[mrnicekid]

Phone:
for international calls, i always use internet calling softwares like skype. it's extremely cheap. and like MMM suggested, i think it's better to have a japanese phone in japan, there are a lot of models that are bilingual (can change from japanese to english). so my opinion: get a japanese phone for a year.

Part-Time Jobs:
there are a lot of part time jobs that even foreigners that didn't speak much japanese could do. for starters, do you fancy on getting up very early in the morning and do rounds with the garbage guys to collect garbage around the area? they pay you a lot (close to 10000yen per day)and you could ride garbage trucks on the back! fun and cool! you could also try working in bread factories, making mochi cakes. didn't need to know japanese to do that. or you could work in a restaurant, washing dishes all day long. so, basically, jobs that doesn't require good japanese would be physical ones. but you're a girl... so i guess you won't fancy physical jobs. well, you can always go the 水商売 way... of course, if you know japanese, your opportunity to try other jobs would be widen significantly.

Japanese Subway:
when navigating the complicated subways of tokyo, your keitai (handphone) is a real saver, because it is very easy to find a way to get to another station with your phone (internet).

and oh, just like what MMM said, your university's dormitory will be very, very small. i mean very, very small. the dormitory that i used to live in when i was studying in tokyo only fits my bed, a small fridge and a space to stand. and of course, i replaced that space to stand with a work-desk.