Kansai Gaidai University

Please note that the seminar houses are a good 20 minute walk or 10 minute bike ride. So you need to get a bike. Seminar house one is the place to be. Everyone gets to know everyone else because it's so small. The rooms are fairly large and the beds are really comfortable. I haven't heard anyone complain about them. You have to share a room with another person and a fridge with 2 other rooms. Lots of pots and pans, but no ice trays in some. The bathrooms are good. lots of tables in the kitchens. I nice big commons room with a TV and VRC. Living in seminar house has salvaged my stay here....barely.

If you move in, go buy most of your stuff to a dollar shop..crazy how many things you can find there. Also buy your furniture to a second hand shop, there is one in Hirakata. The quality of used items is really good in Japan. Otherwise there is an IKEA in Osaka too, but a bit far. Food at school cafeteria is pretty good and cheap. Also, in most big supermarkets, the food gets discounted heavily around 6-7 pm.. So if you can wait a little for your dinner, you will be able to eat lots of sushis every night hehe.

If you want to party with the Japanese: Triangle is the hippest club, with weekly guest DJs/performers from all over the world. Events: any Zettai Mu party (look for fliers) is truly awesome if you are into the underground movement.

everyone is so friendly in japan! it won't be any problems there!

Whilst in Japan I took a good shot at trying to improve my Japanese language ability. Japanese language classes gave me a good base to work on my hyoujyungo (standard intonation), and outside of class and study, I would just go hang out with my Japanese and foreign friends, have fun and speak in Japanese. I would try to speak in Japanese most of the time and would write down a new word when I heard it in note pad and then review this pad as vocabulary later. Although this will drive you crazy after a while, I found that I needed to submerse myself in the language in order to learn it. It all ended up being really worthwhile, in terms of not only learning the language, but meeting a lot of good people, and especially in getting to know my host family better.

My speaking parter only wanted to learn english, but she was still a very cute and wonderful girl. I don't have any problem getting around, even though my Japanese is awful (the class hasn't taught me anything practical yet)