Tips for Tokyo Based Exchanges

This may come off as half a rant, for that I apologize. I am currently in my last stretch of my exchange year at Sophia University and wanted to give some tips for prospective people looking at a exchange with Tokyo based Universities.

Student Accommodations:
This might be the most important part of my post. You may think you will be travelling everyday and spend very little time at your dorm, but between a area that can help create friendships and where you will be sleeping most night, I believe this is a very important part of everyone’s time in Japan. With that being said, I suggest that everyone avoid the Dormy Dorms like the plague. Between very high fees and rent, and the food generally being subpar I believe it is a very poor option. For those that value their own space and want a kitchen, look at Sakura House, for those that want more of a community feel, look for a share house. Japanese Dorms are generally catered towards first year students and the fact that Dormy advertises their Dorms as « global houses » is a plain joke. Further, get something on the west side of the city that is fairly close to your home university, anything under 30 minutes. Service to the east side of Tokyo is scarce and as such the morning commute can be miserable between limited train access and high volume of riders.

Banking:
I highly recommend all those who do not have favorable conditions to pay with card from their home country to get a Japanese Post Bank account. Between a 2.5% withdraw fee at all 7/11 fees as well as your local banks conversion fees you can lose a fair bit of your hard earned cash in the process. It also allows you access to services that are locked behind having a local card. Examples would be Hulu, Disney Plus, Certain online stores as well as buying movie tickets.

Phone:
GET A JAPANESE NUMBER, it makes certain things easier, many websites require a number to make reservations and having a Japanese number can make that a whole lot easier. Further, many places require a call to make a reservation as well. It also allows you to register with your own number that is a Japanese number. I recommend Sakura mobile so you can quickly pick up your SIM card at the airport when you land. However it is a bit pricy so after a month switching to docomo or rakuten once you are setup I’d also an option.

Food:
Go to the grocery store. The overhype with convenience stores is frustrating, their products tend to be 20-30% more expensive than just simple going to the grocery stores. Further local donki’s (not in major areas like Shinjuku or Shibuya) are a excellent cheap option.

This is in no ways a comprehensive list but if you have anymore questions feel free to reach out, I may be able to answer more specific questions!

by Contact-Emergency