[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Misericordias

I've been mulling over the food problem for a bit because my friend would often say that the prices of food in Japan is substantially higher than in the US compared to the quantity of food you're purchasing. On top of that, he said that meat isn't generally consumed in the same amount as the US, so the quantity and price for meat (especially red meat) will be higher than in the US.

This is true, but the prices for fish and vegetables sort of balances it out. Red meat doesn`t have to be a huge part of someone`s diet, so I`m sure you can get by with a minimal amount. Chicken and pork is relatively cheap so you can still have a fair amount of meat. Each month I usually pick up a 2kg package of frozen chicken for 700yen, a few packs of cheap pork at 200yen or so a pack, and maybe one roast style chunk of pork for around 400yen and it lasts close to a month with a 3 person household. Red meat, however, is something that I don`t really buy because of the cost.

Eating out will probably be more expensive than you`re used to, as will preprepared and packaged foods. You won`t find any "tv dinners" at all, let alone cheap ones. But you will be able to find inexpensive vegetables, fish, chicken, and pork.

So what would be the best choice to make in this occasion? If there is a safe way to ship my desktop to Japan, should I do it or should I forgo the desktop so I don't risk the chance of not experiencing Japan?

My suggestion is to gather your important data on to an external HDD and bring that only. Bringing the whole deal for just a year is going to be very hard and a big mess. Bring just the vital data, and if you DO feel you absolutely cannot live without - buy a cheap desktop or laptop in Japan.
It may be a very large and important part of your life right now - but your life will be changing very significantly when you come to Japan. It would be hard to give up on it now, where it would leave a clear hole - but you`ll be pretty much starting anew from zero. I think you`ll be surprised on just how much easier it is to rearrange your life when ALL of it is starting fresh.

Also, I heard Japan is not really a card-based society and does most of its transactions in cash. Is that true? How much would be a reasonable amount to carry at all times?

I think the cash based society thing is a bit out of date, as you can get by fairly well without any cash at all. Most larger stores accept credit, and lots of smaller shops do to. You just have to be observant.
As for how much cash you should carry - that`s down to how much you regularly spend. I usually feel uncomfortable with less than 10000 or so in my wallet. But you could really get by with just enough for whatever you plan to buy in the day. You`ll be a student, not an elite businessman with the risk of being called to entertain 10 business associates with your pocket cash.

I personally like to run as one of my main forms of exercise, but I cannot stand running in a track or treadmill. Would it be considered rude to run on a sidewalk with pedestrians on it?

I`d say to avoid the main streets where there is crowding... That`s really the only place you`ll find "sidewalks" - and stick to side and back roads. Jogging is fairly common, so you should be able to spot plenty of other people running in the early morning and early evening, so just kind of watch them.

Also, what would be an approximate ratio between a traditional Japanese-style toilet, and a western toilet?

Public toilets (such as in stations and government buildings) tend to favor Japanese style. Older stores usually do to. They`re the cheapest to put in and maintain, so if the place is crappy the toilet is likely to be Japanese style. But in residences and nicer buildings, Japanese style is getting pretty rare.