[aychseven]

oh money won't be such a problem. since i'll be going to school full time i'll have loans for what grants and scholarships don't cover. plus i'll probably be able to keep my current job, though part time, and just telecommute for some extra cash.

honestly i can't imagine travel costs being more expensive than my current costs of ~$600USD per month. (car payment, insurance and gas, not including maintenance.)

i figure learning japanese might take a little longer for me there than for others since my school is english only aside from the japanese classes, so i wont be surrounded by the language all the time. again, i'm not too worried about this.

as for venturing to smaller cities, i imagine trips taken before i get a decent handle on japanese would be ones organized by the school, but thanks for the tip on city hall, i'll be sure to keep that in mind.


a few more questions for you. i'm used to late nights here in vegas. how late does the metro run in tokyo? what about other trains?
is it still the norm to not tip at bars and restaurants, or has the gaijin population spoiled that one?

again, thanks for all your replies, and keep them coming!