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- ミハウ・マズルさん
留学生の日本での生活について
■Profile
I come from Krakow, Poland. Currently, I am studying at Hokkaido University. I'm doing the second year of my Ph.D studies in the field of Natural Language Processing. While being in Japan, I enjoy visiting Japanese hot springs and trying different ramen noodles restaurants all over the country. In my free time, I like doing sports like jogging, cycling and participating in cultural events in my city.。
■Japan and Its Uniqueness
The thing that surprised me the most was the existence of different English words in Japanese language. These words are similar to English but they can have completely different meaning. For example: the word "mansion" in English means a big, expensive house, when in Japanese it means the small apartament. Of course there are much more surprising words that will probably make you laugh!
I came to Japan because I wanted to live in a peaceful country and in a close approximity to nature. I chose Hokkaido because this island is known for its beautiful landscapes and it is not as crowded as other parts of Japan. I am very interested in Japanese culture and being in Japan lets me explore it more.
I study Japanese since I came to Japan, but it is very difficult to find time to do it with all my university duties and lots of part time jobs. I can communicate quite well, but reading and writing is still a problem. Thanks to wonderful Japanese volunteers I can take different classes free of charge in a convenient time. I don't study Japanese at my University because the courses are very time-restrictive and it is hard for me to fit it to my schedule (filled with part time jobs and other things).
■Weekly Activities
| Early Morning | Morning | Lunchtime | Afternoon | Early Evening | Night | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Part-time work | Class | Lunch | Class | Part-time work | |
| Tue | Class | Lunch | Part-time work | Part-time work | ||
| Wed | Class | Lunch | Class | |||
| Thu | Lunch | Class | Part-time work | |||
| Fri | Part-time work | Lunch | Class | |||
| Sat | Lunch | |||||
| Sun | Lunch | |||||
- My main part time job is teaching English. I usually go to different places at least 4 times a week and teach in community centers or give private lessons.
- I like to eat lunch around 1 PM and then I take different classes.
- I also work as a part-time lecturer, teaching computer science at one of the private, local universities. On weekends I try to take a proper rest and usually sleep long to regain my energy and depending on the weather I like to spend time outside and enjoy the nature.
■Monthly Living Costs
| Income | Part-time Job | ¥120,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Income | ¥120,000 | |
| Outcome | House Rent | ¥6,000 |
| Meal Costs | ¥35,000 | |
| Electricity, Gas and Water Supply | ¥4,000 | |
| Entertainment Costs | ¥15,000 | |
| Stationery & Miscellaneous Expenses | ¥5,000 | |
| Savings | ¥55,000 | |
| Total Outcome | ¥120,000 | |
- Because of my financial situation I am living in a cheap student dormitory which costs about 10,000 yen with water and electricity included in the bill.
- I am working as a part-time English teacher to pay my living expenses.
- I also need to save money to pay my tuition fee every six months. My total income is quite low but yet I manage to save money every month (around 50,000 yen） to be able to pay my tuition once in six months.
- I also have some extra money for socializing with friends, like going out or having a short trip. Even without money, you can have a lot of fun in Japan!
During the week I usually eat at the student cafeteria, because I am too busy with my part time jobs and research. I try to eat three times a day. Usually I have a small breakfast before leaving home, and eat lunch around 1 p.m. After that I eat in the evening after going back home. I try not to spend too much money, so usually it costs me around 1000JPY. In a free time, I cook at home and I spend even less money, sometimes around 400JPY a day. At weekends I sometimes go to eat outside with my friends and we treat ourselves with some special food, Japan is famous for its food so it would be a waste not to try something delicious from time to time!
Since I am self-supporting student I am rarely home and was looking for a place to sleep, do laundry and relax in a free time. Therefore, I decided to move to the cheapest dormitory at my university. The price is really reasonable, but there are some sacrifices to be made. For instance, there is no private bathroom inside the room and I have to use the common shower with other neighbors. We also share the kitchen space. My room is very small but it is enough for me. I usually come here only to sleep and do laundry, so the room serves its purpose. It motivates me to stay longer at my lab and study, as well as spending time with my friends outside - after all I didn't come all that way just to stay indoors! The dormitory is also conveniently located inside the university and it takes only 10 minutes on foot to my laboratory.
■間取り
- Layout：1 room apartment
- Rent: 10,000 yen/month (incl. water and electricity)
- Location: Inside the university. A 10-minute walk from my lab.