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SOKA University

Japan 2022/2023 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Arts

Field of study:
Japanese Studies / Japanese Studies

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
Japanese

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
autumn 2022
spring 2023

Period of placement (from-to):
2022-09-02 - 2023-02-01

Number of months:
11

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
I asked the International Affair Office to send me ahead a list of courses available for exchange students and then looked them up in Course Syllabus here:
https://plas.soka.ac.jp/csp/plas/syllabus11.csp

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
English proficiency certificate (CZS English test or certificate of completion of English course at MUNI)
Doctors health check
Certificate of Eligibility
Certificate of Scholarship (by MUNI)

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
Make sure to get English proficiency certificate (mentioned above)

Did you need a visa?:
yes

Documents and materials needed for a visa:
1. COE: Certificate of Eligibility
2. ERFS: Certificate for Completion of Registration
3. AL: Acceptance Letter
4. CS: Certificate of Scholarship
5. CFM: Confirmation

Length of wait for visa:
1 week

Fee for the visa:
Don’t remember

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:

If not, why not?:

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes, I received a message from CZS and my study abroad guarantor

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
Yes

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
First week of the semester. I could drop any course during the midterms.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Some courses did but the Japanese courses did not and most of the courses had some sort of final assignment.
I also took TOEIC voluntarily.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
- choose option -

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
Depending on use of Japanese or relation to Japan the courses would be recalculated for 3 credits. If not, 2 credits. I also had some courses accepted as a substitute to courses available at MUNI.

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
Japanese language courses: mostly in class work with some homeworks. The level of involvement was really up to students. Some did not prepare at all and some prepared well. Teachers were really tolerant and opened to any questions.
Non-Japanese courses: varied. Some had many assignments and reading, some did not need any preparation for classes but had final exams.
The methods were sort of the same as at MUNI. More informations about the courses were always available in syllabus.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
Courses in English were at lower level than at MUNI. They were usually easier because neither students` nor teachers` English level was that good. I do not know about courses meant for Japanese students. In order to be able to take these classes it was required to have at least N2 proficiency (although now certificate was necessary)

How did you receive study materials?:
Via school portal or books we had to buy (especially Japanese courses)

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
Economic history of Japan, Principles of Macroeconomics, PE classes were great a lot of fun and I had an opportunity to be with Japanese students.

Recommended Japanese language teachers: Toda, Hashimoto, Hisaka, Mitsushima, Osaki

How well is the school library equipped?:
Yes but I have never really used it

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Yes
Printing was available for free in most PC rooms

Options from printing and copying:
Printing was available for free in most PC rooms and library. Ask someone how to use the printer with your student ID

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
yes

If yes then what?:
Trips, involvement in school festival etc.

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
2

or describe in your own words:
My dorm (Takiyama International Dormitory) had units with 6 Japanese and 2 foreigners. Exchange students are able to join clubs or circles where they can meet many Japanese, PE classes are also a great opportunity. in WLC (world language center) we can take Japanese conversations or even teach English to Japanese as a part time.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
Takiyama International Dormitory less than 10 minutes from the main school building

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
0 EUR

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
Dormitory was free for exchange students

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
Shared kitchen for each floor (it was quite dirty though). Equipment can be either shared or bought cheaply in second hand store calls OFF HOUSE. Dorm also had cafeteria where they cooked breakfast and dinner 6 days a week except Sunday (22500¥ a month). Each floor had showers and there was also shared bath which was another good opportunity to talk with Japanese.

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
No preparation was necessary.

What are the catering options?:
Above mentioned cafeteria in dorm. At campus there were 2 large cafeterias. Convenience stores with instant food and bento box vendor during lunch time.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
Fruit more expensive, but some articles cheaper (soy products and other local things). Meat seemed also cheaper than in Czechia)

Transport to location of placement:
International Affair Office provided pickup from the airport. They waited at us by the exit with their own mini bus.

Rough prices for transportation:
Free

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
Make sure to just use the pick up

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
Bus to Hachioji station around 360¥ (quite expensive). I bought a bike for 24000¥ but there are even cheaper options . Only problem is that campus is a bit on a hill so the transportation by bike is a bit annoying. Walking would take more than an hour. From the Hachioji station to Shinjuku it took roughly and hour by train and cost around 400-500¥

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
That will be dealt with in the first week during orientation. Everything is provided by the school so no need to worry about it ahead.

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
Japanese health insurance is necessary. It cost the first semester around 3000¥ a month, around 5000¥ the next. I was required to pay 1/3 of the cost of the treatment.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
Dentist.

Did you work during your studies?:
No

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
When you arrive to the airport, make sure to get the work permit. It takes a few second at the airport but takes a month at the city hall. I do not know about any details about hour limits etc.

Tips for free-time activities:
School clubs, karaoke, Ryusenji no yu spa, arcade games, Internet cafes, izakayas

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
100000 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
20000 CZK

Number of supported months:
10

Total number of months:
11,5

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
JASSO scholarship, parents

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:
JASSO, 12000czk per month for 11 months

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
0 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
100000 JPY

a/ of which for accommodation:
0 CZK

b/ of which for catering:
50000 JPY

c/ travel and recreation:
50000 JPY

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:
The cost really varied each month, but when saving money, i did not need to spend more than 60000¥

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
34

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
44

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Ano, byl jsem obeznámen se systémem předvádění kreditu

What problems did you have with recognition?:
Ověřování zda kurzy odpovídají naplní kurzum na MUNI, správně vybíráni způsobu uznávaní kreditu.

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
2

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
1

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
Naštěstí ne

What would you recommend to take with you:
Malé dárky pro spolubydlící. Naopak nebrat zbytečně tolik věci protože s největší pravděpodobnosti si spoustu věci koupíte a nebude pak v kufru místo.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
Ochota a pomoc centra zahraniční spoluprace, především na zacatku pobytu. Pestrost zahraničních studentů pocházejících převážně z nezápadních zemi. Bylo hodně přínosné zjistit jaký je život studentů z těchto zemi a velice si cením v jaké situaci Česká Republika je.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
Škola mi občas připomínala střední školu, než vysokou. Studenti při nastupování na vysokou školu jeste nejsou plnoleti. Na koleji je oficiálně večerka ve 23:00 (naštěstí nikdo nekontroloval) a zákaz návštěv a alkoholu.

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