The ryugakusei kaikan, which loosely translates as the International Student House, is lovingly referred to by most JTW students as just the 'Kaikan'. This is where the students live during their stay in Japan. The Kaikan houses over 300 of Kyushu University's 800+ international students. As these residents come from over 70 different countries, many different languages are spoken at the Kaikan, with English being used as much as, if not more than, Japanese. The Kaikan is a mixture of many different peoples and their cultures, which makes it a very exciting place to live an learn.

Each student is provided with a one-person room including an attached bathroom. While certainly a far cry from the comfort and spaciousness of a one-bedroom apartment in the States (or many other places in the world for that matter), by Japanese standards these mini-apartments are incredibly nice and a steal at the equivalent of about US$100 a month. The rooms are actually quite cozy and provide more than enough space for all but those who brought every last belonging with them from home. All rooms include a miniature refrigerator, a nice shelve system with built-in desk, a bed, a wardrobe, and a bathroom. The bathroom is actually quite a work of modern engineering. It is a plastic-molded, one piece unit that includes both a toilet and bathtub and measures about 3 feet by 4 feet. Despite how small these mini-bathrooms are, they are quite functional. Each room also has a balcony and a clothesline to hang-dry your clothes, as dryers are hard to come by in Japan.

On each floor there is also a communal kitchen stocked with prior residents' leftover cooking utensils, food, and roaches. There are fully operational gas stoves, although the gas must be paid for by inserting 10 yen in the little gas meter every so often. Much like the rooms, the kitchen leaves much to be desired, yet they are quite functional and have plenty of space. In fact, there is enough room in each kitchen to have four people cooking at a time. The kitchens also double as ideal party rooms for the JTW students, supplying the perfect environment for anything from a fondu party to an all-out orgy of beer-drinking and love-making.

The Kaikan has several different units, many containing different types of rooms to accommodate married couples and large families. The Kaikan is situated in a residential area on a rather large piece of land in Kashiihama, a very nice suburb in the northern end of Fukuoka. Although the main highway runs directly behind several of the Kaikan's buildings (including those which the JTW students are usually housed in), most students are rarely sober enough to notice. Within walking distance of the Kaikan, there are several supermarkets to choose from, as well as convenience stores, McDonalds, ramen shops, restaurants, karaoke joints, bars, golfing ranges, shopping centers, book stores, pachinko parlors, hyaku-en stores, and an assortment of other interesting places to visit. There is a bus stop directly behind the Kaikan with buses going to the university, Tenjin (the downtown area of Fukuoka), Hakata-eki (the main station in Fukuoka), and many other places.

The international aspect of the Kaikan is certainly a plus for students interested in learning about cultures other than that of Japan during their stay. In the Kaikan kitchens alone, conversations can be heard in many different languages, and most of these people are more than eager to converse with JTW students in either Japanese or English. Foods from around the world can also be found at the Kaikan, especially at the food festival hosted twice a year at the Kaikan. Residents from various parts of the world volunteer their time to cook dishes unique to their culture and serve them at a booth at the festival. There are at least 30 or 40 booths at the festivals, each offering its own unique fare. These are just a few of the many ways for students to find out about the people around them. By making friends with other foreigners at the Kaikan, chances abound for students to gain insight into how unique the various cultures of the world really are.