I'm alive and well!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't written about my arrival, I am in fact alive. I've just been very busy getting my dorm room set up and meeting a million new people.

I guess I should start with packing. Packing was very last minute for me, so I just went around my room and put things in my suitcase. I think packing to stay at Michael's house every few nights has trained me well in the art of packing, so I didn't forget anything. Phew! This little guy didn't want to make it easy for me though, and I'm missing him immensely right now. Maybe I should have just let him stay in there...

The flights were ok. Both my flights were fully booked, but I got lucky and whoever was supposed to sit next me on my first flight didn't make the plane. Unfortunately I wasn't so lucky on the second, longer flight, but I was seated next to a very polite Japanese lady so I didn't have any issues. I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep though which resulted in me sleeping on the bus on the way to the dorms the next morning. We also flew through a lightning storm which was interesting.

Once I got off the bus in Shiki I was greeted by 2 students from Rikkyo who took me to the Aeon supermarket (with my giant suitcase) to buy toilet paper since there was none at the dorms. I then arrived at the dorms and met the dorm manager who tried to explain everything to me, although I couldn't understand a word he was saying so I'm still not entirely sure how to work the washing machines or separate my rubbish.

The days following my arrival have been spent shopping for groceries, and several trips have been made to Daiso for cheap dorm supplies. I also needed to make a couple of trips in to the Bic Camera stores in Ikebukuro to get an adaptor for my laptop (I stupidly didn't check before I left Aus and my laptop plug has 3 prongs and the adaptors I bought only accommodate 2), and a microwave which I got special permission to have in my room so that I can heat up my heat pack for my back. Boy am I glad I have my heat pack. After the flights and the extra strain on my shoulders from carrying heavy shopping bags I need it badly. For once my bad back is useful for something, now I can cook microwave meals too.

Oh! And I've experienced my first earthquake. The morning after I arrived I was woken up a bit after 9am because the building was gently swaying. I thought it was just vertigo (I've been suffering from vertigo since I got here from using lifts so much, hopefully that will pass) but it turns out it was an earthquake. They really aren't scary at all, although I guess I wasn't anywhere near the epicentre.

So finally, I guess you want to see what my room looks like, so here's some photos from before I pulled all my stuff out of my suitcase (click on them to enlarge them). I'll post some more photos of what it looks like soon once I've bought a few more things. It's really quite big by Japanese standards I think, although I am struggling with the size of a few things like the kitchen and bathroom, I'm used to having more bench space. I guess I'll adjust.

Front door and cupboard (with shelves).

Entry area. I need to leave my shoes here.

Kitchen.

Kitchen.

Toilet. Yes it's a fancy one that washes your bum. I'm yet to try that setting. The fun part is there's a tap in the top of the toilet to wash your hands and that water then runs into the bowl so that you save water.

Shower. There are a couple of small shelves in the corner that you can't see, and the bath really isn't as big as it looks.

Cupboard (next to kitchen) for clothes. This is actually quite roomy.

My bedroom.

Desk and shelves. Those boxes are my bedding that I ordered before arriving.

Bed. I'd say it's about the size of a king-single in Aus.

Balcony. Once I run some string through that bracket it will be my clothesline.

View from my balcony. I got pretty lucky, just to the right of that is an ugly grey building. I can see half and half.

So that's it I guess. If you want to see the dorm a bit better a past resident of the Asakadai dorms made this video which is pretty good. The Asakadai dorms are the same as the Shiki dorms, they just have a slightly different fridge I think.

I'll try and write again soon. Also I'm really missing western food right now, and I'm struggling to find food in the supermarket that I can cook with just one frypan/saucepan, so if anyone wants to send me some food I have a list going. Donations are welcome. Please don't let me starve! (This might be slightly dramatic, but I haven't really been eating too well because the prospect of what I have to eat here doesn't make me want to eat, so seriously, care packages with Aus food are welcome).

Anthea xx

1 week!

Today marks 1 week from my departure. Eep! I still don't really have any idea what I should be packing, I have a rough list, but I think in reality I'll just end up putting everything that I think I might need on my bed on Sunday and I'll slowly sift through and remove stuff so that I end up with a pile that will fit in my suitcase. Probably not the best plan, but since I'll be living in Japan and not just going on a holiday my list at the moment consists of pretty much everything in my room.

Although we have the option to hire bedding from the dorms, I've heard it's not overly comfortable so I've ordered my own. I got the link from Emily, a student from Sheffield in the UK who studied at Rikkyo a couple of years ago. I stumbled across her blog about a year ago when I was trying to find out more information on the dorms. Here's the link to her blog if any future Rikkyo students are interested, and here's the link to the bedding. I bought the 'fresh pink' colour of course. There was a bit of guesswork involved in the ordering process since I know very little Japanese, but with the help of my old friend Google Translate we made it through. やった!

My international sim card also arrived in the mail the other day. I bought my travel insurance through Covermore, and they give you the option of a free sim card which you then top up. The rates aren't exactly great, but they're better than what I would be paying if I was using my normal Virgin Mobile sim. Calls to Australia are 45c/min, texts are 48c, and data is 70c/mb (I'll be avoiding using any data if I can), and I don't get charged for incoming calls or texts like I would if I was using the Virgin sim, so the plan is to put the Covermore sim into my phone once I arrive in Japan. I'll give my family the number of course, but if anyone else wants it just let me know. I'll probably only have the number for a couple of weeks though until I sort out a Japanese sim/phone.

So that's it! I'll let you know how packing goes :p

Anthea xx

Visa Obtained

Today I went back in to the city to the consulate to pick up my visa. This time everyone was happy and smiling and even the security guard cracked a joke. They must have decided I was ok now that my visa was approved. Either that or every single one of them is bipolar. I had always assumed that a visa was a piece of paper, but it's actually a sticker that goes inside your passport. It takes up a whole page and is configured just like the front page of your passport with all your details and your photo. The lady there explained to me what I'd need to to do at Narita airport when I land, but she went through it all so fast that all I actually remember is that after I go through immigration I need to make sure that I don't leave the airport without getting my resident's card. Isn't it handy that they're issued at the airport now?

I've also received my 'yakkan-shoumei'. I'm not actually sure what that translates to in English because it's always referred to as 'yakkan-shoumei' but it's a certificate that allows me to bring 'large' quantities of my medicine into the country. I use the term 'large' loosely. Basically you're allowed to bring in 1 month's worth of prescription drugs and 2 month's worth of other drugs (such as basic painkillers), but if you want to bring more than that into the country you'll need to apply for one of these 'yakkan-shoumei' to show to customs. The link to the website that Rikkyo sent us was very out of date (in fact it was published about 10 years ago), the most recent link is here. Seriously Rikkyo? Get your shit together. For anyone who needs to apply for a 'yakkan-shoumei', the forms are on the website and you send them to Japan via snail mail and they then email the certificate back to you. You then print this to show to customs. I think it took me about a week and a half to get mine, so make sure you allow some time if you need to apply for one.

Hmmmm what else do I need to tell you? My bursary from QUT has cleared, so that's another $1500 in my pocket. Thanks QUT! I've also purchased some books from Book Depository and I'm having them delivered to the dorms. Somehow I don't think I'm going to be too popular with the dorm managers when I get there. I think we were only supposed to send our 'luggage and belongings' in advance, and in true Book Depository style they have sent the 3 books from my order separately and about a day apart from one another. Knowing my luck the shipping will be super quick for once too and they'll show up early. They asked that our things only be sent within the week before our arrival. Ah well.

So that's it for now! Between now and September 2nd I'll just be getting the business organised so that it can function without me for 6 months (for anyone reading this who doesn't know me, I have my own business creating nail polish). My partner Michael will be looking after the business while I'm gone but there's still a lot of work to be done, I feel like it's never ending at the moment. If you don't hear from me for awhile it's because I've passed out from polish fumes, I have 6 months worth of stock to make ;)

Anthea xx

Visa Application

I've been busy the past few days, finally getting myself organised with some of the more important parts of this trip. I've now purchased travel insurance, paid the dorm fee (which thanks to the shitty Australian Dollar at moment cost me nearly $4000 instead of $3600 like I originally thought it would), and exchanged AUD for JPY. Hopefully I've exchanged enough money to keep me going for the first couple of months that I'm in Japan, or a least until I've sorted out if I'll be opening a Japanese bank account or not.

Note to self: buy a dorky money belt so no one steals your money while you sleep on the plane.

My CoE (Certificate of Eligibility) finally arrived from Rikkyo yesterday, so today I made a trip in to the city to apply for my visa. That was certainly an 'interesting' trip. Before I get in to the details of that though, for anyone else applying for a Japanese visa in Brisbane here's a few things to keep in mind. 

• Double check the opening hours. At the moment the consulate doesn't process visa applications between 12:30 and 2pm. 
• Double check on the website what is required. Rikkyo told me to bring 3 things; the letter of admission (from Rikkyo), passport, and the CoE. This was NOT what I needed and I got extremely lucky that I didn't have to make a second trip in to the city to apply. I'll tell you more about that in a bit.

This story will probably make me sound naive (and I probably am), but I feel I need to relay the events involved with applying for a visa at the consulate in Brisbane so that other naive folk (I say that in a loving way) know what to expect. I assume the process will be somewhat similar in other states/countries too.

When I stepped out of the lift, there were no signs to clarify if I was on the right level, in fact the whole level was abandoned and kind of dark, EXCEPT for a security guard standing in front of a doorway (for anyone who has played Pokemon, think of those annoying Team Rocket grunts who blocked doorways in those otherwise abandoned buildings. I was Ash). Needless to say I thought I'd got off on the wrong floor and this guy was looking as serious as a person can possibly look. I thought there must have been a crime scene on the other side of that door and I was so ready to run back in the lift and get the hell out of there.

Obviously seeing my look of confusion (and probably panic because I thought I wasn't supposed to be there) he asked if I was looking for the consulate. I said yes, and he told me to stay where I was and asked for ID. He then filled out some form, gave me back my ID, and asked for my phone and any cameras I might have. I gave him my phone and then he checked my bag and used one of those wavy wand stick things to make sure I didn't have anything dangerous on me. I then had to walk through one of those security barrier things like you walk through at the airport before I could go in. I mean, realistically, I understand the precautions. Like I said I was stupidly naive when I imagined the consulate as some office like any other. And when he took my phone the only thing I could think of was 'what the hell am I going to do while I wait now?'. Goodbye Facebook.

Luckily once I got through the doors I didn't really have to wait. There was about a 3 minute wait, but since I hadn't filled in the visa application forms before showing up like I was supposed to (you can get them on the website) I spent my 3 minute wait filling them in. I really recommend filling them in beforehand if you can, there were some questions on there about things such as the address where you will be staying, and I didn't have the address on me and of course I didn't have my phone to find out. Luckily for me the lady who checked the application just wrote 'to be organised by the university' in that section. You will also need a passport size photo. This was something that Rikkyo hadn't said that I would need, and I was lucky that I had put one in my passport case for safekeeping awhile back. Also, you won't need the letter of admission which Rikkyo said I would need, they only want the CoE, passport photo, and your passport. And the application form of course. The best advice I can really give here is to check the website for requirements before going to the consulate, DO NOT rely on Rikkyo to get it right.

So that's my story. Don't expect everyone in the consulate to be all smiles. I don't think I got a smile the whole time I was there. I was trying to be upbeat and friendly and felt like a total ditz in comparison. Everyone is very no-nonsense and I felt like I was doing something wrong the whole time I was there. Even when I was following directions. I'm not particularly looking forward to going back next week to pick up my visa (it takes about 3 working days to process by the way). But hey, once I pick it up I'm pretty much sorted for this trip! Other than working out what to pack...

Anthea xx

Information Headache

Hey! Today is August 2nd, which means it is exactly one month until I leave Australian soil. Not gonna lie, I'm freaking out. I still have so much to do! Today I went in to QUT and picked up my information package from Rikkyo. There's quite a bit included in the package, but a lot of it is just housekeeping stuff that kept repeating itself which made it a headache to read.

The package included:

• My Official Letter of Admission (or at least I'm hoping that's what it is because it's written in Japanese). 
• Information about daily life in Japan (although to be honest most of it I had already worked out on my own and I'm still no closer to knowing whether it's worth me opening a Japanese bank account or not and how to get a mobile).
• Boring insurance/health forms.
• An orientation schedule.
• Information about the Japanese placement test (very vague).
• Some information about class registration (also very vague). 
• A booklet with descriptions of the classes I can take (same as what was available on the Rikkyo website).
• A timetable of all the classes (at the moment I won't be disappointed if I end up in J1 level Japanese, they have a 10:45am start instead of a 9am start haha).
• Student handbook.
• Dorm confirmation (I'll be staying at the Shiki dorm, room 206. Any other Shiki residents reading this?)
• Information about the dorms (rules and regulations as well as information about where the dorms are etc, basically stuff that I already knew from reading the info available on the Rikkyo website).

There's also some forms that need to be returned to Rikkyo, some of which are supposed to be mailed back by August 5th. Ha! Maybe if they wanted their forms back on time they should have posted the package at the start of July like they said they would (can you tell I'm a bit annoyed by their lack of organisation?).

Some other items of note:

• Apparently they don't send someone to meet me at the airport, which kinda sucks really. QUT had said that most universities would send someone to meet you. Guess I'll be braving the airport and transport to Shiki by myself. It seems pretty straightforward, but the thought of doing it alone after an overnight flight is a bit daunting considering I hardly speak Japanese. 
• You can't check in to the dorms after 9pm. Luckily this won't affect me as my flight arrives in the morning, but the info we were given prior to now only mentioned that you couldn't check in on Sundays and public holidays. I bet there will be a few people with later flights who were planning to check in after 9pm. I feel for those people, I really do. Probably should have told us that before we booked our flights. Let this be a warning to anyone going to Rikkyo in future!
• I'm allowed to send items to my dorm room within a week of my arrival. This means that I'll have to wait until the last minute to order my bedding. I hope it arrives before I do, I don't have any plans to sleep on the floor!

So that's basically it! There's a tonne of info in there really, but that's the general outline. I guess my next step is to get those forms returned to Rikkyo and plan which classes I want to take. Hopefully I can work out a timetable that leaves me lots of free time!

Anthea xx

It's here! Well, almost...

Today I finally got an email from QUT to say that my information package from Rikkyo has arrived. I didn't know however, that I would be required to go and pick it up. We were under the impression that QUT would forward it to us in the mail. Why Rikkyo couldn't have just sent it directly to our home addresses I'll never know. Guess I'll be making the 2 hour round trip in to uni sometime this week to pick it up. Sigh. Oh and for those of you who were wondering, no this package doesn't include our CoE (Certificate of Eligibility) which we need in order to apply for our visa. This will be sent sometime at the start of August (or so we've been told). I've requested that Rikkyo send this directly to me, there's no way that I'm making the trip in to uni twice when I don't have any classes!

I've also been emailed by COBBY. COBBY stands for College Of Business...something something. Actually I have no idea what the B and Y on the end stand for. But basically if you are enrolled into Rikkyo's College of Business (which I am as I'm doing a business degree at QUT) you will be given the option to have a buddy who is Japanese and a student at Rikkyo. Of course I've said yes, because I'm going to need someone who can answer my stupid questions. Like how to tell a hairdresser that I'd like my fringe trimmed. I can just see that turning out disastrously if I ask for the wrong thing...

I'll let you know what the information package says once I've picked it up!

Anthea xx

Anxiously waiting...

Hello! Long time no post! I've wanted to write a post, really I have, but I've had nothing to write about because Rikkyo hasn't given me any information yet. They originally said that we'd be sent an information pack at the start of July, then it got pushed back to the middle of July, and now on July 22nd I still haven't received anything. I'm starting to get a bit anxious with all the organising that still needs to be done for this trip. For anyone planning on going to Rikkyo in future, do not expect them to be too organised.

So what have I done so far to prepare for this trip? Well, not much to be honest. I've bought a lighter suitcase because my old one weighed about 5kg, a new laptop (which is already off being repaired and I have no idea when I'll get it back), and I've bought new shoes because I figure I'll be doing a lot of walking in Japan and my old shoes were falling apart. From what I've heard it's pretty hard to find AU size 9/10 shoes in Japan so I've decided to take more shoes rather than clothes (damn luggage restrictions!). I've yet to do anything important like get travel insurance, but I'm sure once I actually hear from Rikkyo it will kick my butt into gear!

And a side note for anyone else going to Rikkyo in September this year, a facebook group has been started so that we can get to know each other. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/482468281844396/

I'll let you know as soon as I hear any information from Rikkyo!

Anthea xx