Welcome to my blog.
This blog is mainly for my family & friends to keep track of me while I’m in Japan, but I guess it can also serve as a source of info for those thinking of going on a university exchange. I am participating in a one year exchange (09-10) program through Waseda SILS.
If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll answer! If any fellow Waseda exchangers have a blog and want to swap links, let me know!
If you’ve just come for Waseda dorm info, click here
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July 16, 2009 at 4:10 pm |
Looks like you are going to have lots of fun in Japan! I am attending Waseda too from September 2009, but I am doing the intensive Japanese program. Good luck on your studies!
July 16, 2009 at 9:16 pm |
Hi Chris!
A friend of mine from Germany is doing IJLP as well. I’m sure we’ll all meet each other at social gatherings and such.
Good luck with everything!
August 8, 2009 at 8:50 pm |
Hi! I will be attending SILS in September 2009 too!
Thanks for the classes update. See you there! Good Luck~
August 10, 2009 at 11:55 pm |
Hey Jessie! Thanks for commenting on my blog! Maybe we’ll see each other during the orientation or maybe in some classes?
I have a friend who’s going to be staying in Hoshien too. よろしくお願いします！
August 17, 2009 at 12:17 pm |
Hey Jessie, (same Jessie from facebook? if so, hi again!)
How are you? I just set up my blog and was surfing around for other blogs and found yours! (and I noted the similar blog names too @_@!) Hope you’re all ready for Japan! I saw that you’re self learning Korean? Me too! I’m disappointed that we can’t take Korean classes while we’re at Waseda but oh well! Anyway, just dropping by to say hi
August 19, 2009 at 12:26 pm |
Hey Jessie! Randomly stumbled across your blog looking for the NASIC website… I’m going to be at Waseda for the year too, at SILS and at Hoshien, so thought I’d say hi
Thanks for the NASIC link, at least now I know what my room will look like! Can’t wait
September 5, 2009 at 9:41 am |
I’m doing the IJLP, but as you know, we’re in the same building
I’ll subscribe to your blog so you can see mine too 
Didn’t know you had a wordpress 
xoxo
September 13, 2009 at 12:51 am |
Hey girl! Wish you all the best in Japan! =D Just find me a hot/cute guy(s) and bring them back to me =p btw don’t forget to send me your address =p Your $$ is still with me~
September 14, 2009 at 5:16 pm |
Hey Jessie!
Very interesting blog entires too ^_^
This is Catherine from UofT~
Glad to hear you’ve made to Japan
I just recently got back from Denver & working so I am sorry I have been MIA and couldn’t attend your “Bye Toronto” event.
Hope you enjoy your stay in Japan and i’ll be stalking your pictures >:D
Take care ne~
May 10, 2010 at 8:35 am |
Hey! This is so random, but I was looking at dorms and your site showed up on google.
I’m going to Waseda this fall and I was debating which dorm to get. I heard Hoshien was really good…but Nishi Waseda looks good too? Got any tips as far as dorms go?
May 10, 2010 at 5:32 pm |
Hi Julie!
Other people have been e-mailing me about this so I just wrote out a long ass entry here:
http://jessieinjapan.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/waseda-dorms/
We weren’t actually allowed to choose our dorms, but you might get lucky and get your first choice. ^_^
May 11, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Wow, thank you! That was extremely helpful… I def. want Nishi Waseda now, or Hoshien 3 >_
June 8, 2010 at 11:05 pm |
Heyy, I will be going over to Waseda this fall and I have been trying to figure out the monthly expenses over in Tokyo. Websites vary drastically and I am not sure what amount would be enough. I mean, I don’t have to live luxuriously but I don’t wanna be miserable and not be able to enjoy different experiences there yaknow?
If it is convenient for you to reveal here (or u could email me), how much do you suggest would be enough?
June 11, 2010 at 12:46 am |
Hey there,
Websites probably vary a lot because everyone’s lifestyle here varies a lot. How much you bring will depend on what exactly you like to do. Do you stay home a lot? Do you want to travel a lot? Do you like to go to clubs and bars a lot? Do you eat in or out? If you cook, what kind of stuff do you want to cook? There are a whole lot of factors that makes everyone’s budget pretty different. I can tell you from speaking with my friends that all of our budgets are completely different.
For me, I didn’t have a choice in how much money I could bring. The money I was able to bring here was based solely on the amount of student loans I could get (plus a couple scholarships I was lucky enough to get). What I do know, is that whatever amount my school advised me to bring with me to Japan…I spent more.
Here’s an idea of the different costs you might encounter (all the prices in yen)…
Rent: Around 70,000/month depending on where you live.
Keitai: I usually pay 4,000-5,000/month…but there have been months where I paid around 8,000 (my plan/phone are more expensive than most people)
Health Insurance: 1,100/month
Nomikai/Nomihoudai: 3,000 and up…and there are people who do drink every night of the week
Clubbing: Before-club-bar + 2,500-5,000 club cover + drinks (most clubs include a drink or 2 with the cover)
Fast food: 500-1,000 (McDs, Subway, KFC, etc. are more expensive than Canada)
Bento Boxes: 300-500
Groceries: Hard to say because I don’t know what you eat. I spend anywhere from 2,500 to 6,000 a week.
Suica (train card): Depends on how much you use the train, and where you take it to.
Traveling…
Plane from Tokyo to Okinawa/Hokkaido: Around 30,000 if I remember correctly
Shinkansen: Too expensive for me.
Night bus: 4,000+ depending on which company/where you go
Seishun 18 Pass: 11,000 for 5 days
Hostels/Ryokans: 1,000-3,500/night
Hotels: 5,000+/night
Buses where there are no trains near by: 120+
Shrines: Free-1,000
I wish I could give you a solid answer, but without knowing your definition of being comfortable and what kinds of experiences you want, assuming you have access to a decent sum of money, I cannot tell you how much would be good for you to bring.
June 11, 2010 at 10:49 pm
<3 <3 <3
This is REALLY helpful! I appreciate u taking the time to type such a long reply!
I myself have no idea what exactly I am expecting either. D8 Just going over and hoping things work out. I might get a part-time to supplment my expenses if there's a need I guess.
Oh btw, are bigger size clothes and shoes easy to find? I am a UK 14 and my shoe size is around 41? I am afraid I can't find clothes there (hence the need to pack moree)
Thanks a million!
June 13, 2010 at 9:49 pm |
I started making budgets about 2 months in once I was really settled in. It made my life a lot easier, although I’m sure there are lots of people who can live without physically writing down everything they spend.
I’m not sure what a UK 14 is, but I’m a really big girl. I was about a US/Canadian size 13-14 when I came here (lost a little weight, hooray!), and my shoe size is UK 36 (Japan size 22-23.5). For clothing, I can find a lot of stuff on Takeshita Doori in Harajuku, and at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. A lot of those stores carry only medium sizes, but some mediums are REALLY big and some are REALLY small.
Uniqlo also carries a fairly wide range of sizes. The only thing I do have problems finding here are pants. I’ve bought skirts and leggings, but I brought my own jeans because I knew finding my waist size would be hard.
If you can read at least some Japanese, and use Rikaichan for FireFox, I do a lot of online shopping at this site
http://www.rapty.com/size_shop/index.html
They have really nice and affordable clothing in a really wide range of sizes. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent at least $500 here since September.
Some department stores also carry larger sizes, but department stores are also very expensive.
Also, if you have a large bra size, bring a lot of bras. Bras DO come in my size (although very rarely), but bras here are made for girls who want to go up a cup size or two (or three or four). When a couple of my bras ripped, I had my mother ship me some from home.
I can’t really speak about shoes because my feet fit right into Japanese shoes. Any of my friends with a shoe size US 8 or larger have a hard time shoe shopping. Stores exist for people with larger feet, but they tend to be more expensive. Shoes here are also made for narrower feet.
Good luck!
August 18, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Heyy, thanks for all the great advice so far!
I saw that you highly recommend Gaye Rowley’s Tale of Genji module and I am really interested in taking it! I love the tale (borrowed from my school’s library) and I am considering getting my own copy to bring over. I am not sure whose tranlsation would be preferred for her class though. There is one by Arthur Waley, another by Edward Seidensticker and the latest translation in 2001 by Royall Tyler. is there a particular one recommended for the class?
September 1, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Hey, sorry for the late response. It’s been almost non-stop since I’ve gotten home! I actually didn’t take the Genji class because I transfer credit I would have gotten for it was for a class I had already taken. I sort of I wish I took it anyway though.
From the way she spoke in the class I took with her (women writers in Japanese lit), it sounds like students were free to pick whichever translation they wanted to, although she probably suggested which one she liked the best. There’s probably a bibliography on her website, but you can easily get the book in Tokyo. There are plenty of stores with English books, and if you get a co-op membership you’ll get 10% off the book if it’s in the co-op bookstore.
June 18, 2010 at 9:47 am |
Hey, I asked you a question earlier and I just saw your post on going to Seoul from Tokyo. Was it expensive? ^^” I really wanna do that too…
June 19, 2010 at 12:23 am |
The flight was a little pricey, but after living in Tokyo for so many months, Korea is SO MUCH CHEAPER. The won was fairly low when I went, and things are just significantly cheaper in general. If you can afford it, do it!
July 17, 2010 at 12:06 am |
Hi Jessie
I will be going to Waseda this september 2010 and staying in Nishiwaseda dorm. If you can offer any advice about life at Waseda and Japan it’d be much appreciated!
Make you could tell me a little about the workload/what level (class you were in)?
Only if you have time of course!
Are you just coming to the end of your year now? When do you come back to England? How would you sum up your year in Japan? i hope you’ve had a good experience!
Clare -x-
July 22, 2010 at 7:39 pm |
Hi Clare,
Sorry for the late reply. School became really busy, but now I’m done ^_^
I’m not sure what kind of advice you’re looking for. There’s so much to say about Japan and about Waseda, it’s hard to specify without knowing what you’re looking for. My blog is full of advice though.
The workload here was ridiculously easy for SILS classes. Compared to my home university it as like a vacation. Essays are anywhere from 2 to 10 pages double spaced, which not much compared an equivalent course at my home university. SILS classes are so diverse, it’s hard to give a general statement about all of them. All I can say, based on mine and my friends’ experiences, is that classes are much easier and much less demanding than our home universities. The only classes SILS SP3 students can take are “intemediate” and “advanced’ which are basically like 3rd and 4th year university (felt more like 1st and 2nd to me though).
Japanese classes are another story. Japanese classes tend to have a lot of homework (with the exception of some electives), so Japanese classes tend to take up a lot of time in terms of homework and studying. I don’t know what Japanese classes will be like next semester, though, because they change the system a little every semester.
The semester officially ends for SILS on the 23rd and for the CJL (Japanese department) on the 26th. I finished all my classes today though. I’ll be heading back to Canada on the 28th.
If I had to sum up my year in Japan, I wouldn’t be able to. To say it was awesome, amazing, life-changing, etc. would be an understatement. I think my blog – as long as it is – makes up a good summary of my year here.
Good luck!
July 25, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Hi Jessie
Thanks for responding! It sounds like you’ve had a fantastic time at Waseda! I hope I do too!
Whatever you can tell me is useful so thanks for that little summary and I’ll keep browsing your blog too. One question I have though is that is there anything essential I should bring in terms of packing for Japan? Maybe something you wish you’d have packed and kicked yourself for not packing!
also what does SILS stand for?? did you get used to the workload? I’m used to doing a lot of work at my home university as well, but I was told that at Waseda as long as you do the homework and attend classes you don’t have to work much harder than that! I’m not saying I don’t wanna work, but I wouldn’t mind an easier year than my second year of Japanese has been at my own uni!
Are you in any circles at Waseda? I heard that is the easiest way to make Japanese friends. also what level of Japanese class are you in? apparently there are 8 levels.
Thanks! sorry for the loooong message.
Clare -x-
August 11, 2010 at 11:15 am
Hi Clare,
Sorry for the late response again. It’s been hectic since I returned home.
Something you should absolutely bring with you is deodorent. I’ve heard it’s not quite the same in Japan. I don’t know if that’s changed, but I didn’t want to risk anything so I brought enough to last me all year. Also, bring any typical headache, stomach ache, etc. medications with you. They have some in Japan, but they tend to be REALLY weak if they’re not prescription drugs. I don’t know what clothing size you are, but I could not find my own bra size here for the life of me (at least not in a price I could afford). I had my mother buy and ship me a few from home. For the most part though, being in Tokyo you can buy almost anything you need. I can’t really think of anything I absolutely wished I had brought with me that I couldn’t find in Tokyo.
SILS = School of International Liberal Studies
Waseda’s workload for classes in ENGLISH was super easy compared to my home university, although the workload at my home university would kill most people haha. General feeling from all my exchange student friends is that Waseda’s workload is a joke for the English classes. I’m a little worried about going back to a 4th year workload at my home university though.
Japanese classes, on the otherhand, require a lot of work. There is a lot of studying (which is really just memorization for the most part), reports to write (depending on your level and which classes you take), and core classes have quizzes pretty much every day. In my first semester, Japanese class took up most of my study time every day.
Many classes do take attendance. They’re required to, but not all profs do. If you miss more than 2/3s of your classes, it’s an automatic fail.
I didn’t join any circles, but if you have an interest, chances are there’s a circle for it. There is a book available that lists all the circles at Waseda. It is the easiest way to make Japanese friends, but I’ve heard there are some circles that aren’t very welcoming of foreigners who don’t speak much Japanese. I have plenty of friends who joined circles and loved it. I just didn’t feel like joining a circle, and I already had a network of friends through different Japanese exchange students I met in Toronto. If you are SILS classes, you will meet lots of Japanese students there as well.
There are 8 levels for Japanese. 1 = Very little or not Japanese knowledge, 8 = completely fluent. If you score level 6 or up on the placement test, you don’t have to take Japanese classes if you don’t want to. Also if you score level 6 or up, you can take regular university classes in Japanese. I was in 3 first semester, 4 second semester. I had been studying for just under 2 years before I went to Waseda, but a guy in my dorm had been studying for almost the same amount of time as me and he was in level 7, while another girl who was studying for 6 years was in my level. So I wouldn’t be able to tell you which level you might be in. I think they changed the placement test format as well.
I hope that helps! Hopefully your packing & preparation is going well ^_^
August 15, 2010 at 1:26 am |
Thanks again for the reply and great advice!
I have also been studying for about two years bit I’m not particularly confident so I am in level 2, I just took the online placement test the other day! Hopefully it’ll be a workload that I can handle so that I can concentrate on tyring to improve my Japanese outside the classroom by socialising.
I hope you enjoyed your year, it sounds like you really did! if you ahve any more tips, or if I think of any other questions would it be alright to write to you again?
I think i will start a blog like this is Japan! ooo i do have one other question. What were your final exams like?
Clare -x-
September 1, 2010 at 2:53 pm |
Core classes are pretty much hardcore grammar, vocab and kanji. There are some conversational elements, but it’s true that most of your casual conversation practice will come from talking to friends. Core classes took up a lot of study time for me, but barely any time for others. In the end it’s just how much time you’re willing to spend on studying the language. Core class definitely helped me improve my listening skills though.
You’re probably leaving in a week or two, but if you want to know anything else, feel free to ask!
Exams were different depending on the class. Final exams in Japanese core/elective classes were non-existent. Some classes had final presentations, speeches and reports, but no final exams. Core classes had chapter tests, but no final thing at the end. SILS exams were all different for me. My history classes were typical true or false and essay question exams. Another class had a take home exam. Another class was a final paper. With the exception of my class with Gaye Rowley, my final exams and reports were considerably easier than what I would have expected back home.