Life in Kyoto / Japan

seemapandey · #1 (**permalink**) 14th August 2008, 12:28 PM

hii i am from India and would be going to Japan on scholarship. i would be
there for 18 months from oct. 2008. I've got admission in Kyoto University of Education. i want to know about the life in kyoto and cost of living in Japan and also about the food since i am a vegetarian(don't eat even egg).

synthia · #2 (**permalink**) 15th August 2008, 07:41 AM

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your scholarship! What a wonderful location, too. Kyoto is beautiful and traditional, a place everyone wants to live.

Japan is very epensive, especially compared to India. Depending on where you live in India, you may find the winters pretty cold. Kyoto sits in a valley, which makes it hotter in the summer and cold in the winter.

seemapandey · #3 (**permalink**) 15th August 2008, 09:32 AM

hii synthia...thanks

i'll get about 1,75,000 yen/month as stipend...and will be living in the kyoto university hostal. Do you think this amount is sufficient or i would need to do some part time job there? do u need a work permit for part time jobs there?? what about food...i am vegetarian.

larabell · #4 (**permalink**) 15th August 2008, 04:40 PM

I'm just guessing here but I think most student visas allow some part-time work. You may want to check the Japan Immigration web site for current details.

I also don't know Kyoto, price-wise, but I assume it's cheaper than Tokyo. So, again just guessing, I would think 60k yen for a small apartment in the "student" part of town would be fine. That would leave you with quite a chunk of change to eat with.

The major problem will be vegetarianism. The product group in which I used to work was comprised of about 80% Indians (mostly living in California) so I used to have to play host on occasion. While the number of vegetarian restaurants seems to be growing somewhat in Tokyo, I'm not confident about Kyoto. And the selection may not be so good. What I would suggest when you get there is to find someone who can look up Indian/Nepalese places on GuruNavi (http: //www. gnavi. co. jp -- the URL is obscured because the forum software wants to add-in the title of the page but the kanji don't seem to render correctly). They may well have a vegetarian section for Kyoto but it's probably all in Japanese. I just took a look and: (a) I wasn't able to find a direct "vegetarian" category at all, and (b) most of the places that come up when you look up "Ethnic" (the Japanese word for anything not clearly Japanese or Western) don't say one way or the other. It's simply not part of the culture here to care about such things. Most likely you will have to find someone local (who knows how to search the Internet and/or phone books) and explain your situation in careful detail.

Thank the god(s) you're not going to South Korea. A Brahman co-worker of mine stayed there for several weeks as part of a team working on a project for one of the major semiconductor houses there and he ate nothing but bannanas and corn flakes the whole time he was there.

Of course, once you find one or two specific places and they get to know you there, you're probably set. It's the initial starvation that will be annoying. Good luck...

seemapandey · #5 (**permalink**) 15th August 2008, 07:29 PM

thank you so much larabell... i think i should start learning some basic Japanese

synthia · #6 (**permalink**) 18th August 2008, 09:51 AM

I lived in Kitakyushu, which is considerably less sophisticated than Kyoto, and we had an Indian restaurant, so there is hope. Will your hostal accomodation include food? If so, you might find it very difficult to live as a vegetarian. If there is some provision that allows you to cook, you will be fine.

Is there a program taught in English at Kyoto University?

seemapandey · #7 (**permalink**) 18th August 2008, 01:02 PM

yes lessons would be in English...
i hope i get a room with kitchen

anything specific i should prepare or keep in mind? what about medical insurance? tax? Internet? mobile phone?

larabell · #8 (**permalink**) 19th August 2008, 06:28 AM

There is a government sponsored medical insurance program for those who do not otherwise have group medical coverage but I've never availed myself of the service. You should be able to find resources on the web. In fact, if you Google the Kyoto University web site, and find the "Campus Life" section, they have lots of information about work permits, health insurance, and other stuff.

Tax won't be a problem until you actually have income.

Internet, phone, etc will depend on where you live and what facilities are available. There's not much to prepare there. Cell phones, as far as I know, are still unique to Japan so you will have to just pick one up when you get here (you'll probably need a real address and a foreigner's registration card first so if you need a cell phone from day one, consider renting one for a month or two).

If India uses 220 volts like Britain and HK, you'll need adapters. And don't bother bringing a TV unless it's just for watching videos. Other than that, who knows...

synthia · #9 (**permalink**) 21st August 2008, 08:35 AM

The government medical insurance is kind of a good deal, as rates are low the first year. I've heard they raise them the second year, but you can actually go and negotiate a lower rate.

The taxes are low for lower incomes, which is what you will have. You may not need to pay any at all. I made enough to live on and save, and my tax rate was only 5%.