ベルギー人Aの雑記

If someone were to ask me to sum up Kumanoryou in a word, I’d tell them such a word was not yet invented. And even if it had been, one would most likely be unable to make a mental picture at the mention of it. To me, it’s the only place I really feel at home in the whole of japan, or at least the only place that I can call a community.

It’s been about six months now since I first happened to find myself strolling about its premises, exploring its every nook and cranny, providing me with fairly good knowledge of its inner dealings and workings by now. A bar, comfy lounge, artful courtyard, and rooms filled with a variety of manga and games, these are but a few of its social venues. Combined with a sniff of social activism, Kumanoryou is the place where all the lovable misfits and charming weirdos of Kyoto University have gathered, on top of all the other normal human beings dwelling here. Did I mention it’s also controlled by the students themselves? That’s right, one of its most charming aspects is the fact that it’s one of the last independent dorms left in Japan, providing it with a drastically different atmosphere than any other place I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. That atmosphere is one of freedom, one that is not gripped by the illogic of total control and signs stating how dangerous the world around you is, so commonly found in the rest of Japan. It’s like a small island in a sea of madness, and as a European student who’s not all too fond of the separation between foreign and Japanese students that goes on in most universities around the country, I’m awfully glad to have stranded here.

I could write a book about all of the strange experiences, and stranger friends, I gained here, but as I mentioned before, words do not suffice to describe the glamour and splendor of this old dorm.

(文: とある居候)