Life

Internal Mail and Postal Mail

Mails inside the university are handled by the Bioscience Building office. When the office is closed, put it in the internal mail post of the mailbox on the basement floor in the Integrated Biosciences Building. Mails are collected twice a day, around 11:00 and 14:30.
For postal mails, remember to write clearly the post code (277-8562) of Bioscience Building as well as the room number (Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, Bioscience Building XXX (replace XXX with your room number)) of the laboratory. Mails without the room number may not be delivered to the laboratory mailbox.
For sending a mail at the university's expense, there is a price meter inside the Transdisciplinary Science Building office. From this meter, issue a stamp sticker and affix it on the mail, and then place the mail in the specified location inside the box opposite to the price meter.
There is also a postbox next to Co-op. Mails are collected at 10:50 and 14:50.

Using/borrowing the above is done with a notebook at the Bioscience Building office. Priority is basically given in the order of reservations. You can also borrow other items such as a pointer. For more details, contact the Bioscience Building office.
When you use the seminar room/conference room/lecture room, be careful not to make the floor dirty, etc. After use, please take responsibility to restore the room's condition.

You can enter the building with your shoes on, but when it is raining or when the roads are muddy, make sure to wipe the bottom of your shoes with the entrance mat before entering the building.
Walking into the common device room with shoes on is strictly prohibited. Make sure to put on slippers. When you take your shoes off, make sure to place them inside the shoe locker. Note that some laboratories may also prohibit entry with shoes on, so be sure to always obey the rules when you visit a laboratory.
Be careful with the floor material and the chemical resistance of the wax in the laboratory rooms including the common device room.

Although we have professional cleaners coming in to clean the toilets/shower rooms/basement corridor/lecture rooms/seminar rooms every Wednesday, try to keep the place clean. In case you made anything dirty, please restore it at your own responsibility.
For the elevator hall on each floor and the stairs to the floor below (i.e. stairs between 5F and 4F if you are on 5F), the laboratories on each floor must be responsible for cleaning.
We have an environment beautification week at the campus to weed the grass, pick up rubbish and clean the stairs, etc. On this occasion, we shall cooperate and work together. For the beautification of our environment, we expect everyone to take the lead in the cleanup even if it is rubbish that you did not throw out.

There are two types of sinks in the Bioscience Building, either for experiments or for living. When draining wastewater from experiments, you must first adjust the pH level within the specified range. Other kinds of wastewater are drained directly into the catch-basin of the building. Thus, it is actually the sink for living that you need to pay attention to when it comes to the effluent standard.
The university is a "Specified Workplace" stipulated by the Water Quality Pollution Control Act and Sewerage Service Act, some types of drainage allowed in normal households would be illegal at the university. For example, leftover soup from cup noodles, beer, or water from rinsing rice is not a problem at a normal household whereas draining these types of water at a university could be a violation of law. The oil contained in ramen noodles soup is approximately 200 times that of the university effluent standard, while the amount of suspended solids in the water used to rinse rice is approximately 100 times. Be aware that different standards from households are applied. In each laboratory, make sure that you know which sinks are for experiments and for living.
In case of a violation, please be reminded that a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the cause.

Smoking is basically not permitted inside the Bioscience Building.
At B1F of the Bioscience Building, there is a smoking section. However, please observe good manners by not littering cigarette butts or leaving any rubbish when you smoke. Also, you must make sure not to cause a fire. Take maximum precautions and be aware that causing a fire would also greatly affect your own career.

Please make an announcement in advance when you want to spray insect repellent inside the building (Otherwise, insects for research will die).

Due to the structure of Bioscience Building, there is a tendency to be alienated from the neighbors. Please remind yourselves to exchange greetings. Students who do not follow this idea may be asked for their name and laboratory/department and receive a warning. Also in laboratories, we encourage everyone to greet each other to make sure that doors are locked and to keep suspicious individuals out.

On the basement floor in the Bioscience Building, there is a ping-pong table at the back of the elevator hall. A net and rackets (2 each for "shake hands" and "pen hold" grips) are also equipped. Feel free to use the table when the near-by lecture room is not being used.
There is a tennis court at the back of the Institute for Solid State Physics. Reservation is required for Saturdays/Sundays/public holidays and night time. You can buy the card for turning on the lighting at the office of Institute for Solid State Physics. The court is not available during daytime on weekdays as it is considered as working hours.
The training facilities of Kashiwa Campus II can be used. Note that you need to apply and take a course in advance.
On the north side of the Bioscience Building, there is some land for fields which is used by the gardening club, together with the planters around the building. If you are interested in gardening, please contact the facilitator.
You may use the shower room on the basement floor. Normally, you are not supposed to lock the shower room. When hot water does not come out, wait for 5 to 6 minutes (because the pipes are long). It is usually turned on.