SHOULD STUDENTS STAY IN DORMITORIES OR PRIVATE HOUSES?

1. Dormitory

Dormitories (寮 or 寄宿舎) are cheap accommodations for students, usually students who have just arrived in Japan and are not able to find a house on their own, or students who live far away and have difficult circumstances. The biggest difference between dormitories in Japan and Vietnam is that each student has a private room (ワンルーム) with full furniture, such as a bed, wardrobe, table and chairs, bookshelf, refrigerator, air conditioner, toilet, sink, etc. Depending on the dormitory, there may be a bathroom and kitchen in the room, or shared (共用). Dormitories are usually located near the school and there are 2 types: international dormitories - only for international students, regular dormitories - including Japanese students. The maximum time allowed to stay in a dormitory is usually 2 years, some places only allow 1 year.

– Plus points

• Cheap: Usually, the monthly rent in a dormitory is only about 5,000 ~ 30,000 (yen), much cheaper than renting a private house outside (about 40,000 ~ 60,000 yen/month). This is a significant savings, especially for students who pay for themselves and do not have scholarships. Not only that, the electricity and water prices are also preferential, much cheaper than usual. Some dormitories also have a houdai (放題) system, you only need to pay a certain amount of money to use electricity and water freely, but such dormitories are quite expensive.
• In addition, when you move into a dormitory, you will only have to pay a small amount of money at first for insurance, repairs, and cleaning of equipment when you move out of the dormitory, instead of spending 1 to several months of rent on service fees (手数料), key money (礼金) and insurance money (敷金) like when renting a private house.
• Well-equipped

- Minus points

• Security: Recently, security issues have been on the rise in dormitories in Japan, especially theft and sexual assault. Theft includes: theft of money, theft of belongings, and sometimes even underwear. Sexual assault includes: hidden cameras, committing bad acts when no one is around. But the problem is improving with the installation of security cameras, along with increased patrols.
• Conflicts in daily life: This is inevitable. These conflicts can arise from very small things such as being noisy, not cleaning the shared kitchen, etc. to big things such as theft, ethnic conflicts. However, in all situations, it is best to follow the old saying "peace is precious". In case you cannot resolve it yourself, you can ask the Dormitory Management Board or the police.
• Friends Restrictions: All dorms have a general rule: friends are not allowed to stay overnight. Some places are even restricted to male or female only. But most are quite comfortable, as long as it does not affect the neighboring rooms, or is not discovered by the dormitory.

2. Private house

– Plus points

• Comfortable and free because of private space
• Helps you improve your independence, self-reliance and money management skills
• No time restrictions and can let friends and relatives stay for up to 3 to 10 months rent, depending on the company and the house you want to rent.

– Minus points 

• Costs and signing a rental contract in Japan: Regarding prices, you must know that Japan is one of the most expensive countries in the world, especially in big cities like Tokyo, so it is completely normal for the rental price here to be 5 or even 10 times higher than in Vietnam.

You will be required to pay a number of fees that may or may not be refundable, which can total up to 1 to 3 months' rent, depending on the company and the property you want to rent.

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