Living in Japan Tips

皆さん、こんにちは！ジャックです。

So far I've only been in Japan for a month and a half, but hopefully I've learned enough to give some good advice on how to live in Japan. I'll talk about travelling (including transportation), socialising, and my life living in a share house. I'll be talking about life in Tokyo specifically.

私は日本に一ヶ月半いっているが、日本で生活する方法についていいアドバイスがあるかもしれないと思います。旅行（公共交通機関も）、遊びに行く、シェアハウスに住むについて話します。特に東京の生活を話しましょう。

Travelling in Japan

When I first came to Japan, I had no idea how to use public transport, but thankfully my friend Hannah (another Edinburgh University student) met me from the airport and gave me an introduction to Japan's railways. The first thing you will want to do is go to a ticket machine and get a PASMO card. These cards are free, and you can top them up with money in every station. Alternatively, if you know you will be using a line often enough, you can buy a commuters PASMO pass for around ￥40,000 (£250). This is useful if you commute to university every day.

Taking the correct train may seem daunting at first but Google Maps is incredibly useful and accurate. Also, Japanese trains run on time about 99% of the time - very different from Scottish trains. Almost all trains in Tokyo use English in stations and on the trains, and clear signage is everywhere. Once you've made a journey by yourself it will be easy to get around!

In addition to travelling, managing how much money you have in your wallet is important. Often in Japan you may find yourself without cash to pay for something, so you will need to make sure to go to ATMs and take out cash. Most ATMs make you take out ￥10,000 at a time if you are using an international card - but the Mizuho bank allows you take out amounts lower than that. However, after a month or so you should have access to a Japanese bank account and will be able to use that to freely take out as much as you want with any ATM.

I've travelled outside of the centre of Tokyo several times, including trips to Mt. Mitake, and the Hitachi Seaside Park. I had to take buses at times, but thankfully most buses use PASMO too!

日本旅行

初めて日本へ来たとき、公共交通機関の使い方がわかりませんでしたが、ありがたいことに、空港でハナさんに会って、日本の鉄道を紹介してもらいました。まず、券売機でPASMOカードを手に入れることです。このカードは無料で、全部の駅でお金が足せることです。その上、毎日同じ電車線に乗れば、定期券が買えます。値段は４万円ぐらいです。毎日電車で大学に行けば、とても便利です。

正しい電車を決めるのは、最初は難しく感じるかもしれません。でも、グーグルマップを使うは便利で正確です。また、いつも遅れているスコットランドの電車に比べて、日本の電車はほとんど遅れることがありません。駅にたくさん看板があるので、一人旅は複雑じゃないです！

時々日本にいる間に、ものを買うために、正しいお金がないかもしれません。だから、ATMへ行ったほうがいいですが、外国のカードを使えば、たくさんのATMで一度に1万円出せらなければなりません。しかし、「みずほ銀行」はどんな金額でも出せます。1ヶ月後、大学生は日本の銀行口座が必要なので、どんな金額でも自由に出すことができます。

東京の中央の外でときどき旅行ことがあるので、バスに乗らなければならなりません。でも、大半のバスでPASMOを使えます！(616)

Socialising

There's many ways to socialise in Japan, and most places have an Izakaya (Japanese pub) on every corner - especially Kichijoji and Shibuya. I've often visited them during lunch hours for karaage (fried chicken), and then at night it's the time to meet friends and have an all-you-can-drink party. Karaoke is also something I've wanted to do, but haven't had the time yet. If you live in a dorm or share house, there will always be people around to go out with. When Hannah and I don't have anything planned for a day, but still want to go out, we will pick a train line and get off at a random stop to just wander the town.

遊びに行く

日本には、学生として、遊びに行くの方法がたくさんあります。吉祥寺と渋谷の中で、居酒屋があって、から揚げなどが食べられる。夜中、友達と飲放題をすることができる。私はカラオケをしてみたいですが、まだ時間がありません。ハナさんと私は予定がないのに出かけたいとき、鉄道を決めて、ランダムな町を降りて、散歩しています。

Living in a share house

While in Japan I've been living in a share house which has a completely different atmosphere than a university dorm. It's up to you whether on not you want to live in a dorm or share house, but I think share houses have many advantages over dorms. For starters, there's no curfew at night and not everyone is a student so you can meet people from different backgrounds. Also, there's often many Japanese people in the houses as well - whereas if you go to an international dormitory you may have less chances to meet Japanese people. However, share houses may be slightly more expensive so it might not be ideal for everyone.

シェアハウスに住む

日本にいる間に、シェアーハウスで住んでいて、大学の寮と違う雰囲気があります。シェアーハウスに住むことのいい点は夜、門限がなくて、すべての人は学生じゃないので、いろいろな人に会えることです。また、日本人が多く住んでいますが、寮では日本人に出会う機会が少ないかもしれません。シェアーハウスに住むことのよくない点は高い家賃をはらわなければならないことです。

Overall, I've been having a great time in Japan so far and I hope that the second years have an even better time once they get here!

私はこれまで日本ですばらしい時間を過ごしてきましたが、2年生は日本にもっと楽しい時間を過ごしてほしいと思います。