Foreign exchange - help?
 

Hello. This summer (June 8 - July 24) I'm going on foreign exchange to Japan. I don't know where yet, but I will post the location when I get hold of the location and my host family. I know some things I may need in... I've compiled a list of things I need and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for other things to bring. I will be living with a host family, but I'm not exactly sure what to bring as a gift, so having a native Japanese opinion on this would be great. I posted this under Living in Japan because this is quite a long time and more than traveling or vacation.


Things to do:
- passport
- credit card overseas activation

Clothes and toiletries:
- 5 pants, 2 shorts, 1 pair swimming trunks, dress pants, maybe a light jacket if placed up north?
- 7 regular shirts, 2 "get dirty" shirts, dress shirt, 2 undershirts
- belt
- cologne
- 2 deodorant sticks
- hair wax
- hair straightener (OK with customs?), if so heat protection solution
- toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash
- 8 boxers
- 8 pairs of socks
- sunglasses?
- also bring old pair of shoes
- nailclippers
- towel?

electronics
- PSP w/ USB cable & charger
- DS w/ charger
- camera w/ two memory sticks, charger
- ipod, charger
- archos video player w/ charger
- cell phone, check softbank, au, and docomo prices
- USB drive
- calculator

books and other stuff
- japanese dict
- grammar book
- kanji book
- notebooks: big and small (pocket size)
- pens, pencils, eraser?, highlighter, pencil-bag
- folder

Go get your passport TOMORROW. The passport office is way behind, and be prepared to pay the extra 100 dollars for a rush fee.

He's right, you need to get on top of that right away. It's not a short process, and if you don't do it right away, there's no chance of you even getting on the plane to Japan.

Also, Japan's outlets run on a different voltage. Make sure your electronics can handle it, and that you buy the necessary adapters to use them.

Whoa... As everyone else said, get your passport NOW!!!
And don`t send the application - expedited or not. Go to the office personally, and have it made while you wait. The chances of getting it in time are extremely low otherwise. Especially now. Summer is coming up, and a mailed application could take 3 months. I am simply in shock that you don`t already have one.

I would suggest bringing more than one "dress up" outfit. My guess is that you`ll need those FAR more than "get dirty" clothing. Japan has a tendency to take clothing very seriously, so unless you already dress very nicely to begin with... Chances are your normal clothes are going to look too casual in almost any situation. T-shirts and shorts that were totally acceptable for wear in the US suddenly became suitable only for pajamas and in-house wear once I came to Japan.
Expect to have to give several speeches in front of the students of the school you`ll be attending (greeting, saying thank you, plus whatever events they will want you to take part in.) so unless they have a uniform lined up for you, you may also want to have a suit or something approximate to one.

You will not need the sunglasses. No, wait, you may feel you need them, but your host family will probably be shocked if you wear them and chances are they will be banned at your school. Sunglasses are a no no in Japan.

It isn`t hard to find things you need in Japan, so I wouldn`t be too worried about small items. You`re also going to probably want to pick up notebooks, pens, pencils etc once you`re here as those available in Japan always seem so much nicer than those in the US.

Oh, and I would toss in another large folding bag. Chances are, you`ll be taking a lot more home than you brought and it`s expensive to buy another bag once you`re here.

My UK blood could never never grow accustomed to the bright Japanese sun, so sunglasses are a must for me, but be sure to take them off when ever you are on school grounds and whenever talking to someone face to face. I will say that it was hard for Japanese people to understand that I didn't wear sunglasses to look cool, but to be able to see without squinting all day. If you don't need them, though, I wouldn't bring them, like Nyororin said.

Congratulations, Harold. Good Luck!
I've been seriously thinking about getting into a Student Exchange program to Japan, myself.

I already sent in my application this monday and expedited it, so it's kind of late for that already. I had originally sent it in May 9th (Friday) only to receive a letter May 17th (following Saturday) telling me I didn't supply the correct birth certificate records. It was expedited to begin with, with overnight shipping and the works. I remailed at the post office mailbox Sunday night to make sure it would be mailed out Monday. My envelope does have suspense and EXPEDITE written on it, so I'm really not worried about that too much. I'm expecting it next week around Tuesday or Wednesday.

My clothes are pretty nice to begin with, I don't really wear t-shirts. I wear polos 90% of the time with jeans and a pair of designer shoes, so I'm not too worried about the clothing thing, but I definitely will take notice of my appearance some more than I do here in the U.S.

A folding bag is probably a good idea. Thanks for the idea. :o

I will try to take another pair of nice clothes, but the scholarship I received said it covers all school materials and uniforms, so it may not be a problem.

Now that you mention, I probably should wait until I arrive in Japan to buy those smalls things.

Also, do you know the reasoning behind the dislike of sunglasses? I've never heard of this before...

I don't need them, so hopefully I can fare without them. (they would be nice, though.)
Some things I have charge through a USB cord on a computer. The DS, PSP, straightening iron, and Camera all should work in Japan from what I've read. The iron is the only thing that has a problem--it will take a little longer to heat up.

Most Japanaese don't need them, so it looks like you are trying to look cool or have something to hide. Gangsters are notorious for wearing gaudy sunglasses.

Just be aware that Japanese outlets wont accept plugs with polarized prongs or with three prongs - that's where you need an adapter.

I see girls all the time in Tokyo wearing those stupid sunglasses which are half the size of their head...

I guess that makes sense, I guess. I'm glad I asked about what to bring before I brought it. I'd hate to make a bad impression on my host family.

Polarized? I only checked the voltage on all my stuff and I already know they are 2 pronged, but I haven't heard of this polarized business.

Like these?
http://urbanupdater.files.wordpress....osh-small2.jpg

Polarized means when the two prongs are slightly different sizes. Hair dryers and hair irons are commonly polarized, so check yours. Polarized plugs won't fit into Japanese outlets.

Hmm, if I recall correctly, my old thinkpad's power supply is polarized but it plugged right in to the outlet.. i could be wrong...

On the note of sunglasses, its "acceptable" for girls as its a fashion statement... for guys, you are likely to be mistaken for Yakuza member if you walk around with them. I suppose it should be OK if you are in a more quiet tourist area, but definitely avoid wearing them around Namba Osaka and Shinjuku...

They fit just fine. It just won`t be polarized though.
In the worst case scenario, it may be a tight fit - but I`ve never had any not fit at all.

I don't do anywhere outside in Japan without sunglasses, but am always sure to take them off when I am talking to someone. At this point, most of my Japanese friends wear sunglasses, too, but we are all well out of college. I think it takes more than sunglasses to be mistaken for a gangster.

AC source won't be polarized anyways... the only thing that "makes" it polarize is the difference between live, common and ground, so it wouldn't matter polarized or not, most applicances uses an oscillator to switch it back to DC source....

Hmm, ok maybe not mistake as gangster.. but i am sure my cousin told me that sunglasses protrait a cocky image.. is that still the case?

It depends who you ask. I think a few people find them "disrespectful", especially on teenagers. They are associated with gangsters, but only if you are wearing really garish ones and a velvet jumpsuit. They are most often seen as something "important" people like movie stars wear. That might be what your cousin meant. I would never wear them inside or while waiting for someone to answer the door, but for the most part, I don't think people in Japan really have a strong opinion either way, and I see lots of Japanese wear sunglasses, especially in the big cities.

Around here you pretty much NEVER see anyone wearing sunglasses unless it`s a fashion queen trying to look like a "celebitch" (An actual word they use to refer to themselves...) You don`t even see people wear them while driving - only the occasional truck drivers.

No one will actually think you`re a gangster, but they are sort of associated with that... Just like tattoos. No one will mistake you for something you aren`t, but the image still carries the connections and will not give a good impression. You might be able to get away with it in Tokyo or Osaka, but I know that around here it`s definitely not a common thing.

Oh, and an update on the polarized outlets. I actually took a look, and all the outlets in my house are polarized and about 1/3rd of them have the third prong.

Must differ from place to place then. In my dorm rooms it was all two-pronged outlets, and trying to fit a polarized plug into one of them would have resulted in either damaging the plug or the outlet. I guess if worse comes to worse, you can just buy an adapter while you're there in Japan if need be.

I`m going to guess that the older outlets aren`t/weren`t polarized. This place was built in 2004.
However, I can recall using polarized plugs in the non-polarized outlets and never really having any trouble getting them to fit. It was tight, but went in without any real problems.

Either way, they sell extension cords and adapters at the 100 yen shop.

Well, if my stuff doesn't work I can always make that visit to the 100 yen store like Nyororin said.

I received my passport in the mail today. It was very quick seeing as I sent it in Sunday night.

On another note, are there any things I should not do when shaving facial hair? Does it matter where in the house I shave?

Sink v.s. shower

I think that will be up to the family you`re staying with. Some people think it`s bad to shave in the shower, while others don`t want hair in their sink. It`s best to just ask them where you should shave.