A little advice, onegaishimasu!

[Kanchou]

Ok, I'm still trying to wade through all the paperwork involved with me being able to study in Japan. The big snag I've hit so far is the financial information that Nihon University wants to badly. Now, I have no doubt that I could pay for the year (loans, financial aid, and probably at least one big scholarship), but the problem is that they want proof of some amount of money.

I have no idea how much they want to hear from me, though. I've estimated the whole year will cost about $12,000, and I'll hopefully have about $2,000 with me after working all summer (It's going to be a 4-month summer). But I don't know if they want to know if I have ~$12,000 in the bank (They want bank statements, or something similar), or what... There's no way in hell my parents could get 12,000 in their savings any time soon. To make matters worse, I can't apply for the two scholarships I'm looking at until I've been accepted, so I've either got to take out a massive loan, or find out how much they want to know I have.


Well, that rant is over. Now for the advice...

First off, cell phones. I guess since I'm going to be in Japan longer than 90 days, it's apparent that I'm going to have to get an Alien Registration Card, and that will allow me to buy a cell phone. My study abroad advisor said that I would be RENTING a cellphone.. Like hell! That would cost upwards of $2600 for a whole year!

Anyway, I was thinking about going with DoCoMo, or whatever big brand I feel like buying. If I go to Akihabara to buy whatever cheapo outdated cellphone they have there, I would have to buy a DoCoMo (just an example) made phone, right? And then I would just apply for the service, which would be around 4000 yen a month, right? I would also have to apply for internation service, right? Are there any other charges I need to know about, etc?

Next question... Since all the paper work is so damn vague, never gives any hard numbers, and all my advisors seem to be clueless (despite two people having already gone in the same program, and a 3rd almost going), I was wondering about things like heating and electricity costs.

Although the room and board is provided (as well as breakfast and dinner), I still have to pay for things like a futon charge (I'm curious as to what costs are actually encurred by a futon...), heating, and electricity.

So how much would a small 1-room, 1-person dorm/apartment (frankly, I'm not sure which, and whether or not I'd have a roomate) near Tokyo (Could be Chiba for all I know) cost to heat and light?

The lack of information they give me sure is frustrating... I've still got a ton of work to do just to finish the paper work and be accepted, not to mention visas and scholarships and such...

And then as soon as that's done, I get to move on to asking the real fun advice: how to not get lost in the world's largest city.

But that's still a ways off... Hmm, I'd better stop typing before my brain melts.

[kamome]

Dude. All of the information you're seeking has been discussed ad nauseum in FG already. Just use the search function to find what you need.

[tarepanda]

1. since it depends on your university i'd suggest you just ask them directly, because that will be much more accurate than anything you can get here. however, generally they want to hear that you have not only enough for the entire year, but also a healthy sum over that amount in the account before you even set foot in the country. Essentially they're worried you might run out of money and end up staying here, infesting the beautiful pristine monoculture that is japan.

2. your best bet is just to get a cell phone outright like the rest of us. you'd sign a one year contract (the cheapest way) which would be no worries since you're staying here one year, right? if you went with docomo (no reason too unless you like paying lots of money for less features) you're right you'd have to get a "docomo cell phone" but since there's dozens of models made by all sorts of companies (the same companies that make phones for all the other big mobile providers) you have lots of choice. Anyway, they're usually running some sort of special where you can get a phone either for free or some nominal sum like 2000 yen ($20 US); a phone which is usually pretty good (i.e. not like the US where the free phone they give you with the service is some piece of sh!te). and your choice of how much to pay per month. figure something like 4500 - 10000 yen, depending on how much of chatter box you are.

3.i have no idea what a futon costs is (though i suppose it could involve hiring some obasaans to come in and beat your moldy futon every now and again *laughs*), but as far as heat/electricity goes... since Japan's idea of "heating" a room is usually building a fire in the middle of it then standing around it talking about how cold it is, you can't really think about it like they do in the US (where "heat" is a separate and distinct bill from "electricity").

As an example, I use an electric heater for what they tell me is "warmth" which is one of the more expensive ways to go, yet even in the freezing ass end of japan in which i'm stuck my entire electricity bill rarely goes over 4700 yen. That's including everything else i use electricity for as well, not just 'heat'. Of course I live in a much smaller town than Tokyo, so your electricity might cost a bit more, then again, Tokyo is generally quite balmy even in the deepest darkest winter months. Then again, I'm from the freezing northern part of the midwest so an alabama boy like yourself might not find it as tolerable .

one more thing. if you're going through your US university on an official exchange program, you should talk to your financial aid department, since usually they can make arrangements with the host institution in japan, since your loans/financial aids should apply directly to your japanese college. This might help prove you have whatever funds they need you to have...

[/i]

[Kanchou]

I think I'll just get me an AU phone.. Maybe with GPS (So I won't get as lost) and dual cameras (For the upskirt... err, I mean photo journal.. yeah...). heheh. The bill shouldn't be so bad, since I hardly use my phone here except to call my mom, or if I have to have someone call me, or vice versa.

Eh, I was sort of afraid of the heating in Japan... I suppose they have fairly safe (Auto-cutoff, tilt alarm, etc), inexpensive, and powerful space heaters in Japan like they have in the US, right? Oh god, tell me they do... Thank God I'm fairly resistant to cold. One time I was walking outside the dorm with a Japanese exchange student friend of mine, and he seemed amazed that I wasn't cold, despite wearing a t-short and shorts.

There's a water bill too, right? Something like 3500 yen for every two months, depending on use?



As for the "running out of money and staying..." Lol, I guess that makes sense, although it's not like I'd stay. I've got betting things to do than stay in Japan and try to work illegally after my student visa (which doesn't even allow working) runs out. I just hope that I can apply for those scholarships without being officially accepted on their end... At least then I might be able to show that I have some cash without taking out an uber-loan.