MEXT Scholarship for Postgraduate 2009: Post Application

cookie,
I usually pack lightly for a "trip" too. But this isn't really a trip right? Um, I live in the southern part of the US... our winters aren't too cold, and we get snow once every 10 years. So I can't tell you any more than you already know.

kouki,
thanks for the link! I was just looking it up.

If I don't use that delivery service, I will be carrying(rolling) 3 big luggages to the dorm house...

it's not as expensive as imagined. Hopefully they can send and arrive on the same day since it's not very far from Airport to our dorm.
 
skfer,
my japanese language course is 15weeks.
And those who are doing MBA, i'm super envy k!!!!
I really wished to do MBA, but because my degree is in Bioscience i wouldn't want to risk the scholarship by choosing a different discipline.
Sigh.....damn jealous. Waseda, Tsukuba MBA......

>>> me too!
 
Actually, they won't let you pick another discipline, it's written into the guidelines of the scholarship.
 
Hi...everyone...sorry I never join a forum before...not very sure how it works actually. anyway, I am going to Nagoya University this april. hope to meet u guys soon.
 
Hi guys, just to share my thoughts about buying a laptop. After shopping around a bit, I realised that only Dell fit my requirements. I'm planning to be there at least two years, and all of the models that i was shopping for didn't have warranty covering Japan. I was looking for either a Toshiba, or NEC even. Surprisingly the models are AP non Japan based, hence even though you can add money to get extended warranty, and problems it will still need to be shipped back to Malaysia to be fixed.

Foodstuff thoughts - don't think they allow bak kuah, but coffee should be ok (assuming it is sealed tight).
 
haven09, perhaps you would like to invest in a call up to Tsukuba's admissions? Try to talk to someone (e.g. counsellor, or professor) and find out a bit more about the course.

I remember that they recently launched an all English MBA. Perhaps you can talk to them about it etc. etc. ?
 
Hi guys, just to share my thoughts about buying a laptop. After shopping around a bit, I realised that only Dell fit my requirements. I'm planning to be there at least two years, and all of the models that i was shopping for didn't have warranty covering Japan. I was looking for either a Toshiba, or NEC even. Surprisingly the models are AP non Japan based, hence even though you can add money to get extended warranty, and problems it will still need to be shipped back to Malaysia to be fixed.
Foodstuff thoughts - don't think they allow bak kuah, but coffee should be ok (assuming it is sealed tight).

Yeah only Dell provide the warranty package that fulfill our requirements... once you purchase just go to the dell website and change your warranty location to Japan and they will process accordingly. All technical services will be done locally in Japan.
 
Hi guys, on the handcarry part. Just want to share another of my experience. You can HANDCARRY a jacket up to the plane, without having it considered part of the weight.

So just a quick recap:
1) 20-25kg range for check-in (say we plead very hard at the counter, and checkin together)
2) One laptop bag (which we will try to sneak in some additional stuff), no weighing.
3) One carry-on bag (about 7-10kg, depending on how much risk you want to take).
4) Winter jacket/clothes (which might be too bulky to fit into luggage, but can still be carried on-board). It's spring, so they should be ok with people bringing warmer clothing up.
5) handbag (for ladies only). no weighing (again, i find it amazing how ladies manage to put so much stuff in there. Like Doraemon's magic pocket!)

You might even be able to sneak in one or two thin / lighter books, as "reading material" on board the plane...

Does this help?

kouki, ooilingfan. I think we're all lucky in our ways. getting a full scholarship at this current juncture of a global economic crisis is more than any of us would have bargained for. So no need to envy others. We are all lucky :)
 
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haha. you're right. Many of my friends are on thin ice, risking retrenchment any moment.
can catch up on that MBA anytime in the future. =)

Nice checklist you have there. Thanks for the tip. Good idea of carrying the jacket, which is damn bulky, unless you wanna use the vacuum bag, ......which i'm really worried that it will damage the woolen and goose feather jackets? I didn't do that before, will it?

oh ya, the hand-carried jackets, maybe we can sneak some more things into the pockets and zip'em up. :p since they're already so fluffy/poofy, hopefully the guards won't realise.

oh, and about the laptop, what about sony and fujitsu? both being japan brand, are they covered in japan? (though both are crazeeely expensive)
I'm getting a Dell as well, arriving tomorrow!! so excited. =p

I went to the bank(s) today, actually our ATM cards can be used overseas, just go to the ATM machine (of your card, of course), and activate "permanently" the "overseas atm usage". Hopefully that'll do the trick. According to the customer service lady, no admin charges, just exchange rate applies (MYR-USD-JPY).

Btw, yen is still dropping, we can wait for a while.
 
hey, i just thought of something relating to our baggage allowance.
If we got so much problems about books and stuff, i wonder how come no girls here are worried bout not being able to bring their SHOES??
Or you girls are already planning of some great shoe-shopping trips? =)
 
If we got so much problems about books and stuff, i wonder how come no girls here are worried bout not being able to bring their SHOES??

Trust me I can speak on behalf of all the gurls when I say that yes it is a dilemma ! Well honestly wasn't planning on heading the markets there for some shoe shopping till later on ... I recovered from my shopaholicism when I started saving for the scholarship , so my heart ain't into it any longer ....
I 'm not carrying a lot of shoes anyway ...

as in for the laptop , it just happened that I have been saving for more than a year to get a desktop before applying for the scholarship , and being so lazy never came around to it , so my money goes to buying a Mac book from there, a guy who studies Graphics in Japan advised me to get it from there ... other books are already downloaded as PDF's and saved on my hard disk ... so weight of that is off ... Prob is fitting clothes for a whole year in one bag ...

Oh btw just a tip from people living there ... they all advised me not to get heavy winter clothes as long as you carry a medium thick jacket , (That is if you are living in Tokyo) , metros and shops are all air conditioned and you will feel hot anyway taking the underground ... when it gets really cold a scarf and a hat is all what you need ....

Btw , is anyone residing in Komaba International House that is run by JASSO ?
 
hey, i just thought of something relating to our baggage allowance.
If we got so much problems about books and stuff, i wonder how come no girls here are worried bout not being able to bring their SHOES??
Or you girls are already planning of some great shoe-shopping trips? =)

looooool I'M DEVASTATED...i'm no where near as calm as silverpenciled
but the way i'm looking at it is...i'm gonna have to ship stuff over either way...there's no way it's gonna fit into one 20kg suitcase. so even if i don't take them eventually...my babies will be with me at some point.
as for shipping prices i have NO IDEA how much it is in kuwait. but i'm thinking about buying an extra bag.
and shopping in japan isn't such a bad idea :D but it doesn't seem like kyoto has a lot of shops...everywhere i keep reading about crafts shops and souvenir shops so we'll have to see when i get there

oh and i just bought the asus 1000he...it's like 3 pounds...SUPER LIGHT...so i guess that can save a shoe or two :D
 
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silverpenciled,
Cool choice on the Mac Book.
PDF ebooks? I still prefer old fashion books, with the smell of paper when flipping the pages. :p
 
sorry I never join a forum before...not very sure how it works actually.
um, there's not much to it. You type something and post it. So you're doing fine. Welcome to the club~

abeeyo,
I was just about to talk about you! I remember you were talking about your large wardrobe. Your airline only allows a 20kg luggage? Usually long flights allows more. Kyoto is very close to Osaka, so you can try to shop there too. I myself have about 5~6 shoes, which I think is alot for a guy. Oh, and I recently bought a 1000he too!

ooilingfan,
wow, no charges for using it overseas? that's good. My bank charges 3%. I really hope the yen keeps getting weaker. 2 years ago, it was 125yen =1USD, now its like 97yen =1USD.
 
abeeyo,
I was just about to talk about you! I remember you were talking about your large wardrobe. Your airline only allows a 20kg luggage? Usually long flights allows more. Kyoto is very close to Osaka, so you can try to shop there too. I myself have about 5~6 shoes, which I think is alot for a guy. Oh, and I recently bought a 1000he too!


oh yay...how do you like it? i like mine but i feel like it's a lil slow, but i haven't put in the extra memory i got yet :D

yeah the flight from kuwait to osaka is neither trans-atlantic nor trans-pacific so i'm basically not eligible for 2 bags

and its great that osaka is so close...but i know my laziness is just gnna get the best of me. it's like sometimes you're just in the mood to shop...lord knows what'll happen to that mood in the hour or so it takes to get to osaka lol...i'm sure shopping online will become a very favorable passtime
 
Yeah only Dell provide the warranty package that fulfill our requirements... once you purchase just go to the dell website and change your warranty location to Japan and they will process accordingly. All technical services will be done locally in Japan.
Really? That means there is service center for DELL in Japan? What about for Acer?
Im thinking to buy either [DELL XPS M1330] or [TravelMate 6293-842G25].
Two of it pretty worth to buy. Fujitsu and Sony are too pricey.
Anyone owns a TravelMate form Acer?
>> ooilingfan
what Dell model did you buy??
But I've read some comments for Dell Laptop, the problem always are
- the motherboard and graphic card burned
- it can't live without a strong cooler.. it's always hot..
- Sound too lame some of the disc not supported by the cd room.
- The worst is the graphic.
Urgently need advice in this kinda stuff.
 
hey, i just thought of something relating to our baggage allowance.
If we got so much problems about books and stuff, i wonder how come no girls here are worried bout not being able to bring their SHOES??
Or you girls are already planning of some great shoe-shopping trips? =)

hahaha... girl's shoes isn't as heavy as the guy's one.
I think osaka got alot of shopping places, you dun have to bring so many pairs of shoes there. 2 pairs are enough.
 
silverpenciled,
Cool choice on the Mac Book.
PDF ebooks? I still prefer old fashion books, with the smell of paper when flipping the pages.

Yeah , i guess it 's about time to move away from the PC .... and totally agree with you , I hate reading off the computer screen but flying with those books is tedious!

>> abeeyo
You can't go to Japan and not come over to Tokyo , am suggesting we go on a shopping trip together .... We can go to Ghinza too ! Window shopping of course! :P
 
Really? That means there is service center for DELL in Japan? What about for Acer?
Im thinking to buy either [DELL XPS M1330] or [TravelMate 6293-842G25].
Two of it pretty worth to buy. Fujitsu and Sony are too pricey.
Anyone owns a TravelMate form Acer?
>> ooilingfan
what Dell model did you buy??
But I've read some comments for Dell Laptop, the problem always are
- the motherboard and graphic card burned
- it can't live without a strong cooler.. it's always hot..
- Sound too lame some of the disc not supported by the cd room.
- The worst is the graphic.
Urgently need advice in this kinda stuff.

I think most brands have service centres in Japan, only thing is the warranty that comes with your system doesn't cover free service in Japan. You need to check whether the warranty is Local or International. I'm positive that Dell's covering Asia Pacific, so it's fine. Extend your warranty to 3 years to keep a piece of mind for fried hardwares. I always take Dell because of the good warranty and service. Any small problem i'll call and they will come the next day, with the new hardware ready for replacement. No hassle of sending your system back for service, weeks or months of checking and fixing. They always solve the problem on the spot.

Hmm....Graphics problem? I've been using 3 Dell systems so far. So long as you're not a hardcore gamer or professional graphic designer, the graphics are basically OK for normal user.
If you want better graphics, get the 256MB dedicated memory Graphic Card.
If you take 4GB RAM, Windows Vista should be running pretty smoothly and RAMs are pretty cheap lately to add on. If you're getting XPS, graphics will be better than other models as it's designed for gamers. You may consider the new Dell XPS13, which is quite cool. If you're really into graphics, might as well get a Mac Book, the price is almost the same as a medium range XPS, but the results is so much better.

I'm getting a Dell Latitude E6400. The design of Latitude is not cool, multimedia sucks(very soft speaker), but Latitudes last longer in terms of hardware viability.

Regarding the heat, that is the unavoidable downside of Dell, regardless any Dell models. It generates like, more heat than other laptops (what i felt). Toshiba on the other hand doesn't heat up as easily. That heat always drives me crazy, makes the room very stuffy sometimes. But then, Japan is a cold country, so..... give you some warmth in the room? haha. Or like you say, get a USB cooling pad.

my 2 cents.
 
Hi guys,

Ooilingfan - Sony warranty is only for 2 years. Fujitsu was beyond my range, so if someone else knows about it please post it.

You can go to www.notebookcheck.net for compilation of laptop reviews. Also, there are a few reviews posted on the XPS and Studios. I am actually getting a Studio 15 (larger, but apparently not very heavy). Both should be good buys.

However, i notice reviews about XPS Studio 13 having a defect (heats up very quickly as the air vent is blocked). XPS 1330 also has an issue with their video card (burns up the motherboard). Not sure if that's still true, perhaps you might call Dell up, or do an online chat with them.

Another note as well - it's actually cheaper to get a larger laptop (it's a stupid trend i know, but you have to pay for versatility). I think HP Pavilions are quite good, not sure about the latest Lenovo Thinkpads (Heard it's expensive, but just not like the old IBM designed ones).
 
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abeeyo,
yeah, it's not as fast as my desktop, but I don't really need a lot of processing power. I really like it because its small and light.

Since we're talking about warranties, I found an article that talks about warranties and gives a list of websites for laptop warranty for the following companies:
Lenovo laptop warranty info
Gateway laptop warranty info
Apple laptop warranty info
HP and Compaq laptop warranty info
Dell laptop warranty info
Toshiba laptop warranty info
Asus laptop warranty info
Fujitsu laptop warranty info
Notebook Warranty Guide
check it out.

looks like asus has an international warranty with a service center in japan. but the warranty is only 1 year...
 
Hi...everyone...sorry I never join a forum before...not very sure how it works actually. anyway, I am going to Nagoya University this april. hope to meet u guys soon.
Hi Mizu, another friend to Nagoya yaaay... ^^, we're gonna be in the same city, i'm in Nagoya Institute of Technology ~your neighbour
> Ooilingfan
Don't worry i already pack my 5 shoes, since they are all flat shoes (only one with heel) they won't take too much space in my luggage. i'm going to wear my sneakers on the trip to Japan. ~total: 6 shoes *girls*
about laptop, i think i'm just bringing my HP laptop, i just bought it for 2 years, though DELL seems to be tempting 😊
Just received confirmation from NIT about my dorm reservation. It's only 5,900 yen per month with private bathroom and kitchen (or pantry). the officer in NIT also told that they would pick me up at the airport 👍
well few more weeks to prepare, hope we all can meet up in Japan sometimes 🙂
 
Really? That means there is service center for DELL in Japan? What about for Acer?
Im thinking to buy either [DELL XPS M1330] or [TravelMate 6293-842G25].
Two of it pretty worth to buy. Fujitsu and Sony are too pricey.
Anyone owns a TravelMate form Acer?
>> ooilingfan
what Dell model did you buy??
But I've read some comments for Dell Laptop, the problem always are
- the motherboard and graphic card burned
- it can't live without a strong cooler.. it's always hot..
- Sound too lame some of the disc not supported by the cd room.
- The worst is the graphic.
Urgently need advice in this kinda stuff.

IMHO, getting the laptop depends on the luck regardless what brand. My experience is quite similar with lingfan, been using 2 Dell's (Inspiron 6400 & XPS 1210) and so far so good, just that the the problem occured when the warranty is about to expire, which it forced me to extend the warranty to get the piece of mind -.-

Perhaps I'm used to Dell's excellent services, I have ordered my 3rd Dell (Studio XPS 16) with 3 years CompleteCover to be brought over there and the sales girl confirmed that the technical/customer services can be done locally in Japan once warranty details is transferred through online. Another good thing is the girl gave me online cash redemption and complimentary gift for my customer loyalty entitlement ^^
 
Hi Mizu, another friend to Nagoya yaaay... ^^, we're gonna be in the same city, i'm in Nagoya Institute of Technology ~your neighbour
> Ooilingfan
Don't worry i already pack my 5 shoes, since they are all flat shoes (only one with heel) they won't take too much space in my luggage. i'm going to wear my sneakers on the trip to Japan. ~total: 6 shoes *girls*
about laptop, i think i'm just bringing my HP laptop, i just bought it for 2 years, though DELL seems to be tempting 😊
Just received confirmation from NIT about my dorm reservation. It's only 5,900 yen per month with private bathroom and kitchen (or pantry). the officer in NIT also told that they would pick me up at the airport 👍
well few more weeks to prepare, hope we all can meet up in Japan sometimes 🙂

5900yen with private bathroom, and pickup....
That's a great deal. =) guess you're staying in the Uni dorm instead of JASSO's.
you sure will have a lot of 'shoe allowance'.
 
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