So you're going to Japan for a year. How prepared are you?
Since the people at Hokudai seem to be exceedingly better at their jobs than the international staff back home, there hasn't really been any need to worry about handling practical matters like housing and arrival. Preparing to move to Japan has therefore been relatively stress-free.
After I and three other students had been accepted to HUSTEP, there were a few meetings organized by the international office during late spring. We were told the basics of visa application, to get vaccinated and such. The university also assigned a student tutor to us, a guy who'd participated in HUSTEP the year before. We only met with him once, but he has been rather helpful. But mostly, we've had to figure things out on our own or with the help of Hokudai International Office.
Visas & Residence Cards
Since I'm staying for longer than 3 months, I'll need a student visa despite the fact that I'm Finnish. Hokudai/Japanese authorities sent a Certificate of Eligibility to the uni a couple of days ago, which is a paper that says I have the right to be granted a student visa by the Japanese government. Now, if only the people at the embassy in Helsinki answered their e-mails, I might get my visa application going.
Hmmm, since I'm staying in Japan for such a long time, I'll be interviewed and registered for, and receiving a Residence Card upon landing to Chubu International Airport in Nagoya on Sep 19th. Which is kind of cool.
Travelling
Hmm. The most important thing was reserving plane tickets. We four decided to play it smart and reserved our flights together, and possibly saved a little bit of money and nerves. At least we won't be alone in the beginning of our adventure. Our flight leaves Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Sep 18th.
I haven't quite figured out travel insurance yet, since most travel insurance is valid only for 3 months. I'll have to ask around or find out if I could get insurance from a Japanese company.
But hey, at least today I went to pick up my smaller suitcase, so now I have two super-light and sturdy Samsonite suitcases. Seriously, over 120 liters / 3 kg? That is amazing! Expensive, but amazing. AKA my parents splurged on a couple of really good suitcases for me as an early birthday/Christmas present. Now I just need to figure out what to pack...
Housing
During the summer, Hokudai asked us for our preferences for dormitories, which vary in price and size and privacy. The best ones are basically mini-apartments with their own bathrooms and kitchenette's, and the cheapest have more shared, common spaces. Like toilets. Oh joy. I applied to Kita 8, hopefully I'll be assigned there. I am a very private person, and even if I probably could get used to sharing bathrooms with total strangers, I'd prefer not having to live through the process of conditioning myself to that.
One of the best parts of the Hokudai dormitories is the fact that internet is included! So no need to worry about being out-of-touch with my family once I get there, even if it takes a few days to get a Japanese phone number.
Healthcare
I got vaccinated already before YTHS closed shop for the summer. Thankfully, I've travelled to Ethiopia in 2006, which required a whole bunch of vaccinations, so this time around I only needed the Japanese encephalitis or JEV vaccine and a booster for meningitis ('cause dormitories have people in them). The JEV vaccine was kind of expensive, but at least I didn't need to do another round of tetanus or Hepatitis vaccines, or polio.
And, since I have migraines and occasional, apparently stress-related acute stomach ache, as well as insomnia and sucky skin, I do have quite a lot of prescriptions.
Even though Hokudai offers student healthcare and an optional check-up at the beginning of the academic year, I thought it best to get my prescriptions filled in Finland. It's a lot easier to take familiar medicine with you than getting completely new Japanese prescriptions from a new doctor.
So, I switched my prescriptions to a year's supply, had them switched to English with the active ingredients listed, which is something I'd recommend to anyone travelling for a longer period of time with prescription medicines.
A Pro-Tip: YAKKAN SHOUMEI.
What? Okay, so. We discovered that if you want to take more than a month's supply of prescription medicine, have prescription medicine banned in Japan, or regularly take medicine that requires a prescription in Japan, you need to fill a so-called "Yakkan Shoumei" form. Basically, you need to describe the medicine, its purpose, how much you want to bring as well as attach a copy of your prescription.
Easy peasy. You just compile all the required documents (each medicine needs its own product description form), send them to the proper Healthcare authorities and a week later they send a scanned copy of the Yakkan Shoumei to your e-mail, with all the appropriate official seals and stuff. Print it, and pack it with the meds and you are good to go.
Now I can take over 400 pills of various meds with me to Japan, and customs will not think I'm a drug dealer. Hooray!
Also, since I'll be staying in Japan for so long, I'll get a Recidence Card to go with my shiny Student Visa, which means I have to/get to pay the Japanese national healthcare insurance or whatever every month, which means that in case I need to go to the hospital or get really sick and need medical leave, the Japanese government will cover most of the costs. Basically, no need to worry about healthcare-related issues.
Money
Since I will be receiving Finnish Student Aid from Kela, 500€ plus the option of a student loan, and I received the JASSO stipend, I won't need to worry about having enough money.
What apparently need to worry about is
Getting a Japanese bank account that accepts international money transfers from the get-go
Which ATMs in Japan accept my Mastercard bebit card
Which is the cheapest and easiest way to transfer money from my Finnish bank account to my Japanese bank account
Due to money laundering (/yakuza), many banks in Japan have these periods that forbid international money transfer in the first few months of the accounts existence. Joy. I need one that doesn't, but we've been informed that it shouldn't be impossible and we have uni staff and students to help us figure bank-related things out.
Apparently, as of last year, some MasterCards with the standard international chip have had some problems with money transfers in Japan. A fact which doesn't warm me heart, considering I receiving a brand new MasterCard bebit card from my bank two days ago, to replace my Visa Electron. Hopefully my card won't be affected, but if it is, at least my 1st choice dormitory has an Aeon right next to it.
Lastly, my bank has rather big fees for non-EU withdrawals, and the money transfer fee is 10€/transfer, it might be cheaper to use some other service to transfer my money. Well, at least it will be cheaper to transfer money straight to a bank account than withdrawing it at the ATM, so I really, really need a Japanese account that allows international transfers immediately. Oh boy, oh joy. Hopefully someone will be able to help me figure these things out.
TL;DR
Hokudai is really, really good at taking care of international students before and upon arrival.
GET VACCINATED EVEN IF YOU HATE NEEDLES. You'll hate being sick more.
Prescription meds? Yakkan Shoumei!
Insurance is weird, but at least you are in Residence
Money is a global issue, Japanese banks are weird.
I know I said I'd try for a limit of one topic per post but seriously... All of these things are preparation, riiiiight.