In Japan you will be required to register as a resident at your local government office and to enroll in the National Health Insurance. The National Health Insurance (NHI) covers 70% of medical expenses, leaving the individual responsible for the remaining 30% (co-payment). This 30% out-of-pocket cost should be claimed through Cigna. However, if the local municipality provides free medical care for minors, no claim to Cigna is necessary as there is no out-of-pocket expense to recover.
Chatting with friends and family back home is fun, but you need to think about the impact on yourself and your host family when you do this.
Being constantly connected to people back home prevents you from settling into your new lifestyle. It will probably make it more difficult to establish a good relationship with your host family, because they may feel left out and maybe even feel uncomfortable about what you are telling others about their private life. We often speak louder on the telephone, and a foreign language that we don’t understand sounds noisy too. This is true whether you are in your room or not. Remember you are living in Japan with a host family. Remind yourself how much you wanted to come to a new country and experience a new culture!
When you do have difficulties adjusting to your new life, communicating with people back home is not a realistic solution, because in most cases they don’t know enough about the culture and your life in Japan to be able to give useful advice. If you have problems in Japan, they can only be solved in Japan! Your LP or other members of your Chapter are the best sources of advice about life in Japan. Asking them may seem difficult, but it is essential for overcoming your challenges, to grow as an independent person and to ensure that you have a rich and rewarding experience during your AFS program.
You may have family and friends back home who are very curious about what you are doing in Japan. Instead of constantly talking and texting, you can manage your time better by sharing information, photos, etc, periodically, like a weekly or monthly post which they all can see. Just be sure to respect your host family by following the AFS rules about social media. ｇ
Most high school students now have mobile phones, but experience has shown that their excessive use may cause adaptation difficulties for AFS participants, and can also expose you to fraud and other crimes. AFS Japan expects you to thoroughly read the “Guidelines for Communications and Internet” and “Social Media Guideline for Participants”, in the appendix.
You should have a serious talk with your host family/LP about the rules and limits for using your mobile phone. It is your responsibility to follow the rules and limits that you agree to.
Earphones or headphones are like invisible barriers to communication. Remember to take them off at home and school so that other people can easily talk to you.
Deepening the relationships with your host family, your host school, and the local community is the best way to have a successful experience in Japan. Spending time with people you already know back home and people in Japan from your own or other countries may hinder this. Your time in Japan is limited, so think about how you want to spend it!
There may be people from your country living in your host community. They may be interested in you, and you may find it fun and easy to spend time with them. However, spending too much time with them is likely to cause your host family and school friends to be disappointed, and to question your reasons for coming to Japan. It will also delay the process of improving your Japanese language skills, which in turn, makes it more difficult to make Japanese friends. Japan’s dominant language is Japanese, and most people don’t speak English fluently. Forcing them to use English creates a burden to communicating with you, and a hurdle to your making friends. It is crucial for you to make an effort to learn and use Japanese in order to get accepted into the pre-existing groups.
Being late (aim to be 5 minutes early!)
Chewing gum during class or when speaking to elders.
Hugging and kissing with a love interest in public.
Going out in revealing clothes, such as short shorts, tank tops, crop tops which expose your belly button, and halter tops, or other clothing which exposes a lot of skin.
Sitting on a table or desk
Sitting on the floor with your legs crossed in public.
Walking around while eating and drinking (it is also hard to find a trash can!)
Blowing your nose into a handkerchief (use tissue)
Putting used tissue into your pocket (throw it away directly)
Putting on make-up and combing your hair in public
Wearing a cap indoors
Talking on the phone on a bus or train
Speaking loudly on a bus or train
Sleeping or putting your head on the desk during class (implies lack of motivation)
Using your smartphone during class (shows lack of respect for the teacher)
Not apologizing immediately for something you did wrong (shows impoliteness and arrogance)
Using too much perfume (implies lack of consideration for others)
You may see some people doing these kinds of things but that does not mean that it is OK. Remember, you stand out and showing bad manners will give you and your country a bad reputation.