Taiga has been living with us since day one of HAKUSAN HOUSE. He is the first to experience our slogan, “student life isn’t just about hitting the books”. His next step is to study abroad in the UK. We wanted to hear stories of how he learned about us and where he is at now.
UNINEST：Hello Taiga! Thank you so much for making time for us! I know how busy you are with all the packing!
TAIGA：No worries! Thanks for having me!
UNINEST：Okay so let’s get started. Could you please tell me where you’re from and the school you are currently going to?
TAIGA：I’m from Takahagi city in Ibaragi, it’s surrounded by mountains and beaches. I’m currently a junior at Toyo University and I’m studying International Communications.
UNINEST：International Communications!? That’s exactly the lifestyle you can experience at Uninest!
TAIGA：Yep, exactly!
UNINEST：How did you hear about us?
TAIGA：Well, when I first came to Tokyo I lived alone in an apartment. But it was so small and in the back of my mind I had a thought of living in a share house. Then during my sophomore year, I stumbled across HAKUSAN HOUSE by chance. I walked in through the entrance and the front staff welcomed me so cheerfully. Of course, I didn’t make any reservations to view the dorm, but they asked me if I wanted to look around. And I knew instantly that I wanted to live here!
UNINEST：Wow! That’s so great to hear! What about HAKUSAN HOUSE appealed to you?
TAIGA：Well, I originally wanted to learn English through everyday life so being able to live in an atmosphere that gave the vibe of studying abroad attracted me the most. Hm, also I really liked the common areas because I wouldn’t be able to experience that living alone.
There are so many people with a different cultural background and they all gather around talking or studying in the lounge, the theater room, and the best of all was the rooftop!
I traveled around the world as a backpacker before I started living in HAKUSAN HOUSE, so I was super excited to use real English, not textbook English.
UNINEST：Haha! Especially since when you came into the dorm, there were more than 100 people living here, but only a few Japanese people!
TAIGA：Yeah seriously! It really felt like I was studying abroad. In the morning, when I woke up in the 6 people room, I heard French and English jumping around the room. And I kept thinking to myself, “wait… Which country am I in right now?”
UNINEST：How was it like living here after a year?
TAIGA：Well, first and foremost, my English-speaking skills went up. In the beginning I was cooking in the kitchen and I was the only Japanese person there. I couldn’t understand anything they were saying…
Being in an atmosphere where English is flying around nonstop is not something you can experience in class. It was so difficult to keep up with their conversations… But now I can finally understand most of what they’re saying and say what I want!
UNINEST：That’s amazing! Using English in your daily life as a non-English speaker seems very difficult but having the motivation of wanting to speak with your friends is incredible!
TAIGA：Also living in a diverse environment! Anyway, I learned to have a broader mind and learned to accept different ways of thinking. Being in an atmosphere of people from different countries, schools, ages; they all have or are searching for their own future vision. It was so inspiring to know that there are so many different perspectives, pathways, and possibilities. It was a great way to reflect on myself and think of my future again too.
As I went out with these people, I firmly believed that everyone is different and everyone knows that about one another. I know it may be obvious to some people, but that was a discovery for me. Before I used to overthink what the other person would think of me, so I hesitated to go and talk to new people. But in the end, I gained enough confidence to be able to talk to new people right away, leading me to make lots of new friends! I learned to understand many differences amongst people.
UNINEST：Well, now whenever we have new students coming in, you’re the one who welcomes them into our community. You’re pretty much the center of it all! We really value community, so we appreciate what you’re doing here, Taiga!
UNINEST：Well, Taiga, you work here as an RA, helping out the staff run this dorm. How was your job as an RA? How did you feel about it?
TAIGA：It’s so difficult to find a job where you can use both English and Japanese, especially as a student, so it was such a valuable experience! Plus, it’s a 30 second commute! Lol. Of course, we get to experience the real world and there were responsibilities too. But I liked how the main staff would actually put my ideas into use too.
Being able to experience planning events and running them was the best experience as an RA. I learned so much on how plans are actually put into effect, and it was so difficult to think of ways that everyone from all over the world would actually enjoy. When an event was successful, my heart was filled with joy!!!
UNINEST：So, you’ve lived in HAKUSAN HOUSE for a year, and now you’re heading off to the UK, why is that?
TAIGA：Hmmm, I guess you can say that I found the right pathway for me? This whole time, I’ve been wanting to live abroad, but I didn’t understand English at all. So I thought maybe I should go study abroad.
But as I lived here, I realized I naturally acquired English already. So, then I thought to myself, *wait a minute… What’s my purpose of studying abroad? It’s not for English anymore… So what’s my next step?”
I knew I wanted to keep living in a diverse environment and from my job as an RA, I got interested in the world of business. I then found the perfect uni in the UK, so that was it!
And a lot of the friends I made in HAKUSAN HOUSE live in Europe now, THAT’S the icing on the cake. I’m definitely going on a trip around Europe to see them. Not a lot of people get to experience having friends all over the world!
UNINEST：Okay, well, last but not least, please give a message to those who are reading this interview!
TAIGA：Well, a lot of people, including myself, think that in order to master English, you need to go abroad to America, Australia or Canada.
But I now think that you can start by looking for a place in Tokyo to experience “studying abroad”.
This allows us to find a different purpose to studying abroad - not just for acquiring English.
UNINEST：That’s such a wonderful message! Experiencing the ultimate student life, and then moving forward. We will also work really hard for this place to be more appealing so we can confidently root for you to move up another step.
Taiga, thank you so, so much! We are excited to hear your experiences when you get back from the UK!
TAIGA：Thank YOU so much. I will definitely keep you updated on my life in the UK!
UNINEST & TAIGA：“HUG”
