Living with Japanese Roommates

All full-year students live with Japanese roommates in dormitories on the ICU campus. Each dormitory at ICU is student-governed and room assignments are made before student arrival. Former students have found this experience to be one of their favorite aspects of the program.  Both challenging and rewarding, living with a Japanese student gives you the opportunity to make local friends while simultaneously improving your language skills. Your roommate is not your teacher or your dictionary, though roommates are almost always happy to help you if you have a question about Japanese culture or your language studies. It is simply the daily interaction between you and your roommate that makes this living arrangement so productive for both sides.

There are lots of ways you can strengthen your relationship with your roommate, eating meals together is one. There are several cafeterias on campus and all are convenient to the classrooms and dorm.

Not all roommates become best friends, but many do. Should you encounter a problem in your relationship with your roommate however, you are encouraged to try and work it out with him or her as you would if you encountered a problem with any other roommate. Talk things out, compromise, and try to be more sensitive to each other’s needs. If this does not work, the “dorm parents” and the Director can help.