[Misericordias]

Hello, I am currently a third year at my university who recently got accepted to spend my last year studying at Josai International University in Chiba. It's slowly beginning to dawn on me that I will be leaving my home country for the first time in fourteen years and I am beginning to worry about living in Japan away from the comforts and familiarity of my home country. I have taken Japanese course all throughout high school and college, so I am decent in Japanese, but I still worry about cultural nuances that exists in Japan. These cultural nuances and mannerisms are what worries me the most in living in Japan. What should I be aware of when I interact with other Japanese students? Are there also any other things that I should be careful of in Japan?

There is also the matter of safety. My friends who are exchange students from Japan says that Japan is a safe city, so there's really nothing I should worry about. However, my mom says that although Japan is a safe city, there are still news of kidnappings that occur in Japan, especially among foreigners who are unwary of their surroundings. Being a 6'2" male, I doubt this particular problem would be relevant to me, but I still wonder.

I am also quite worried about my physical appearance. All the exchange students I have met were some of the nicest people I have met, but I am still worried about whether or not I will be ostracized in Japan due to my height, since a couple of my friends told me Japanese people tend to be shorter than the people in my country. Also, should I worry about me being Korean? I understand Japan is a fairly homogeneous society and there are a number of Koreans living in Japan, but since the bad blood between the two nationalities have boiled over, I don't really have to worry about people ridiculing me (openly or not) based on my nationality, right?

I think food will also pose as a problem for me. Where are the best places that I can get cheap foodstuffs, such as fresh produce and meats?

Would it also be best to invest in a bike in Japan too?


I do have some more questions, but I feel like I am already imposing too much for my first post, so these will have to suffice for now!

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!