Okay, I am trying to be productive before I head to Tokyo, and so I've been looking in to cell phones and plans. I won't be able to apply for one or anything until I get my alien registration card, but that should happen within the first week after I arrive.
Japan has a lot of crazy cellphones - to the point where they are probably redundantly pimped out, though still better than the iPhone (as of 2007 at least). Really though, I'm not interested in phones that can smell or play TV; however, a phone with Google Maps would be helpful I'm sure.
So I was thinking of getting an iPhone, but that lil dream came crumbling down after I calculated that I'd end up paying $800-$1000 for eleven months of use. (Note: Phone plans in Japan are usually for 2-years, and you have to pay a cancellation fee if you terminate your contract before that period).
Still, I will probably end up choosing a Softbank phone, as the English version of their website is very efficient (it's more or less a translation of their Japanese site). Most people text/email in Japan, as regular calls are super expensive, so I'll have to keep that in mind.
Waseda did send me an advertisement for a Piccell international phone (which is a free phone with a $25 per month bill), but I was searching online for reviews of Piccell and it seems like a lot of students did not have a very good experience with them (there is even a lawsuit against Piccell it seems). My friend Natasha (whose blog is linked to mine) used them though, and did not have any problems.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Knocking On Heaven's Door
I've always thought it cool that アンジェラ・アキ is a GWU alumni! Of course, I think that 手紙 is her best song.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Banking and Other Ubiquities
I am currently waiting for my very delicious chicken pot pie to finish baking; having just spent the past thirty minutes drinking iced tea and pretending to be a pirate (not really), I thought I could perhaps spare a moment to post another blog entry.
Lately, I've been trying to figure out what to do about banking while I am in Japan. Currently I have a Capital One checking account and a Bank of America student checking account (and as of roughly two hours ago, I have a Citibank student checking account in the process of being created).
It was recommended to me that Citibank is the best bank to use in Japan, since it actually has branches in Japan and has a partnership with 7/11. However, apparently this is negligent as regardless of where I withdraw money, all withdrawals still incur a 3% charge (I am not sure if this is in addition to ATM fees).
This means that for example if I go to a Citibank Japan branch, I will still be charged 3% (this is supposed to change in the future, but whatever); the reason for this is that Citibank Japan does not have access to my US Citibank info -- I sense an Information Systems opportunity here. Citibank does have 24 hour customer service though, which my Citibank representative was very insistent on pointing out to me.
On the other hand, Capital One does not charge for ATM withdrawals; there is also no fee for withdrawing in Yen from my US checking account. However, I'd still end up paying the ATM usage-fee.
I haven't looked in to/most likely won't bother looking in to Bank of America and Chase (which has branches in Japan too). In fact, I'll probably close my Bank of America account, because as nice as their ATMs are, Citibank has better student benefits.
Note: A helpful reminder here, to future people studying abroad: don't forget to tell your bank your international itinerary -- otherwise your card won't work abroad.
Anyways, in perhaps more interesting news, I've been keeping in touch with my host family. There was some confusion on my part as to whether or not I was to meet my host family at the airport or use the student pick-up service that Waseda offers. After a series of some rather awkward emails, it seems to be that I am meeting my host mother at the airport when I arrive.
Lately, I've been trying to figure out what to do about banking while I am in Japan. Currently I have a Capital One checking account and a Bank of America student checking account (and as of roughly two hours ago, I have a Citibank student checking account in the process of being created).
It was recommended to me that Citibank is the best bank to use in Japan, since it actually has branches in Japan and has a partnership with 7/11. However, apparently this is negligent as regardless of where I withdraw money, all withdrawals still incur a 3% charge (I am not sure if this is in addition to ATM fees).
This means that for example if I go to a Citibank Japan branch, I will still be charged 3% (this is supposed to change in the future, but whatever); the reason for this is that Citibank Japan does not have access to my US Citibank info -- I sense an Information Systems opportunity here. Citibank does have 24 hour customer service though, which my Citibank representative was very insistent on pointing out to me.
On the other hand, Capital One does not charge for ATM withdrawals; there is also no fee for withdrawing in Yen from my US checking account. However, I'd still end up paying the ATM usage-fee.
I haven't looked in to/most likely won't bother looking in to Bank of America and Chase (which has branches in Japan too). In fact, I'll probably close my Bank of America account, because as nice as their ATMs are, Citibank has better student benefits.
Note: A helpful reminder here, to future people studying abroad: don't forget to tell your bank your international itinerary -- otherwise your card won't work abroad.
Anyways, in perhaps more interesting news, I've been keeping in touch with my host family. There was some confusion on my part as to whether or not I was to meet my host family at the airport or use the student pick-up service that Waseda offers. After a series of some rather awkward emails, it seems to be that I am meeting my host mother at the airport when I arrive.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Less Than a Month to Japan!
Well, you know, everyone is doing it -- a blog for their travels, that is. And so well, I want to be popular, so here's mine!
Currently, I am a 20-year old nobody-who-wants-to-be-somebody eagerly anticipating my year abroad in Tokyo at 早稲田大学 (Waseda University). Passport CHECK! Visa CHECK! Sense of Adventure CHECK! I leave on the 13th of September to arrive on the 14th, from New Orleans to Chicago to the Narita Airport in Tokyo.
I'll be spending my year abroad with a host family aka. ホストファミリー.
From the information I've received, I've discerned that they live about 40 minutes to an hour away from Waseda's campus (depending on which combination of foot, bus, and metro I use). An hour's commute is fairly common for students staying with host families, I've heard. Anyways, I'll be living with a father (66) and a mother (61) and a pet dog (Maltese). They've hosted students for 14 years and have three married sons, so I don't anticipate any problems.
I am also fortunate because I will be receiving a stipend of roughly $1800 or about ¥169911 a month, which I received from both the George Washington University (my home uni.) and Waseda. Though I have been to both China and Taiwan, I have not yet been to Japan, and so I think the stipend certainly offers an immense opportunity to experience the Japanese culture uninhibited.
As Sept 13th draws nearer, I am slowly but surely reviewing my Japanese (which is quite terrible right now). I've also begun to put a mental pack list together; thus far it consist of 1) a towel, 2) neosporin, and 3) a raincoat and/or umbrella if I so choose.
All in all, I'll try and be fairly faithful to this blog, and I'll try to organize my posts in to some sort of coherent categories. So far I've tagged posts that relate to Waseda (Waseda), and posts that relate to my homestay (Homestay).
In the meantime, I need to open up a Citibank account (which I hear has branches in Japan), and buy some cheap, but decent suitcases.
Currently, I am a 20-year old nobody-who-wants-to-be-somebody eagerly anticipating my year abroad in Tokyo at 早稲田大学 (Waseda University). Passport CHECK! Visa CHECK! Sense of Adventure CHECK! I leave on the 13th of September to arrive on the 14th, from New Orleans to Chicago to the Narita Airport in Tokyo.
I'll be spending my year abroad with a host family aka. ホストファミリー.
From the information I've received, I've discerned that they live about 40 minutes to an hour away from Waseda's campus (depending on which combination of foot, bus, and metro I use). An hour's commute is fairly common for students staying with host families, I've heard. Anyways, I'll be living with a father (66) and a mother (61) and a pet dog (Maltese). They've hosted students for 14 years and have three married sons, so I don't anticipate any problems.
I am also fortunate because I will be receiving a stipend of roughly $1800 or about ¥169911 a month, which I received from both the George Washington University (my home uni.) and Waseda. Though I have been to both China and Taiwan, I have not yet been to Japan, and so I think the stipend certainly offers an immense opportunity to experience the Japanese culture uninhibited.
As Sept 13th draws nearer, I am slowly but surely reviewing my Japanese (which is quite terrible right now). I've also begun to put a mental pack list together; thus far it consist of 1) a towel, 2) neosporin, and 3) a raincoat and/or umbrella if I so choose.
All in all, I'll try and be fairly faithful to this blog, and I'll try to organize my posts in to some sort of coherent categories. So far I've tagged posts that relate to Waseda (Waseda), and posts that relate to my homestay (Homestay).
In the meantime, I need to open up a Citibank account (which I hear has branches in Japan), and buy some cheap, but decent suitcases.
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