Hello there!
I moved to Tokyo about three days ago, and I think I could use some advice please, as I will live here for one year.
Everything is just so big, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Like, where should I do grocery shopping?
How can my Japanese improve (I’m at a b1/b2 level, and still, a lot of times I feel completely clueless)?
What’s the best way to get a SIM card? What’s a good housing situation?
I am sorry for all these questions. I feel a bit lonely and lost at the moment, and I thought, maybe, someone here could help answer these, or any other questions I might have and forgot about.
14 comments
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First make sure you register your address at the ward office ASAP. You need to do this before you can do basically anything to set up your life.
Mobal is an easy option for a SIM card (you don’t need all the documentation you would need for a major Japanese company and you can cancel any month). Their data was too slow for me so I changed to ymobile after a few weeks when I had documentation but as a stop gap mobal works.
You’ve been here for 3 days.Take it slow, breathe, you’re going to be clueless for a -lot- of things in the coming weeks and months, even more. It’s part of the deal, it’s part of what makes life interesting here.
Don’t try to solve all your issues at once, for example today is your grocery store day, that’s when you’ll find a nearby grocery store… You can even use google map for that…
Hey, Welcome to Japan!
First, you should check the wiki from this subreddit. It will help you a lot about setting in.
About size and this things… just start small. Try to understand that you don’t live in Tokyo as a whole, but your neighborhood first. Start by exploring a few streets, get to see them in different times of day, convincce yourself that it is a normal living neighborhood.
And then you can start exploring other zones, as basically taking trips to different places. Don’t try to absorb everything at the same time.
And about loneliness… check Meetup, for example (the groups with activities, not just the “speak japanese” or pary ones), as a valid socializing strategy at the start.
OK… lots of question. Step one, take a second and BREATHE.
Let’s start by getting you internet. If you don’t know what you are doing yet, just rent a hotspot for a bit. Worst case scenario, go to an airport. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, open wifi isn’t exactly rare.
Coming from almost ANYPLACE to the Tokyo/Yokohama metro can be really overwhelming. Don’t worry about your Japanese too much just now. Focus on getting oriented and finding where everything is. First step, find a konbini. Everything you’re likely to need in the short term will be there, and the vast majority of people working there speak at least a little English.
Next, just start walking around. Just pick a direction and go. You’ll find all kinds of cool stuff, including the places you’re likely to shop. It’ll also give you a good feel of the area.
When it’s time to worry about your language skills, the biggest trap a lot of ex-pats fall into is surrounding themselves with other ex-pats that speak English. Speak Japanese every single chance you get. At first, people are going to want to communicate with you in English. Don’t let them. Do the best you can. This is how the Mormons do it, and it works really well. The more you speak Japanese, the better you’ll be at speaking it. The more you listen to Japanese, the better you’ll get at understanding it.
Housing is a really complex question actually. How did you end up going to Japan without having your housing situation sorted?
Everyone here has given solid advice. Your local convenience store is gonna be like a hub for everything you do. You can pay your bills there, you can pay for Amazon orders there as well as pick up your packages.
Supermarkets are all over the place. In my area I have a Sotetsu Rosen that’s really nice but a bit expensive, Maruetsu which is in the middle and Big A supermarket which is cheap. There is also Gyomu Super and Niku No Hanamasa which are more for small restaurants so you can buy in larger quantities to save money. Keep this in mind when you’re out and about. Also make mental notes of everything you see and just pop in to have a peek when you have a chance 😊
Google map is a great tool. You can query on what you looking for and save places you want to go. Also the maps tell you what trains to catch etc. I have had no problem finding places.
Don’t buy too many furnitures and stuff you can’t take back home as you’ll be living for just a year, disposal is a massive pain in the arse :v
I just moved 3 months ago? Where are you staying??
Get food or groceries wherever you want, you aren’t likely to go hungry in Tokyo even if you are poor, make some friends and they’ll help you out. I don’t know what a b1/b2 level in Japanese is. Just make friends and try to speak as much as possible. Avoid spending all your time with other foreigners because you won’t gain anything and will actually lose out on experiencing the language and culture. SIM card, you’re gonna need a bank account (yuucho is fine), and an address you’re staying at, as well as a credit card. If you can’t get all of those things, there are some online resources to get you a temporary phone while you’re in Japan. Housing, you should have tried to figure something about before coming. However there are apartments that you can rent by the week/month until you find something more stable. GL.
Dude. It’s been 3 days. Embrace the city. Tokyo is without a doubt the best city in the world.
Go to a park or something.
Try to check your 区 website. They often have japanese language courses which are almost free (2500 yen per course in my case). That’s much better than nothing for sure.
But if you go back home 1 year later, I’d say don’t waste your time learning japanese and enjoy Tokyo instead.
If it’s clear that you are only staying in Japan for a year, my advice is stay in the dorm, definitely. The extra fees and paper works (for the house and utilities) to rent a house are just not worth it when you are just going to stay in the house for a year or even less. And then you have to terminate those contracts, more paper works. And you have to pay utility bills which I assume the rent of the dorm cover?
And most home for rent here come with nothing except AC and water heater, you have to buy a lot of things which again, you have to get rid of after just a year for most. And the procedure to throw away house furniture and appliances is intimidating for a lot of first timer.
And before thinking about moving out of the dorm, you have a lot of things need to be take care first. For example, register your address and getting a bank account(you need it if you want to use a local phone plan). I am not sure if this is possible, but you may want to check if you can use pre-paid SIM to get to through this year, check if they will check your VISA type when buying prepaid SIM. If it’s possible, this may be a better option than signing a contract with the providers.
In short, it doesn’t make sense financially and practically for a student who’s going to in Japan for just one year to move out of dorm to rent a house. Just like others say, you should enjoy your time in Japan before throwing yourself into the hassles of renting a house, seriously.
Google maps also explains, step by step, how to use the train. It will let you know when to switch lines, when to stay on a paused train and even what cars have the fastest exit time. Honestly it’s hard to fail using it.