Studying Abroad Fall 2005

Thanks a lot for all the information so far. I thank for you lending your knowledge to this inexperienced traveler. I keep thinking of new aspects of living in another country that have me worried because i have no idea of the answer to them.

I've been thinking about if i get hurt while in Japan, if my insurance from the US is valid or how things work for foreigners. i've heard that in Korea nurses don't really take care of you other than administer medicine, but rather family members watch you and help you with other things. I didn't know if Japan was similar or not, but yeah i just was curious also about this.
 
I think you have to ask your insurance company that! :-)
 
Well, there is always the Japanese health insurance that you HAVE to have, plus some universities put you on their plan before you head abroad. I got pretty ill there and got very cheap medicine (whether you believe the medicine works or not is up to you...I don't), but didn't know anyone who broke bones or anything. My buddy had to get stitches in his eye and forehead after an errant elbow during a rugby match, and that was taken care of by his Japanese insurance.
 
Personally, I窶冦 not a big fan of fish or food consisting of fish elements. I do understand that fish is a big part of the Asian diet, so I was wondering how I am going to fare in Japan in terms of being successful at avoiding 窶彷ish food窶? I do eat other meat and do like rice and ramen so I think I窶冤l be fine there, but yeah I think most food contains fish elements so I was curious as to how I will survive.
 
My sensei said airfare roundtrip generally runs from $600-$1000 depending on what time of year you go. Summer time is supposedly the most expensive time of the year.
 
ZachPA2Osaka!! said:
Personally, I窶冦 not a big fan of fish or food consisting of fish elements. I do understand that fish is a big part of the Asian diet, so I was wondering how I am going to fare in Japan in terms of being successful at avoiding 窶彷ish food窶? I do eat other meat and do like rice and ramen so I think I窶冤l be fine there, but yeah I think most food contains fish elements so I was curious as to how I will survive.
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I did fine for a year, but give it a try, some things are done in a way that doesnt even make it fishy! 👍
 
Ok a few more things have crossed my mind:

1.) Anybody know of books that I could purchase that go into details of the Kansai (Osaka) area such as nightlife and traveling?

2.) Is it true that you need a visa if you stay more than 90 days in a country? I think that窶冱 what I read, but I didn窶冲 know if it was any different since I will be a student. and any info on how i go about getting my visa....

3.) Has anyone had experience of KIX (the Kansai airport)?
 
1) You won't need a book, trust me. You and the other students will find all the good stuff on your own. (Probably starting with Shinsaibashi and Umeda.)
2) Your student visa is all you need. The one provided by Gaidai is good for a year.
3) KIX is a great airport! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, but KIX is easy to get around and much is in English.

I studied at Gaidai when I was in college, and I can tell you this: You're going to have an awesome time! Kansai Gaidai is great. The new campus is nice as well. Sadly or not, they have a Seattle's Best and a McDonalds on campus, so if you don't like fish you will have other choices.

Now here's my advice for you: Take any class you can with Dr. Paul Scott or Dr. John Hanagan. They are great instructors and their classes are well worth while.
 
mad pierrot, thanks for the response. I窶冦 glad to find someone who has attended Gaidai and can give me feedback from their own experience.

I am curious how easily an international student can get in with the Japanese students. I understand that it will be easier to befriend fellow international students because of spending the most time with them in classes and in the seminar houses, as well as having more in common. I really do want to meet Japanese students and was curious how possible this is at Gaidai and through how much effort

mad pierrot, could you also explain more about your time at Gaidai if it's not too much to ask. Thanks very much !! Greatly appreciated!
 
No problem.

I am curious how easily an international student can get in with the Japanese students. I understand that it will be easier to befriend fellow international students because of spending the most time with them in classes and in the seminar houses, as well as having more in common. I really do want to meet Japanese students and was curious how possible this is at Gaidai and through how much effort
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Well, it all depends how much effort you put in! Really, it's not that hard, but I knew alot of people who went to Gaidai and didn't make many Japanese friends. Join a club or a "circle." (-like a club but less strict, more like a drinking group :-) ) If you make the effort to talk to people, aren't afraid to use your Japanese, and do some extracurricular activities, you'll do fine. If you're really interested in learning Japanese, I'd advise you not to spend too much time with other international students. With about 400 of them, this can be hard sometimes. Still, even hanging out with them is a great way to make friends from around the world. Either way, don't worry, you're going to meet alot people.
 
And if Gaidai's international division is anything to sneeze at, there should be Japanese students interested in international affairs in the area as well. These were the kids that knew the most English and were most willing to alter their Japanese for foreigners when I was there. I definitely agree with Mad about joining a circle...I had great times in mine, and the people are usually happy to have participation from international kids.

The not hanging out with international kids worked for me for about 2 days. My suggestion is that you ALWAYS have Japanese kids around, and make an effort to just speak Japanese in your group. The other international kids might be great at English anyways, and Japanese should be your common language. Have fun.
 
Am I disqualified from buying a JR Rail Pass since I won't be considered a sight-seeing tourist? From what I read you must be staying under 90 days or be a native Japanese living in a foreign country. Neither are me...
 
Yes. You will have a student visa, so it's techinically not applicable. (Which doesn't mean you can't try...) However, you will be eligible for a host of other discounts; you'll get a handbook at Gaidai explaining them all to you. (the 18 session tickets, etc.)
 
Yeah, seishun juu hachi kippu is a great deal, especially if you don't mind traveling a little slower. I appreciated the freedom of using the regular trains and think I got a better overall view of people who live slightly in the inaka. Plus, if you put your mind to it, it's no problem to use one ticket per day for multiple people.

Getting a JR pass is simple if you have someone else's name on it...I'll just say that...don't wanna get in trouble for encouraging such actions...even if they saved me a ton of money.

My school also gave gakuwari for students buying shinkansen tickets, 5 per year, at a discount of around 25% I believe...never actually used it, but that's what my friends told me.
 
Hey, mad pierrot, when you were at Gaidai did you stay the full two semesters? I wanted to know also if you got a chance to travel much other than to Kyoto , Nara, and Kobe.

Would a trip to Tokyo or Okinawa be out of the question?
thx for any input!
 
I stayed at Kansai Gaidai for 2 semesters, and it was well worth it.

Here's a typical daily schedule at Gaidai:

Morning:
All Japanese classes are held in the morning, and required. There are broken down into 2 sections, Read/Writing and Speaking. Read/Writing is not required but I recommend taking it anyways.

Afternoon:
All lectures classes and electives. They have classes in business, history, art, you name it. Classes are taught in English and open to Japanese students, too.

That's it in a nutshell. You will have plenty of time to travel. I practically went to Kyoto or Osaka every weekend. Kobe isn't to far, either. If I recall correctly, there are also class trips to places like Hiroshima and Nara. And no, Tokyo isn't out of your reach. I would be surprised if you didn't go.
 
Just to expand a little on Mad Pierrot's stuff...

The morning Japanese classes I took were about 3-3 1/2 hours apiece, 4 times a week. This was definitely where I made most of my friends, especialy in the 2 months before spring break.

Afternoon classes meet once a week, usually for about 2 hours or so. I kinda got screwed on my credits, since the classes were so short, so that 20 units in Japan netted me 11.5 at USC...all elective units.

As far as getting to Okinawa, I definitely recommend it. I went twice, and heartily recommend a hotel/food/flight package of some kind. I tried it both ways, and it usually costs much less and you get better accomadations if you go through one of those ANA specials...check during the off-season to ensure lowest prices. Okinawa's a life saver when you're searching for mexican food after extended periods of time in Japan.
 
Did you go to Kansai Gaidai?

My Japanese classes met only for a hour a day, 5 days a week. Not counting reading and writing.

Kinda short, but the opportunity for more study was available.
 
MeAndroo, what exactly do you mean by going through an ANA special? If i could only afford going to Tokyo or Okinawa, should i go with Tokyo?

mad pierrot, i'm glad it sounds like at Gaidai you have time to travel. Was this just you going for weekend trips every weekend? Or did you miss school days as well? And did you travel with fellow students or adventure on your own?

Also, it sounds like with what you guys did while in Japan, travel wise that you went over with a ton of cash. How much do you think one could spend on misc. expenses such as travel?
 
Kansai Gaidai must be one of the best located schools in Japan. Osaka and Kyoto are literally next door. (I biked to Kyoto from my dorm.) Both cities are 20-25 minutes by train from Hirakata. Many times I went to Osaka or Kyoto just to grab dinner, even on weeknights. Trust me, you'll get plenty of both those cities. I usually traveled with a few friends but if you like big groups Gaidai's international club organizes sightseeing trips with Japanese/international students. As far as money goes, I came to Japan with a summer's worth of money saved from my job. While it was adequate, I did do some *ahem* small jobs while I was in Japan. You're not supposed to work while you're there, but there are plenty of under-the-table jobs if you look for them. (English, bar tending, etc.)

Also, just looking back, you should apply for homestay. Believe me, they're not as bad as they sound, and your Japanese will improve leaps and bounds if you get one. I stayed in a dorm for the first semester, and homestay for the second. Is is expensive, but a great opportunity to see what Japanese life is really like. I still keep in touch with my old host family, and have gone to visit them several times.
 
MeAndroo, what exactly do you mean by going through an ANA special? If i could only afford going to Tokyo or Okinawa, should i go with Tokyo?
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Well every so often, ANA (all nippon airways) or other airlines will join up with hotels in Okinawa to offer fantastic deals. I got a 2 night stay, all meals, transport to and from Naha airport, activity passes for the hotel (this was key) and flight for under 250 bucks. If you have a host family, they can check this out for you...just another reason to do homestay. Just so you know, though, this was what's considered the off-season (early March), so the weather wasn't spectacular, but still a decent 80 degrees and partially sunny. I went again in July, and it was MUCH more expensive.

If I had a choice between Okinawa and Tokyo, though, I'd visit Tokyo. Okinawa is beautiful and much different from the rest of Japan, but you're there to see Japan. I found it necessary to explore Tokyo just because it is the focal point of all international attention, and I wanted to see how many of the rumors were true. I spent some of my happiest days outside of Tokyo, however, and definitely recommend travel in all areas.

Also, it sounds like with what you guys did while in Japan, travel wise that you went over with a ton of cash. How much do you think one could spend on misc. expenses such as travel?
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Well, there are ways to live VERY cheap on the road. With the afore-mentioned sesshun juu hachi kippu, you get 5 days of free travel on any semi-express and slower line for about 100 bucks. Great deal if you're planning on going good distances, especialy in a group. Hostels save money, as do konbini bentos. I spent way more money staying around Tokyo than I ever did traveling, in comparable time.

You COULD spend any amount of money on travel, particularly because of how the shinkansen system is set up and how much flights cost. In all liklihood, you'll want to spend as little time actually en route as possible because vacation times can be limited.
 
isn't that hardest part getting out of the airport?
... it was for me in mehico.. ay yay ay yay
since i could barely read/speak/write spanish, i didn't know how to get out of the airport. Most people didn't even speak english so i was SOL. It was hard getting out of mexico's airport and then into a taxi. I advise bringing a good dictionary. And japan usually cost $4k round trip. But just $2000 going there.
 
hey do you think you could do us all a favor and take pictures of places you visit? That would be really cool. And if you could keep a journal of all your travels on a website i would be very thankful.
 

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