So I need some help with general stuff. Some background info first:
* I’m moving to Okayama from the UK in October for roughly one year
* I’ll be on a student visa but working an unpaid research placement
I have a few things I’m worried about or just don’t really know much about and would appreciate any insight. Apologies if I sound ignorant or if some answers are blatantly obvious.
​
* I have an iPhone 11 Pro and it’s kind of slowing down. Do I buy an unlocked phone before I go to Japan and then buy a new sim in Japan? Or to be honest I could push my 11 a bit further but is there any way to unlock it in the UK?
* How would I keep my international phone number?
* If I do buy a new sim in Japan what would the best company be?
* Or should I buy a cheap phone in Japan with a cheap sim and have two phones?
​
* Should I open a bank account in Japan?
* I want to do online shopping (it may sound silly but I really wanted to buy some Rilakkumas and there’s nothing really nearby that sells them – if worse comes to worst I will probably do tourist stuff at some point where they’re available)
* I’ve read that you can’t use your foreign bank account to order things online; not sure though
* I will have some money withdrawn and converted before I leave but a majority will be in my Barclays account. My student loan will be paid into this account.
* Is it worth the withdrawal fees from my bank and ATMs to withdraw my money?
* Is there a bank card in the UK I should get beforehand to reduce the number of fees I will be paying?
​
Is there anything else I should prepare for or do before I go? Thank you for reading.
1 comment
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Advice before moving to Okayama for one year in October**
So I need some help with general stuff. Some background info first:
* I’m moving to Okayama from the UK in October for roughly one year
* I’ll be on a student visa but working an unpaid research placement
I have a few things I’m worried about or just don’t really know much about and would appreciate any insight. Apologies if I sound ignorant or if some answers are blatantly obvious.
​
* I have an iPhone 11 Pro and it’s kind of slowing down. Do I buy an unlocked phone before I go to Japan and then buy a new sim in Japan? Or to be honest I could push my 11 a bit further but is there any way to unlock it in the UK?
* How would I keep my international phone number?
* If I do buy a new sim in Japan what would the best company be?
* Or should I buy a cheap phone in Japan with a cheap sim and have two phones?
​
* Should I open a bank account in Japan?
* I want to do online shopping (it may sound silly but I really wanted to buy some Rilakkumas and there’s nothing really nearby that sells them – if worse comes to worst I will probably do tourist stuff at some point where they’re available)
* I’ve read that you can’t use your foreign bank account to order things online; not sure though
* I will have some money withdrawn and converted before I leave but a majority will be in my Barclays account. My student loan will be paid into this account.
* Is it worth the withdrawal fees from my bank and ATMs to withdraw my money?
* Is there a bank card in the UK I should get beforehand to reduce the number of fees I will be paying?
​
Is there anything else I should prepare for or do before I go? Thank you for reading.
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