Expenses Reviews
3.98 / 5 based on 197 reviews
Useful |
6
Dorota C
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
Eating out can get pretty expensive... portions are small, so you'll want to get more. Clubs and bars are very expensive. Transportation is the main expense-- traveling around Japan by rail would not be easy for someone on a shoestring budget... for example, the 2.5 hour bullet train ride from Kyoto to Tokyo costs almost $200 one way. Overall a semester at Kansai Gaidai was still much cheaper than a semester at my home institution.
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Food, Travel, Overall, Nightlife:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing, Telephone:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The internet connections at Kansai Gaidai itself were surprisingly slow, but my host family had very fast broadband access. Textbooks are easy to acquire at Kansai Gaidai, since most of them consist of packets of material photocopied from other sources (probably violating copyright laws, but whatever). Homestays and dormitories are well-equipped with furnishings... the few apartments near campus were either exorbitantly expensive or gross, so few people chose that path. Getting money is easy, international ATMs are at every post office in Japan. Prepaid cellphones are available at reasonable rates, and for international communication Skype is the way to go. Health care/bank trips seemed to entail some confusion and bureaucratic wrangling with the university office, but if you absolutely need such services they are accessible.
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2
Hans M
Expenses
Main source of funding:
A private grant
Other sources of funding:
Family<br>
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
You can eat relatively good food for really cheap in Japan, so that is not a big expense. The big expenses will come from your traveling (transportation costs a lot and adds up quickly..but it is so efficient and nice to use) and activities you do outside of school. If you just eat, go to school and sleep, it will be as cheap or cheaper than back home... but then your life will be really boring. There are so many delicious foods and restaurants to eat to, activities and trips to do as Kansai area is beautiful and also if you like nightlife as I did it can also be great but again..all of this is expensive!
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Nightlife, Overall, Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone, Housing, Food:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
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.
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0
anonymous
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
Other
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
I thought the cost of food was generally higher in Japan. I also did a lot of travelling in Japan, which I don't as much of back at home.
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Food, Overall, Travel, Housing:
was more expensive than at home.
Nightlife, Telephone:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
You can save a bit if you don't blow all you money on eating out. Shopping at the supermarket and eating at okonomiyaki ya san, or takoyaki ya san when hanging out with friends might save a bit too. When you travel, there is a lot of cheap accommodation around. A good thing to do is to pick a 'Lonely Planet' Guide and get your accommodation tips from there.
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1
tmlee
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
the average cost if living is not that expensive. I eat a lot and I spend every week about 80 us$. 7 days a week which is about 11 dollars? pretty ok huh? only going out to clubs can be really expensive and go traveling to other cities can be really expensive!!
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Food, Housing, Travel, Telephone, Nightlife, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
kansai gaidai will help you to open a bankaccount at the Sumotomobank and I would recommend to withdrawel money only from the Sumitomo banks! other banks is possibel, but they will charge you 1 us$!!!
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0
Brandon L
Expenses
Main source of funding:
A private grant
Other sources of funding:
Family<br>
Personal savings<br>
Government assistance<br>
A private grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Food: I ate out a lot.
Phone: I had a cellphone and messed with it constantly.
Nightlife: Bars are outrageously expensive.
Travel: Trains, buses, etc. add up. Going to Osaka and back can cost close to 1500 yen just for travel.
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Travel, Telephone, Nightlife, Overall, Food:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Be mindful of the exchange rate. When I was there, the value of the yen shot up and the US Dollar lost like 20% of its value. So try to budget your money and make sure you have enough in case something like that happens to you.
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0
Kilikat
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
Family<br>
Other
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
Japan is an expensive country! But you can find deals if you look for them.
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Food, Travel, Overall, Nightlife, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
There are quite a few cheap places to eat & ways to travel. International travel out of Japan is much cheaper than domestic flights; I went home to Hawaii for $300 US. The administration makes it easy to open a bank account, but getting money transferred from home can sometimes be a pain. Eat at the shokudo (cafeteria) on campus - It's much cheaper.
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