Student Housing in Japan: Dorm vs Apartment (My Tours)

"Where will I live in Japan? How much is rent? Where do I cook?" These are some of the most common questions in my comments. So I filmed two tours: my school dormitory in Osaka, where I lived as a MEXT scholar at a Japanese language school, and my friends' apartments in Kyoto after we moved on to college.

Here's what student housing in Japan really looks like.

Part 1: the school dorm 🏫

Many language schools and colleges have a dormitory for international students. Ours was connected to the school building by a hallway, so the walk to class took a couple of minutes.

What the dorm had

• Secure entrances. One entrance with a guard and one for international students with a code lock. Visitors, even delivery drivers, ring for the guard.
• Floors split by gender. Girls' floors, boys' floors (mine was the fourth), and one floor divided down the middle.
• A shared kitchen on every floor, with two induction (IH) cooktops, a microwave and rice cookers provided by the school. Students leave their own utensils there.
• Shared washrooms with Western toilets with a washlet.
• Coin laundry: ¥200 for the washing machine, plus a dryer. On sunny days we just hung clothes on the rooftop.
• Coin showers: ¥100 for 15 minutes, three shower rooms per floor.
• Fresh bedsheets every month, with the dates on the notice board.
• A cafeteria in the school with set lunches (two daily options, around ¥450–480 when I was there), shown as real plates of food at the counter, a very Japanese custom.
• A lounge with a TV, a vending machine, and a counselling room where we celebrated everyone's birthdays at night.
• The rooftop: my favourite place. In Osaka you can see the stars much better than in most Indian cities, and the sunset from up there is beautiful.

Dorm rules

Japan runs on consideration for others. Our notice board said it clearly: no noise or loud music late at night, quiet after 10 p.m., because neighbours had complained.

And a small custom I loved: every time you come back, you say ただいま (tadaima, "I'm home") to the guard, and he replies おかえりなさい (okaerinasai, "welcome back").

Part 2: apartments after the dorm 🏠

After a year of language school, my friends and I moved to Kyoto for college, and into our own apartments. My friends were from Mongolia, Guatemala and other countries, many of them MEXT scholars like me.

Things every Japanese apartment has

However small the apartment, there's always:

• A genkan (玄関): the entrance step where you take off your shoes.
• An ofuro (お風呂): a deep bathtub, separate from the toilet. In India we mostly just have showers!

Rooms are compact, so people get creative: a projector on a blank wall for movies, a desk from Amazon, a balcony for drying clothes. One friend's balcony looked straight at our college, and you could watch the shinkansen pass every few minutes.

What rent and bills cost my friends

These are just what my friends paid in Kyoto at the time, not an official average, but they give you a feel:

Who	Rent	Bills
Two friends sharing a 2-person apartment	¥90,000 a month (¥45,000 each)	Electricity about ¥10,000, gas about ¥3,000, on top
My own place	About ¥40,000 a month	Separate

A few things we learned the hard way:

• Electricity is expensive in summer because of the air conditioning.
• Some bills arrive as paper slips you pay at a convenience store (konbini). Miss them and you'll get reminders, and eventually your electricity can be cut. Ask your provider about paying online.
• Tatami floors are delicate. Damage them and you pay when you move out, so some tenants take insurance.
• Sharing makes Japan affordable. Two people in a bigger apartment often pay less each than one person alone.

Your city matters a lot too: Tokyo is more expensive than Kyoto or Osaka, and smaller cities are cheaper still.

Cook at home

Every one of my friends said the same thing: eating out every day is impossible on a student budget. Cooking at home is affordable, almost like at home in some ways. If you go to the gym or watch your diet, it's even more important. Learn a few simple recipes before you leave India.

Location beats size

My friend's place was about 3 km from college, so he cycled every day. In Japan, a bicycle is the student's best friend. A small room close to school is often better than a bigger one far away.

What surprised me most: friends become family 🤝

You don't have your family in Japan, so your friends become your family. We celebrated every birthday, cooked for each other, went on school trips together, and even after we moved to different apartments we kept visiting each other.

The other surprise: in some apartment buildings, you can live for months without ever seeing your neighbours. It's very quiet, and very private.

Dorm or apartment?

	Dorm	Apartment
Best for	Your first year, especially at a language school	After you settle in, for college or work
Pros	Simple to arrange, close to school, friends around you, rules and support	Privacy, your own kitchen and bath, your own space
Cons	Shared kitchen and showers, rules, coin laundry	Deposits and contracts, bills to manage, can feel lonely

My advice: start in a dorm if your school offers one. You'll learn how life works in Japan, make friends fast, and move to an apartment once you know the city.

Next: see what a full year costs in our Study in Japan from India guide, read about Japanese language schools, and start your Japanese with our free course. Life in Japan is much easier when you can read your own electricity bill!