Arrival!

Graham and I are now in Japan! We arrived at the KGU International Residence yesterday and did a bit of unpacking, met some of our roommates, and tried out the KGU cafeteria (カレーライス!). It was a looooong journey, but there were no problems!  Here's how it went:

Packing

Packing for a whole year away has been a challenge! Between the two of us, Graham and I have one large duffel bag, one hiking backpack, one large, wheeled duffel, and one wheeled duffel with straps. I find that bags with wheels are easier to move around, but you should consider the weight of a bag and how much you need to pack. Bags with wheels and frames are normally heavier.

For most airlines, the weight limit per checked bag is 23kg or 50lbs. It's surprising how much clothes weigh! Thankfully, we're under the limit on each of our bags. As far as what to pack, we had to do a little bit of research beforehand:

Some of the things to consider when deciding what to pack include weather, sizes, and availability of your favourite products.


Kumamoto has a climate that is very different from Nova Scotia. Half of the year is hot and humid, the rainy season is long, and winters are mild and short (no snow!). Other parts of Japan have more severe winters, with lots of snow. Check out your destination well before packing, so you know what to expect.

You can find large clothes and shoes in Japan, but the availability is limited compared to Canada. I've heard that Uniqlo is a good store for larger clothes, but if you wear large shoes, pants, bras, etc., I get the impression that it's wise to bring a little extra when you pack. Of course, there's always online shopping if you can't find what you need in the stores around you. 

If you have certain products that you can't live without, you might want to bring a little extra in case it's not easy to find in Japan. Many Canadian/American cosmetic/toiletry brands are available in Japan, but the prices can be higher. OTC medications are similar to what's available in Canada, but painkillers are often in lower doses. Check the generic name of any OTC medicines you need, as brand names will differ. For prescription medications, you can check my previous blog post. For food, if you have the luggage space, consider bringing a couple of your favourite snacks for the times you get homesick.

NOTE: Make sure to pay attention to airline regulations and customs regulations to be sure you aren't bringing anything prohibited. 

Once you're packed, all you have to worry about is dragging all your bags around the airport and to your destination! In my opinion, that's one of the most aggravating things about travelling. Though, once my bags are checked, I'm a "happy camper".

The Visa Process

Alright, so you're all set to go to Japan for the first time. All packed? Check. Passport? Check. Said goodbye to family, friends, and loved ones? Check. Got your visa? Nope?! Well, you're not going anywhere yet then!

Just a bit of a pretext: we’re Canadian, specifically from Nova Scotia, so the information below is the process for getting a Visa at the Montreal Consulate. If you're not Canadian, sorry! Also, if you're from anywhere west of Quebec, you'll need to check with the appropriate Consulate for you. That said, read on for more information!

Bringing Prescription Drugs to Japan (and the Yakkan Shoumei)

If you take prescription medications and are planning to study abroad in Japan, there are things you need to consider. Unless you apply for an import certificate, you are only allowed to bring 1 month’s supply of prescription medication and/or 2 months’ supply of over-the-counter medication.

If you need to take more than the limit’s worth of prescription medication, you can either:

A)     Take 1 month’s supply, then see a doctor in Japan and get a prescription there; or

B)      Take enough for your entire stay in Japan, and get an import certificate (see below)

The Application Process

The decision to study abroad is not an easy one! Depending on the program, studying abroad requires you to spend some money, possibly delay your graduation date (if you can’t transfer enough credits) and live away from your family in a totally new environment. Needless to say, you need to do a lot of planning, but the benefits are extensive. Take the opportunity!

At Saint Mary’s University, you can get help from International Activities when deciding whether or not to study abroad and where to go if you do decide to study abroad. SMU has partnerships with MANY universities across the world. Graham and I chose to study in Japan because we’ve both been studying the language and we are both interested in certain aspects of Japan (I’ll likely be blogging a lot about food, while Graham will blog more often about nature and geography).

Step-by-step, the application process at SMU can go like this:

• Research destinations and options (semester vs year vs short program)
• Apply for mobility awards (November)
• Apply for the exchange (Jan-Feb)
• Be interviewed for the exchange
• Apply for mobility awards again if you didn’t get one the first time around (March)
• Be recommended by SMU for the exchange
• Apply to the host university
•  Be accepted by the host university
• Complete a Letter of Permission to transfer credits
• Attend information sessions with International Activities
• Apply for a Visa for the host country (if applicable)
• Book flights, make final preparations, pack and GO

I won’t go into detail on any of these here; if you would like more information, please visit SMU International Activities. Applying to study abroad and planning your study abroad are made so much easier by International Activities.

In addition to speaking with International Activities, if you need any advice during any of these steps you can speak with students who have gone on exchange before, an Academic Advisor, or a trusted professor. There are even career and other counselling services at SMU that you can use. Of course, if you have any questions for me or Graham, leave a comment below!

Tickets Booked!

Recently, we booked our flight to Japan! September 3 we will fly from Halifax to Toronto to Los Angeles to Tokyo to Fukuoka, then take a bus to Kumamoto. It's going to be quite a journey, but I'm not looking forward to all that time on an airplane... 

I chose this way because I've heard that SingaporeAir has the best economy flight experience, and our LA to Narita flight is with SingaporeAir. Also, breaking up the flight into a few legs ensures that I remain sane by the end. Spending 15 hours in a cramped airplane is NOT enjoyable in any way.

3 months is still a long time to wait, but in the meantime we have a lot to get done. Insurance paperwork, Visa paperwork, medical paperwork... basically a lot of paperwork!

More updates to come as more happens!

About Kumamoto

Kumamoto City is the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture, in the southern island of Kyushu in Japan.

The kanji in the word Kumamoto (熊本) translate directly to "bear origin" which explains why the prefecture's mascot, Kumamon, is a bear!

Kumamoto City's population is around 730,000 people, and it has a density of 1,880/km², (for comparison, Halifax's urban area is 1,077.2/km²).

It has a history as a castle town, and Kumamoto Castle is a popular tourist destination in the area. The view of the city in the picture above was taken from the castle.





As Graham and I discover interesting things about the city and the prefecture, we'll be sure to post about it here!