Worried about what’s next (34M) MEXT Scholar Master’s Degree

4 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Worried about what’s next (34M) MEXT Scholar Master’s Degree**

   Hi!

   I’m a 34M Financial Controller from LATAM that will be moving to a university residence next September (2023)

   I applied for the MEXT Scholarship and got it (on the second try) for a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation Policy at Ritsumeikan APU and I’m currently writing a thesis for my previous Master’s Degree in Economics at a local university.

   Considering all the previous posts I read here,

   * I still keep trying to get my JLPT N4+ level to a decent N3
   * I got my Driver’s Licence
   * I’m buying all the deodorant I find at my local stores with the money I get from selling my stuff

   But, these days I’m having a hard time to connect with all the great things I imagined related to conquering my chance to live in Japan. Those daydreams which kept me going through all the extenuating process of applying and getting there.

   I’m now stuck in the mental process of worrying about what’s next and what step do I need to take to prepare and it’s wearing me out. I think I maybe burnt out.

   So here I come to you, to ask you for both:

   Anything else I’m forgetting before taking that plane? Can you share any wholesome stories of your own to inspire me again?

   Thanks in advance,

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2. My advice would be if you want to enjoy life in Japan, set your language goals higher than N3.

3. It sounds like the “future” stuff is pretty much in hand, so I’d focus on wrapping things up in your home country. Sell things, set up whatever mail forwarding you’ll need, close accounts if needed, open new accounts if needed, figure out what you’ll do about your home country cell number, get those overdue doctors checkups taken care of, etc.

   I remember the first time I came to Japan I had some old parking ticket in my home country resurface and trying to deal with it from abroad was a pain. Not a huge deal, but I was so busy settling into Japan that it was the last thing I wanted to handle!

4. Totally agree with u/beginswithanx to settle as much as you possibly can before arriving in Japan. You won’t be able to creat the bank account used for the MEXT scholarship (JP Post) until you arrive, but converting USD ~$2,000-3,000 to Japanese yen in cash to bring with you for the first month or two in the country will help. If you can, make sure your money from your home country is in a bank account that is accessible in Japan (I mean has either a partnership or agreement with a bank in Japan to allow you to take out or access your money with fewer or no atm fees. You’ll still have to pay some fees). I got here and realized my bank’s mobile app doesn’t work in Japan and I’m still dealing with the consequences of that a year later. Improving your Japanese as much as possible will help. Make a plan for getting a Japanese SIM card (try to get one either in the airport after arriving in Japan, getting one mailed to you such as by Mobal, or a temporary eSIM) just for the first week or so while you’re setting up bank accounts and a proper phone plan. Make sure you rework all of your dual factor authentication methods for apps and accounts before getting rid of your home country’s phone number too. Getting physical copies of all of your medical and dental records is also a good idea. There are plenty of “moving abroad checklists” online to make a plan with. There’s also plenty of posts in this subreddit that tell you the kinds of things that might be more difficult to find in Japan. I also recommend checking the comments using the search function in r/MEXT because I’ve made a few contributions to similar questions being asked in the past.

   Regarding the second part of your post, I urge you to go into this experience open-minded and with fewer expectations. Don’t tangle yourself up and limit yourself with ideas of what you think this experience should be like. You can, however, try to get excited and make a list of the things you want to see and foods you want to try and that type of thing while you wait. That helped me quite a bit when I was in your position. Finally, I beg of you, try to address the burnout you’re feeling before you go. I know it all seems hectic now and it’ll definitely be hectic for the first few months after arrival, but if you continue this without trying to fix the burnout, it will 100% affect your studies and make life more difficult for you. You can do this and I know you’ll manage it all just fine. Please take care though, all right? Good luck!