

Sapporo Childcare Guide
Sapporo Childcare Guide 2017==さっぽろ子育てガイド2017
English version DL from here (PDF) #life


Rikyu
Rikyu is a noodle restaurant in Shinsapporo. I went to Rikyu a few months ago after coming back from Tokyo because there is a transition at Shinsapporo station from New Chitose airport. I was looking forward to visiting this restaurant because it serves tantanmen noodle. When I went to this restaurant, there was a pair of customers and they were talking seriously. The cook was a young guy. I ordered a tantanmen noodle. After waiting for a while, he served a big bowl to me. I


Voice of foreign students: life
Until last time, I’ve introduced the voices of foreign students in the view of study and culture. Then, I will introduce the voices about life. Some voices overlap the previous ones which were mentioned in the view of culture. A student was so impressed because Sapporo is so quiet with less stress. The city block is easy to understand due to the grid pattern. There are some mosques in the city and some large department stores have pray rooms. It is quite helpful for Muslims.


How to find part-time jobs in Japan
As it costs much to live and study abroad, many international students work part-time jobs. According to a statics, 70% of international students work for part time jobs in Japan. Of course, the main purpose is to earn money, but precious experiences can also be gained through working in foreign countries. Well, how can international students find part-time jobs in Japan? There are some ways to find part-time jobs in Japan. Firstly, part-time jobs can be found by job searchin


Japanese useful phrase 2: “Soudesune”
“Soudesune” is quite useful words. Generally, it is translated as “Let me see” in English, but it sounds more polite and sincere. During a conversation, if you are thinking what you speak next, you may say “uh” or ”er”. These don’t sound nice. Thus, instead of them, “let me see” is used in English. That is same as Japanese and “Soudesune” is used. “Soudesune” means “Yes” or “You are right” originally, but it is also used as a cushion word during conversations. It sounds that


Japanese phrase 1: “Suimasen”
In general, words used for academic are slightly different from these of daily life. Japanese is not its exception. There are some useful Japanese phrases for living in Japan. It is better for international students in Japan to know them. “Suimasen” is one of the most such used Japanese phrases because it has many meanings. Firstly, it means “Excuse, me” When you talk to others, it can be used. Secondly, it means “I’m sorry”. It sounds very casual apologizing. Thirdly, it mea


OTC drug
If an international student feels sick but it is not serious enough to go to a doctor, one of the solutions is to take an OTC drug. OTC drug which stands for an Over-the-counter drug is a drug sold without a prescription. It can be bought at many shops such as drug stores or convenient stores. Some of them are available on the internet. The number of OTC drug has increased recently because the government wants patients to get cured personally as far as possible to reduce the


National health insurance
We argued about Japanese medical system in the previous article. This medical system is the universal healthcare system based on the national health insurances. All Japanese have to join this national health insurance. International students who will stay in Japan for more than 3 months also have to enroll in the national health insurance. If you enroll in it, 70% of your medical costs are covered by the insurance. You have to pay only 30% of that. However, some medical servi


Medical system in Japan
Although many of international students may be young and healthy, they still should prepare for sickness. It is better to know about Japanese fundamental medical system at least. While the system may be relatively reliable, international students had better keep their good health overseas, as far as possible. There are some difficulties to receive medical service overseas generally. Firstly, patients need to understand medical terms in foreign languages while it would be more


Driving license in Japan
During studying in Japan, you may want to drive a car occasionally. For example, if you have a trip in Hokkaido, it is quite convenient and comfortable to drive all over the region. There are three ways to get permissions to drive. Firstly, you can drive by having a Japanese driver license. Secondly, you can drive with an international driver permit based on the convention on road traffic (Geneva Convention). Thirdly, you can drive with a driving license issued by the specifi