9 posts tagged “money”

Okay, so the trip is long over. I'm working on that! Until then, some recent news.

Last Thursday I visited a karate practice that was held in the gym on campus. It was cool to watch, but watching was all we were allowed to do. There were students of all experience levels. The captain looked especially experienced. I had a great time. I might have joined, if it were not for the cost: ￥８，０００ (~$67 USD) for entrance, and ￥２，０００ (~$17 USD). Thanks, but I think I can do better.

Today I visited a different club. I was invited by Taka, my Japanese conversation partner. He has a brown belt and is studying for a black belt. (I have to be extra careful with 敬語 from now on, huh?) We arrived on time, which meant we were early. It was another ten minutes for even one more person showed up. When everyone arrived, there were about ten of us, only one female. And they all had black belts. Whoa...

Amazingly, they let me practice. We started with some bows, and went into routine punch-kick-stance-whatever practices. Darned if I know the names. People yelled Japanese phrases routinely, with which I sometimes mumbled along. It was incredibly tiring, and I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing most of the time.

I slowed everything down, to a screeching halt at times, because I needed instruction on every move. It was very embarrassing. I remembered some things from when I did karate as a small child, but most memories had faded. How to stand, the ways to orient my body, how to punch, ... I was so busy thinking about how to position myself that it was impossible to do so much as count to ten (in Japanese) with the group. Oi! But I made it. 2.5 hours.

There was one set of exercises which involved blocking kicks and punches from a partner. It was lose-lose for me: blocking hurts, and so does being blocked---when your partner has years of training on you, and appendages made of steel. I also found that my right hip hurts when I bend it to do one of the kicks. I don't think I pulled anything before that drill, so I'll have to pay attention to that. Maybe I'm being moved too fast through the initiation practices because of the company I'm in.

After practice, six of us went to dinner. Lucky (ha!) for me, the food was traditional. It started with a tiny bowl. There were semi-transparent, gelatinous, noodle-looking things covered in seasoning in it. It was described to me as being made from seaweed. I was able to force myself to swallow four or five of them before the main dish arrived (with beer for three, and tea for three).

The food was a famous Fukuoka dish according to my tutor. I've already forgotten the name (something ～なべ). All you need to know is that it's a big stew with some animal's innards floating around inside. There were various vegetables in there too, which I ate. But when I was done, my bowl was full of little pieces of some internal organs. It was either a horse or a cow. Either way, I couldn't bring myself to take a single bite, to the disappointment of the others.

I piled more of the stew into my bowl, but less would fit this time, so I snacked on a few more pieces of floating lettuce and had to call it quits. I thought I was saved when the next course was rice, but they dumped the rice in with the stew, so I was only slightly better off. At any rate, I ate enough to be momentarily satisfied, and I got a lot of good Japanese practice in. I think I'll go back to Wednesday's practice.

It's not entirely planned out, but it's definitely happening. I'm spending the greater portion of Golden Week in Osaka. I know it's happening because I already paid the kick-off to an entire week of dropping money everywhere: ￥４，３００ (~$36 USD) for a bus to Osaka, which is very roughly ￥１４ (~$0.11 USD) per mile. (I calculated by clicking along the most likely highway path in Google Earth to get 313 miles total. See the map on the right.)

David, QZ, Gorgeous, and I plan to leave Tuesday night and come back early, early Monday morning. (Names were mangled to protect the innocent.)

As for the rest of the trip, thank goodness the lodging situation has improved since my last conversation with mom. At that point, only one night had been confirmed. Now, we have confirmed lodging for three of the four nights, with a tentative plan to stay at an Internet cafe or capsule hotel (introduced to me in Survival Phrases 10 of JapanesePod101) on Thursday night if we can't find a room that day. I really, really hope we can find a room, although staying in a capsule hotel is on my list of weird things to do in Japan.

Why take such a risky trip? Well, Golden Week is the closest we get to a vacation for the whole semester. We have time after all is done, but it looks like everybody is already pretty set on what they want to do with that time. If we don't travel now, we won't get another chance like this.

Besides, only one night is in the air, and we have a general idea of what to do if things don't go our way. It'll be fun, and we're young.

I forget the name of Wednesday night's hotel, but it will cost ￥１，５５０ (~$13 USD), which doesn't make any sense unless QZ reserved us a single bedroom and we'll be sleeping all over the furniture and floor. I don't know the prices for the other nights, but I think they'll be comparable. For comparison, a night in an Internet cafe costs about ￥２，０００ (~$16.70 USD).

Our first day will likely be spent at Universal Studios Japan for ￥５，９００ (~$50 USD) If it's like the Universal Studios I remember in the US, we won't be there all day. I remember cafes and restaurants more than engaging attractions, but my memory's known to be faulty, and that was a very long time ago. I do remember a man painted as a statue that would stand very still and surprise people. That would be entertaining for at least half an hour..

The second day, we plan on getting the Osaka Unlimited Pass for ￥２，０００ (~$16.70 USD). This gets us discounts on various things around town, and makes travel cheap (free, I think). My "homework" is to look at the list of discounted attractions for discussion tomorrow. I might do that, QZ, I might...

After that, who knows what we'll do? I'll keep you posted.

Note to self: use an ATM when you wake up, or you won't have cash!

もう疲れたです。今日はスペースワールドに友達と二十人ぐらい行きました。 (I'm still tired. Today I went to Space World with about 20 friends.) 午前十時に着くために、電車とバスを[mobbed]. (We mobbed the trains and buses to get there by 10 AM.) 私たちは六時までとてもつかれましたけど、私はちょっととまりたかったです。 (We were all very tired by 6:00, but I kind of wanted to stay.) The rides were excellent, and much more consistently good than I remember encountering before.

I found that I'm much more tolerant of being twisted and spun and tossed around than the people I went around with. I was ready to ride roller-coasters and spinny rides (like the one below) all day long, but after 3 PM, people kept making sick faces and pointing us toward the baby water rides instead of the actually entertaining attractions. Maybe I visited more amusement parks than average during my childhood.

Regarding the ride above: it's not nearly as painful as it looks, though as you can see, it looks pretty painful. Whoever crafted this piece of work decided that humans can't be trusted to pull down their own restraining harnesses, and that only one harness isn't enough. The result is that the machine straps you in. The first attack drops around your neck and nails you in the crotch. The second comes from in front like a falling mallet, smashing the first into firm position. I wish I had the audio from the first time we underwent the process. But the ride was awesome, so I went twice.

The other rides were great, too. My comments on some of those are in the photo set, and while I'm mentioning it, I may as well mention the photo set I just uploaded for today.

I should also make note about the price. I don't know how much the entry ticket and train transportation cost individually, but together they were ￥５，５００ (~$46 USD). Not bad, I s'pose. I spent another ￥３２０ (~$2.70 USD) on bus fare to and from the train station, and another ￥１，０００ (~$8.36 USD) on food. I could have spent another ￥７００ (check it yourself) on a rather good roller-coaster photo, but I decided to pass.

Just to completely change the subject, I looked at the dates on my photos and found that I've been getting out and seeing Japan once a week since arriving (except last week, which is okay, because one week I went on two trips). And I'm doing moderately okay on money so far.

I didn't get very far with the Japanese. :\

Upon arrival, us newcomers and a few tutors hit up Fukuoka Bank for some checking accounts. They could be savings accounts, but I think they're checking. Either way, we skipped a class to do this, so I was all for it. These are my notes for people who, like me, suck at Japanese.

• Take a native speaker. Without practice filling out these forms, a dictionary still won't help you. The bank still used their emperor-based year-counting system, the form assumes (though doesn't require) the use of a はんこ (hanko - personal stamp), and there were plenty of other little traps. Even with our tutors there, we all had to fill out the application multiple times due to mistakes.
• As mentioned above, the application forms assume that you have a はんこ, even though you don't need one. You're meant to sign instead of stamp if that's what you prefer, but you wouldn't know this from looking at the box. One form offered about two square centimeters of space for はんこ/signature.
• You need an initial deposit in cash. Our accounts had a minimum opening balance of ￥１００ (<$1 USD), so it was no problem.

Know that ATMs here have business hours. They're completely closed during certain parts of the day (for us, around opening and closing time), and charge extra fees for use during evenings, nights, and weekends. But they make up for this by allowing you to use your bank book as an ATM card. They fill out the right columns with your most-up-to-date amounts as you make transactions, then spit the book back at you. That was an awesome first-time experience.

I almost forgot about this, but there was so much more to my cell phone adventure yesterday. You see, before the other new JTW students and I could buy cell phones, we needed bank accounts. But before we could comfortably get to a bank to open accounts, we needed bicycles. But before I could get a bicycle, I needed money.

So I borrowed ￥１０，０００ (~$84 USD) from a buddy. That was the kind-of boring part.

We each get assigned a Japanese tutor, a student of Kyudai (abbreviation of Kyushu Daigaku, i.e. Kyushu University). Two days ago we grabbed two of them and got bikes at a store in BoxTown, a shopping center near campus. We all bought very cheap variations on the same cheap model, and though I paid about $15 USD less than for the trash bike I got at Walmart in the US last year, these bikes are actually put together well and don't feel as breakable. Additionally, store staff inflated the tires and checked that they were in working condition before we paid. Unfortunately, they're street bikes, and can't switch gears.

We also bought bike locks to use in addition to the locks that came standard. Every bike here seems to come with a cheap lock on the back wheel that you can easily slide shut. But I guess these locks are so prevalent that they've become easy to pick. Judging by the simplicity of the keys, I'm not very surprised. Several bikes have been stolen from JTW students this year, though some were returned by the police because they were registered.

Anyway, wielding our bikes and extra locks, we went to Fukuoka Bank, the largest bank with convenient access in the area. We arrived around 9:30 AM, maybe. It wasn't very crowded and we were rushed to a small table in the back corner to fill out applications. For the nth time this week we were asked to write our names in the English alphabet as well as the Katakana alphabet (a Japanese alphabet), write our room phone numbers, and write our mailing addresses.

The last are most annoying, being in Kanji (Chinese characters). I've had Japanese people offer several times to write my address for me, after they watch how long it's taking me to copy the characters down.

All of us had our applications returned with a fresh copy to start over on at least once. For some people it was because we didn't write our English names in block letters, and I didn't write my name exactly as it was on my alien registration card. They also used a signature box that was smaller than postage stamp size because it was mainly to accommodate はんこ (personal stamp). Fitting a cursive signature in that box was fun.

Basically, they were very fussy people, but eventually gave us accounts despite themselves. ATM cards are in the mail, but if you use your bank book at an ATM, then it fills it out for you, which I think is awesome enough not to use the card.

Oh, and minimum balance is ￥１００ (< $1 USD).

That's my story. As see---learned my lesson and so did she. Now it's over, and I'm glad. 'Cause I'm a fool for all I said! She freakin' hates meh!! TRUST! She freakin' hates meh!! La la la la! I tried too hard and she tore my feelings like I had none---and ripped them away! La la la la la la la la la la! TRUST! La la la la la la la la la la la! TRUST! La la la la la la la la la la! TRUST! La la la la la la la la la la! She freakin' HATES MEH!!

Today I purchased and received a 携帯 (けいたい - mobile phone) from AU. It's a Hitachi W43H, actually. It came free with the contract. It's awesome: the camera has higher resolution than I've seen in US cell phones, it picks up local wireless Japanese television, it has an IR port over which you can share address book entries (like your own), and (obviously) has Japanese input support. It's much faster than my Motorola RAZR, too.

Since it came free, these features probably don't seem that astounding to Japanese people (and probably those from some other non-US countries), but relative to the phones I've seen or owned in the US, this one is high end.

I don't have the bill handy, but I believe our plan is ~￥２，５００ (~$21) per month. There is a ￥１，０００ (~$8) surcharge for each of the first two months which is used to cover advanced features not in our plan like TV and Internet, things we wouldn't get hooked on or even try if they didn't force us to pay for them up front. I'm not sure of the numbers because we were buying via a translator, so it was like a game of Telephone, except with numbers and contract-speak.

At any rate, the plan is very cheap, but this is because it comes with only 30 minutes of talk time per month. It is technically a "family" plan, and I think calling other AU phones is free of charge, leaving the 30 minutes to be used for calling land-lines and cell phones from other carriers---numbers of people outside your "family."

We were able to use the family plan because they don't care whether all the phones go to people that are related to the person who opens the account, so we each paired up into two-person "families" and plan to pay our bills separately.

We compared prices with SoftBank. SoftBank's plans are ridiculously cheap---I believe they are less than ￥１，０００ (~$8) per month---but their minimum contract length is 2 years, and their cancellation fee is however much money you have left to pay for your contract length. This turned out to be more expensive than using AU for four months and canceling for ￥３，０００ (~$25).

Faced with the choices available to me for being able to talk with family while abroad, I settled on buying a SkypeIn number for $12 (which I'll have to renew in three months for another $12). It gives me a US phone number that's cheap for my family to call, and voicemail for when I'm not at my computer.

My other options were voice chat over Google Talk, taking a Vonage box with me, renting a cell phone in Japan, and using my room phone. Google Talk would require everyone to use their computer to talk with me, which is a pain to set up, multiplied by the number of people that would have to do it. A second Vonage line seems to be a lot more expensive for me ($100 for four months vs. $24 for Skype), though it would also give me a US number and much better services. Renting a cell phone is just plain expensive, and my room phone would have a Japan number, which is very expensive for family to call.

If you don't have my Skype number and I know you, ask for it via e-mail. I think I've told everyone, though.

Finally, the third and final part of this series on the JTW welcome letter is here. Frankly, I can't wait until I actually get to Japan so I'll have more to say than can be read in a pamphlet. However, the information is good and useful, so I'd say this needs to be done.

Check out part one and part two to see where this post is coming from.

JTW promises to provide one-on-one conversation partners for each student. They are students of Kyushu University, and probably looking to study abroad themselves. And they do a lot more than talk; to quote the letter, "tutors will look after you and help you settle in by picking you up from the airport, helping you explore Fukuoka City, introducing you to the university club of your choice, and in many other ways."

If the typical one hour per week is not enough speaking practice for you, you eager little padawan, then multiple partners can be assigned, theoretically up to the point where you are practicing during every waking hour, but practically just until they run out of volunteers.

On Hakozaki Campus you can access periodicals from around the world (and I don't mean over the Internet), reference books at the library across the street from the ISC, university computers, a medical clinic next door to ISC, the nearby university medical center for more serious boo-boos, several cafeterias, and a gymnasium.

Internet access is available for the dorm room at around 4,000 yen ($32 USD) per month, but it takes a few weeks to get connected. The alternative is not waiting, and getting a wireless card from one of the local mobile phone carriers, for the premium cost of 5,000 yen ($42 USD) per month.

Classes often require slideshow presentations, so having a laptop with you is convenient.

Without being explicit, the letter states that, "whether you are spending the full academic year or a single semester in Kyushu, you are eligible and required to sign up for Japanese national health insurance," for roughly 17,000 yen ($141 USD) annually. 70% is covered by the program, and another portion is covered by the JASSO scholarship, if you were lucky enough to get it.

Interested students can go on weekend visits with one or more homestay families.

Fukuoka was recently rated in the top ten "most dynamic cities" by MSNBC-Newsweek, sporting the Yahoo Dome [see photos] (an "entertainment and sports venue"), and the "superb natural harbor of Hakata Bay." All of the urban areas can be reached by subway, bus, and bicycle. There are several paragraphs more, but they can be summarized by, "this city rawks."

Phew, I hope this was helpful.

The welcome packet is quite long, but there is a lot of good information inside that study abroad potentials will want to know. So, to follow up on part one of my "Welcome packet" series, here is part two. Part three is also now done.

Where professors give permission, Kyushu University allows JTW students to take faculty courses, some of which are taught in English. Some are for full credit, but do not count toward the five-course minimum the program requires; others can only be visited, which I assume means that homework will not be required, tests will not be required, and credit will not be given. Detailed information on choosing courses is on the JTW courses page.

You can only take a language course other than Japanese if "you can demonstrate advanced proficiency in Japanese," and even then, you will not get credit for courses in English. This makes me wonder if there will be people attending who didn't learn English as their first language. I really hope so. I was told that there would be, but this rule makes me curious. Hopefully it was only printed in the English version of the acceptance letter!

The courses (each 90-minutes, once every week) are taught at the International Student Center (会館 - kaikan) on the Hakozaki campus [site in Japanese]. Interestingly, the courses are open to university students as well---I wonder if any ever register.

Then the letter gets into the numbers.

There is a one-time, examination and matriculation fee of 38,000 yen ($315 USD). Tuition (per credit) is 14,400 yen ($119 USD). This adds to at least 172,800 yen ($1,432 USD) per semester, as 12 credits per semester is the minimum.

And now, for the monthly costs of living:

• Housing & utilities. 13,000 yen ($108 USD).
• Food. 30,000 yen ($249 USD). This is calculated based on the 400 yen ($3.30 USD) cafeteria lunch and average costs for preparing breakfasts and dinners.
• Local transportation. 10,000 yen ($83 USD). Obviously this depends on the person.
• Books and supplies. 5,000 yen ($41 USD).
• Health insurance. 2,000 yen ($17 USD).
• Personal expenses. 20,000 yen ($166 USD). This, again, depends on the person.

The USD amounts are calculated using Google's currency calculator, with the current exchange rate of 120.63 yen per dollar.

People who have read the archives or are following along know that I made a big deal about banking earlier. It turns out that I need to worry even less than I thought. JTW plans a session on opening a Fukuoka Bank account with debit card as part of their orientation. Score.

Also, as far as the rooms go, they guarantee that each room comes with a bed, writing desk with lamp, chair, book shelf, wardrobe, refrigerator, telephone, air conditioner, heater, private bathroom and balcony. I'm guessing that not all the rooms on campus are like that, and I'm also guessing that this is to help a bit with the inevitable home sickness, when students just want to be alone for a while. Who knows? Maybe they just want to pamper us. Each floor has a kitchen shared among the 6-7 nearby residents, for breakfast and dinner.

For getting around campus, new bikes can be rented for 7,500 yen ($62 USD), used for 5,000 yen ($41 USD).

Look out for part three: JTW life, campus facilities, and Fukuoka.