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Buying a Cell Phone in Japan.

I have a big interest in cell phones. Back home I worked part-time for around 8 months promoting Nokia handsets and before I left for Japan I was offered a job with Telstra, but the mandatory training was too long so I had to decline. Who’d have guessed that it’d be so hard to get a cellphone in what’s thought to be one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world? Naturally, I didn’t expect it. But it’s actually pretty hard to get a phone in Japan if you’re under 20 years old.

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I hate Rainy Days.

Well, that’s not entirely true, I don’t really hate rainy days. I only hate rainy days when I’m obligated to leave my house. As you can probably guess it has been raining over the last couple of days. Rain wasn’t too much of a problem for me in Australia, I had a car so I could drive from A to B while staying relatively dry. But there’s something that makes the rain particularly inconvenient in Japan for me – bike riding.

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Moving from KGU dorms, into a house.

A little over a week ago I moved out of the university accommodation to live in a house instead. I don’t know about other student exchange programs, so I can’t talk too broadly about the issue but I just wasn’t happy in the Seminar House. There are some strict rules and they’re hard to avoid. Either way, I thought it might be some good information for any future KGU exchange students that pass by my blog who are still deciding on their housing preferences.

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Shopping Woes in Japan pt. 2

When I first got to Japan I was pretty excited to go grocery shopping. I’m not very good at cooking, but I do enjoy doing it. A natural consequence of cooking is taking a trip to the supermarket. Another unsurprisingly expensive part of living in Japan is grocery shopping. Even though a CostCo recently opened in Hirakata, it’s still a bus ride away and some people just wouldn’t have the room in their houses to store things that they’ve bought in bulk. Anyway, enough of the small-talk. Let me take you grocery shopping…

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Shopping Woes in Japan pt. 1

So who said Japan was going to be perfect? Nobody did. As they always say ‘the good comes with the bad’, and that’s the case with anything. Japan is by no means an exception to this rule. So this is a short story on the first couple of days I spent in Hirakata and some of the issues I had with shopping.

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Alcohol in Japan.

It’s been a little while since I last posted, but I’ve finally settled into my dorm at Kansai Gaidai so I can get down to some serious posting again. More on Kansai Gaidai later though, today I want to do what I promised to do and talk about alcohol in Japan. I mention drinking a lot, don’t I? I wonder if there are any AA meetings in Osaka, I really should check that out.

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Finally in Japan.

So I’ve been in Japan for about two days now, I’m in Tokyo to be specific. I’m going to be here for a little less than 2 weeks and afterwards I’m going to Osaka to start my exchange. I thought it wouldn’t be very cold, in fact I laughed at my parents when they told me to take gloves. When I was here in December 2010 it wasn’t too bad, sure it was cold but it was mostly just dry and windy – nothing like this.

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5 Things I Miss About Japan.

So tomorrow is the big day, my student exchange journey is finally beginning. It’s hard to think that you can meticulously pack your whole life into a suitcase, but somehow I managed. Tomorrow I’ll be boarding a plane in the Gold Coast and by night I’ll arrive at Narita Airport. I’ll be spending almost 2 weeks in Tokyo with a friend then I’ll head to Kansai Gaidai in Osaka. I posted a couple of days ago about what I won’t miss in Brisbane, so I thought it’d be fitting to also write about the things I’ve missed the most about Japan over the last 6 months.

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Kansai Gaidai Application Process.

The exchange application process for any institution can be a nerve-wracking(but eventually rewarding) part of university life. I’d be lying if I told you there weren’t nights where I sat up for a couple of hours wondering if everything would work out for me. In the end it all did, but I would have slept a little easier if there had been a little more information about everything closer to hand. I was lucky enough to be able to exchange some emails with former study abroad student Jason from GravityRelease.Me. Nevertheless not everybody is so lucky as to find a reliable source of information and reassurance as me, so I’ll take you through my application process.

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5 Things I won’t miss about Brisbane.

So, it’s Sunday right now and my plane for Osaka leaves on Thursday morning. That leaves me with about 4 days left here, before my new journey to Kansai Gaidai starts. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of reasons I’m sad to be leaving Brisbane – even though its just temporary. It’s not like I’m jerking tears back but I’ve lived here my whole life. I need a break though. Everything gets boring eventually. So, keep reading for 5 things I won’t miss about Brisbane.

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