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06-14-2008, 03:39 PM
Hey Henbaka!
Sorry for going a little off topic, but will you be attending Waseda's ILJP or SILS classes by any chance? Just wondering because I applied to the ILJP program (not as an exchange student though) and was accepted, but I opted to attend a year-long program at a different university in the end, hehe.. Before, I asked around about the Waseda dorms, and I think the international kids dorms are actually quite close to campus? Well either way, I think it's a great idea you're looking to live off campus if you want to practice Japanese; I have a friend who did the exchange at Waseda two years ago and she said living in the international dorm was a pity since you're always speaking English. Are you only looking at guesthouses? Or also individual apartments? Well here are three links to add (some might not be in the price range you specified though): Tokyo Room Finder - Guest House, Apartment and Shared Apartment Finder for Tokyo, Japan Guesthouses or Gaijin Houses (listings of guesthouse sites) http://www.gakusei-kaikan.com/index.html (only in Japanese) If you're interested in some apartment listings with a little higher budget, I have some other links as well. The last one up there is a Japanese listing of student dorms. They do require a guarantor and a refundable deposit and some other messy fees, but a lot of the other "gaijin guesthouses" or whatnot I've been looking at don't have private bathrooms, which is something I really want lol. Also, the price range for this Japanese site is about 70000-90000/month, but I'm looking around the Meguro area. It's on the expensive side, but I hear that it's reasonable for a mid-Tokyo location. Hmm sorry, I don't know how much that helped! And also sorry for the long-winded reply! I'm in the same position as you so thanks for making this thread--I know I need tips too!  
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06-14-2008, 04:50 PM
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So youre kinda in the same spot then, wicked! I will probably be attending SILS + japanese classes.Yeah, that's kinda why the international dorms seems less appealing.. Theyre not THAT far away, well not measured in train time anyways. But they are kind of off-site, from what I've seen. And then there's the thing with curfew etc... I've been checking some at cheap apartments also, but my budget won't hold I think (especially since there's all kinds of move-in costs then). Plus I'd rather live a little simpler, and have more money to spend! Thanks vm for the links though. I would want a private bathroom, but I think I won't be able to afford that "luxury"  Anyways, where did you end up going dude? Gotta go... Sweden has some Spain-asskicking to do!
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06-14-2008, 06:03 PM
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 ), and at the end..... (although that goal is definitely controversial cuz of the foul towards the back). Sweden was playing real well though, if Ibra stayed on after half-time I think things would've been different! Haha ANYWAYS, I ended up enrolling into Keio's year-long Japanese program. It was definitely a hard choice though, since Waseda's location is better (Keio is in Mita, Minato-ku) and I heard Waseda is much more international and diverse, and also less snobby haha. But I have a friend in Keio who really pushed her school for me so...Either way, I think we're both in for a crazy 10-months! And you're right, private bathrooms are definitely a luxury if you want to live in mid-Tokyo areas. I applied to Keio dorms, but am seriously considering canceling the application since their dorms are almost an HOUR away, near Yokohama haha...but then again, it's below 60000/month with a private bathroom lol. My mom wants me to live in some kind of dorm, not necessarily Keio's, but I agree, the curfews and restrictions blow! And no problem about the links! I also have an additional question, when are you hoping to get your housing settled? I'd assume it's asap like me, but do these guesthouses let you reserve your room that far in advance? I think I was looking at OakHouse, and it said "two weeks max" for reservations. Not sure about what some other sites said, but how are you working around this? Anyway, it's great to hear from someone who's going thru the same thing! Hehe and when you do, please let me know if you've decided on a place!
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06-14-2008, 06:39 PM
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And yeah, with Ibra being able to play the 2nd also... but he rarely does now, so.. Larsson played very well, but had to work so much defensively so it was hard for him to be there when we turned to offence. Anyways, yeah, I applied for Keio also, but since it wasn't my first choice (like Waseda), I didn't think about it again after I got accepted. I chose Waseda mainly because it seemed bigger (more choice of courses etc) and also because I thought housing would be better (kinda ironic) In either case, I'm super excited about going to Waseda! (well, Tokyo really!)Yeah, you're absolutely right about the time of reserving rooms. I will stake out different alternative guesthouses&rooms until reserving becomes possible, and then reserve one based on what's availible. Luckily I have a few friends in Tokyo with a couch to crash on, in worst case scenario (but it shouldn't come to that). Also I'm hoping that some guesthouse that I'm contacting might know of a tenant that's going to move out in September, and is kind enough to let me reserve that room. Still waiting for some answers though. Good thing about most guesthouses is that you can actually move out of them without a super early notice or expensive extra fees, so it's possible to change house if it's total crap (there are some, I heard from friends). Wasedas dorms on the other hand, seemed like once you got in you would have a hard time moving out. So... I guess you're just as excited as me to get going now What's your home univ?
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06-14-2008, 07:20 PM
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Keio is split between Mita in Minato-ku and Hiyoshi near Yokohama so the dorm is actually in the right place. Also, 1 hour commute is actually not unusual in the greater Tokyo area so if you decide to live there, you are gonna have to put up with it. Anyways good luck!!
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06-14-2008, 09:40 PM
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Yeah, I guess that's all we can do about the timing, just try and see huh. I have some friends in Tokyo as well, but they're recent college grads like I, and still living with their families so I'd hate to crash with them hehe. Actually I heard for the Keio dorms, if you give a month's notice you can move out after that with no extra charges, so maybe I'll go with that first (if I even get a room though!) So what's your first choice right now? A guesthouse with Sakura House? And you're right, I psyched to go! I can't sit still at home anymore haha, just waiting for time to pass. I graduated last month from Syracuse University (it's not very famous overseas I think), in case you haven't heard of it, it's in upstate New York, about 4 hours drive away from NYC. I'm now visiting my mom who lives in Shanghai (I'm Malaysian Chinese) but I don't have friends here so I'm basically stuck at home doing nothing (watching soccer every night!), which only makes the wait for Tokyo even harder!
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06-14-2008, 09:54 PM
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You're right, Keio certainly has more than one dorm, but the list that they gave the international students were all around Hiyoshi I think. And what's worse, they reserve most of these dorm rooms for exchange students, which I'm not, so I'm limited to one dorm choice, and was told that they're only accepting 10 non-exchange international students. So as a back-up, I've been researching guesthouses and whatnot, but also because I'd personally live a little closer to the city. You're also right about the hour-long commute; I have friends who live in Tachikawa, Machida, etc who do fine as well. And actually when I checked goo路線, it says it takes 30-40 mins with the Touyoko rapid to reach Mita, which isn't bad. But if I had the chance, I'd still take the closer accommodation. But thank you for your advice, I appreciate it!
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06-14-2008, 10:24 PM
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Hm yeah, sakura certainly has the most alternatives. The downside as i see it is that it's a house solely for foreigners, so it's kinda bad for the language practice... Oh so you've graduated already. Mind if i ask what you majored in? Still got 1½ years left on my master's myself (Science and Technology Studies). Heh, yeah. I just started my 2-month summer job so I'm occupied atleast haha, but that doesn't stop me from beeing distracted all the time, thinking about stuff I'm gonna do in Tokyo :> Oh and yeah, youre right tommasi - 1 hr commutes sure are common. I myself had almost an hour commute when I went to language school in Kudanshita (lived in J&F house @ Kita-Koshigaya). But as I then found out, there are gazzilions of guest houses all over Tokyo. So this time, I'm going to try and get a more central living location
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06-15-2008, 08:45 AM
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