[steven]

"Quote:
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I think the cash based society thing is a bit out of date, as you can get by fairly well without any cash at all.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. "

The credit card thing is true, but as a foreigner you won't be able to get one, so for foreigners it IS a cash sociey. You can sometimes use your cash card from your bank, but that is usually not the case and is not something I can recommend counting on.

Nyororin is right about carrying about 10 000 with you (you'll probably call it "a man, which would rhyme with lawn" when you get here. It's good to have that with you, but you might want to have a few 1000 yen bills with you in case you have to get something small, split a bill, or get something out of a vending machine. You may find yourself going out wih some rich business man and that will usually end in you having a great time and him paying for the evening. That may happen many times to you. There may come a day when that rich business man (who may be a different person by then) doesn't pay for you... with that said, always bring money when you go out at night no matter what (despite how danerous that sounds from an american perspective).

As far as food gose, it's a matter of changing your diet or paying out the rear for stuff you're used to. The choices are there. If you're not careful, cooking at home can be expensive, too (but will never be as expensive as eating out), so it might be a good chance to try out some new cooking with Japanese ingredients (I would definately find out about recipes before you come as it will save you money in the long run).

Also, if you're going to be here for only a year, don't bother bringing anything substantial in size or weight. Like other people have said, you're life will change and you don't know if you'll even use it when you get here, so it could be a waste. I'd also like to ad that while a computer is nice, it is also a nice excuse to stay inside all day (or night) and may take away from experiences you may or may not have had.

Also watch out for shipping clothes and stuff. You might want to do some shopping in Japan. Most of it is really expensive and it may be hard for you to find your size, but if you find a used shop you can do really well (especially if you buy a jacket for the winter at the end of summer or beginning of fall). So if you can, I'd do a bit of research to find out if there are places like that around where you're going. I know the "Book-off/Hard-off" chain has some used clothing stores now (I think they're called B-style or something). In my area we have a lot of stores called "2nd Street",which is absolutely amazing by the way. Just watch out because you'd be suprised at how much used clothes go for in Japan sometimes! If you're careful you can get stuff for dirt cheap though.

The biggest problem with you being Korean is that most people will probably mistake you for being Japanese, and when what they're saying to you doesn't seem to translate, they might look at you really funny. They might be able to tell you apart by your clothes or mannerisms, but most of the time, probably not. Once the people you hang out with find out you're Korean they might ask you very indepth questions about Korea, whether you've lived there or not... that might catch you off guard, too.

You may get the same set of questions every time you meet a new person and it may tire on you after a while, but just remember that Japanese people do it to themselves a lot of the time, too. At least around here, they can usually tell when someone is from another prefecture so they do a round of questions somewhat similar to what foreigners get. I think you can get two very different experiences out of Japan-- by hanging out with foreigners or with Japanese people.