My name is Alice. I am a student from St. John's University and I will be an exchange student at Sophia University in Tokyo for the spring 2013 semester. I created this blog for two reasons: one is for self interest and the other for the Gilman Scholarship. I'd like to document my life here, as well as help other students or anyone who is planning on coming to Japan. When I was applying to study here, there weren't any sources or references I could access, so I had, and perhaps still have, many unanswered questions. Therefore, please feel free to ask me anything. I cannot guarantee an answer, but I will definitely do my best to answer your question.
I arrived in Japan yesterday. I decided to come a few days early in fear of jet lag and also so that I could travel around the place before school starts. The flight was long (about thirteen hours), but I arrived safely. I didn't think I would have much to bring, but somehow, I ended up packing two large suitcases, each about two-thirds full, and a small carry-on. Luckily for me, two of my friends came to pick me up at the airport, so I didn't have to deal with the subways or trains. Thinking back on it now, if we did have to rely on public transportation, I don't know how I could've managed alone. Then again, I guess I could always just mail my luggage to the place I'm staying at.
Well, first impressions first. It is really cold. Apparently, the temperature just dropped the day I arrived; before then, it was actually quite warm, in the mid to high sixties. On the way here from New York, it was actually snowing. I was really looking forward to nice spring weather, but it was actually quite cloudy.
Another thing is sanitation. Everything is so clean! I realized this when I first visited Japan a few years ago, but I'm still quite amazed at how clean everything is, especially since there are no garbage cans around. Back then, I actually asked the receptionist at a hotel I stayed at about this and he answered me that it was to prevent odors in the air.
The cars and roads here are also very different. I never drove or sat in a car in Japan, so even though I knew about this, it still felt quite strange in person. EVERYTHING is opposite from America, the steering wheel, the coming and going lanes, and all the little details such as the signals to turn and the gear stick.
The first thing I did was go shopping; not for clothes, but for cleaning supplies haha. Of course, being the clean freak that I am, I cannot tolerate anything unless I clean it myself, so we went to a supermarket called Aeon. They have everything there, literally, from fresh produce, to processed food, to electronics, hair dryers, stationery, books, etc. I didn't get any pictures because I was so lost in the place, looking for everything that I needed. After that, we went to eat in Chiba, which was the area that we were at. We went to a restaurant called Pomme (ポームの樹). Their main dish is omurice, which, the name is literally a combination of omelette and rice.
In Japan, usually restaurants have a three dimensional display of their menu. I can't tell you how realistic they look. I could mistake it for the real thing!
And this is what I ordered. I forgot the exact name but its basically chicken teriyaki with a white sauce. I ordered a "Ladies Set", so the portions are smaller, but it came with a bunch of stuff: miso soup, salad, a desert, and a drink.
Hi Alice! To start off, I want to say thank you for your blog posts. It makes me more confident to visit Japan and study at Sophia University. Actually, I am planning to study at Sophia University for a whole academic year, as well as reside in the DK House Warabi. So do you have any tips on studying there? What is it like studying at Sophia University? At Sophia University, did you join any clubs or organization? If so, how was it like? How was it like living at DK House Warabi? What were the pros, yet cons?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for bombing you with questions! For someone that has never traveled out of their home state, traveling across the world is terrifying enough. So please get back soon! And thank you for your effort <3
Hi! Firstly, thank you for visiting my blog! I'm happy that you find my posts helpful. Study abroad is the best experience you can have in university and to have one year! I'm so jealous. haha
DeleteSophia University is a very good school in name. As for academics, I must say that the course work is much more difficult in the States. However, if you're coming with the intention to learn the language, I would recommend the Intensive Japanese Language Course. There is a LOT of work (think homework and quizzes everyday, exams every week, as well as essays/presentations about once every two weeks), but it really helps. However, if you are planning to travel and go out a lot, and need to study a lot in order to do well, maybe you should reconsider because it does take up a lot of time, especially if your grades transfer back; you don't want to ruin your GPA.
As for extracurricular activities, I joined several clubs and circles at the start of the semester, but ended up quitting most of them because the schedule didn't work out. Dance and sports clubs require a lot of commitment, and since I travel a lot, I couldn't make it to the practices. But since you have a year, you'd have more time, so definitely join one because you'll make a lot of friends!
I love DK House Warabi! It took a while to get used to, but I made quite a few friends here (besides the other Sophia exchange students), so I've grown quite attached to the place. Plus, the rooms are fairly spacious compared to the cramped Tokyo. The only con is that it takes about an hour to get to Sophia. Although that sounds alright, if you're traveling in the rush hours (between 7 to 10 in the morning), it will feel like eternity because it is SERIOUSLY crowded! And accidents are not uncommon, so there will be delays at times. If you have first period (which starts at 9:15), I'd suggest having at least an hour and a half for transportation. Also, there's a ten-minte walk from DK House to the nearest train station.
If I have to write out all the pros and cons of my experience, it'd take forever, so if you have any specific questions, please ask away. And if you finally decide to study at Sophia University or stay at DK House Warabi, I can tell you more, such as the best places to buy whatever.
Thank you! ^^
ReplyDeleteBut is there anything you recommend to bring to Japan? What did you find was the hardest part to adjust while staying at Dk Warabi? Also, how is the diversity at Sophia? And can you tell me more of the places you were referring to? :)
As in material items? If you don't know any Japanese, I would recommend bringing as much of your daily necessities as you need, at least to cover for the first few weeks. I am a religious body lotion/sunscreen user and it is very expensive in Japan! Everything else is decently priced, though.
DeleteIf you are an outdoors person, Japan has many beautiful mountains, so bring your hiking gear. And since you're here in the winter, too, maybe snowboarding gear? Well, at least the jacket and gloves. Everything else you can just rent.
I grew up living in a house, so I'm not used to dorms/apartments and living with so many people. I'm also really finicky about sanitation, so shared spaces, such as the shower and kitchen was hard to adjust to. Dk House looks really dirty at first, but that's because it's old. In reality, it's actually pretty clean. Of course, that also depends on how many people are living there and what kind of people they are. Since the showers are shared, there is no place to leave your soap and shampoo, so basically you have to bring everything with you every time you shower, etc, so I recommend buying a waterproof basket to store everything. You can always get that here, though.
As for the kitchen, you really don't need to bring anything because all the utensils are shared. There are plenty of pots/pans/bowls, so you don't need your own, but I bought my own stuff because I don't trust other people's cleaning.
Other than that, I don't think there's anything bad about DK Warabi. I was sick several times in a row for about two months in the beginning, though, because there are just so many people everywhere cramped up together (especially on the train), so it's easy to spread colds, etc. Do bring antibiotics/cold medicine.
Sophia University is a very small place. Most of the students are Japanese, but undergraduate exchange students are usually placed in the FLA department, where there are also full-time degree international students, foreigners who live/study in Japan, and those who grew up overseas but returned to Japan (permanently). Therefore, there are a lot of international students from all over the place. Since each department tends to hold their faculty classes at different buildings, you will most likely be in the same buildings as other international students., thus, those are the only people you will see in school unless you go out and meet other Japanese students through clubs or mutual friends.
The places I was referring to are specific supermarkets and department stores that would be pointless to tell you now if you're not here yet.
Thanks again. It was very informative : )
ReplyDeleteAlice, what a good article, I am very impressed, I will indeed being checking out the rest of the articles on your blog as well as your YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/ItadakimasuXD
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to stop by my blog: http://danielccooper.wordpress.com/
and my YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/caocaoliubei1
Hi! I commented just before this one, but I'm not sure if it posted. Reposting here:
ReplyDeleteI know this post was written awhile ago, but I’d love to hear more about your experience living at DK House Warabi! I’m going on exchange myself soon (my documents deadline is tomorrow!), and I’m having a great deal of trouble deciding between DK House Warabi and DK House Nerima. DK Warabi's giant room size and great storage are really winning me over, because I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, but I’m a bit (very) put off by the 15 minute walk to the nearest station, compared to the 5 minute walk of the other dorm. It's not that long of a walk on occasion, but it sounds pretty tiring when you have to do it everyday in the rush for morning class and after a long day/night out - especially if you're loaded up with shopping/travel bags. To make my choice even harder, I'm concerned about meeting people at Warabi, as it houses less people than the other dorm (also in part because it’s common areas look so white and sterile P). But man, is it hard to forget about that sweet room size!
Anyways, can you please tell me if the walking distance was a bother to you when you were living there, enough that you might have chosen to stay somewhere else if you could? Did people rent bikes at all to get to the station? And was it easy to meet people at Warabi, just hanging around the communal areas?
Sorry for rambling, and thanks so much for reading through all of it. Any advice you have would be much appreciated! :)
P.S. did bringing only fewer/ old clothes in anticipation end up being a smart move?
Dear teef,
DeleteGlad to hear you'll be going on an exchange to Tokyo!
Well, everyone is different, so it's hard to decide where to stay based on my opinion alone. Plus, what kind of person are you? Tell me a little about yourself. Warabi is a little farther away from the city than Nerima, but it is a lot bigger. No matter which dorm you stay in, I think there will still be a walk from the station to the dorm. The walk to the train station from DK Warabi is about 10-15 minutes, depending how fast you walk. I wouldn't say it is very far from the station, though if you are someone who doesn't like to walk, you might find it a hassle to do it everyday. I'm someone who doesn't like to be late or rush, so I always give myself enough time in the morning to get to where I need to go early. If you tend to be someone who times everything to the dot, you might find the distance to be a problem. You could rent bicycles (I didn't), but finding a place to park it near the station could be a problem, I would think.
Do you like the city? If you plan to go out and explore a lot, maybe Nerima would be a better choice, since it is located in Tokyo and not too far from most of the more populated areas. Warabi is definitely not as busy as Tokyo, but I liked it because I come from a very busy city and I wanted to escape the busy city.
Are you someone who needs space? Personally, I do, so I decided to stay at Warabi. Honestly speaking, though, I was out most of the time, so I basically only used my room for sleeping at night. But, I don't like collecting a lot of things, especially if I know that everything I buy, I would have to eventually pack and carry with me back home, so space and storage would not have been a problem even if I stayed in a smaller place. To answer your question about bringing fewer/old clothing, yes, it was a smart move for me because I knew I was definitely going to buy clothing/shoes, so it was good in that I could throw away clothes I didn't want anymore and lessen my luggage burden. However, if you don't like Japan's style or fashion, or if you are worried about not being able to find the right shoe size, or if you have a spending budget, maybe it would be better to do half (bring half old/half new).
In terms of meeting people. Warabi has a lot of people living there, actually–at least while I was there–but it wasn't overly crowded (which I would hate), so the showers and bathrooms were never crowded. I can't tell you about Nerima, though, since I didn't stay there. It's very easy to meet people, especially if you hang around at night and during dinnertime. But if you don't, I wouldn't worry too much because honestly I made so many friends in school and outside of the dorm, as well.
In the end, every dorm has its pros and cons; there's no perfect place to stay, so you just have to weigh the two and see which one you think is more suitable for you. Just to add, one of the biggest factors that won me over to Warabi, though, was it's sakura-lined path.
I hope I answered all of your questions. If not, feel free to contact me again.
Good luck.
Alice