Housing

Year-Long Students

Middlebury’s program in Japan offers year-long students the opportunity to share double-room dormitory space with Japanese students. It is rare that institutions abroad offer a residential campus, and we are pleased that our students at ICU may live in the dorms and integrate into campus life!

Every year-long student is paired with a student from the host university. Japanese roommates are selected through an application process, and every effort is made to match Middlebury and Japanese students with compatible interests and habits. Previous students who have participated in the Middlebury Schools Abroad agree that having roommates from the host country offer amazing opportunities to build lasting friendships and integrate into campus life.

Students are housed with their roommates in double-occupancy rooms in a dormitory that has been recently renovated. There are six dormitories for year-long students to choose from, and the living experience varies from one dorm to the next.

View more information about each dorm. Note that another undergraduate dormitory called Global House is also listed, but the School in Japan does not allow students to apply to Global House because of a language pledge for those who want to learn English.

Zelkova, Ginkgo, and Oak House

These three dorms, newly built in 2010 and 2011, are known for their well-equipped facilities and high security. Each dorm has over a hundred students residing, with the first floor as the men’s floor and the 2nd and 3rd floor as the women’s floor. Residents carry a key card to enter the dorm entrance and their floor entrance, ensuring security and privacy. Boys and girls cannot enter each other’s floors, and visitors are limited to family only. Participation in dormitory activities and events are not too strongly enforced, making them suitable for people who want more personal space and less interaction with others.

Canada House, 3rd Women’s Dorm, and 4th Women’s Dorm

These are student-governed dorms, each accommodating 30-40 residents. Built in the 60s, their facilities are old, but have unique cultures rooted in their 50 year-long traditions. 3rd Women’s Dorm is known for its enthusiasm towards dorm activities and intimacy of the members. In 4th Women’s Dorm, students are more independent but also responsible in keeping the place in order, making it the cleanest dorm among the three. Canada House is the only men’s dorm, whose atmosphere has a good balance of enjoying each other’s company and respecting each other’s space.

Single-Term Students

Single term students will stay at Dialogue House which is located in the same building above the campus cafeteria. Dialogue House is the international dorm, so students have a fellow international roommate.

We do not offer home-stay options due to limitations we face in Tokyo, that home-stay families are located far away from the university and therefore it forces students to ride on crowded trains during peak rush-hour. Students have several opportunities to stay with host families during excursions, and optional short home-visit programs are available during the term so that students are partnered with local host families.