Japan Ahoy!Visiting Japan the Cheap(er) way:

by studying there!

Why Study Abroad?

Looks great on your resume

Chance to take strange and somewhat exotic classes (in English!)

And most importantly, it lets you go to Japan!

The Requirements

GPA must be 3.0 or better

In good academic standing

Submit an application, deadlines are September 15th and March 15th (for Spring and Fall/Summer/Year)

The Costs

You pay UNM tuition, which is generally far less than Japanese tuition would be

Room and board

Plane Ticket

Total: Around 8000$, give or take

Dealing with the Costs: Scholarships, part 1

UNM Regent’s Scholarship (1000$)› This scholarship requires two short 500

word essays, and is exclusively for UNM students studying abroad.

› UNM Advisors can look over your essays, to make sure they fit the style the panel is looking for.

Dealing with the Costs: Scholarships, part 2

UNM Student Blogger (around 1000$)

› This scholarship is only awarded to 5 people per year, and is generally only given to one student per country, so it’s competitive!

› You have to write one blog per month, and they generally prefer year-long terms.

› Same essay application process, though somewhat shorter (350 words)

Dealing with the Costs: Scholarships, part 3

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship (4000-12000$)› This scholarship is nationwide, and

requires two 2-3 page essays. Last year, around 30 UNM students applied and 15 received it.

› If you receive it, you can be eligible for an extra 8000$ if you study a critical language (namely Japanese)

› This scholarship also requires you to promote it and report back with the results.

The Universities

UNM has 5 exchange universities; 1 in Kyoto, 2 in Tokyo, 1 in Akita and1 in Beppu (a smaller town in Southwestern Japan).

Japanese semesters are slightly different than American ones, going from Apr-July and Sept-Jan.

Only some majors are offered at Japanese Universities, but you can do General Education stuff there if your major isn’t listed.

Now, On to the Fun!

Once you arrive in Japan, you’ll want to see the tourist sites, particularly those related to anime and video games!

This will mainly focus on the sites in Tokyo and Kyoto, as they are the most well-known and intriguing

Tokyo Sites: Part One Gundam Front Tokyo (5mins from Daiba

train station)› Mainly a small mall theme park in Odaiba

Ward, Tokyo, the main draw here is the life sized Gundam statue!

Tokyo Sites: Part Two

Akihabara (has own train station)› Possibly anime and gaming’s holiest ground, this district

of Chiyoda ward has a dizzying array of anime goods, retro video games and maid cafes. No otaku visit to Japan is complete without making the pilgrimage to Akihabara.

Tokyo Sites: Part Three

Pokémon Center Tokyo (3min from Daimon Station)› Restore your Pokémon to full health here

with a wide variety of dolls, figurines and other merchandise available for all of your favorite Pokémon!

Kyoto Sites, Part One

Kyoto International Manga Museum (2min from Karasuke Station)› Explore the fine history of manga at this

museum, which has copies of nearly every manga series published in the last 60 years! You can read ‘em all for free, too!

Kyoto Sites, Part Two

Kyoto Animation Studios (30m from Kyoto, in Uji)› Visit the home of one of the most popular

studios in anime today! They offer tours, as well as a 3-story gift shop with tons of cool Haruhi, FREE! and Lucky Star goods.