The reception area at Yoshida Dormitory, a 105-year-old student residency in Kyoto University, is reached via a short lane lined by tall gingko trees and rows of bicycles, some of which look like they have been stationary for as long it would take to complete a Ph.D. The classic wooden entrance is a portal into another world, clouded in cigarette smoke, where defiance and progressiveness mix easily with cats and chickens.
In some ways, Yoshida Ryo, as its known in Japanese, is like a museum, with pieces of history and debris strewn everywhere. It's also an outlier: Rent for one month is ¥2,500, the toilets are all unisex, and the dormitory is run and managed by students. That includes the resident clutch of chickens.
On Sept. 30, Kyoto University wants all 170-plus students out of Yoshida Dormitory. The official reasoning: The tumbledown wooden dormitory is a safety risk, especially in the event of a strong earthquake. On this point, and possibly this point only, the university and the students of Yoshida Dormitory are in agreement.