Pardon my noob question but either reddit’s searchbar is broken or there are no questions about MEXT scholarships (which I find highly unlikely). I don’t mind living quite far from Tokyo (\~1h-1h15m from a given campus) if need be, because given the efficiency of public transportation, I would assume I could live in a lower CoL area while still studying in the capital.
With about 980 000Y in savings (converted from my local currency) and the MEXT stipend of about 130k per month, would that be enough to spend a year in the periphery of Tokyo at a big university?
I’m still very early in my planning stages, I plan on working and saving perhaps double the previously stated amount just to be super safe. I know foreigners get a bad rap and are usually subjected to discrimination and higher prices in the housing market, so I’m not kidding myself and thinking it’ll be a cheap affair.
Thanks for reading.
5 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Is a MEXT scholarship stipend decent enough for living within 1hr of Tokyo’s top universities? (Todai, Keio, Waseda, Meiji)**
Pardon my noob question but either reddit’s searchbar is broken or there are no questions about MEXT scholarships (which I find highly unlikely). I don’t mind living quite far from Tokyo (~1h-1h15m from a given campus) if need be, because given the efficiency of public transportation, I would assume I could live in a lower CoL area while still studying in the capital.
With about 980 000Y in savings (converted from my local currency) and the MEXT stipend of about 130k per month, would that be enough to spend a year in the periphery of Tokyo at a big university?
I’m still very early in my planning stages, I plan on working and saving perhaps double the previously stated amount just to be super safe. I know foreigners get a bad rap and are usually subjected to discrimination and higher prices in the housing market, so I’m not kidding myself and thinking it’ll be a cheap affair.
Thanks for reading.
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MEXT stipend should be enough to cover everything, as long as you don’t want to live in a multiple-room super luxurious apartment or anything. It takes a bit of work, but you should be able to survive on the stipend (MEXT also gives a small bonus for people in expensive cities such as Tokyo).
Also, look into international housing offered by the university itself. They’re competitive, but you get a decent, albeit small, apartment at a good price.
You can also get a part-time job. There are also guides on the internet for living in Japan solely on the MEXT stipend.
the stipend can cover rent (ideally at a university dorm to save money and shorten your commute), food, and public transportation
saving more is a good idea so that you can enjoy your time here without worrying about extra expenses, go on a few trips, and keep up with your hobbies/interests if they cost money (this helps with adjusting to life in japan as well)
depending on where you’re coming from, your living expenses might actually be cheaper, especially if you can get into a uni dorm, but there are also private sharehouses/dormitories catering to foreigners in tokyo so the housing market isn’t terrible for foreign students
I applied through university recommendation and they gave me priority in applying for their dormitory. Since I don’t speak Japanese I’ve been amply warned that I would have a lot of trouble renting anywhere, and I’d pay a premium for a realtor. I’d recommend getting into your target university’s dorm.
> there are no questions about MEXT scholarships (which I find highly unlikely)
Because those are at r/mext