It is nearing the end of finals season at Waseda and I have begun preparations for my return to Hawaii! Upon reflection of my time studying in Tokyo, there are a few pieces of advice I have gathered for anyone looking to study abroad in Tokyo:
1. Get a Pasmo Commuter Pass
Obtaining a Suica or Pasmo train pass is essential if you are studying abroad or even travelling in Japan. You can obtain a digital version of either card on in the Apple Wallet, which can be easily recharged using Apple pay. This comes in particularly handy when you need to top off your card quickly and want to avoid the lines for a recharge station or don’t have cash since recharge stations can only be paid in cash. The Pasmo commuter passes are also an essential when studying abroad in Japan, particularly if your living accommodations are farther from your host university. The commuter passes can only be obtained as a physical card, and thus can only be recharged at a charging station using cash, however they do not require recharging for travel between your home station and university station because the commuter pass is purchased as a lump sum up front and grants unlimited travel between any two specified stations for one to three months.
2. Bring Weather-Appropriate Clothes
Depending on what time of the year you study abroad in Japan, the weather will be very different. In the Winter, obviously, you would want to bring warm clothes regardless of what region in the country you will be staying. The Spring semester is a bit harder to pack for since Japan’s Spring semester is April through July. At the beginning of the Spring semester in Japan, the weather will be surprisingly cold, especially compared to Hawaii weather, so you will want warm clothes. During the later months however, particularly July, Japan is extremely hot and humid so you will want to pack clothes accordingly as well.
3. Get an E-sim
There are many options for internet access in Japan, but I found that e-sim cards were the best price-for-value and most convenient of the options. I know some people who purchased physical sim cards which may be more convenient for obtaining a Japanese phone number (see #7), however the prices for these vary and you must go physically pick up the sim card which may be a hassle. There are also pocket wifi options, but these must be recharged and can be quite pricey. I used an e-sim from Japan Wireless for my semester which is easy to download right from your phone and has data options that can be purchased by day or monthly depending on your price range and data use.
4. Important Apps and Websites
There are many useful phone applications to have when staying in Japan. Google Maps or Navitime are the best options for transportation routing, although the Navitime app is only in Japanese and doesn’t function as well on foreign phones/Apple IDs. For communication, LINE is the best option since it has both messages and audio call options, although social media messaging overall is always an easy option. For communicating, Papago and Google Translate are both helpful to use, however I found that Papago often has better translations. Instead of fiding restaurant recommendations and making reservations on Yelp or Opentable like in the States, in Japan you must use Tabelog or Hot Pepper. Tabelog is similar to Yelp in that you can search for restaurants by cuisine, price range, rating, and location and can make reservations right from the website or app. Hot Pepper is similar to Opentable in that it focusses more so on reservations than customer ratings, however Hot Pepper has reservation services for a number of services in addition to restaurants such as hair and nail salons. With access to the Japanese app store, you can also download apps for Tabelog, Hot Pepper, and JR (Japan Rail) as well.
5. Bring a Cash-friendly Wallet
Although many stores and restaurants accept credit cards, most do not accept all credit card types and many only accept cash. As such, you are going to want to bring a wallet that can fit both bills and coins since you will likely want to always have cash on you just in case.
6. Get a Debit Card with No International Transaction Fee
Before coming to Japan, you will want to open a bank account and obtain a debit card that has a zero international transaction fee. The ATM fees are not bad, however the transaction costs for purchases are likely to add up over the course of a study abroad program so a low or zero international transaction fee will be your friend. I got my Visa Debit card with Charles Schwab Bank. Alternatively, you can open a Japanese bank account which may come in handy for booking tickets and events online that only accept Japanese cards, however this option is best for those who will be staying in Japan for a year or longer.
7. Get a Japanese Phone Number
Having a Japanese phone number is not absolutely necessary, however it can be helpful when purchasing event tickets and/or making accounts while in Japan. I did not get a Japanese phone number, but I was able to communicate using a mix of my regular phone number and LINE. The main benefit of having a Japanese phone number comes into play when you are booking event tickets or need to be able to receive messages or calls from an unknown number. While in Japan, I was unable to get messages or calls from any contact I did not message first, so I could not receive any calls or messages from unknown numbers or contacts with whom I did not first reach out to. Also, some events such as concerts require you to have a Japanese phone number to book a ticket, so if you do not have one yourself, you may have to ask a friend who does to call or put their phone number down on your behalf.
8. Follow Your Favorite Artists and Shows on Twitter
Especially if you are interested in music, gaming, or anime and manga, you will want to follow your favorite artists, games, studios, and so on on Twitter. There are often pop-ups, collaborations, and limited time events throughout Tokyo for various video games and anime which you will be able to find out about in advance by following those accounts on Twitter. The same goes for music artists and characters such as Sanrio. These artists, studios, and the companies that run them usually have Japanese Twitter accounts where they post about collaborations and events in advance which is particularly important when such events are limited time or require reservation.
9. Book Popular Attraction Tickets with Klook
Klook is a website and application that can be downloaded on your phone where you can book tours, transportation, and attractions. The site is targeted mainly for short-time tourists, so some of the tours and experiences can be a bit pricey. However, I found that the application came in quite handy when booking tickets for various attractions whose normal ticket-purchasing website only accepts Japanese credit cards. Additionally, I found that on several occasions when official websites said certain dates were sold out for an attraction, such as Tokyo Disneyland, there were still tickets available on the Klook website. Klook also often has discounted prices for attractions that you cannot get on official Japanese sites.
10. Check the Weather Every Day
The weather in Tokyo can be quite unpredictable. There were many occasions where I found myself having to rent or buy an emergency umbrella when rain came out of nowhere. Check the weather report before you leave home every day and I would suggest bringing an umbrella even if it says low chance of rain or even just heavy clouds.