[Aether]

I will be leaving this September to start a one year study abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo. This will be my first time going to Japan, so I am quite excited, but also quite at a loss as to what to expect. I will be doing a home stay roughly 45 minutes out from Tokyo, so I will have people to help guide me to get accustomed to the country when I arrive, but I would like to be as prepared as possible before I leave.

The preparation I have done thus far includes: over the past two years I have completed three years of Japanese at my University, gone to events hosted by Japanese students on campus, participated in a language exchange with a Japanese native, and for a weekend, I taught at a language camp for students learning Japanese.

By doing those things, I believe I have learned as much about the Japanese language as possible in the given time frame, but there are still many things in regards to actual life in Japan that I still wish to learn. That is where I hope this community can help me.

Here are my questions:

First of all, I should ask if anyone has had the experience of going to Sophia University. If anyone has, or knows of it, I would very much like to hear what you can tell me of it. What are most classes like? Is it easy to meet Japanese people? Did you have have the chance to join any clubs? What were they like? I personally am entertaining the idea of joining a club because I believe it would be a good way to make some Japanese friends. Does this sound like a good idea?

My next questions are about home stay life. Firstly, I was planning on bringing some small gifts such as food and pictures from where I live to give to my host family. Do these gifts sound like a good idea? Also, are there any customs I need to pay special attention to while doing a home stay. I know some things like having separate slippers for the home and bathroom, but are there other things I should pay special care to. Then I was wondering what are homes usually like in the suburbs of Tokyo? Do homes usually have internet in these locations? Furthermore, what kind of environment should I expect. I am guessing 45 minutes out from downtown Tokyo will still be quite city like. Is that right to assume?

I would also like to ask some questions about Tokyo and nearby locations. While I am in Tokyo, what are some must see areas? What are some areas that are fun to go to? I am not that big in to clubbing and I am not old enough to drink, so those kind of locations can be excluded. While I am in Japan, I would also like to try and go to places outside of Tokyo. Are there any onsen locations a little ways out from the city? Are there some interesting towns I could plan some trips to on weekends?

(While these are the main questions that came to mind, I would like to know more about anything you are willing to tell me.)

Thank you in advance!