Planning begins
Now that I'm over the initial excitement of realizing that I've been accepted to the Japanese language school I applied to back in March, I'm collecting my thoughts, which I can scatter about at times, and beginning to make more concrete plans.
Immediately after reading the visa confirmation e-mail from Yamasa on Friday morning, I switched into high-gear and spent much of my lunch (and maybe a bit more >_>) running around, taking care of the immediate necessities: completing the visa confirmation form, wiring tuition and rent payments, faxing both to the school, along with everything I already had scheduled for that day.
More forms
The visa confirmation form was very straightforward. I had to confirm my e-mail address and the address I want my certificate of eligibility sent to. Then I selected the programmes I wanted for the four terms. I had already done this on my initial visa application form in March, so it would appear there is some wiggle room here. The difference is the exact cost is listed on this form, which you then add up to figure out how much tuition you own. Because of the privileges and requirements of the student visa, it's also necessary to pay the first six months of national health insurance at this time. At 8,400円, it's a fair bit cheaper than provincial health insurance is in Alberta. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can stop paying that . . . The cost of renting and buying a futon is outlined. Next, the apartment room that I have been tentatively allocated was indicated along with rent and deposit amounts. At the end, I just totalled tuition, health insurance, futon purchase price, and accommodation fees and signed the form.
There was also an arrival form attached to indicate what flight numbers and pick-up options are, but I've decided to send this later since I want to confirm my attendance as soon as possible and I still have to work out flight details.
Depleting my account
After filling out the form, I ran off to my bank and found it unusually packed. Perhaps it's just due to the long weekend, but I had to wait about 30 minutes to make the transfer. At the same time, I also ordered 100,000円 (about 1000 CAD), which I figure should cover my expenses for the first few weeks. I got a better rate on my transfer (0.009335) than my cash order (0.009451), but I suppose that's to be expected, and both are a fair bit better than in March when I applied, so I won't be complaining. That's reserved for the $50 bank fee for the wire and the $5 fee for the cash order.
Naturally once I returned home, I received a call on my cell from the woman at the bank indicating that she didn't realized she needed to have me sign a form to order the Japanese cash and that I'd have to come back to sign it. Fortunately, I had a meeting with an investment advisor at the same bank later the same day, so I didn't have to make another trip.
Now we can fast-forward a few hours to my meeting with the investment advisor. Be warned! If you have mutual fund or RSP investment plans, do not tell the bank you're moving to Japan. It appears they will immediately freeze your investment accounts due to some odd Canadian legislation. Fortunately, the woman at the bank was nice enough to explain this.
Finding a flight
Booking a flight on short notice is a great short-cut to spending more money than you need to ― well, unless of course, you have to leave on short notice. Fortunately, it appears a month in advance is enough time to get reasonable rates. Since I applied, I've been tracking the prices from Edmonton (YEG) to Tokyo (NRT) and Chubu (NGO). The best rates I saw during that time were around $775 plus tax for a total of around $1025, but that was mostly for short term trips. Also, the internet flight searches seemed nearly useless for this. You search one minute, and it tells you $1025 and you hit refresh and it says $1800+. Perhaps this is just due to my technical ineptitude.
Most of the travel agencies around here aren't much better. Their staff are largely rude, overly curt, and really not interested in finding the best option for you. Fortunately, I stumbled across one that stands out! Nippon Travel Ltd. is an Alberta-based agency that specialises in flights to Japan. (Sorry, this probably won't help those of you on the east coast or other countries much.) The woman I spoke with, Akino, was helpful when I explained what I wanted when most others up to this point had sounded like they wanted hang up. One agency even tried quoting me a price of $4,600! In the end, she found an itinerary to Narita for $1016 which I have on hold until the 10th so I can confirm some details with Yamasa.
I figure I might as well fly into Tokyo and spend a day or two there before taking the train to Okazaki, the city where the school is located. As such, I'm making arrangements to that end. Accommodations in Tokyo are still being sought, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.
What to do in Tokyo?
I'm sure that I could spend at least a month exploring Tokyo, but since I'll only have a day or two, I picked up a copy of the ninth edition of the Lonely Planet's Japan guidebook. It actually looks fairly disappointing, although it seems more complete than the Frommor's guide, which was next to it in the book store.
This may well be the longest entry you will ever see me write, so if you're bored by now, rejoice, and if you enjoy long texts, weep.
Notes to myself
The following notes are primarily intended for my benefit as I try to organise my entry to Japan. On the other hand, I figure that if it will be useful to me, it may well be useful to you as well, and thus I'm writing here instead of in my notebook. Naturally, the fact that my notebook is halfway across the house and I'm lazy has nothing to do with this decision.
From Japan with Kids:
SEND YOUR SUITCASES AHEAD: Pick up at the airport before checking in! This way it isn't necessary to travel with big luggage on the train or bus. You can also send them home this way when you arrive back in Japan, after clearing customs. Price is around 1800 yen per item though second one might be a bit cheaper. Below are Tokyo telephone numbers for companies that provide this service. They will pick up and deliver suitcase to more distant places such as Nagaoko too, so check them out!
ABC (Air Baggage Service Company Ltd.) - (03) 3545-1131
NTS Sky Porter - (03) 3590-1919
QL Liner - (03) 5994-3332
Yamato Transport Co. - (03) 3541-3411