent worth of 'key money'. Usually this money is not returned at the end of the stay - so a student intending to study for 6 months will usually end up paying 9 months worth of rent. It will usually be very difficult and expensive to move accommodation due to lease agreements and non-refundable deposits.

Figures from the Japanese Language Education Information Center indicate that international students in Tokyo and Osaka pay between JPY123,500 to JPY168,800 in public transport to and from their classes alone if they study for 1 year.

Our Yamasa Solution...

By comparison Yamasa has its own (not leased) student housing within easy walking distance of the Yamasa campus. At Yamasa we have a full time Housing Office with the time and resources to look after your needs. These housing resources currently include 85 fully furnished studio apartments, a 50 room custom built student village, and an 8 room communal dormitory.

All Yamasa owned student housing is located in quiet, safe, residential areas with shops, restaurants and other facilities nearby. All accommodation provides at least double the amount of prviate space per student as similar expense accommodation in Tokyo or Osaka. There isn't a single student staying in student housing who needs to budget for the cost of public transport commuting to classes. Access to student housing is guaranteed. Put simply, every student who enrolls in Yamasa is GUARANTEED appropriate, safe, affordable housing.

At this time in Japan there is no other Japanese institution that is able to provide the same quality assured flexibility.

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