I’m from the UK and will shortly be studying in Nishinomiya for a year abroad, never been to Japan and don’t have much experience travelling in general so am naturally absolutely shitting myself. I’m a dedicated gymrat, will most likely be signing up to Gold’s Gym Umeda unless anyone has better suggestions (I know it’s expensive and I reluctantly have to cover my tattoos). Anything I should know regarding food shopping (my appetite is endless), etiquette, places to visit, or whatever else? My Japanese overall is pretty poor at the moment, still very much a beginner, I’m a bit worried about how that may affect my ability to do basic things like take transport although I’m probably overthinking it.
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Nishinomiya is a good spot to find yourself in, and pretty foreigner friendly.
>take transport although I’m probably overthinking it.
You are overthinking this one. All the train station names are written in kanji, hiragana and romaji. So you’ll be able to read them. All signs in train stations, timetables, etc are also usually in English too.
>food shopping (my appetite is endless)
Supermarkets usually discount their left over bento and other prepared food after 6 or 7pm (maybe 8pm?). It’s a good opportunity to pick up some cheap food, especially if you’re on a budget.
>places to visit
A lot of worthwhile tourist spots are within train distance of Nishinomiya – Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Okayama. Hiroshima is further but absolutely doable.
You’re quite close to Koshien, home to the Hanshin Tigers, who are known for having one of the loyalist fans in baseball. Even if you’re not into baseball, it’s worth a visit to a game.