Campus Life

Student Dormitories

Men have the Sumiyoshi Dormitory (under renovations), the Kokui Dormitory and the Hakuoh Dormitory, while women have the Women’s Dormitory (under renovations), Kokui Dormitory and Hakuoh Dormitory, all maintained and governed by students. The rent for the dormitories starts at 5900 yen per month (electricity bills and the like are paid separately). In 1997, the Sumiyoshi International Students’ Lodge was built next to the Sumiyoshi Dormitory (rent of 4700 yen/month, bills as above, with individual rooms). The main benefits of dormitories are the low price, and the ease of making friends outside of your year.

Women’s Dormitory report I lived in a dormitory for four years after I came to the university. The dormitory is in a quiet uptown residential district in Mikage. The dormitory and university are on the same mountain, so there is no direct road between them, and taking a few buses takes up 50 minutes. It doesn’t feel too inconvenient, however, as you can go there in about 15 minutes with a moped. Both the interior and exterior of the dorm are rather old-fashioned. Additionally, since the room is meant for three, there is very little space per person. It’s quite different from the sort of dormitory you might have seen on television, so I recommend coming to take a look. Personally, I was initially shocked by how the dorm was far smaller and older than I had anticipated, but it felt like home as soon as I started living there. The first reason is that I made friends quickly there. You enter the dormitory before the university, and since there is also the orientation, you will have friends right from the start. While making friends might be difficult if you live in a nearby apartment, I was able to attend the enrollment ceremony with friends, and we ate together and talked late into the night. I have never felt lonely since entering this dormitory. I have particularly happy memories of birthdays and parties. Another good point is the dorm meals. The only meal is dinner, but since the nutritionist puts a lot of thought into the menu, the food is nutritious and delicious, and each meal only costs 350 yen. On top of that, it’s very easy, saving you the time of cooking for yourself! The third point in its favor is the fact that you can enjoy the beautiful night view every night. As the room is uptown, you can see a clear view of the city at night. I personally found the night view very soothing. With a monthly rent of 700 yen and an electric bill of a flat 6000 yen, together with meals, it adds up to a little over 10,000 yen. If you were staying at an apartment, it would cost 40-50,000 for rent alone. Given the price and fun lifestyle, I couldn’t quite bring myself to give up dorm life, and I was there for four years. Dormitories will suit some less than others, but I was very glad to be there. If you pass your exams and are admitted, why not consider living in a dormitory? (Aya Wada, graduated in 2008)

 

Private apartments and condominiums

Apartments cost 30-40,000 yen per month, while a single room condominium typically costs 60-70,000 yen per month. If you search, however, there are often cheaper arrangements, so try searching for a place that suits your needs. The Kobe University Student Association will also help to make arrangements and to mediate. This is handled by the service center.

 

Scholarships

JASSO, as well as a variety of foundations and corporations, provide over 50 different forms of scholarships. Some kinds specify a certain department or field of research, while others require an eventual repayment. Aside from scholarships, there are systems in place that cancel half or all of the tuition fees.

The acceptance rate of JASSO scholarship students The acceptance rate for JASSO’s scholarship program changes every year, but as a point of reference, the statistics for 2011 will be shown here. Last year, there were 23 who received a type 1 scholarship (no interest) and 34 with a type 2 (with interest), for a total of 57 being accepted. As the Faculty of Intercultural Studies has a capacity of 140 for the first year, this means that over 30% were accepted by the program. You can apply again for the second year and onwards.

 

 

Introduction to tutoring activities

We work with the Faculty of Intercultural Studies to contribute to the university’s international exchanges, greeting and helping foreign exchange students. The main activities consist of supporting dormitory entry and other setup activities on arrival, planning events and teaching Japanese at the IC Cafe, a broad spread of content. Tutors are a very familiar presence for Kobe University, especially exchange students studying at the Faculty of Intercultural Studies. In that sense, how we interact with them could be said to shape their perception of Japan a great deal. We have an important duty at the faculty, as little ambassadors of a sort. We also often learn from the exchange students. We can understand each other better through speaking time and again and discovering new ways of thinking, while also starting to get a better grasp of other cultures. The tutor committee is an organization open to all of the Faculty of Intercultural Studies. Please feel free to visit the IC Cafe whenever you feel like it.

(Ayaka Akiyama, 2010 tutor leader)

 

Clubs and Circles

Aside from classes, the main goal of most extracurricular activities, besides physical training and the pursuit of hobbies, is the formation of a better personality through group activities, and learning the cooperation and independence that society requires. It also serves as a place to trade information on part-time work, reports, exams and more. There are roughly 100 official clubs, and counting circles, over half the students participate in extracurricular activities.