Yamate Gakusha
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The Yamate Gakusha is an international students' dormitory located 10 minutes' walk from Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo, Japan. The Yamate Gakusha is unique in that it is the home to at most 16 students at any one time.
[edit] History
The institution was established by American members of the YMCA after the end of World War II. Their hope was that the Yamate Gakusha would enable young men from poor, rural areas of Japan to attend universities located in Tokyo. (At the time the Yamate Gakusha was established, the monthly fee was quite low. This was because the greatest obstacle preventing rural citizens of Japan from attending universities in Tokyo was the high cost of housing). Historically, an obachan (elderly woman) served as dorm cook. However, sometime prior to the 1990s she died and was never succeeded.
Although the majority of the members of the dormitory are Japanese, in the past decade students from China, Korea, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and the United States have cycled through the Yamate Gakusha.
The working language of the dormitory is Japanese.
The administrators of the Yamate Gakusha attempted to unilaterally shut down the dormitory's operations. However, a hunger strike was launched by the dormitory residents and a shut-down was averted.
[edit] Annual events
Annual Yamate Gakusha events include the following:
- April: Dorm Entrance Ceremony
- June: Dorm Excursion
- October: Softball Tournament
- November: Curry Rice Cook-A-Thon
- December: Annual Christmas Party
- January: New Year's Party
- February: New Member's Recruiting Activities
- March: Dorm Graduation Ceremony
[edit] External links
- [1] Yamate Gakusha
Coordinates: 35°42′38″N 139°42′38″E / 35.710607°N 139.710597°E
