25 Tips for University Students in Japan

Choosing to study abroad can be a great experience for anyone! What better place is there to study, learn a language, and earn your degree than Japan itself?! While Japan (especially Tokyo) can seem overwhelming and like a dream come true it is very easy to forget why you're really here in the first place. It is very important that you take good care of your physical and mental health by surrounding yourself with good people, socializing, studying, enjoying good food, and taking out some time for some relaxation alone too. 
You really want to make the most out of your trip to Japan whether it be 3 months or 4 years your time here as a student will fly by really fast! While it is important to study, work on your papers, complete projects, and finish your homework you also need to find things that you thoroughly enjoy and make you happy here. 
Remember that if your grades or behavior becomes really bad you can be expelled and forced to return to your home country.

Not having a car to drive anywhere you please, relying on your phone for directions to and from everywhere, having to learn about the cultural differences, not being fluent in Japanese, and simply not being a native Japanese person will make it VERY difficult for you to adjust and assimilate right away as you'll have to balance your studies, work, and social life while also trying to learn "how to be an adult" in a foreign country. 

Hopefully after reading this list you will be better prepared for success at your new school!

Ah yes, my super awkward first day of school selfie

25 Tips for University Students in Japan

1.) Try to take your most difficult classes first thing in the morning and your more fun classes in the evening. You’ll end your day with something fun and have something to look forward to and you’ll be in a smaller class in the morning which will make it easier to ask for help and you’ll get to know your classmates faster and better too.

2.) Take early morning classes so that you can do your homework and study in the afternoon and work and party in the evening. 

3.) Try to have Friday’s off or at least no classes after 1:00pm that day so that you’ll always have a 3 day weekend. 

4.) Join your school’s work study program. You’ll make friends instantly and you'll cover some of your tuition if you get a job working in the school’s library or cafe. These jobs pay about 900-1200 yen an hour.

5.) After you’ve finished a semester or so you can tutor other students through your school. All you have a B or higher in the class or you can tutor those who want to improve their English. You get paid for this work through the school and it is a free service for your classmates.

Computer Making Club at Lakeland University Japan

6.) Join at least 2 different clubs at your school. You’ll make more friends, learn a new hobby or practice your own, and you'll have some great pictures and videos to take during your time in Japan as they’ll often times have parties and go on exclusive trips. 

7.) Always carry these items with you

• backpack
• student ID
• passport
• residence card
• Written or printed address in romanji and kanji to your home and school
• water bottle
• small snack
• laptop
• cellphone
• spare IC Card
• deodorant wipes
• a pen and pencil
• a folder
• a 5 subject notebook
• 5-10 pieces of lose leaf paper
• chargers
• spare battery 
• tissue
• handsanitizer
• hand towel
• house key
• 2000 yen cash

My Japanese dad helping me with my Japanese homework while also having fun eating and drinking at an izakaya. Who says you can't study and finish your homework while at the bar xD?!

8.) Study Japanese on your own everyday before and after school. You can sign up for free tutoring lessons at your school and take basic classes at your city hall or community center.

9.)Take these classes

• Japanese
• US Japan History
• Understanding Race Ethnicity & Gender
• English Composition
• CPS (Computers) 

Who doesn't like fried or grilled food?!  

10.) Participate in every school event!

Attend events for special guest speakers, speech day, Thanks giving, Halloween and Christmas parties, summer barbecue,graduation ceremony, miscellaneous volunteer opportunities. 

11.) Take good notes in every class! You will remember things better if you write them down. Don’t be afraid to take a picture of the board or use your smart notebook, iPad, phone or laptop to record the audio of a good lecture.

12.) Don’t be afraid to ask for help during class! If you're too shy consider sitting near the teacher’s desk or ask as soon s class is over. You can also ask your Japanese friends and classmates to help you as well.

13.) Get to know the professors of your least favorite or most difficult classes. Schedule an appointment for them to tutor you before or after class. They will see that you're serious and they will do everything that they can to ensure that you pass them. Work with them and they will work with you. 

14.) Talk to everyone that you see at school. Always greet them and find something to compliment them on or ask them a question. Be sure to introduce yourself and get their name too. Ask them where they're from and how long they've both been at your school and lived in Japan as a whole.

15.) Use your student discount! A lot of tourist destination, clothing stores, and public transportation often times have discounted rates for students. Be sure to bring your ID so that you can take advantage of the sales and special pricing. 

16.) Try to find free or cheap ebooks online or see if anyone else is selling the books that you need for your class BEFORE you purchase them brand new online or from you school.

Dinner date with my ex boyfriend.

Playing darts for Valentine's Day with my now ex boyfriend in Tokyo.

We had the whole place to ourselves because we arrived so early and we also got to enjoy Happy Hour too!

17.) Make sure your life has balance. You NEED to have fun! You NEED to have friends! You NEED to make time to study and complete your homework assignments! You need GOOD sleep! AND hey we’re all social creatures that want to be loved too so yes you also NEED to make time fro dating and relationships!

Always try to finish your homework and studying by 7:30pm, Eat dinner by 8:30pm, shower by 10:30pm, Go to bed by 11:00pm at the latest. Your friends and your boyfriend or girlfriend can wait until the weekend or you can meet up during lunch or after classes.

18.) Don’t be afraid to ask for financial assistance! If you need a bigger loan contact the financial aid department and simply send them proof of your living expenses and they will give you an increase. You can also arrange a payment plan with your school if you're struggling to pay your tuition. Be sure to limit how much you're spending when you go out with your friends. Consider signing or applying for a part-time job or teaching your own private English lessons.

A blurry polaroid picture from St. Patricks Day at the British Hub with my friends and classmates.FYI I never celebrate this day mainly because it's a stupid excuse to be an alcoholic and umm yeah I'm not white sooo... But see I had fun and I still went because they begged me to go haha.

The Hub

19.) If you're invited to go out on the town with your classmates say YES! Even if the venue or event is not your cup of tea its a great way to make new friends, meet and see some new people and take some great pictures and videos for your social media accounts and scrap book. Make some memories and loosen up! Don’t be so shy!

20.) Do your homework NOW! Don’t put off writing your papers or reading the 5 chapters assigned for homework. That 1-2 week deadline will come up very fast. Your partying, gaming, and sex life can wait. Whenever possible look over your syllabus and complete any major projects that you can do at the beginning of the year this way you can make adjustments later and even schedule a meeting with your professors to see if its an “A” worthy project or paper.

Just sitting and snacking while enjoying the ambience and eavesdropping on my classmates in the student lounge area.

I was given a free cup of joe on two separate occasions and made 3 new friends just because I was sitting quietly and looked lonely (which I was haha).

I purchased a small yet delicious meat lovers stuffed crust pizza from Domino's Japan to share with everyone in the student lounge (about 5 people) area i made 2 REAL new friends and I got to know some cool people and enjoyed a great conversation and learned about the gaming club.

21.) Arrive to your classes 10-15 minutes early and stick around afterwards for   1-3 hours. You can socialize study and just enjoy the ambience. Its an easy way to get to know people, make friends, get invited to parties, or even get a free meal. If you always rush in at the last minute and leave right away you’ll be seen as a bad student and you’ll never really get a chance to make friends as you’ll seem rude, weird, and too busy to socialize.  Also it feels great to not be in a rush all the time. Japan is a very fast placed country especially if you live in Tokyo you’ll always feel like you have to rush and run everywhere. If you leave out early you can walk and take your time. Its okay to wait for the next train that's less crowded, you have time to stop for breakfast at a konbini and sit elbow to elbow with the cool salarymen.

22.) Purchase a pocket wifi device to connect your phone and computer to the Internet no matter where you go. You'll heavily rely on Google or Apple Maps to navigate you pretty much everywhere here. There are no street names and numbers and the addresses aren't usually visibly written on the fronts of buildings.

My not so healthy but delicious breakfast with a cup of vegetable juice

23.) Eat & use the restroom before you go to class! Don't go to school hungry! You don't want to feel embarrassed because your tummy is growling on a crowded and quiet train or in the middle of a lecture. It will be hard for you to focus and you'll be tempted to snack or waste money at the convenience store if you didn't already eat a satisfying meal before you left. You also don't want to have an accident by holding it in or leave in the middle of an important lecture.

24.) If you are sick, sleepy or running late then still GO TO CLASS ANYWAY! You don't want to miss out on very important information. If you stay at home you'll have to rely on your peers who might not have taken the best notes and if you don't have any good friends or your professor and classmates don't take notes or are just jerks, then you'll be at their mercy or out of luck.

Staying at home won't make you feel any better. Buy some over the counter medicine, bring some hot tea (or buy it at the vending machine or konbini near your school), cough drops, tissue, handsanitizer, mints and a surgical mask. Dress warmly (hat, gloves, sweater, jacket, boots) and eat some hot soup and tea before you leave out the door. I know you feel bad right now, but you'll make it and you'll live. Be a big boy/girl! You do want to pass those finals right? Besides you're going to be in debt for these classes  or you paid thousands of dollars for them already! Why would you want to waste that kind of cash?

25.) Sign up for a Facebook & Meet Up account so that you can be in the know or even attend international parties, join clubs with the locals, expats and other students, attend cultural festivals, and concerts in Japan year around.

Don't worry too much! You'll find your own rhythm and you'll make friend and get to try new food and explore lots of cool places here in Japan. You will never be alone even if you feel as though you are.

It's okay to make mistakes. We've all been there! If you fail a class, do something embarrassing, feel awkward, lose a friend, or a bit of face then just pick yourself back up laugh about it ad carry on. It is all just a learning experience. You will succeed and you will be given the opportunity to enjoy bigger and better things in the near future. 

Make the most of your study abroad by trying your best to be happy and optimistic.

I hope you found these tips useful. If you have any ideas that you'd like to add to this list to help other students then please leave a comment or send me an email.

I wish you the best of luck during your stay in Japan and I hope that you get settled in fast so that you can begin to enjoy your college and adult life here in Japan!

Thank you for reading!

Stay Tuned!

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