I’ve been living in Kyoto for almost two months now, and I wanted to share a bit about what it’s been like staying at the YWCA Ajisai Dorm. Like any place, it has its pros and cons—but I think a lot depends on the person.
For me personally, one of the biggest pros is having my own restroom and shower. I also have a small hot plate, which makes it easy to cook simple meals. I was surprised to find some pots and pans were already provided when I moved in, so I didn’t have to buy any myself or worry about what to do with them later. The room itself is pretty spacious, and the other residents (not all are Doshisha students) have been nice whenever I run into them.
Since everything you need is basically inside your room, I don’t see the other residents very often. We have signs on our doors to show if we’re in or out, but most of the time it seems like people are away. I do like having a room to myself, but I sometimes wish there were more shared spaces or community events as it can feel a little lonely at times.
A few blocks from the dorm is a garden that a lot of people like to go to, so it can sometimes be busy walking by whenever I go to class or need to take the subway. I can hear the street noise from my room as well, when people get loud, I usually just put on headphones if I need to focus. However, since there’s a fire station nearby it does scare me sometimes to hear the emergence sirens since they sound completely different to the ones back home.
There’s a convenience store nearby, which is nice whenever I want to get a snack or have to print something last-minute for class. I also like to walk about 15 minutes to a supermarket I found, since it’s also a nice way to get out of the room for a bit.
Living here has also pushed me to learn new things—like cooking different types of meals and figuring out how to properly separate trash in Japan. Which thankfully the dorm has a booklet that explains how to do this, and we were given a schedule on what days to take out which kinds of garbage (I’m still adjusting to this).
Overall, living at Ajisai Dorm has started to feel like home to me despites its ups and downs.
DU Abroad 