Preparation done by MEXT scholars before going to japan

[Angienel]

窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙鳴行窶堋ｭ

ﾂ債｡窶愿ｺ窶堙債、
I have a single room reserved in JASSO's Soshigaya International House, Tokyo.

Nobody is going to pick me up at the airport, well I'll be in Tokyo, they sent me how to get to the dorm from the airport.

I am planning to stay at the dorm for like three of four months then I would like to look for my own place in a convenient aerea.

Japan here we go!

 

[ijulia]

ﾂ債｡窶愿ｺ窶堙債、
I have a single room reserved in JASSO's Soshigaya International House, Tokyo.
Nobody is going to pick me up at the airport, well I'll be in Tokyo, they sent me how to get to the dorm from the airport.
I am planning to stay at the dorm for like three of four months then I would like to look for my own place in a convenient aerea.
Japan here we go!

Hey! I just found the same info when checking the spam emails... But at the moment I don't really know what to do. I guess my family won't let me go there and I am worried like hell as well. Maybe we can postpone it to October?! Or maybe they will cancel it at all?! I feel so sorry for Japan- couldn't sleep the last 4 nights worrying about the whole situation there.

 

[salsal]

I have a room reserved at Soshigaya as well. I still can't believe this whole situation and my family and friends are very concerned about my well being. I'm feeling really bad for all what the Japanese people are going through. Actually I'm considering that it would be a possibility that those of us going to Tokyo and anywhere else close to Tohoku are postponed until October or later. Ultimately I trust in the good judgement of the Japanese government officials and the administrative staff of MEXT to decide whether or not this is the right time for us to go. I believe that they won't let us put ourselves in danger.

Anyway, I hope to meet you guys at Soshigaya sooner or later. I will be attending to Sophia University (Graduate School of Global Studies)

 

[Angienel]

I want to go Now!

Hello
Yes, it's terrible what happened and what is happening right now in Japan, but I really don't want my travel to be postpone, I want to go on april, so I am worry about not being able to go as planned, there is people there, working, traveling, studying, living right now, life must go on, and it is now more than ever the right time to go. I want to be there as soon as posible and help as much as I could.
I think the worst is going to be over soon, including the nuclear situation.
Personally I want to go on April... I hope is not going to be postponed, or worst cancelled, I would be very down if they cancell everything.
So I hope, I beg, please please, that all gets back to almost normal very soon. If not, I don´t care I still want to go, I'll go.

 

[Angienel]

I want to go Now!

Hello
Yes, it's terrible what happened and what is happening right now in Japan, but I really don't want my travel to be postpone, I want to go on april, so I am worry about not being able to go as planned, there is people there, working, traveling, studying, living right now, life must go on, and it is now more than ever the right time to go. I want to be there as soon as posible and help as much as I could.
I think the worst is going to be over soon, including the nuclear situation.
Personally I want to go on April... I hope is not going to be postponed, or worst cancelled, I would be very down if they cancell everything.
So I hope, I beg, please please, that all gets back to almost normal very soon. If not, I don´t care I still want to go, I'll go.

 

[flidar]

I've already waited for 7 months staying at home for this thing. I don't wish they postpone it to October. I got info alrdy that I'm going on April 4th.

 

[PeterSimon]

I don't want to be postponed to October too, especially when I'm not being asked about what I like to do!
If MEXT doesn't ask everyone individually, then what's the point of democracy?

 

[ijulia]

Everyone has been waiting for the results of all the screenings and the scholarship and putting the hopes for the future in it. But in my opinion pushing for going there in April will not be useful for us and our future Japanese friends. The country has got bigger troubles to cope with than a few hundred mext scholars. If the scholarship gets cancelled or postponed our life's will go on- sure we need to re-orientate, but compared to what happens to other people in the world right now I would see it as a minor personal tragedy to worry about. Still I am hoping the best for all of us.

 

[Mirimono]

I am also surprised that some of us want to go, no matter what. Of course, I can understand that you all are eager to finally go to Japan, but under the actual circumstances, there is no way we will be able to study or "enjoy" our life.

I guess that Japan will recover from the economical consequences, but only if it somehow manages to get the nuclear threat under control. If not, there will be panic, people will suffer from radiation, part of the country will be destroyed forever... the whole situation is a nightmare right now. This is not like the earthquake in Kobe, this is much worse. So, if the worst case happens (although I still hope it won`t), not only for our safety but also for that of Japanese people, we should consider staying where we are. I guess if that happens the embassy will tell us to not go there anywhere. Yeah, you may be deceived, but at least you don't have to fight in order to survive...

Sorry if I sound mad, but I really can`t understand some personal concerns against the concerns of many, many people who have lost their houses and are still frightened. Let's all hope and pray that the situation will get better, not for us, but for the Japanese people.

 

[flidar]

Well, at least it's a discussion and please don't sound affensive.
For those who wish to study in Japan with the MEXT scholarship very much in this April or so, although this is personal concern, it doesn't have nothing to do at all with or AGAINST the concerns of many. We are going to Japan to study and to strength the relationship between Japan and our own country. And we go there not just to receive the scholarship from them, we could also help to rebuild the place and do many other useful things. Even for those that solely wish to use the scholarship to focus on study, the fact of sticking to go there on April despite of the big tragedy won't bring any burden and retard the process of rebuilding Japan's damaged places at all. And when it comes to those places other than tohoku which haven't encountered any damage in this natural disaster, this issue doesn't exist at all.
Japan is a strong nation and a nation that consistently keeps its words. It won't delay or cancel the scholarship. Maybe in Tohoku region, the Japanese government will delay those who will go to study there, but for other places which haven't had any damage, I'm sure there will be no change in schedule at all.
Finally, for those who are scared of the safety issue and worried about going to Japan as well as the economy thing or others, it's your personal concern and business. You can choose not to go which have nothing to do with the rest of us who really want to go there. It's your personal decision and I have nothing to say about it since your personal decision won't affect us or Japan at all. It's just that whatever one wants to go there or not under this situation, it's one's personal business and has nothing to do with or against the concerns of many.

 

[csemege]

I am also surprised that some of us want to go, no matter what. Of course, I can understand that you all are eager to finally go to Japan, but under the actual circumstances, there is no way we will be able to study or "enjoy" our life.

I agree with you that if the worst happens, it would be wiser (although disappointing) to stay home, but the "actual circumstances" on which we should base our judgement, are such as this:
-Major damage caused by the earthquake and following tsunami in the Tohoku area.
-Serious situation in the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Serious, but it's nowhere near Chernobyl (which some sensationalist reports tend to compare it to, while it will probably end up as the Japanese Three Mile Island). Those are different reactors, evacuations started early and there is much more transparency regarding the whole incident.
-Electricity, gas, water, food and gasoline shortages in the Kanto area. Minor damages to buildings and roads, too. The public transport is not functioning properly - few lines are operating at their full capacity, several are cancelled.
-Rest of the country is functioning more or less normally, if under stress.
I don't know about your local media, but the reports on Polish TV are extremely sensationalist (they have finally learnt that Miyagi is not in Tokyo, I give them that), and CNN or BBC are not much better. The NHK World is doing a much better job. You can also watch the NHK emergency channel, if not for information (all done in Japanese), then to see that Japan is not drowned in chaos and panic. For information on the Fukushima situation, see the TEPCO website. (Can't post links, but they're googleable.) You might say it's all lies meant to contain panic and all Japanese are going to grow green scales all over their skin in a matter of days (like some people I know), but we all trusted Japanese authorities when we signed up for this scholarship, we shouldn't distrust them now.
Apart from those who were supposed to go to Tohoku, we actually should be able to study. It would be stressful and we'd have to put up with lots of inconveniences, but it was never meant to be a relaxing trip to Japan sponsored by the Monkasho in the first place. It's common knowledge that Japan is seismically active and has many nuclear reactors. I decided to study there knowing that things like the Friday earthquake and the following events might happen any moment.

 

[PeterSimon]

Guys, you've clearly been brainwashed by non-Japanese media reporting on the issue. >_<
In Tokyo, the universities are working (well, a few are closed for a couple of days), people are working, the only railway lines suspended are those going *out* of the city, the electricity shortage is limited. It shouldn't be very different in Yokohama and Saitama.
I've lived in Tokyo before and I can assure you that it's a VERY safe city to live.

 

[Mirimono]

No means to offend, in the end everyone has to decide for herself/himself. I respect that, however, I disagree with some of the facts.

I know that some media are reporting in a sensation-seeking way, thus I have been watching NHK World, Kyodo News and BBC (online). It is hard to find out what is true and what know, what brings even more tension to this whole situation. And although Japanese people seem to be quite calm at the moment, I talked yesterday with one of my Japanese friends who is faaar away from Fukushima and Tokyo, and even she said that she was afraid and did not believe what the government was saying. Makes me wonder what is really going on, you know? I have trust in the Japanese government, but I may not have so much trust in Tepco and their information politics... People ARE fleeing Tokyo and Japan, and although things seem to be going on as usual, this is not over yet.

No one wants to go to Japan to have fun, and everyone knows that there are earthquakes and the like. You can die everyday, blabla, if fate wants you it will get you. But I am asking, how will you be able to help? (I don't mean that in a bad way, I am really curious what you intend to do.)

Let's wait, see and hope for the best. But I stil think priority should be the safety of Japanese people. Maybe I am too worried, but I have friends there, and if even they are worried, it just doesn't help when other people seem to be concerned about a scholarship. Sorry.

 

[csemege]

I know that some media are reporting in a sensation-seeking way, thus I have been watching NHK World, Kyodo News and BBC (online). It is hard to find out what is true and what know, what brings even more tension to this whole situation.

I watch the NHK emergency channel, they have live broadcasts of all the important conferences: Edano Yukio, Kan Naoto, TEPCO, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and follow it with comments by nuclear physicists from Todai. They are also the fastest to report on oncoming earthquakes and follow with reports on the damage. Western media doesn't add much to that, save for reports from "eyewitnesses" based in Kyushu and comments from (often) dubious experts.

And although Japanese people seem to be quite calm at the moment, I talked yesterday with one of my Japanese friends who is faaar away from Fukushima and Tokyo, and even she said that she was afraid and did not believe what the government was saying. Makes me wonder what is really going on, you know? I have trust in the Japanese government, but I may not have so much trust in Tepco and their information politics... People ARE fleeing Tokyo and Japan, and although things seem to be going on as usual, this is not over yet.

It's natural your friend is distressed, I know from facebook that my friends living in Kanto are extremely worried about the Fukushima Plant and the strong earthquakes which might yet come (that's official information issued by Japan Meteorological Agency), but it doesn't exactly mean all their worries must come true. As for TEPCO, they're being watched by Japan and the rest of the world, so there's little room for cover-ups (if they were stupid enough to attempt any - it's no minor incident, there's too much at stake.)

No one wants to go to Japan to have fun, and everyone knows that there are earthquakes and the like. You can die everyday, blabla, if fate wants you it will get you. But I am asking, how will you be able to help? (I don't mean that in a bad way, I am really curious what you intend to do.)

It's not blabla, it's specific risk associated with living in Japan. You made it sound as if there was a need to explain that. As for what I intend to do - donate, conduct my research, be kind to others and don't bi*ch about inconvenience, volunteer to help. It's a no-brainer, really. Everyone in Japan behaves like this, that's why they can function relatively normally in such situations.

Let's wait, see and hope for the best. But I stil think priority should be the safety of Japanese people. Maybe I am too worried, but I have friends there, and if even they are worried, it just doesn't help when other people seem to be concerned about a scholarship. Sorry.

I think everyone worries about how the events in Japan might influence their plans, and it's only natural that we talk about it on a board titled "Studying in Japan". It doesn't mean we're selfish. I briefly expressed my feelings about the catastrophe in a different thread. I have friends in Japan too, but I see no need to publicly dwell on how much I worry about their well-being just to make myself look like a compassionate person.

 

[prettybunny]

well, i would say all of us are quite worried about the current situation of Japan. But please calm down guys, don't over topic

 

[Danchan]

Hi from Australia

Would have replied a little earlier but I had trouble registering for this forum...
I'm scheduled to head to Japan in a couple of weeks on a monbusho scholarship too, so I can certainly sympathise with what people are thinking. It took a while for it to hit home, but I really started to feel a bit sick by yesterday.
Just a bit of a response to above posts about going/not going, etc.
Do I trust the government to report what is going on and the risks? Not really. There's a lot of information out there and some conflicting assessments. By the way, I've found this life blog-feed updates the most of the one's I've looked at, with some links to decent reporting.

live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2

Anyway, it certainly seems bad, and I would completely understand people not wanting to go, especially if their destination is Tokyo. I also understand people who really want to go no-matter what. I'm sure if you've been accepted for a Monbusho you've put in a heck of a lot of effort preparing, not to mention given up other study/work opportunities to go. If the government is willing for you to come, and if you are fully aware of the potential risks and still want to come, then I think that's your choice.
My own thoughts are that as long as they let me go, I'll go. hankfully I'm on my way to Kansai and not Tokyo or north thereof, which makes things a bit less stressful for the family. Of course, this could all change I guess, depending on how things play out. The final decision is in the hands of MEXT anyway.
I contacted the Japanese embassy in Canberra today and their information was that everything was going ahead as planned. Just working through my visa application now.
On the economic side goodness knows what the next few years will hold. A lot of hardship, that's for sure. I do feel a bit bad kind of 'free loading' as a ﾂ坂?倪?敕ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ during such a time, but then given the scale of public debt I don't think a few hundred scholarships amount to much. Hopefully over the long term we can all contribute something meaningful to the country that helps repay our debt.

 

[thepie]

The British embassy has just published the transcript of a conference held in Tokyo yesterday. I hope that this can give you some assurance as the information comes from actual experts, not just some self-claimed scientists all over the media (CNN and BBC included) these days.
The link: ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=566811882

 

[Danchan]

Hmm

Yeah, I was right about to post that link too. Very different message to what has been coming across in the media in general. You have people on the west coast of the U.S. freaking out and buying these iodine tablets for goodness sake.

 

[flidar]

Anyway, my professor, the sec, and the postdoc in the labs of Kyoto U all told me that they are quite fine there and I don't have to worry about anything.
I'll definitely go there to study. Whoever don't wanna go there, it's your choice.
Maybe we had different style of cultures and thus different ways of thinking, I understand English but I can't really understand what somebody has said in this topic.
Two other things that I want to mention is:
1. (how will you be able to help? I don't mean that in a bad way, I am really curious what you intend to do)
Well, I'll leave the questions to those who asked the questions. I really cannot think of the fact that somebody doesn't know how to help in one way or another.
2. On but I stil think priority should be the safety of Japanese people.
Does the safety of Japanese people have any conflict with the willingness of us going to study in Japan despide of the danger? (I'm saying this for those who wanna go to Tohoku and Tokyo, while I'm going to kyoto which is pretty safe now)
Anyway, no offense. Just my opinion.

 

[taints]

I'll be based in Tokyo and I'm still keen to go. I think there's far too much emotion being put into reports by the words that the papers choose to use and that the facts become distorted by the emotional inference.

Granted things are bad in the areas that are affected (Both by Tsunami and the Radiation), but the Japanese Government is doing enough to put my mind at ease.

 

[Angienel]

ﾅ?ﾃｫ窶堙遺?堋｢窶堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｯ窶堙??堙仰、窶堋ｺ窶堙≫?堋ｽ窶堋｢ﾂ行窶堋ｫ窶堋ｽ窶堋｢

Good morning everyone.
Today I got my visa to Japan, the embassy called me and told me that everything is going as planned, for me this is good news.
Of course the final decision will always come from MEXT, I personally WISH I can go as planned, not forcing anyone to sent me there, just wishing. I am going to study in Tokyo.
Flidar said I don't know how is not possible to help people somehow.
I understand why people prefer not to go right now, I really do, my friends, some members of my family don´t want me to get near Asia. But I want to go, in this right moment. I know the dangers I would be exposed to, I can even imagine the worst. I want to take that risk, Why? Some of you would ask, Because I want to be there for people, I've been in flood disasters before in my own country, and I know that if some of us in this forum being there in Japan are asked to help as volunteer even for the smaller tasks, we would say yes right away. And I can imagine situations as if the worst happens and I managed to survive (dying is not the worst thing on earth), I would do something if I could. There are people like that everywhere in the world, really there are many.
No, I don´t want to die. I have a very comfortable life in my country, but I can trade, I have Japanese friends too, and I told them to come to my house in Venezuela if they were too worried, ﾂ"I leave you guys my keysﾂ".
I just wanted to answer the question to the people that didn´t understand why there are some of us that still want to go on April to Japan. I hope I helped you understand a little.
My answer is personal, but I believe that everyone who wants to go on April has different reasons, there are so many different reasons. I just wanted to post mine.
Another thing, we are not a burden to Japan, we are small parts of a greater project, what we are going to do in Japan it might not seem important right now, but in an extend we are going to HELP development not only in Japan but in our own countries as well. We are all helping, is so easy to help. Congratulations to all of you for being part of this project.
Angie

 

[ijulia]

I just got an email from the embassy stating that mext will decide if it is possible to go or not within this week. btw i got my flight tickets (april 3), a designated tutor at todai and decided to go if the situation wont worsen the next 2 weeks.

Some people here distrust the Japanese government, which is quite understandable if you think about the chernobyl blast and all the wrong/non-existent information back in 1986 (for me Tepco I don't trust). The fact that Austria is about 1000km away from Chernobyl and deer meat and mushrooms are still contaminated by radiation makes me think about the long term effects in food. (I know this has got nothing to do with the scholarship)

 

[PeterSimon]

Oh, great. Because people bombarded their embassies with inquiries about cancellation, now MEXT can cancel everyone's trip (no, they won't deal individually). Just great.
Whoever was afraid, should have simply withdrawn. >_<

 

[Tom_Prete]

Oh, great. Because people bombarded their embassies with inquiries about cancellation, now MEXT can cancel everyone's trip (no, they won't deal individually). Just great.
Whoever was afraid, should have simply withdrawn. >_<

Are you talking about the situation in your country or what do you mean?

 

[flidar]

Haven't heard anything from embassy yet, but I'm sure no cancellation here.