Japan's foreign student digs likely to survive -- and thrive -- after pandemic

It's probably the result of memories from their long-ago youth, but a lot of older Japanese people tend to have the stereotypical image that dwellings for college students are usually cramped and shabby. Yet take a look at a nine-story building standing in the Hakusan district in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. Walking through a locked automated entrance, the first thing that jumps out is the first floor looks like a cafe-style coworking space -- except that it's a public area for students. The second to eighth floors are dedicated to living space for students, offering tidy bedrooms, shared kitchens stocked with cooking ware and appliances, as well as common areas with video games and a rooftop balcony. What may be more unorthodox is that many of its residents are non-Japanese and the 364-bed facility, which opened in 2018, is not managed by a school but by a foreign business operator that only recently made a foray into Japan.