Yokohama University

I have spent the previous 4 months studying at Yokohama National University. Hopefully this information can be helpful to students who are going to study here in the future!

JOY programme

I am enrolled on the JOY programme which requires I take 6 credits of Japanese classes and another 8 credits of other classes to pass the semester here. If you apply for a JASSO scholarship for the Japanese government, you must take an extra 2 credits and acquire all 14 to remain on the programme and receive the scholarship. You may take extra credits/classes if you wish to, however any extra Japanese classes that give over 6 credits will not count towards the credits you earn. For instance, if you fail another class that is not Japanese, you cannot use any extra credits from other Japanese language classes you took as extra study. The YCCS programme is also an option for students from Edinburgh university however from what I can gather you are usually placed on this programme if your language skill is higher (intermediate Japanese course). This programme requires different credits/classes be taken. Semester 1 runs from the beginning of October to the beginning of February (with about a week off over New year) and the second semester runs from the beginning of March until the beginning of August.

Social

There are many students from around the world who are enrolled on this programme and who live in the same dormitory as you and take the same classes as you. For me, these people have been incredibly friendly and I have been able to visit many places and go to many events with them. As there is nobody else from my home university on the same programme as me here, I was worried about becoming lonely but the social aspect of life at Yokohama university is great! A lot of the foreign students here are interested in Japanese language however you may find that people tend to speak in English most of the time. However, the outside classes and clubs you can join at university provide opportunities to make Japanese friends. There is also a university club 105, which is made up of Japanese students who are interested in interacting with foreign students. They have a section in the international student building and provide support for foreign students such as: aiding with university life/work, organising social events and activities etc. You are also assigned a student tutor from the beginning of your stay to whom you may ask advice from at any time and who will help you get started with Japanese life when you initially arrive here.

In terms of social media, I recommend the app ‘line’! This is very popular in Japan and you will be able to add new friends by scanning their user code. For the Gumyouji/Ooka dorm members there is also a couple of groups for all the residents where events are planned and which you can use to ask questions.

In terms of where we usually go for social activities, we often go to nomikai’s, nomihoudai/tabehoudai, karaoke or we buy drinks/snacks from the conbini and stay in our dorm. Food/drink is cheap here in comparison to Scotland so it is relatively easy to go out. Other than these things, we often go bowling, shopping, to arcades and for long walks. There are beautiful places that you can find if you walk far enough or catch the subway, Minato Mirai and the beach near Kamakura in particular.

The classes When you first arrive, you must take a placement test to roughly gage your Japanese level. If you are a complete beginner, you do not need to take the test and can just start from the J100 level classes. If you are like me and worry about being placed wrongly, the teaching staff are quite lenient and may let you take classes one set higher/lower than you place initially. You can also take a mixture of different level classes for various parts of the language for instance I took J300 comprehensive class which uses the tobira textbook but then took the harder level J400 for listening/reading, speaking/writing and kanji classes. Personally, I found my level was in between that of J300 and J400 and so I found the latter classes quite difficult and the former quite boring. I would recommend keeping on top of the work they give you as much as possible, especially using apps such as ankidroid or quizlet to study the new vocabulary/kanji weekly. I fell very behind with this and due to the amount of new vocabulary assigned weekly am having a hard time catching up.

Extra classes include a variety of subjects. For JOY students, ‘Japan in the World’ is a required course to be taken in semester one. This course requires you to write a 5000 word essay on a topic relating to Japan in comparison to your home country (which you have to write a brief explanation of in your application form, although you may completely change your topic later if you wish). There is no actual attendance for this class however you must keep the tutor updated bi-weekly on your progress with the essay before the submission deadline at the end of semester one. They are incredibly lenient and understanding when it comes to coursework like this, so there is no need to worry if your submission is late/lacking words etc. (just let them know). I was also able to take other subjects (taught mostly in English) such as Iaido (traditional Japanese martial art). I was able to take a couple of business classes, which I have no interest in, but the classes centred around interacting in groups of actual Japanese students which allowed me to make Japanese friends!

Medical

I would recommend taking paracetamol/ibuprofen/hayfever meds or any meds that you need with you for the year as it can be quite a hassle to find the right products in Japan. The university provides you with information on local hospitals/clinics that have English speaking doctors and you may ask your student tutor to accompany you if needed. There is also a medical building at the university which will provide you with information/note for your doctor in Japanese/map for where to go. They also have free therapy sessions on Mondays with a proficient enough English speaking therapist if needed. On top of this, I and many other foreign students have found we have had sudden skin problems for unknown reasons, particularly in relation to Japanese hair products. Therefore, I recommend you bring familiar shampoos/body lotions with you in case of allergies to products here.

Dormitories

There are a number of dormitories available at Yokohama university however you will not get to choose which one you are placed in. Unfortunately, the Gumyouji dormitory which I am staying in (which has been open to foreign students for a few decades now) is finally closing to foreign students after we leave. Therefore, if you read about this dorm elsewhere the information is most likely outdated. As of 2019, if you are on the JOY programme you will probably be placed in the new dorm which has been built on campus. If you are on the YCCS programme then you may be placed in Gumyouji (next to my dorm) in the newer Ooka building. From what I am aware of, both of these dormitories are around 40,000/50,000 yen rent per month. The Ooka dorm has pay showers outside of the rooms (one set on each floor, 100 yen per use). The newly built dorm may be similar to this. Each room will have its own toilet however from what I am aware of the Ooka dorm does not have any kitchen facilities in your room. Ooka has a big shared kitchen/dining area with a TV and a Japanese style washitsu (tatami floors/sliding doors etc.).

Bills/expenses

Paying bills is easy enough. Rent can be paid at the post office either by speaking with the worker or using the machine (they will also show you how to use it if necessary). Electric can be paid at either the post office or the conbini. The electric bill can get pretty expensive, especially when using the heating in the winter. My bill (which from what I can gather was the most expensive out of my friends in the dorm) was around 15,000 yen. Mainly I used the heating at about 30 degrees Celsius for on average 4 hours a day, hot water for the shower/sink, laptop usage etc.. On top of these expenses, you must pay medical insurance bills which arrive three at a time once every three months (and may be payed all at once or monthly). They are around 1,000 yen each.

Public transport

If you are living in the Ooka dorm in gumyouji it will be necessary to take the subway to university. It is 10 stops from Gumyouji station (12) to Mitsuzawa-kamicho station (22) and takes about 15/20 minutes. I would recommend getting a monthly/tri-monthly pass for the subway. For the monthly pass it is around 10,000 yen. I pay for it between the station before Gumyouji (Kamiooka (11)) to Mitsuzawa-Kamicho. It is the same price and is very useful as Kamiooka has many shops, restaurants, arcades and bowling etc.. You can buy the pass in the station from the ticket machine in English. Yokohama station and Sakuragicho station are among those in the middle which are covered by the pass, which is also very useful. From the Gumyouji/Ooka dorms, the subway is a 2 minute walk away. It takes about an hour/hour and a half from Gumyouji to get to various parts of Tokyo and costs under 1000 yen for most central places.

Rubbish and recycling

Rubbish is separated into a few categories. Burnable: various paper/card, old food; Non-burnable: dirty plastics etc.; Plastics: clean plastics, the packaging/lids from bottles; Bottles; cans; glass; cardboard. I tend to just buy packs of rubbish bags and store them in a cubby-hole in my room separately until they are full. There is a rubbish disposal area at the dorm.

JASSO scholarship

The number of students the university can offer the scholarship to varies from semester to semester. I was told that in the past the university could only provide a few students with the scholarship, however when I arrived, they were able to provide around 30 or more students with it. Therefore, there is nothing to lose by applying. However, make sure you have enough money for the first few months here as you don’t receive the scholarship until a few months into your stay. They supply you with 80,000 yen per month dependant on you obtaining 14 credits per semester.

大学生活

横浜国立大学はとてもいい大学である。日本語だけでなく、他のいろいろな授業も取ることもできる。例えば、居合道という日本の伝統的な武道やビジネスのクラスを取れた。普通の留学生は12単位を取る必要がある。JASSOという奨学金もらっている留学生は14単位を取る必要がある。

遊びに行く

JOYの学生として横国大に入ったら、世界のいろいろな国から来た人に会える。そして、大学で日本人の学生にも会いやすいので、たくさん友達になれると思う。だから、横浜の周りや東京に遊びに行って、飲んだり、食べたり、確実に楽しめる。

病院・薬

日本ではイギリスの薬などを探すのが難しいと思う。だから、荷物に入れておくほうがいい。でも、気分が悪くなった時には助けてくれるので、絶対に大学のスタッフに相談したほうがいい。

寮（住んでいる場所）

新しい寮は横国大のもっと近くにあるが、家賃が高くなるかもしれない。一か月に15000円の代わりに、やく45000円になるので、気を付けてください。でも、新しい寮なので、きれいだし、大学のもっと近くにあるし、いいと思う。

ゴミの分別

日本ではゴミの決まりと法律は厳しい。したがって、燃えるゴミと燃えないゴミは別々に捨てなければならない。そのほかは、プラスチック、紙とカードボード、グラス、ペットボトル、缶で全部分かれていて、別々に捨てなければならない。

電車と地下鉄

弘明寺に住むことになったら、毎日大学まで地下鉄に乗る必要がある。弘明寺から横国大の近くにある三ッ沢上町という駅までは20分ぐらいかかる。そのあと、20分ぐらい歩かなければいけない。地下鉄の定期券のほうが安くて、便利なので、おすすめだ。

When I was looking at applying to universities, I looked through a lot of this information that was provided but still could not find everything I wanted to know! Hopefully this information can be helpful to you.