The Komaba International Lodge

This is my dormitory, the Komaba International Lodge, which is part of The University of Tokyo, and is located on the Komaba II campus in Meguro.

This is my room, it is somewhat small, but is quite nice and at least I get to have my own bath. Notice the mini kitchen, it’s a real pain to actually cook something in there, but still I somehow manage to do so.

This is the all-in-one bathroom. These japanese guys just have this great special gift to make use of space efficiently.

I live on the seventh floor (the top floor), so I got a really nice view, I can even see Tokyo Tower from here.

***** Updated on May 17, 2008 *****

Since so many people have been asking about this, here I give you some additional info about the Lodge.

• Rent: 5900 yen per month.
• Electricity: Depends on how much you use it. Usually varies between 4000 and 7000 yen.
• Water: 1500 yen per month.
• Gas: 1500 yen per month too.
• Phone: Never used it. It’s more convenient (and maybe cheaper) just to use a mobile phone. I think it costs around 2000 yen per month. You can call any other room in the lodge for free.
• Internet: 2730 yen per month (memorize that number well, since there were lots of people who got the internet disconnected because they forgot to pay 30 yen). You have to buy the network cable (pretty much cheap at the university Coop). You can also use it for free in the lobby as long as you bring your own cable (there are only four connections though).
• Laundry: There are laundry and drying machines on all floors, except for the first and the seventh. It costs 200 yen for 40 minutes in the laundry machines and 100 yen for 20 minutes on the drying machines. The drying machines are sort of crappy though, so you might end up spending 200 yen or more.
• Parties: There is a multipurpose hall where you can hold your parties, as long as you make the reservation on time. Parties usually last at the most until 10:00 p.m. but, you might be able to stay there for longer if you make it on the right day (You will notice by yourselves what do I mean). Parties are allowed in the rooms as long as the guy in the office doesn’t notice.
• TV: There’s no TV on the rooms, but if you get one you can watch it from your room with no problems since every room has the connectors. You can also watch it in the lobby though. In my opinion, Japanese TV sucks as hell, so do it at your own risk.
• Others: Toilet paper and garbage bags are given for free, just ask the people in the office if you run out of any of those. They also provide trash cans, but they are not so good. Replacement light bulbs can be gotten from the office for free as well. Check your fridge and air conditioner on arrival, if they are broken they will replace it for you. You can borrow a vacuum cleaner from the office whenever you need to clean your room.

When you first arrive, you will have to pay a “cleaning fee” which I don’t remember anymore how much was it but I think it was more than 10000 yen. This will be included in your first monthly bill.

The rooms have a bed, but there is no bedding nor pillows, so be prepared. The curtains are too thin, so you might want to get new ones if you can’t stand the sunlight.

The area is between Shibuya and Shimokitazawa. Both of them have lots of restaurants, stores, supermarkets and places to hang around, so you won’t die from hunger nor boredom.

Also, you will have to do the “Alien” Registration and the application for the National Health Insurance at the Meguro City Hall after you arrive. The insurance thing costs around 10000 yen per year. You have to get a bank account from the post office (yeah the post office is also a bank) as well if you got a Monbukagakusho scholarship.

Also, notice that there are two dormitories in the area: this one and the Komaba International Students House. Both have different rules and monthly fees (Komaba Lodge is cheaper).

By the way, I don’t live there anymore, but if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

***** Updated on August 25, 2008 *****

This is something not really so important but, on arrival to the lodge, you’ll be forced to watch a kind of crappy introductory video of the lodge explaining how to use all the stuff (bathroom, laundry machines, etc…). It might piss you off after being confined for several hours in a plane and a cab before getting to the lodge, so be mentally prepared for that.

Also, there’s heating and air conditioner in all rooms, but it is still a bit too cold for some people on winter so you might want to buy some thick blankets in order to survive.

***** Updated on March 3, 2009 *****

So, the University of Tokyo has several campuses all over Tokyo and other prefectures as well. The three main ones are the Hongo (main one), Komaba and Kashiwa campuses. You will most likely not get lost on going on any of these (hopefully), but just in case here’s some info on how to reach each of them. There are many different ways you can get to the campuses. Here are some of them:

Lodge -> Hongo

• Total cost: 230 yen.
• Total time spent: around 1 hour.
• This route is even cheaper if you get a monthly pass for the train.
• Directions: show map
  1. Walk to Yoyogi Uehara Station.
  2. Take the Chiyoda line and get off at Nezu or Yushima station.
  3. Then walk to campus.

Lodge -> Kashiwa

• Total cost: 780 yen.
• Total time spent: around 2 hours and a half.
• Directions: show map
  1. Walk to Yoyogi Uehara Station.
  2. Take the Chiyoda line and get off at Kita Senju station.
  3. Take the Tsukuba Express until Kashiwanoha Campus station.
  4. Walk to campus or take a bus there (don’t remember the bus number, sorry).

Lodge -> Komaba

There is no way you can go wrong with this one…

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