Although part-time jobs are not encouraged for students on exchange in Soka University, we do have to admit that Japan’s cost of living, especially in Tokyo, is among the highest in the world. Juggling schoolwork and an arubaito (part-time job) may be hard, but ask around and you will soon realize that more than just a handful are doing it. Among popular job choices (for full-time undergraduates) are working as lifeguards at the nearby Summerland (swimming pool/park), convenience store salespersons, as staff in a moving company, library and canteen staff in campus and much more. For exchange students proficient in English, 3 options offered by Soka University’s World Language Centre (WLC) are Chit Chat Club, English Forum and Writing Centre.

Chit Chat Club (C3) is a conversation-based session where you are put into groups of 2-4 Japanese students, together with a WLC Staff-In-Charge. Topics are pre-assigned, with each week having the same topic. In general, the level of difficulty for topic in C3 is lower than that in English Forum, and is, as the name suggests, chit-chatting session to provide Japanese students a chance to speak to an English speaker. English Forum on the other hand is held in a group where you will be leading/facilitating a discussion based on a topic that you choose with 10 (or less) students. Similarly, the topic is kept the same within the same week. Most topics cover social problems; however, any topic that you believe can generate a lively discussion is encouraged. Lastly, Writing Centre focuses on vetting a student’s paper written in English. Grammar and spelling mistakes, as well as sentence and paragraph structures will be what you will be guiding students on.

The remuneration per hour for this past semester was high, but because the number of hours accumulated per week can be counted with fingers on one or two hands (3-4 hours as a standard per week, more if you replace someone else’s session), I would recommend for no one take the job purely for the money. The jobs require you to be diligent in preparing topics for each week’s discussion. Also, because half or more of the students attend the sessions as part of their English lesson’s homework, you may be getting a few blank faces per session. Keep your topics interesting and stimulate their interest in conversing in English though, and you will soon have ‘fans’ – those who come for your session diligently every week. Another thing to note about the pay is that it may change depending on the semester, so do make sure to attend the information session at the beginning of the school term. One of the information sheets given out at the very start of your school life contains details for the talk.

Do take note that there are several procedures to be carried out should you decide to work while studying, some of which include opening a Japanese bank account so that your income can be credited into it, applying for a work Visa, seeking approval from the Japanese Language Teacher-In-Charge to work and so on. Not to worry though – each of the procedures will be guided through by the friendly staff at the International Centre. Approach them for any enquiries; they represent the most informative resource throughout your exchange student life.

If you plan to involve yourself in a school club, in addition to attending daily classes, you do have to take into consideration that working during an exchange takes time off from other leisure activities. Working in such an interesting setting set up by the WLC, though, is an experience not many can boast about. If you decide to try it, because the topics involved in WLC are academic subjects, it lets you gain an insight to how Japanese students think and feel about a certain topic. In other words, it provides a chance to interact with more than just the minimal Japanese students you can find in dormitories or Japan-Asia Studies (JAS) classes. A handful of those who attend the sessions do treat them as preparation for overseas study as an exchange student in countries where English is the dominant language. In fact, two students from whom I met in English Forum are currently on exchange in Singapore! My personal experience working at English Forum had been a great one. The beginning is always hard, but getting used to it does not take long, and coming up with topics for each week takes less time. Staying back after the sessions is a great way to break the student-facilitator relationship and build a lasting friendship.

Did you know that the tip of the famous Tokyo Tower is bent due to the March 11th, 2011 earthquake? How about this; do you fancy drinking free beer at 11 in the morning after a trip around the Suntory Beer Factory?

The above are just the tip of what you could learn and do during a JAS trip to Tokyo! Students from JAS get the privilege of choosing to participate in a tour to the best tourist spots in Tokyo. A thoroughly fun-packed day, the theme for the trip in this semester (Spring 2011) was to travel back through time, then gradually entering the ultra-urban, ultra-modern Tokyo as we now know from travel programs on television. First of all, we made a stop at the Suntory Beer Factory, currently well-known for their 'The Premium Malts' Beer. Through an immensely detailed tour around the area, one could taste and smell the quality of raw ingredients used, and learn the work ethic, diligence, technology and much more put into the beer-making process. The importance placed into this production process is typical of that of a Japanese company with an emphasis on quality perfection.

　Next, we moved on to Edo Tokyo Museum, where exhibits depict life as it were during the Edo era. Walking through the two stories of artifacts and remakes if past construction, it gets really easy to lose track of the time! Move on though, as the next stops in the trip include Akihabara and Tokyo Tower. Time was set aside in Akihabara for lunch, and you could choose to dine in a maid cafe if you prefer to. For manga and anime fans, this short stop at Akihabara gives an introduction to what you can expect should you decide to visit again. The trip has its final stop at Tokyo Tower, where you can watch Tokyo go by its daily activities from the 150-metre observatory. Pay extra to go up to the 250-metre observatory, but I would recommend saving the money for souvenirs instead. Take the stairs down from the observatory to the ground level in order just to boast to your friends and family that you were able to do so.

　The areas to visit may change from year-to-year; if you are planning to take on a JAS course in Soka University, check out your email frequently or listen out for an announcement of the JAS trip in class! No matter the destinations, I would recommend all students taking JAS to set aside time for the Tokyo Tour. The professors and other staff in charge of trip really do spend much time planning and executing it to ensure the best for students. The chance to interact with your course mates aside from the time is class is extremely valuable too.