Hmmm if you can consider homestay programs yes, but if you were thinking of just simply going there only then you find accommodation/lodgings you need to atleast have a friend to invite you from there. Because in case you don`t know, to travel to Japan you need an invitation letter to go there if you have a friend or relatives there. Or else, you have to book a hotel in advance from Malaysia. And you have a to have atleast rm7k in your bank account to apply for visa. They wanna make sure you have accommodation and enough money to survive while you`re there. So far, have not heard of hostels for backpackers...hmm I`ll try find out for you ok? Gimme some time yah :p

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Added on September 15, 2011, 1:22 pmKyoto University! Wow! Good choice here! Ok, I have a friend who will be studying in Kyoto University as an exchange student this October. But she is currently studying in UM. So UM is sending her to Kyoto U for a year. This friend of mine also has no background of Japanese but its an exchange program so I`m not sure how it works really,

Ok to really answer your question, for undergrad courses, as far as i know, No. But for mastersdegree or phd YES! Coz I read about it last time! Plus, I had a senior doing his PHD in Kyoto U in English last time!

So it depends really, undergrad or grad school :p But universities like Waseda, Sophia, Asia, Hosei offers a few of undergrad degree courses in English! BUT very limited la...hmmm but japan is now training their youngsters to master english...so i`m not surprise if in the future there are more courses in English! keep praying yeah!

This post has been edited by ifana: Sep 15 2011, 01:23 PM

Ok I just checked! There is only ONE undergrad degree course offered in fully english in Kyoto U! Its a course called Global Engineering. Hope this helped

thx for the info
but too bad I'm doing a commerce degree.

hmm, maybe I'll ask around for some guidance.

Owh commerce degree ic...I`m pretty sure Sophia offers that course fully in english but I`m guessing that you`re looking for National Universities instead of private ones maybe?

Well, anyway, If I find out anything, will let you know! Good luck!

Currently studying in uitm in preparation to go to japan.

Anything that I should prepare before stepping into the land of the rising sun?

owh ,thanks for clarifying.... JPA and MARA different right..because if im not mistaken when you take JPA,after you finish your studies you must work with government for 10 years right? MARA the same?

From what I heard my seniors saying, JPA scholarship yes, requires you to work with the government after you grad...bonded la. But MARA scholars are not bonded

Owh UITM! U r like my senior hehe he was frm Uitm too! So I`m gonna say this based on my own experience last time:~

Things u need to prepare :~

1) Money! (Duh!) Speaking of money reminded me of the bank transfer fee! Ok I must teach you this! Apply for a debit card from international banks such as Citibank, HSBC or Standard Chartered. But I recommend Citibank and HSBC. I currently have a citibank VISA DEBIT card linked to my parents citibank visa debit card account. Ok let me tell why you might need this. If you transfer money from our commercial banks like CIMB, Maybank, Ambank etc etc to a Japanese bank over there like Mizuho, Tokyo UFJ, Sumitomo bank, you need to pay the japanese banks 4000yen per every transaction as the service charge. While if you use citibank, you can just withdraw money from the citibank atm without any service charge fee, only the conversion rate! So its saves you 4000yen and is easier for you too! Citibank atm and office branches is located at most hot spots in Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tachikawa etc etc

2) Medicine of all sorts (for fever, flu, cough blablabla)
- medicines in Japan is expensive and not strong enough trust me...the consultant fee to see a doctor is still expensive even with the health insurance. health insurance is a must have item in japan..it also works as ur second id....clinics and hospital fees in japan is really expensive. your health insurance helps reduce the amount you have to pay at the end of the day...even so, it is still costly compared to if you just bring from malaysia!

3) Food! Especially for Muslims! I think Chinese would enjoy experimenting with japanese food and all kinds of dishes over there that muslims can`t consume. I suggest muslims to try not to experiment with food over there if you can`t read the ingredients...so better bring food from here until you can read the ingredients properly!! You have no idea how many times I had mistakenly ate non-halal food while I was there! Bring your fav food as much as you can from here, this is because its fine if you love japanese food but for those who`s tongue can`t take japanese food, atleast you have something spare in your bag! Plus, after months of eating japanese food TRUST ME, you`ll get bored at it! You don`t even wanna look at it anymore hehehe

4) prepare not to bring so many things just because you think its gonna be expensive there. Ok, I`ll come clean. I did this! I brought 2-3 big travelling bags when I first went there...thinking that owh must bring colgate might be expensive there...owh owh! must bring this that this that! Ugh i was crazy but when I got there I discovered a place called 100yen shop!!! And I wanted to KILL MYSELF! Everything was there and I just had to bring everything like an idiot! Plus, think about the transportation! Taxis in Japan is a BIG NO NO! To get from Narita airport to Tokyo cost about 20000 over yen by taxi! So you gotta travel by trains so better keep that in mind! UNLESS, like me last time, my agent provided me with a bus that took me straight to my dorm so I was lucky!

5) Ok i come back at least once every year and I pack the same thing everytime I go back to Japan. My bag is always empty from Japan---> KL then from KL--->Japan its always TOO PACKED hehehe...ok so I always bring ofcourse, FOOD and TOILETRIES!!!!!!! Basically I will bring back things that I use daily that I need to replenish. Things in Japan is always three four times more expensive than malaysia, the same thing but more expensive...like LUX shower cream or Toothpaste etc etc etc...and these things you need to replenish every month so it cost money to buy it there.
So i always pack up toitletries for 3-4 months` use! it really saves me lots! But its all up to u really coz I@m really trying to save up here

6) no need to bring any electronics and make ur bag heavier! Electronics there is way cheaper if you know where to find it (AKIHABARA!!!! HUWAAAAAAAA let`s go! Ok stop meh!) plus the plug is diff. What i did was bring only one international adapter for my laptop last time. that`s all! If you want to buy laptop over there, the system will be in Japanese so the display menu all in japanese, they do have international laptops too buy the price for that is same with malaysia but Japanese OS laptops are cheaper there!

7) Winter clothing. OK, in my opinion, U DONT need winter clothing from Malaysia! U know that shop called Winter Time? He he he way too expensive and is really really old fashioned! Trust me u`ll regret it if u have bought it from there and then go to Harajuku and found more CUTER and more Fashionable stuffs for prices way cheaper! But if u come in late december to february, yes u need to have one! it`ll be damn cold by then! What my friend did was...she asked her friend to buy for her in Japan and when her friend picked her up from the airport she straight away wore it! Pretty smart huh?

There`s more but this is all I can think of and I think the main things you need to consider! U can contact me before u come! If I`m available at that time, I`ll be able to help guide u around with things :p When will u be send to Japan for the program anyway?

Another important thing is to not expect too much or better not to have any expectations at all! Just be positive and happy and accept whatever comes! Don`t be surprised if the Tokyo people are not so friendly...they are just like that because they lead busy lives so they are a bit cold but people in Osaka, kyoto are way nicer! i hope u`ll have a good experience while u`re there :p I hope this will help u atleast a bit! Just ask me if there are other things that u`re curious about...i`ll try to answer u!


This post has been edited by ifana: Sep 15 2011, 10:23 PM

the more I read about Japan from this topic .. the less my chances to get a funding from my parents or sibling

dude, planning to do phd there?

Yeah .. so far after considering financial factors and cost of livings, my best option would be Chulalongkorn or Mahidol in Thailand . That's why I'm asking around perhaps there's other good universities in another countries with a low cost of living . I don't mind to eat maggi or being a vegetarian till I got a part time jobs. It's hard to ask parents for financial help when siblings is around watching ..

In b4 dreamer come and said all financial problem is nonsense

If money is your biggest worry and you want a more relax campus life rather than rushing to your part time job from school eventhough you`re tired and sacrificing your weekly saturday and sunday holidays for part time jobs then maybe you should go to countries with a lower cost of your living yeah....but if you`Re willing to work hard I`d say why not...my friends and I, we survive paying for our living expenses just by our part time jobs...my parents only sent me school fees. the only thing is I seldom have time to enjoy that much la coz its either i@m working or in school or resting at home. But if you know the way, even Tokyo should not be that expensive in the end. Have to work a bit hard think a bit more compromise a bit more

But since you`re thinking of phd then should be better la coz phd compared to my course(5 and 1/2 year course) is only 2-3 year course at most (ofcourse you`re thinking of doing it in fully english right?) so i guess it still can be done. Its all up to u though :p Ganbare!

My chance of NOT studying there is 99.9%



The problem is no guarantee can grad on time if the supervisor is shitty

if i wanna study business at japan with spm cert (im 20 and i failed my stpm) is it possible?

LOLz!! haha shitty supervisors!! Well I don`t know about that so far my lecturers are all really kind! But the not-graduating-on-time thing, I totally agreeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! won`t be able to handle that if it really happens!! TANAK!!!!!

Student91! Not only that it is possible, but it is the best option for u I dare say! (Was in the same shoes as u huhu ) Actually, they don`T look at your results at all! All u need to have is a 11-year education history! Which u obviously do have (primary school-6, high school-5, STPM samore-1 n1/2years) . Because to go to Japan, you have to enter a japanese language school first NO MATTER WHAT so you`ll be studying everything from scratch coz u`ll be learning business studies terms in japanese for you to use in university later on.

So yups! No Problem...study away! All the best!!

P/s : I too didn`t do well for my A levels last time and when I was confused abt what I can do, I came to learn about this information of Japan and YAY! 4 years babeh! Woohoo!

thanks..ill look more into MARA then... thanks again

This post has been edited by Mr.Wang: Sep 16 2011, 09:03 PM

All the best yah...if anything, u know where to find me hihi

i see ~ studying in japan costs a bomb. money is a big problem