Studying Abroad - Japan

Has anyone studied abroad in Japan? Roughly what is the cost of living there?

I'm thinking of going to Aoyama Univeristy Tokyo for sandwich year, but if it's too expensive, there are three other universities in Japan that I would also like to go to

Reply 1

University of Hertfordshire

Official Rep

Original post by RebekahS98

Hi,

I've spoken to one of our student ambassadors, Nathalie, who recently studied abroad in Japan and she said the following:

"Dear RebekahS98

My name is Nathalie and I studied abroad in Beppu, Japan at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU).

I would say that living in Japan can be much cheaper than living in the UK if you are willing to adopt certain facets of Japanese culture during your stay. Living in Tokyo of course is going to be just as expensive as living in London if not more, but life in smaller cities like Beppu or Oita (where 2 of our partner universities are situated) is very affordable. Transportation is quite expensive in Japan but accommodation and groceries are comparably cheaper in places like Beppu or Oita. Just to give you an example, I paid about 2000£ for accommodation for 2 semesters (10 months) which is roughly 200£ a month plus utilities. Prices might have changed from when I was there last year but as you can see it is quite cheap.

I enjoyed my year at APU very much because the sense of community there is more developed and with Beppu being a smaller city, getting used to such a different environment was much easier. The transportation system in Japan is very well developed so even if you don't live in a major city it will be very easy for you to get anywhere you want. I don't want to say you shouldn't go to Tokyo, but if money is an issue I would recommend a university in a smaller city. In my opinion smaller cities make absorbing Japanese culture an easier task and allow you to save more money for travel.

Additionally, I want to mention that I work at the study abroad office as a Student Advisor so if you have any further questions just drop by and we can have a chat!"

Hope that helps, if you have any other questions just let us know.

Thanks,
Heather

University of Hertfordshire

Hatfield

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