Mobility specification

Country:Japan

Institution:Akita International University

City:Akita

Program:Partner universities

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?they have tons

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?At AIU, all courses (except some Japanese courses) are 3 credits. At MUNI, every course was accepted for 6 credits. So I took 4 courses for 3 credits, for a total of 24 credits after transferring to MUNI.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?The content of teaching was not more demanding than at MUNI. Rather, there were a lot of smaller tasks during the semester, and sometimes the teachers gradually added tasks when they needed to go somewhere. The final exam was mostly in the form of a longer essay, but it only accounted for about 30% of the grade. There was a strong emphasis on attendance and group work. I had classes twice a week.
All subjects are taught in English!!! - the biggest plus of the university

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Yes. There were a huge number of clubs. Through sports, debating, music, theater, aimed at interacting with locals, supporting students, or Japanese culture. I highly recommend joining a club. I was part of a dance club and a hiking club. Dance club was slightly more challenging, but it kept you busy during the week. Hiking club was great because I was able to participate in hikes to get away from the university, (I recommend bringing hiking shoes).
The first two weeks were an orientation where everything important was clearly explained to us.
There was also a welcome dinner for international and freshman students. This was a great opportunity to make friends with both international and Japanese students.
There were also three bus trips that I could sign up for. For example, to the town of Kakunodate, or to Lake Tazawa.
There was also the opportunity to participate in Community Outreach, where interaction with local people took place. Most of them were Japanese children from elementary or high schools and future teachers. It was also possible to receive a financial reward after completing a work permit. I participated in two.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Support for LGBTQ+ students (e.g., safe spaces, counseling services)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:5000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I don't count the lunches and dinners I had as a meal plan in the cafeteria-) I paid for them in April -) about 12 000 CZK for 4 months. I don't count the dorm accommodation and what had to be paid in advance, I paid that before I left. I don't count my weekend trips (those varied each month). Plus, I'm not counting the club fees (for the dance club, the club fee was 500 yen - about 70k, for one hiking trip I paid 3140 yen - about 450k). I also don't count about 400 yen for laundry every week.

As for the dorms I stayed in Global Village. It's great if you don't mind living with one roommate. GV is also close to a bar and bus stop :).
Komachi Hall has very small rooms and you have two roommates, on the other hand Komachi is connected to all the other buildings from the inside which can be very handy in the winter semester because you don't have to go outside.
For me, probably the best dorms are Tsubaki Village, where you have a room to yourself and share a kitchen and bathrooms. But along with Sakura Village, it's a bit far from some of the buildings.
I wasn't surprised by any unexpected expenses.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?It's cheaper to buy food at Frispo supermarket, which is next to AEON Mall.
Book a showcase car (a service offered by AIU) to and from Akita Station - it's free (but immediately full :)).
If you need to take a taxi, try to go with more people and split the money. Taxis are very expensive in Japan even for shorter distances.
If you want to go on a trip I recommend to compare prices of shinkanzen vs plane + but count on transportation fees directly from AIU. In Japan you can also travel by night buses which are cheap but of course take much longer, I don't have experience with them myself.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?with gestures

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Search on Google maps. Shinkansen tickets can be bought online in advance (I bought mine through Japan Bullet Train). I searched and compared flights on Google flights. I searched for buses on Google maps (about twice I didn't find a bus stop at all), you pay inside with suica (suica card) or cash.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?mostly fine

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Akita is not the most touristy city. At Akita Station I recommend visiting the local restaurants and drug store :). Also go to hama sushi - the best sushi. There is also a beautiful Senshū Park near the station.
You can also take a trip to the sea. There are lots of cozy cafes and restaurants in Akita, also galleries and museums. For me, Akita is great in that you get to know the "real" Japan where normal Japanese people live and there are lots of opportunities to interact with the locals.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Kakunodate, Aomori, Sendai !!!!, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Morioka, Oga, Kamakura....
I recommend taking advantage of being in the north and traveling around the north and east of Japan, generally there are fewer tourists.

Share your best experience:I guess my trip to Sendai. It's a beautiful city with great food. I recommend to try Zunda drink and Gyutan. Located about 2 hours by shinkansen from Akita Station. Big busy city but not as overhelming as Tokyo. Almost no tourists. Can be managed from Friday to Sunday. You can take smaller trips from Sendai.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?Japanese Embassy in Prague

What is needed?Passport, air ticket, Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)

How long does it take approximately?Week

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?For the weight of the suitcase :) I recommend to have 2 suitcases so you can split it better.
I recommend flying to and from Haneda to Akita and then maybe three days in a hotel in Akita to slowly recover before going to the university. =) that's what I did, they highly recommend it, you can get your bearings in Akita.
Or you can fly to Haneda (Narita) and be in Tokyo for maybe a week and then only fly to Akita (just be careful, Tokyo can be a bit overhelming at first, there's a huge amount of people there).

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?Definitely shoes and socks - more, the Japanese have smaller and narrower feets. Do not underestimate the clothes. Even if you are going for the spring semester, bring a winter jacket -) it was still very cold in April and early May.
There aren't many stores in Japan where you can get cotton clothes, they have a lot of synthetic materials and I struggled a lot in the beginning. The stores that do have quality stuff: UNIQLO, MUJI, Niko and... and then every now and then something.
Medications you are used to (especially if you have something very specific), some medications like their charcoal don't work that well, I recommend taking your own.
I've heard that some people were uncomfortable with toothpastes or shampoos, I didn't have a problem with that.

Definitely take credit cards with no ATM withdrawal fees in a foreign country. I recommend having one VISA and one Mastercard. Then I opened an account in Japan and had one Japanese card. You can also pay with suica (suica card). I also recommend taking a lot of cash (yen) to start with, it can be converted at Haneda airport for example (I converted euros and pounds into yen).

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?It was a dream come true and I found out that I can live on my own in a country with a different culture, even if I don't speak the language 100%.