日本に留学する

[Rikadyn]

I think that's the right kanji, I can't honestly decipher the font...

Anyway, Got the email today that I've been accepted by my home school for their study abroad program in Kyoto for the next year beginning this fall :D

[harper]

おめでとう！よかったよかった！どの大学で留学する予定？いつぐらい？

じゃあ、僕は日本に住みつづきだからぜひ会いましょう。

[overpowered]

Google Translate:


I want to study in Japan ,ja


Congratulations! It was good it was good! Plan to study at any university? About when? Well, see you all means I because it is more to live in Japan.

[Rikadyn]

Ritsumeikan University, it was my first choice and really the only one I wanted because it offers the most classes outside of just Japanese Language courses. I'm still waiting for the Study Abroad office to contact me as to what to do next, but I wasn't expecting a decision for another week so this was a nice surprise. I'll start in the fall semester and be there till the next fall semester

[Yw-slayer]

GET WASTED BRO

[MR2 Fan]

Congrats! I'm sure you'll keep an eye on all of the ladies there :shocker:

[Rikadyn]

so much paperwork to do in such little time. plus not sure how to get the medical form filled out

[samoht]

Congrats! Hope you have a great time, sure you will!

[harper]

Medical stuff may well require a physical and other stuff from a doctor's office visit, including a TB check (Japan still uses chest x-rays for these a lot). I think that's similar to what I did, since that's a requirement for the visa more than anything else. Being in Kyoto for an entire year...wow. That'll be a great time!

[speedpimp]

Congrats.

[Rikadyn]

I figured the chest xray was for TB or something like that. I'm just not sure how to call and explain the reason I need an appointment for. Also probably going to just go through the schools health center, my personal doctor charges are absurd if you don't have insurance

[harper]

You basically need a physical, and just say you need a TB test (hopefully a chest x-ray) because it's for an international visa. I'm sure they've heard of weirder things.

[Rikadyn]

Yea so i guess i'm not officially accepted by WMU yet and it was just their automation system not being updated with the new deadline. So I won't officially know till Next week.

Fucking hell. Also I have a japanese test that i don't want to take thursday and monday

[speedpimp]

Best of luck, Holden.

[Godson]

Medical stuff may well require a physical and other stuff from a doctor's office visit, including a TB check (Japan still uses chest x-rays for these a lot). I think that's similar to what I did, since that's a requirement for the visa more than anything else. Being in Kyoto for an entire year...wow. That'll be a great time!

TB can only be diagnosed or excluded via a chest x-ray. It's still par for the course here in the US, but the TB skin test is the cheaper screening method until a positive result comes and creates a need for a chest x-ray.


Best of luck dude. I am really happy for you, and I know this means a lot to you.

[harper]

False dawns happen. Fingers crossed you'll be fine :)

[Mortavian]

Congrats on everything, man. You're gonna have a good time over here. :)

[M4FFU]

Noice! :up:

[harper]

hey Mort are you staying or going?

I have to give my final word likely today, and I'm....well.

[Rikadyn]

I was talking to my friend in/from Osaka, and she couldn't believe the cost of tuition. My tuition here would be the same as attending Keio University :|

[Mortavian]

hey Mort are you staying or going?

I have to give my final word likely today, and I'm....well.

For better or worse, I'm renewing for another year here. I haven't made much progress in paying off my debt yet and the money at this job is too good, so this year is gonna have to be the "buckle down and save everything" year. Also, hoping against hope I can maybe get my visa renewed for more than just one additional year if I stick with this contract, but I hear that's usually a no-go. Still, between visa renewal, job and apartment hunting AND paying off debt, I figured that was too much to do in one year and try to make a move to Tokyo. *sigh* Maybe next year...

[harper]

Well, once I know where my lady is winding up (it'll be one of the major cities) I'm going to start networking, applying, etc. At least I've been planning for this for a while.

[Mortavian]

Keep me posted on where you end up, especially if you end up relocating around the Kanto area. :)

[Rikadyn]

Well, had a meeting today, they want me to consider a different program. They think I wouldn't fit in well at Ritsumeikan because I'm big and tall and there is a lot of walking involved :|. instead they want to send me to the JCMU program in Hikone which is ran by Michigan State.

[Godson]

So with that mindset....walking is bad?

[Rikadyn]

for them I guess? Honestly nothing like that would bother me, I was looking forward to adapting to what needed to be done. My biggest problem with the other program is that it's a Japanese Language focused program, and honestly, I'm fucking tired of classroom atmosphere of learning it. I'll have met my requirement for my major after this semester, I was wanting to get the fuck away from the class room at this point and learn through immersion for awhile and seeing if I even cared about the language.

[Godson]

I'd respond in that fashion then...prettied up y'know.

[IMOA]

It's a bit of a Japanese thing, they do have stereotypes for gaijin and often can't imagine that we can adapt to an even slightly japanese way of life. I'm often asked if I can eat japanese food and then they express great surprise at the fact we can use chopsticks. Just stick with what you want to do and tell them you'll cope, I do agree that for what you want the original program is better so you should stick with that (I'm also a big fan of the immersion rather than classroom approach)

[Rikadyn]

Unfortunately I don't really get much more say in the matter. The selection commitee will decide who goes where, and once they give their verdict it's either accept or stay home. Which if/when I stay home, means I get my S13 back on the road with the money I've been keeping for Japan.

[Mortavian]

Well, never hurts to politely ask for your preferred selection, but if you're willing to accept an alternative placement I'm guessing you'll find your experience over here well worth it, regardless of the classroom environment. Either way, here's hoping it works out for ya, man. :)

[harper]

Yeah, exactly. The big deal is getting over here for that long period of time, since it'll be beneficial to your Japanese skills no matter what. I honestly wish I had some classroom stuff as well, since it would partner language studied and applied use of the language much better than my classroom-only college experience was. Plus, you'd get really, really good at Japanese doing it that way too. I learn a lot by living here, but I could do better by getting proper study in as well.

IMOA's right, it's probably a way to tell you no without giving you a real reason.

Regardless, if you're living here full time outside of a gaijin-packed dorm you WILL get the immersion you're looking for. And it also has to do with what you want from the experience. I know people who move to cities, speak only Japanese and get incredibly good, and I know others who have moved to the countryside (MUCH fewer English speakers amongst the locals out here) and barely know any Japanese. It depends on what you want and how you want to live. If you're that set, you'll do well. I would only advise to not COMPLETELY lock out other Westerners from your life because the ability to sit down, share your experiences with the culture, and get a taste of somebody who understands your references will do wonders from time to time.

[Godson]

Yeah, exactly. The big deal is getting over here for that long period of time, since it'll be beneficial to your Japanese skills no matter what. I honestly wish I had some classroom stuff as well, since it would partner language studied and applied use of the language much better than my classroom-only college experience was. Plus, you'd get really, really good at Japanese doing it that way too. I learn a lot by living here, but I could do better by getting proper study in as well.

IMOA's right, it's probably a way to tell you no without giving you a real reason.

Regardless, if you're living here full time outside of a gaijin-packed dorm you WILL get the immersion you're looking for. And it also has to do with what you want from the experience. I know people who move to cities, speak only Japanese and get incredibly good, and I know others who have moved to the countryside (MUCH fewer English speakers amongst the locals out here) and barely know any Japanese. It depends on what you want and how you want to live. If you're that set, you'll do well. I would only advise to not COMPLETELY lock out other Westerners from your life because the ability to sit down, share your experiences with the culture, and get a taste of somebody who understands your references will do wonders from time to time.


I can echo all of this from my recent experience when I was in Guatemala for 17 days. We had formal class in spanish lessons for 4 hours a day, lived with a family that spoke ZERO english, in a city that was tolerant of tourists but few could speak any english, and having one house-mate to talk to for the majority of the time. Best of luck for you Holden.

[Rikadyn]

I'm just so fucking burnt out on the formal study of this fucking language that it feels like razors being taken to my soul. JCMU(Hikone) is just a satellite campus for MSU really so everything is on campus, and it'll be 4hrs a day of accelerated japanese study using the same books we already used.

[Rikadyn]

I just sent an email asking to be withdrawn

[Mortavian]

So what's the plan now? :|

[samoht]

Damn, sorry it hasn't worked out. Still, there are quite a few other paths to spending time in Japan, if you want. Is JET an option?

[Rikadyn]

i honestly don't know. Japan is great and all but honestly it was never my focus or even an interest when i started going to school. My interest was Korea. I only started taking Japanese because my major required a language in the region of study, and only offered Japanese and Chinese. At the same time there are very few classes that fill my region focus for study outside of language that don't focus on one or the other of those countries as well.

Now, main reason I wanted to go to Ritsumeikan is because the program i wanted offered me atleast classes focused on the whole of East Asia, and not just japanese language programs. To be honest, I'm still not horribly interested in the Japanese language but I am trying to make the most out of it, and was looking to study there in hopes of finding a reason to be interested in it.

If i'm asked if i seriously considering withdrawing i might say no, but any of the other programs that are japanese language focused, the electives are either ones i've already taken, or ones that don't mean anything to my degree so it would be hard to agree to go there knowing that while I may gain greatly in the language, i am ultimately wasting a year of school, when i already started school so damn late (I would turn 30 this fall)

[Godson]

:(

Sorry to hear about this bud. Best of luck in the future, whatever choice you make.

[Rikadyn]

So, after I withdrew, my old JPNS100 prof, who is part of the selection commitee emailed me asking me if I was 100% sure if i wanted to withdraw.

So i wrote a damn essay in reply, about not being 100% about wanting to withdraw, but however it seemed like the right action to take given the circumstances blah blah blah...

So today before my Critical Thinking (Phi220) class, I got an acceptance letter from my school to the program I wanted. Now I have a shit ton of forms to fill out. and need to schedule my passport application too...

And still a chance of being denied by the Japanese school. which I won't know till June.

[Godson]

Sometimes a little posturing is all it takes.

[samoht]

Awesome! Really glad to hear that. I wouldn't call it posturing, to me it says that the selection committee hadn't appreciated the extent to which you wanted to specifically be at Ritsumeikan. Fingers crossed for June.

[Rikadyn]

Honestly at this point I refuse to get excited till I hear from the school in japan. The whole damn thing has drained me of any energy I had

[harper]

Cheer up -- if this is going through and if your teacher has gone to bat for you, the selection should be a formality (unless you do something really crazy or dumb between now and then). When I got here teaching English, the first day I was in my town my bosses told me "we're probably hiring somebody to join you next year" and it was only made official like 8 months later. The official stamping of something can take time, even if the plan is in the works. It's just a Japanese way sometimes.

Get your passport going NOW, they NEED to have that in. You can get denied a visa if your passport is too new. Also, you'll be given a "gaijin card" when you arrive in Japan. DO NOT LOSE THAT, IT IS YOUR VISA. It's also legally required to be on your person in Japan as a foreigner. Yeah, weird, but it's the rules.

[Rikadyn]

passport appointment scheduled for monday (next most open time, that i didn't have class, but plan on expiditing the service) and medical appointment set for next friday.

though if my japanese teacher pulls the shit she did on the next kanji quiz...-punches wall-

[Mortavian]

You better get used to that kind of wall-punching frustration if you wanna spend any length of time over here. You just gotta channel that energy into something more constructive. ;) Glad to hear everything's back on track, though!

[GreatScawt]

At least it's not a kancho quiz.

[speedpimp]

Holden, is the passport office open on Monday, considering that its Presidents Day?

[Rikadyn]

Holden, is the passport office open on Monday, considering that its Presidents Day?

i fucking hope so, it doubles as our post office

[speedpimp]

Yes, I'm aware of that. The reason I brought that up is because there is no mail delivery on Monday and I have the day off because there won't be anything to take to the post office that day.

[Rikadyn]

yeaa i'll call and double check, i doubt the brightest work there but you'd hope they'd know when they had the day off

[Rikadyn]

they are not, rescheduled for weds. lady couldn't believe she forgot a holiday when she called to reschedule it

[speedpimp]

Good deal.

[Rikadyn]

Got my passport, got my medical form.

School is being an utter bitch however with helping me. The study abroad coordinator for my program took a week to tell me to msg finaid to get a form to show i have financial support. the financial aid office won't give me anything until June, or 3 months after the cut off date for me to turn in my application.

Messaged my coordinator, she hasn't emailed me back and I have my doubts she will

[harper]

I know it takes time but start knocking on doors and sitting in people's waiting rooms in person. Messages and e-mails are easy to disregard, a human body is much more difficult.

You have to be proactive for yourself sometimes.

[Mortavian]

Yeah, harper's got it right. Sometimes you just gotta make 'em so sick of hearing from you that it finally motivates them to get off their asses and get something done.

[Rikadyn]

turned in my application, hopefuly i don't get turned down

[speedpimp]

Best of luck.

[Rikadyn]

Honestly, It should be a formality at this point, but given how fate likes to fuck me over with things...yea...

[IMOA]

Looks likely that I'll be in Osaka from about June so you'll be just up the road. You'll have to pop down for some proper nights out.

[harper]

Cool! Formalities are formalities, fingers crossed once more that it turns out well.

I think I'll be headed to Okinawa in the summer...anyone want to visit? :)

[Jason]

I'm still hoping to make it out to Japan while some GTXers are there. It's just a matter of when, and saving my pennies :up:

[Rikadyn]

so looking loosely at when I need to make it to Kyoto to move in, the best day for me to leave is on my birthday lol

[Rikadyn]

curious question how hard is it to rent a sim card in japan?

[IMOA]

As long as you have a gaijin card it's easy (well, kind of a pain in the arse due to the normal japanese practice of creating daft processes then adhering rigidly to them) but there's no problem. Without a gaijin card it's impossible.

[Mortavian]

Congrats on hearing the positive news, Rikadyn! Kyoto really is a beautiful city (and literally a short train ride away from Osaka, Kobe, Nara, and other places). You're gonna have a great time here. :)

[Rikadyn]

I'm waiting till i get confirmation or denial in june before I attach any emotions to this endeavour, that being said I have a mandatory orientation meeting at the end of the month.

[21Kid]

Best of luck.

[Rikadyn]

So, took my final for 2nd year 2nd half japanese and if I get more than a 30 on it I'll be surprised.

Which makes me real nervous about going to japan and being there for 10-11 months with such poor language skills

[MR2 Fan]

I've been considering a move to Japan as well. I've been watching a lot of vloggers (I hate that word, but youtube bloggers) who live in Japan and there are apparently a LOT of people (mostly english teachers) who live there and don't speak Japanese.

I'm sure it depends on where you go to as well, if it's a major city it might be easier.

[IMOA]

So, took my final for 2nd year 2nd half japanese and if I get more than a 30 on it I'll be surprised.

Which makes me real nervous about going to japan and being there for 10-11 months with such poor language skills

It's better than mine :)

[harper]

I've been considering a move to Japan as well. I've been watching a lot of vloggers (I hate that word, but youtube bloggers) who live in Japan and there are apparently a LOT of people (mostly english teachers) who live there and don't speak Japanese.

I'm sure it depends on where you go to as well, if it's a major city it might be easier.

if they live in the big cities they aren't to be trusted.

INAKA 4 LIFE

[harper]

So, took my final for 2nd year 2nd half japanese and if I get more than a 30 on it I'll be surprised.

Which makes me real nervous about going to japan and being there for 10-11 months with such poor language skills

If you're in Kyoto, you'll be in a big enough city where people will speak enough English to make some things pretty accessible...AND you'll also be in the middle of a *Japanese city*, where you can be surrounded by the language every day if you like. I've found living here improving my language abilities by a ton. Reading signs at the grocery store is a learning chance, watching TV is listening practice (and reading practice too)...it's helped me out a lot.

[Godson]

I know when I was surrounded in Spanish when I lived in panajanchel, solola, Guatemala for 17days, my Spanish improved a ton in a very short amount of time.

[Rikadyn]

I have to say the hardest part for me is remembering vocabulary, because it's generally learn it in the 2 weeks for the chapter test, then never touch it again till the final...so by then the words have slipped their moorings and left.

Also this semester the kanji pratice was remember every potential reading for the kanji as a primitive then remember which one it was when used in a word. Mind you we learn nothing about radicals so there is nothing to anchor the meaning of the pictogram in ones head.

odd 2 boat metaphors...i suppose when the ship is sinking it comes natural

[Mortavian]

You'll probably find when you get over here that some of the "classroom Japanese" that isn't so utilitarian will be forgotten, replaced, and/or supplemented by actual useful real life Japanese. I know there have been a number of times where I asked myself "why did we learn X at university when Y would've been far more useful?" You'll pick u a lot quick, I have no doubt. :)

[samoht]

If you're not that hot on your Japanese, then that's a reason to spend a year in Japan, not a reason not to :-) Will only improve with exposure.

[Rikadyn]

You'll probably find when you get over here that some of the "classroom Japanese" that isn't so utilitarian will be forgotten, replaced, and/or supplemented by actual useful real life Japanese. I know there have been a number of times where I asked myself "why did we learn X at university when Y would've been far more useful?" You'll pick u a lot quick, I have no doubt. :)



That would require me to remember half of what I learned in the class...

Which I got my final score. Got myself a 50.3 my cut off for lowest grade to get and not drop my overall grade was 50 flat

[Mortavian]

That sounds like a win to me. :up:

[IMOA]

Pass is a pass :)

Looks like I'm heading back for a couple of years in the beginning of June, have to pop across to Belgium first then back home and over. I'll be based in Osaka and sounds like they've got a half decent sized apartment in umeda so if anyone's up for beers in Osaka I'll have a spare bedroom to crash.

[Rikadyn]

I will probably fly out of ORD on the 9th land in Tokyo on the 10th though this is going by the dates in the pamphlet for the school.

Not sure if I should just fly into tokyo and train to Kyoto or fly into Osaka and train into kyoto. seems pointless to take another flight across country when there are bullet trains available.

[MR2 Fan]

Shinkansen, though it might be as expensive as flying

[IMOA]

Depends a little bit on which airports you're using. NRT is well out of town, HND is much closer and at the other end KIX is a fair way from kyoto whereas ITM is a lot closer. Most domestic flights are HND-ITM so if you have to do a NRT-HND transfer I'd definitely catch the shinkansen. If not I probably would anyway as the shinkansen is a bit longer but much more comfortable than the plane. If you're flying into HND and the domestic flight leaves from there I'd catch the plane, it'll be less hassle.

[Rikadyn]

I think everything I've seen that is a direct flight (I really don't want to board more planes than necessary) to Japan all terminate at NRT

[IMOA]

It will probably depend on times and how much luggage you have then. The NEX platform at tokyo is very deep (maybe 6 escalators down) and a fair way from the shinkansen platforms, probably take you about 10 minutes with luggage so if you've got a bit it will be a pita. Then again, if you have your address in kyoto (or better staying in a hotel) you can just send the bulk of your luggage there from NRT and travel with just one small bag, it will take 1-2 days for the rest of your stuff to arrive. There are some flights from NRT- ITM and if you book a few weeks ahead you can fly business class for the same cost as the shinkansen, this saves a bunch of luggage hassle.

Which city are you coming from? I thought quite a few of the US airlines fly into Haneda these days however they often arrive quite late at night, too late to get a flight or shinkansen to kyoto.

Ultimately it comes down to the specifics, when you know some of them I can tell you the easiest way to do it.

edit

Actually, dopey me, if you catch the NEX and are taking the shinkansen to kyoto you'll take the NEX to shinagawa, not tokyo, much easier transfer there

[Rikadyn]

Yea problem is I won't get any details till next month. like living arrangement (either Dorm or Apartment) and even my exact dates.

90% sure I'm gonna go out of O'Hare, cause why fly out of AZO when it just a connection to ORD(or some cases YYZ) in the first place.

[harper]

Yeah, easiest way would probably be arrive at Narita, take the NEX (which now is cheaper if you show your passport...thank god, because it used to be 3000 yen a head, which is just stuuuuuuupid) to Shinagawa station and change there for the shinkansen lines. I don't know how long it is but Tokyo to Osaka is like the entire reason the Shink got built in the first fucking place.

A quick look at Hyperdia says that Shinagawa to Kyoto is about ¥13,000 and the last train leaves at 9:30 pm (or 21:30 -- get used to military time, it's much more common in Japan than the States). ESPECIALLY if you're in the heart of the city, using trains is a lot faster and easier. With luggage obviously it's more of a pain, but still better than going to the outskirts of town to then deal with an airport.

[Rikadyn]

As it stands, the flight i am most likely to be on is leaving ORD at 9am, and arriving in Tokyo at 7:15pm.

[speedpimp]

Congrats Rik.

[IMOA]

Think about booking a night in Tokyo. There's a nex at 7:49pm and that will connect with enough time at shinagawa to get one of the last shinkansens to Kyoto but if you miss that the only shot you have is the 8:13pm skyliner which means a change at nippori or ueno then change at Tokyo and just making it to the last train. It will be quite a dash.

I've made it to the 7:49pm NEX when landing at 7:10pm very comfortably (as in with 20-30 minutes to spare) but I am pretty quick through an airport, know exactly where I'm going and if your flight is delayed by just a little bit you'll be stuck in Tokyo. So my advice would be to spend the night in Tokyo, go out and have fun, then catch the shinkansen some time the next morning and basically not be all stressed about hitting transport connections.

[Rikadyn]

Yeah this is my first time flying so...

[IMOA]

You're in for quite the culture shock

[MR2 Fan]

Yeah this is my first time flying so...

What airline?

Also, for a first time flyer, and going on a potentially 12 hour flight...don't underestimate the usefulness of those strange looking neck pillows...they really work.

[Rikadyn]

You're in for quite the culture shock

yea I know...it's also my first time traveling solo so jumping in the fire with both feet

[IMOA]

It's a big jump, especially considering that you're going to Japan which really is a different world which can be tough to adjust to.

Don't forget that at worst I'll be arriving at the beginning of July and I'm 30 minutes on the slow train down the road.

[Rikadyn]

Six of us from my school going to there. Getting to the school atm is the adventure lol

I'm starting to treat this as exile more than a fun experience

[MR2 Fan]

Six of us from my school going to there. Getting to the school atm is the adventure lol

I'm starting to treat this as exile more than a fun experience

I think you'll have plenty of fun. Japan is a very interesting place...so much familiar, yet so much totally different.

[samoht]

When I had my year in Japan, the first three months were somewhat hard work getting used to living there, then the next nine were mainly fun.

Since you're in a university somewhat in a large city, the convenience should mean that things are relatively easier, I reckon.

You might like to read
http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Journeys-Lost-Japan/dp/0864423705
- a chapter or two about his favourite places in the Kyoto area.

I think you'll have lots of fun.

A couple of tips:
- make a habit of saying 'hai' to invitations & suggestions, even if you feel unsure - lots of cool stuff happens this way
- get a city atlas for Kyoto, lots of fun just walking around looking at stuff especially in the first few months. Try and work out the public transport in the area, and travel around on day-trips and stuff when you're free.

[harper]

Six of us from my school going to there. Getting to the school atm is the adventure lol

I'm starting to treat this as exile more than a fun experience

The planning of it sucks, and you're going to be nervous as hell for that trip, but enjoy! It's been work to get to this point, you need to relax and enjoy the ride once you get to Japan.

Also seconding spending a night in Tokyo. Try to book rooms now if you can afford to, it'll help things out majorly.

[Rikadyn]

Well fuck me. The flight I was going to take just sold out the moment I attempted to book it :|

Now have to wait :| or take the flight with an overnight in Turkey o.O

[samoht]

I'm not a fan of stopovers in general, you end up more tired and enervated.

They make a lot of sense if you want to go see the other place too. They also make sense if you're paying for the flight and it's a 35% discount on a direct flight.

If neither of the above apply, I'd rather leave a day early if needed or find another flight (there must be >1 flight per day from the US to Japan).

[Rikadyn]

The one I was looking at was about 700,non-stop are about 1100.And I need to buy two seats...

[Rikadyn]

Would it be a good idea to switch my sleep cycle to Japan time now before going there? I ask because with Le mans next month it usually gets messed anyway

[samoht]

You could try shifting your sleep cycle by one hour a day in the run up to departure I guess. Now seems a bit early to start.

Don't worry too much though, going west is easier to deal with as you can just go to bed early in the evening. It's when you travel east and need to be up for eg work in the morning that things are tougher.

Generally trying to be well rested before you leave is a good idea.

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, going west is not an issue, as it means you usually end up getting up earlier (which is good). Going east is the killer.

[IMOA]

I wouldn't bother doing anything. You'll have a long flight and arrive in the early evening a bit tired. Go out for dinner, have a few drinks and get to bed by say 2:00am. Wake up the next day, spend some time outside and your body clock will be adjusted.

All the whacky jet lag cures are put out there by people that don't travel much. People that do travel know the only thing that works is to adjust immediately to the timezone on arrival. If it's during the day get out in the sunshine and go for a walk, if it's at night get tired (you usually are from the flight) then go to sleep at a normal time and whatever you do don't ever take a nap during the day at your destination. You have one day to adjust, the first day you arrive, if you fuck that up you'll be jet lagged for a week.

Oh, and pro tip, during the first couple of nights turn your phone off at night, not everyone knows you're away and when travelling west if you get woken up by a call at 3:00am you won't get back to sleep.

[Godson]

Sound advice.

[Rikadyn]

It's a 13 hr time flip for me. I'd rather get it set before hand to avoid the Migraines I get from changing sleep habits. The last three years I have been getting up at 7am regularly even on Vacation and weekends

I'll probably leave my sim card at home and need to get a new one there anyway plus no one calls me anyway so no threat of them waking me

[Yw-slayer]

You can try melatonin or magnesium. The latter knocks me out big-time.

[IMOA]

It's a 13 hr time flip for me. I'd rather get it set before hand to avoid the Migraines I get from changing sleep habits. The last three years I have been getting up at 7am regularly even on Vacation and weekends

I'll probably leave my sim card at home and need to get a new one there anyway plus no one calls me anyway so no threat of them waking me

You can't. Seriously, I do similar trips (was meant to be in Belgium this week actually but had to cancel due to some project dramas back here) reasonably regularly and if you try to reset your bodyclock before you travel you'll be fighting all the triggers your body uses to set that clock (the most important being the sun). You can only do it when you arrive and you have 1 day to do it or you're screwed. Seriously, I do this sort of thing a lot, I have staff which does it a lot, I work with people that do it a lot and I talk with people who do it a lot. Anything you try beforehand just screws yourself up and you have one day to sort it on arrival.

[harper]

Yeah. Just fly out, maybe nap on the flight if you can, but if you land in Japan in the evening (say, touching down at 7 or 8 pm) then just try to stay up until a reasonable time. Maybe a touch early (like not midnight or 1 am, good lord) but definitely at a time when you could imagine going to bed. The next morning you'll probably want to wake up an hour or two earlier than you normally would (when I've come to Japan, I always wind up waking up at like 5 am or so) but just manage your sleep and you'll be okay.

Going back to the U.S. is a much bigger problem. That's the case where I'd always get jet lagged like a motherfucker.

[Rikadyn]

Couple email exchanges with the school to make sure what study program I want to be in and I will assume I am accepted completely now.

Probably going to go with different flight than originally planned, I can arrive late afternoon (4ish) or evening (8ish) not sure which would be the better option really...

Also concert I want to go to on 11/11 in Osaka >.>

[IMOA]

I'd go for the flight arriving fish. Best time to arrive for minimising jet lag and early enough that you can get down to Kyoto that night without rushing.

[Rikadyn]

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Ritsumeikan University Study in Kyoto Program: Japan and World
Perspectives Track from September 2014 - August 2015 as a non-degree international student in the College of
International Relations.

So finally for sure going, but waiting to hear about living situation as they want me to get my own apartment last email exchange between them and me, which is fine by me...

[samoht]

Congratulations indeed!

If the university have any kind of way to assist you with finding an apartment to rent, that would be helpful, as I think it would be a lot easier with some asssitance.

[Godson]

That's awesome news bud!

[harper]

They should have a way to help with the apartment situation. It'll be a shoebox most likely but that's gotta be half the fun :)

Come and visit, I'll be in Tokyo by the time you get here :D

[Rikadyn]

Yea they seem to push the idea of getting an apartment through certain realtors which makes me think they get a kick back, but they also mention that they are completely unfurnished which seems to me would be a real shitty thing. Then they talk about furnished apartments, but don't recommend them unless youre only there for a single semester. It's odd cause furnished ones are about the same price as the dorms, yet an unfurnisheed apartment seems to be a lot more expensive

[samoht]

Given my understanding of the challenges of renting an apartment in Japan, I'd personally take any help that's offered, including recommended agents. I have to admit I don't understand the furnished not being recommended thing, though - I agree that it seems that it would be much preferable.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2200.html
http://howibecametexan.com/2013/05/02/how-to-rent-an-apartment-in-japan-the-9-steps-to-getting-your-first-japanese-apartment/

[MR2 Fan]

maybe they think you won't like japanese style furniture?

[Rikadyn]

Given my understanding of the challenges of renting an apartment in Japan, I'd personally take any help that's offered, including recommended agents. I have to admit I don't understand the furnished not being recommended thing, though - I agree that it seems that it would be much preferable.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2200.html
http://howibecametexan.com/2013/05/02/how-to-rent-an-apartment-in-japan-the-9-steps-to-getting-your-first-japanese-apartment/

Really odd thing is, the realtors for unfurnished, and the ones they recommend are all Japanese only, the furnished "monthly" apartments are English speaking as well so...yea...


I already sleep on a futon mattress so...not sure what other furniture is different

[Rikadyn]

So working spreadsheets to get a rough but well scoured picture of the budgets.

Primarily using the RU estimate costs, I converted their yearly costs to percentages of their estimate of total need, then applied that number to the estimate of actual available funds, then divided that number by the number of months I will be in japan. Now I realise that until I get actual numbers this is somewhat pointless but, does this sound okay to ya'll:

Housing: 43,733.58
Food: 26,023.29
Leisure: 14,457.38
Transport: 5,060.08
Cell phone: 1,879.46
Total 91,153.80/month

[IMOA]

That seems ....... quite cheap. I'm probably not the best example as while in Japan I typically spend Y3-400,000 a month on beer and going out but even on a student budget that looks quite tough to me.

Housing - I guess you'll get something simple for that, I'd be expecting at least Y60,000/month though, especially when you'll need some furniture
Food - Even if you never eat out that's under Y1000 per day which I can't see anyone surviving on.
Leisure - Thats enough for say 1 quiet night out per week, by reasonably quiet I mean a simple, cheap dinner and a couple of beers. Doesn't really leave room for even cheap travel outside of Kyoto
Transport - are you walking distance from uni? Thats enough for about 10 short return trips per month. It's not much
Cell phone - probably enough for a simple garakei, use skype a lot

Without trying to be alarming I'd think that even on a student budget you'd want at least 50% more than that, and more like double.

[Rikadyn]

Double seems a bit much the school recommends much school says y106k is what I need

[Godson]

I am not very aware of Japanese food portions, but I know in Guatemala that a full meal would be roughly 2/3rds of what I would eat here in the States.



(they were all 2/3rds my size though)

[harper]

That seems ....... quite cheap. I'm probably not the best example as while in Japan I typically spend Y3-400,000 a month on beer and going out but even on a student budget that looks quite tough to me.

Housing - I guess you'll get something simple for that, I'd be expecting at least Y60,000/month though, especially when you'll need some furniture
Food - Even if you never eat out that's under Y1000 per day which I can't see anyone surviving on.
Leisure - Thats enough for say 1 quiet night out per week, by reasonably quiet I mean a simple, cheap dinner and a couple of beers. Doesn't really leave room for even cheap travel outside of Kyoto
Transport - are you walking distance from uni? Thats enough for about 10 short return trips per month. It's not much
Cell phone - probably enough for a simple garakei, use skype a lot

Without trying to be alarming I'd think that even on a student budget you'd want at least 50% more than that, and more like double.

Yeah, that's pretty low. (and good lord, 30man a month on going out? That's more than I make!!)

For me...

-Housing - 60,000 (incl. rent and utilities)
-Food - Probably about 30,000, I don't drink much and try to grocery shop instead
-Leisure - too much!
-Transport - probably 25,000 or so, but that includes gas and car insurance. 5,000 is wicked low, even if you're using buses or walking a lot.
-Cell phone - Mine is a 5,000/month iPhone but only because I bought the phone outright when I started my new contract

[Rikadyn]

I msged my Japanese professor, as he's the only one involved in all this I actually trust, supposedly one of the major scholarships/grants I applied for hasn't met yet so holding onto hope for a second (Maximum 10k, and it's need based) plus haven't heard anything about the scholarships from Ritsumeikan either, and seeing as everything is behind schedule I figure end of July is the execution date.

btw harper whats the portion of the 60k rent/utes?

[harper]

For me: 44,000 rent, about 2,500 phone landline (to get DSL internet), ~3,000 water, ~2,500 gas, between 6,000 and 10,000 for electricity (it's tiered, and you might judge, but wait until Japanese summer). they get automatically deducted from my bank account, but you can also probably get it set up so you pay those at a convenience store (which is how I pay my Internet bill).

[Rikadyn]

I've been watching kyoto's weather for the last three months. The same conditions of my home town almost exactly so...

But good to know

[harper]

I'm from the west coast so I don't know what this "humidity" bullshit really is, but I've had people who've lived in the south and southeast tell me that it's worse here in Japan than back there. The only saving grace is that it's slightly socially acceptable to be sweaty and hot -- in a "everyone knows the score" sort of way at least. There are plenty of products to deal with it, but a surprising lack of air conditioning sometimes (you might not have A/C in the school hallways for instance).

Remember, the weather might look the same or "not so bad", but building standards -- especially in chock-full-of-traditional-buildings Kyoto -- can be very, VERY different. 50 degrees F doesn't seem that cold until it's 50 degrees F *inside your house*.

[IMOA]

Yeah, that's pretty low. (and good lord, 30man a month on going out? That's more than I make!!)

That does include pretty much all my day to day living expenses though so lunch, dinner etc


I'm from the west coast so I don't know what this "humidity" bullshit really is, but I've had people who've lived in the south and southeast tell me that it's worse here in Japan than back there. The only saving grace is that it's slightly socially acceptable to be sweaty and hot -- in a "everyone knows the score" sort of way at least. There are plenty of products to deal with it, .

Except deodorant!

Personally I do find the humidity in Kyoto pretty tough. It's landlocked so no sea breeze and in a bit of a bowl so on hot humid summer days the air just kind of sits. I've lived in semi tropical places like Brisbane and Kyoto is definitely worse. In sydney I generally only turn on the air con maybe 5 days a year (properly designed apartment shaded from the summer sun and oriented to pick up a sea breeze as a cross breeze) but in Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo I couldn't go a day without it.

[Rikadyn]

25 to 35c with 80-90%humidity is pretty normal here in Michigan for the summer.

For winter well - 15c to 0c and I wear a hoodie

[Godson]

Yeah, I have heard people from the southeast complain about the heat and humidity in Missouri. These are folks from Florida and Georgia.

[Rikadyn]

Plus we're mostly in a glacial Valley. Though this summer is oddly cool

[Rikadyn]

is 155k more realistic for monthly living expenses?

[harper]

I'd say so, depending on how high rent is and how often you go out or buy things, yeah. I know people around here who spend about that much but it's also more countryside than the city, so YMMV. But 150k-175k is more realistic in terms of "not buying expensive stuff, not taking many trips, and doing dinners and lunches on the cheap". Not quite monastic life but close!

[Rikadyn]

Wonder if I could just abandon school and become a monk...

[Rikadyn]

Odds are now ever in the favor of this no longer occuring.

[samoht]

That would be a shame, is the the living costs that are looking prohibitive? Any chance of getting a part-time job ('beito') while you're there, helping English-speaking tourists?

Having come so far it would be a pity to let this chance slip away now, but I don't know what the issues are. Otherwise I guess there are other opportunities to spend a year in the far east, and english teaching (whether in Japan or Korea) has the upside of a salary to live on :p

[Godson]

Odds are now ever in the favor of this no longer occuring.

I hope that is not the case.

[Rikadyn]

Given the stories from teachers in Korea the salary isn't enough for the hassle.

I reread the info for the grant I applied for and should be able to get all the money I need from it if I an awarded it

Otherwise I see a lot of car parts in my future

[Rikadyn]

Well fucking hell, every little hope in this whole thing has lead to one disappointment after another . Grant awards up to 10k to cover the need difference between federal aid and expected cost, there was a 9ish k gap there for me, so they award me 3.6k.

ultimately I would then have 11k to live off of for 10 months

[harper]

Uggggh. That sucks, dude.

[Rikadyn]

well the school says a budget of 106k a month is good enough i'll have 121k so I might just go for it and see what happens...

[Godson]

Best of luck!

[MR2 Fan]

well the school says a budget of 106k a month is good enough i'll have 121k so I might just go for it and see what happens...

Do it! Do it!

[harper]

It will totally, totally be worth the money for the experience.

[Rikadyn]

So waiting on hearing about apartments been almost a month

[Rikadyn]

Weirdly enough the real estate agent asked the school for my height and width

[samoht]

Plenty of apartments in Japan have low beams between rooms, low enough that a not-that-untypical 6'2" westerner will be ducking under them. Maybe that.

Not sure why they'd need to know width though (!)

[Yw-slayer]

She's just worried that you're this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRhVFhT21o0

[Rikadyn]

Heh, So I should be all set just need to buy some luggage...anyway I should be able to budget enough to grab a wide zoom lens, just not sure if it'd be better to look over there or buy it here. looking at Nikon 18-35mm f3.5-4.5 ED

[harper]

Just buy one and bring it with you -- prices aren't THAT good until you know where to look, and some run-of-the-mill stuff is sometimes even more expensive. If you're looking for that kind of wide zoom, I'd also recommend the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (the one WITHOUT VC) -- you might be able to get it under $300 in America, I got it for about $250 on Amazon Japan :D

[Rikadyn]

Woke up this morning to an email telling me I was selected to recieve the JASSO scholarship...if this is true...and we've become really pessimistic about good news at this point...it's 80k a month :D

[Yw-slayer]

Surely you mean JPY80,000 rather than USD80,000.

[Rikadyn]

Yes... I wish it was 80k usd

[Yw-slayer]

If it were USD80K/month then I'd probably apply for the position of an English teacher in Japan. Not that I'd get it.

[Rikadyn]

so yea like my budget is now 233k a month :| i'm not sure how to handle that lol

[Godson]

Party? :)

[Yw-slayer]

Spend it doing this: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/30/driven-crazy-one-journalists-quest-to-get-a-license-in-japan/

I do think countries should make it much more difficult to drive.

[Rikadyn]

Btw do any ya'lls know how getting your luggage delivered works? I'm still not completely sure about it

[Rikadyn]

Spent it doing this: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/30/driven-crazy-one-journalists-quest-to-get-a-license-in-japan/

I do think countries should make it much more difficult to drive.

Especially China, but then we'd run out of terrifying driving videos

[Yw-slayer]

The US is one of the easiest places in the world to get a driving licence.

[MR2 Fan]

The US is one of the easiest places in the world to get a driving licence.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/lifestyle/files/2012/11/cracker.jpg

[Rikadyn]

Just buy one and bring it with you -- prices aren't THAT good until you know where to look, and some run-of-the-mill stuff is sometimes even more expensive. If you're looking for that kind of wide zoom, I'd also recommend the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (the one WITHOUT VC) -- you might be able to get it under $300 in America, I got it for about $250 on Amazon Japan :D

Looked at that, wouldn't work, I have a FX camera :D

thinking with the scholarship i should be able to swing a used 16-35

[IMOA]

so yea like my budget is now 233k a month :| i'm not sure how to handle that lol

Awesome, you should be comfortable on that. It gives you enough to travel a bit, eat out a bit and generally enjoy things. For a uni student you'll be rich :)


Spend it doing this: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/30/driven-crazy-one-journalists-quest-to-get-a-license-in-japan/

I do think countries should make it much more difficult to drive.

We just fill out a form and they give us a license :)


Btw do any ya'lls know how getting your luggage delivered works? I'm still not completely sure about it

There will be a luggage place to the left and right of the gates when you arrive. The delivery places are the same as the left luggage places so just drop your bags and give them the address. I'd add that the easiest way to give them the address is to have it printed on a piece of paper. It makes it easier even if your japanese is decent because it's trhe sort of thing they're used to..

[Dicknose]

All this Japan talk, anyone going to MotoGP in Oct?
Thinking about heading over for it (and/or F1)

Would be cool to meet some people.

[IMOA]

I'm there for the F1 but will be doing the world endurance challenge at Fuji the weekend after (same weekend as moto gp). Have been lazy and haven't bought F1 tickets yet but will by the weekend.

ie, pull your finger out and come over (but tell me quick so I can get you a ticket :))

[Yw-slayer]

Find a part-time job!

http://www.muripo.com/2013/07/10/japanese-porn-industry-extremely-short-on-male-actors-as-many-as-10000-women-against-only-70-men

[Rikadyn]

We're explicitly forbidden from that YW...

[harper]

Spend it doing this: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/30/driven-crazy-one-journalists-quest-to-get-a-license-in-japan/

I do think countries should make it much more difficult to drive.

it's a pain in the ASS and this fall I'll probably have to take an unpaid day off work to go make sure I keep my license. What's worse is that thanks to how our government works, Americans always have to take the test, whereas Canadians, Brits, Aussies and more don't have to. Stupid states' rights.

[harper]

yeah don't get a part-time job on a student visa, just don't.


All this Japan talk, anyone going to MotoGP in Oct?
Thinking about heading over for it (and/or F1)

Would be cool to meet some people.

the problem is Twin Ring Motegi is like three hours up into the fucking weeds and a real pain in the ass to get to from all I've read. Comparatively, Fuji is much simpler. I'm not sure I'll have even my first paycheck by then, so maybe next year IMOA (slash HIRE ME HIRE ME HIRE ME)

[Dicknose]

And looks like my quick attempt at plans are in trouble.
Maybe aim big next year!

[IMOA]

the problem is Twin Ring Motegi is like three hours up into the fucking weeds and a real pain in the ass to get to from all I've read. Comparatively, Fuji is much simpler. I'm not sure I'll have even my first paycheck by then, so maybe next year IMOA (slash HIRE ME HIRE ME HIRE ME)

We hired a car and stayed in utsunomiya. About a 30 minute drive to the track and lots of gyoza.

JLPT N1. Well, either that or java. Or be prepared to move to aus for a couple of years.

[Rikadyn]

We can get a work permit but "entertainment industry" is still prohibited

[harper]

We hired a car and stayed in utsunomiya. About a 30 minute drive to the track and lots of gyoza.

JLPT N1. Well, either that or java. Or be prepared to move to aus for a couple of years.

I'm gonna start with N2 (since most places list that as equivalent to "business Japanese") and honestly, having not really seriously studied since I got here, it'll be a good change of pace and chance to apply my knowledge gained here. I know I'm good enough, I know I can do it, I just need to get the proof on paper.

[Rikadyn]

Visa question : do I need to have my residence figured out before applying for my visa or just before I land for alien registration card

[Rikadyn]

So I got all my forms and shit to apply for the Visa, only problem is figuring out how to give them a self addressed postage paid, traceable envelope. Any of the shipping services require a shipping date, and the consulate can't tell me when it will be shipped so...

[Rikadyn]

Off to the consulate tomorrow to get my visa...

[MR2 Fan]

Off to the consulate tomorrow to get my visa...

woohoo! and I'm 18 days away from my Tokyo vacation :rawk:

[Rikadyn]

woohoo! and I'm 18 days away from my Tokyo vacation :rawk:

I'm...(looks at countdown widget on phone) 23 days away...

[Mortavian]

the problem is Twin Ring Motegi is like three hours up into the fucking weeds and a real pain in the ass to get to from all I've read.

Just realized this place is like an hour drive from my house. May have to check this out with my local racing-enthusiast buddy. :up:

Also, I've been bad about checking in on this Japan thread... Rikadyn, you all set for the big move? :D

[Rikadyn]

meh dropped off my passport to get my visa yesterday, school still hasn't told me about housing

[Rikadyn]

Seeing as a few camera ppl here does bic carry the chemicals for developing film?

[Mortavian]

No clue about the camera stuff. There's gotta be smaller custom shops where you could find that stuff if the bigger chains don't carry it, I'd think.

[Rikadyn]

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/japanese-porn-stars-to-have-boobs-squeezed-for-aids-research/story-fnixwvgh-1227036564340

[Godson]

That. Is. Awesome.

[samoht]

Seeing as a few camera ppl here does bic carry the chemicals for developing film?

They certainly sell photographic film itself (stored in fridges, which I haven't seen before). Not sure about the chemicals though.

[MR2 Fan]

Since this has become a bit of a thread about Japanese stuff....I've come up with a few "Signs you're watching too much Japanese TV"

You start saying kana-fied english words like "musicu" instead of "music", or "seto" instead of "set"
You see an NFL game on TV mention an player who is an OL and the first thing that comes into your head is "Office Lady" instead of "Offensive Lineman"
You wonder why most western TV shows don't show text all over the screen at all times.

[Rikadyn]

So school is looking at a Machiya for me monday and will get back to me...o.O

anyway, Can anyone explain to me how there are 2 identically named N'EX trains that have different stops, and how to tell the difference.

[MR2 Fan]

So school is looking at a Machiya for me monday and will get back to me...o.O

anyway, Can anyone explain to me how there are 2 identically named N'EX trains that have different stops, and how to tell the difference.

I rode the N'EX train last time...basically from what I recall, the train cars are all together and while its on its way, the cars split apart and go to different destinations, so you have to make sure you get in the correct car for your stop. Besides that there's Green class and regular class seats, though there doesn't seem to be much difference honestly.

I don't know about 2 different NEX trains unless they have one from each terminal at Narita.

[IMOA]

Yep. Train splits (or joins if going to the airport) at Tokyo with one half going down to Yokohama and the other half going around to shinjuku and omiya.

[Rikadyn]

Oh that sounds like a something I'm gonna fuck up on :|

[Yw-slayer]

You end up in Yokohama or Shinjuku. I don't see how either one could be any cause for concern.

[IMOA]

Nah, nothing to fuck up, its all reserved seating and the person selling the tickets knows where the carriages go

And just as an aside, don't stress too much, things in Japan are a lot easier than I think you're imagining.

[Rikadyn]

You end up in Yokohama or Shinjuku. I don't see how either one could be any cause for concern.

I need to grab a train to Kyoto, not sight see in Shinjuku cause if i stay in Tokyo I'll end up trying to go to a Live rather than going to kyoto...

[Rikadyn]

So, The Machiya that they looking at for me, had all the setup to become an anime series. Luckily there is a private apartment also being offered.

[Yw-slayer]

So, The Machiya that they looking at for me, had all the setup to become an anime series. Luckily there is a private apartment also being offered.

As in, 40yo widowed MILF and 20yo daughter living together as your lodgers?

Oh, wait, that's another type of cultural production.

[Rikadyn]

Remember when I was thinking of flipping my sleep cycle? Yea I don't think I have one anymore. I haven't really been able to get a full night sleep in a month I struggle to fall asleep, then wake up 4-5hrs later and can't go back to sleep :|. I'm seriously to the point of wishing I hadn't applied last year for this...

[IMOA]

Thats good news. I've always been of the opinion that those that have a very rigid sleep cycle struggle the most with jetlag, if it bounces around a lot then your body is far more used to it moving around so it copes with the change easily.

And seriously, as long as you treat it as going to bed really late one night you'll be adjusted in a day.

[Yw-slayer]

Take some magnesium.

[Rikadyn]

Thats good news. I've always been of the opinion that those that have a very rigid sleep cycle struggle the most with jetlag, if it bounces around a lot then your body is far more used to it moving around so it copes with the change easily.

And seriously, as long as you treat it as going to bed really late one night you'll be adjusted in a day.

Seeing as I struggle to fall asleep by 4am these days, what counts as late?

[speedpimp]

Noon.

[IMOA]

Seeing as I struggle to fall asleep by 4am these days, what counts as late?

What I'm talking about is how you handle jetlag. If you try to stage it through your body is fighting you the whole time. Instead just treat it as a long day, then get some decent sleep and once you wake up the next day your body is reset. Thats what I mean by 'treat it as going to bed really late one night' because in effect that's what it is.

[Rikadyn]

Right now I'm more worried about not having a home

[Rikadyn]

In Japan (on shinkansen atm) haven't slept since 9am Monday

[IMOA]

You'll sleep well once you get to Kyoto then and tomorrow you'll be adjusted to the timezone :)

[samoht]

Great, you made it!

Keep us posted on your observations of Japan, and how things turn out.

[Rikadyn]

Physically I may be used to the time but talking to people back home confuses me now

[Rikadyn]

Gas man was just here to do a leak check. I now realize I have no clue how to pay the utilities bills

[Rikadyn]

Also kyoto station is a fucking maze

[samoht]

All the big stations are mazes.

In Tokyo, there's a really great english streetmap, which is detailed enough to show the layout of the underground stuff, and the number of each exit. Not sure if such a thing exists for Kyoto.

Ideally you want to establish a Japanese bank account, and then set up direct debits to pay utilities. In the meantime, I imagine you will get a gas bill through the post. ISTR you can pay them at various convenience stores, with cash.

[IMOA]

In Tokyo, there's a really great english streetmap, which is detailed enough to show the layout of the underground stuff, and the number of each exit. Not sure if such a thing exists for Kyoto.

I suspect you're talking about the kodansha atlas and yes, there is one for Kyoto. But these days we use Google maps.

Feeling a bit old? ;)

[Rikadyn]

I found Tokyo station easy to get around (except the platform I needed wasn't on the ticket) took me good 20mins to figure out how to leave kyoto station.

instagram.com/iiid_eye

Was funny getting into the first taxi to get to the ryokan I stayed at for the night, at some point I just spoke Japanese without thinking about it.

Also saw a early (gen 1) Mustang vert today

[samoht]

I suspect you're talking about the kodansha atlas and yes, there is one for Kyoto. But these days we use Google maps.
Feeling a bit old? ;)

I use google maps all the time in europe, the only reason I don't in Japan is the data roaming charges.
Do you have an Aus contract with cheap data roaming, or a Japanese SIM ?

[Rikadyn]

My US plan gives me free international roaming so...yea I was using my phone a lot but Japan is a battery killer

[Rikadyn]

http://i.imgur.com/Gpp9G2q.jpg

Help?

[IMOA]

I use google maps all the time in europe, the only reason I don't in Japan is the data roaming charges.
Do you have an Aus contract with cheap data roaming, or a Japanese SIM ?

Just handed my japanese phone back actually. When I'm there in a few weeks I was going to rent one of those portable wi-fi's but you prompted me to check how much data I actually use (sod all) so it looks like I'll be able to just pre purchase an international data pack and that will be cheaper. I'm surprised at how little data I use actually.


http://i.imgur.com/Gpp9G2q.jpg

Help?

The triangles are the temp and the red button is on/off. Don't fuck with any of the other buttons because they're timers ,wierd fan modes etc. But I suspect that advice is too late.

[Rikadyn]

How much would I need to run it to fuck my electric bill?

[Rikadyn]

So I went out and bought what I believe is laundry soap, and seems my washing machine is fubar. Plugged it in and hit power and it does a whole lot of nothin'

[IMOA]

No idea how much the air con costs to run, I get the expat magic carpet ride in Japan

You'll need to start turning random dials on the washing machine, ime the japanese washing machines follow the european model of having to set about 15 different things before they start. If you post a pic of the control panel we should be able to work it out.

[Rikadyn]

http://imgur.com/a/DnFuC

I'd think it'd at least beep when i hit start. i get nothing no sounds no lights

[Rikadyn]

On a completely different note, I feel like I'm too fat to ride the bus as I would probably inconvience people with my presence there...

[IMOA]

Hmm, thats not too bad. So if you set the water level, put it to wash and hit the start button it doesn't work?

[Rikadyn]

Hmm, thats not too bad. So if you set the water level, put it to wash and hit the start button it doesn't work?

I can't do any of those things because I hit Power and nothing comes online. Ooya-san said all i really have to do is hit power then start and it'll do the rest

[Godson]

Is it plugged in?

[Rikadyn]

Yes

[IMOA]

I'd be plugging something that you know works into that plug and if it doesn't work hunt for the fuse/circuit breaker box

[Rikadyn]

i've tried both plugs with the waterheater control, and it works fine.

[IMOA]

Check to see if the washing machine has some fuses somewhere. But it does sound like you've got some annoying replace washing machine hassle coming up.

[Rikadyn]

Shouldn't be annoying my landlord is aussie. At least her accent say. She said she tested it last week to make sure it worked, I'm thinking she didn't let it run it's cycle the whole way and froze it

[IMOA]

Can't trust aussies, they're a bunch of thieving convicts.

[Yw-slayer]

Unlovable rogues, the lot of 'em.

[Godson]

:lol:

[Rikadyn]

First experience with japanese hospital and medical system.

[speedpimp]

What happened?

[Rikadyn]

Woke up doubled over in pain like I had really bad gas, went to the bathroom and was pissing blood. Figured it was a kidney stone but the amount of blood made me worry. So called a cab at 2am and left the hospital at 1pm.

[speedpimp]

Take care.

[IMOA]

You need to go out drinking more. Less fixing washing machines and hospitals and more drunk karaoke and japanese chicks.

[KillerB]

You need to go out drinking more. Less fixing washing machines and hospitals and more drunk karaoke and japanese chicks.

This. Otherwise, why be halfway around the world?

[Rikadyn]

I've had one night out, but it was with mostly european chicks...

[Yw-slayer]

I've had one night out, but it was with mostly european chicks...

WTF? Go hit up the locals ASAP.

[speedpimp]

ときにローマの...

[Rikadyn]

Meh I am in bed by 8pm most days

[MR2 Fan]

Edit: Decided to start a new thread instead of constantly hijacking Rikadyn's :)

[Rikadyn]

rode kyoto's subway today, mostly cause the bus i was on took me to the subway station and wasn't sure if i needed to get off or not, but it made quicker work of getting to shijo dori so can't complain. Also japanese girl rubbed her ass on my shoulder the whole way there which i thought was odd

[Yw-slayer]

Probably just too polite to tell you that she didn't want your shoulder rubbing her ass...

[Rikadyn]

bitch got on stop after i did so...yea...

[Rikadyn]

btw, what the fuck are these loud as fuck birds here?

[IMOA]

Real birds or bird sounds?

[Rikadyn]

real birds, can hear them for fucking miles