With calls growing for universities in Japan to generate graduates well-prepared for the era of globalization, an increasing number of them are establishing "international dormitories" where Japanese students live together with foreign students.

Kenichi Tasai, a 20-year-old sophomore at International Christian University in Mitaka, Tokyo, shares a dorm unit with two American students and one Japanese student.

While each student has his own room, the doors are open most of the time. "We usually stay in the (shared) living room," eating, chatting and so on, Tasai said.