Mobility specification

Country:Japan

Institution:Shizuoka University

City:Shizuoka

Program:Partner universities

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts

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?manageable

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?This university is located in Japan, so it does not use the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and therefore courses must be manually recalculated. It's not difficult, just look at the course template and see what courses are compulsory, compulsory electives and if there is a course that can be substituted. For example, the course in their submission was for 2 credits, but there was a similar course in our University in category A, so I got 4 credits at the end.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?I was very surprised by the amount of homework we got from the teachers (mostly one from each lesson). However, the teachers definitely did not neglect the preparation and often discussed with us quite difficult topics, and came up with different variants of group work, so we learned a lot. However, a lot of teachers were not very proficient in English, and that's why I heard that even Japanese lessons for complete beginners were taught in Japanese.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Yes, I think this is definitely a strength of Shizuoka University. We had a classic orientation week, assigned buddies, and even a coordinator with whom we could consult, for example, on course selection. There was even a lounge on campus that aimed to connect Japanese and international students, so there were lots of games, events, etc. Also, there was a very active student club called KASA, which organised parties in the lounge of student residence, trips, barbecue events… so there was no problem integrating or getting to know Japanese students.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:25000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I was surprised that the rent for the dorms was not fixed, so it fluctuated a bit every month, and at the end of semestr I had to pay extra for the electricity bill. We also had to buy textbooks, which were quite expensive (about 450 CZK for one), however, a pdf version on a tablet was also possible, and it was a bit cheaper.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?I quoted 25,000 CZK per month, however, this price includes weekend trips (2 or 3 times a month) to different cities, transportation, frequent eating out, souvenirs, etc. So I definitely didn't limit myself at all and could even eat shrimps for dinner during the work week.
If someone wanted to save money (which is definitely possible), I would recommend eating seasonal vegetables (they are the cheapest), lots of tofu, and only taking long-distance buses. While traveling, stay at friends' houses or capsule hotels, or visit villages and small towns where everything is significantly cheaper. I would also recommend not choosing to study in Tokyo or in other big cities, as the prices for food and accommodation are more than double there.

🗺 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?I've seen better

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?It's best to search for connections via Google Maps (even locals do this), and check every detail, as it's easy to get lost in larger cities. In Shizuoka, there are only buses and few trains, so I recommend getting a bike. On the other hand, the shinkansen also stops there, which makes traveling quite convenient.
As for the ticket, I recommend downloading the Suika app if you have an IPhone, or buying a "šalinkarta" from the vending machines at the station and recharging that from time to time. It doesn't really matter which brand you choose (ICOCA, TOICA, SUIKA...) they all work all over Japan. This card can be topped up at any station or maybe at selected combinis. Definitely don't rely on buying a separate ticket for each connection, there are several different companies operating in Japan and they are not very interoperable.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?The castle and park in the city centre, the open-air museum (Toro Archaeological Site), the various galleries and definitely all the macuri (festivals) that happen during the year.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Ukuoikojo Station Observatory and the Yume no Tsuribashi Suspenson Bridge, if you have an available car (rental, Japanese friend,..), the Ise Peninsula, and if you have a lot of money on hand, I would definitely reccomend to visit Kanazawa.

Share your best experience:Uh, there were really a number of them, but if I had to pick one single experience, I would probably choose the theme night in the dorms where exchange students had the opportunity to cook food from their country for others. Several dozen curious and hungry Japanese people came and appreciated our potato salad and we as well had the opportunity to taste authentic food from Vietnam, South Asia, Korea, France,... It was definitely one of the best experiences!

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?The Japanese Embassy in Prague will release it for free in about a week.

What is needed?Study confirmation documents from Shizuoka University.

How long does it take approximately?About a week

How did you get to the place?Plane
Train

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I would recommend notifying your bank in advance that you are going outside the EU so they don't block your card, and ideally get a physical Revolut card so you have something to pay with. Contactless cards don't work well in Japan. You also need to buy your plane ticket after Shizuoka University sends you a list of airports you can land at. This is because you need to get a special card at the airport, which is tied to your visa and can be released only at a few select airports.

Can you pay by card?sometimes

What not to forget when packing?Deodorant! The selection is not really wide, and apparently they're not even that effective. Toothpastes can have a bit odd flavour and various styling products for curly hair are also not very easy to find. I would also recommend bringing some souvenirs (sweets for example). If you use tampons, pack a few extra, they're not very common in Japan. On the other hand, there is a larger selection of pads, but sometimes they are too thick, so beware. If you cook a lot and like spices, you can probably bring spices too. The selection there isn't that great and is quite expensive. Specifically if you're going to be in the Shizuoka University dorms, I would recommend bring a toilet paper. There are no Japanese toilets with bidets in the dorms and only 1 max 2 ply toilet paper is commonly available in supermarkets.

🥳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?Great school and definitely one of the best experiences of my life.