More on dorm and Japanese houseing...

My new dorm is an old hotel that has been remodeled and made into a housing complex called a 'mansion' , explanation to follow. It is 10 floors, 13 rooms each floor.  However floor 1 is the lobby and 2nd floor I believe to be a bar or restaurant (it gets pretty noisy around 10 - 11).  Each room that I have seen has a bunk bed (really?.. a bunk bed?) refrigerator, shelf and desk, 2 plastic containers(for clothing i guess) and a wonderful Japanese air conditioner that also does heat.  The window opens and you can hop through it to a small enclosed balcony, but the bunk bed is sort of in the way so i cant get out of mines.

There is a bathroom with bath and toilet,  but no kitchen. The kitchen is actually a shared kitchen, they took the 01 room of every floor and made it into a kitchen with 3 single electric burners, a janitors style sink and a primitive microwave. Before the kitchen, right by the elevator and emergency exit has a huge hot water heater(great place to put a gas appliance huh?), that works too well. The water that comes out the swivel faucet is down right scalding, it actually heats up the faucet pipe to the point that it is also ...piping hot ( sorry I couldn't think of another phrase  >_< ). The swivel faucet goes form the sink to over the tub, you can also twist a knob to direct the water to a shower head. 

Mansions are equivalent to the American condominium concept.  I assume the college owns my room and all the rooms of the people who are staying here under the schools dorm housing policy.  I pay only 30,000yen  a month the equivalent in a good American economy to 300 dollars.  For this area that is terrific.  I would equal it to living in the Soho area,  not in the middle but just outside walking distance, In a studio for less than 500 per month. 


Normally there is 2 to my sized apartment/room, but it seems that all the westerns like me are in a single room. All the Chinese and Nepalese are shared rooms like I had prior.  Russian girl, me, and a french guy, so I wonder if that is a coincidence.

Mansion's seem to not only be popular but increasing.  I have noticed much construction and building in my travels, a majority of these new buildings are the aforementioned mansion establishment. In this recession it's possible more people would rather rent than buy, which is understandable.  I am not sure on the price range, as all of my friends are more or less just out of college and owning anything is still in the distant future.

In my dorm, there is college students from different colleges not only mine.  There are non students as well, I have passed middle aged men and women in the hall and elevator, so mansions are a one size fit all approach apparently. Thought a 'mansion' it is anything but. Quirky Japanese naming I guess.....