Introduction blog

Hello! I’m A. I am currently on exchange in Osaka, Japan. I wanted to write about my experiences here as an exchange student from Canada. I am on a full exchange at Kansai Gaidai University. I will be living in Osaka for five months, studying Japanese!

My journey getting here was really long. I flew from Pearson Airport (YYZ) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), then from YVR to Kansai International Airport (KIX). It took me over 19 hours in total to get to KIX. I recommend flying directly to Japan if you can, especially from Canada.

My flight from YVR to KIX was 11 hours long, and the ride from YVR to Haneda Airport (HND) is about 10 hours. If you’re doing an exchange in Osaka, I recommend flying to KIX for less travelling time, since Tokyo is kind of far from Osaka (about a 3.5 hour bullet train ride). Typhoon season is from May to October, and many flights can be cancelled if there is a chance of bad weather.

After arriving at the airport, going through customs, and getting my luggage, I made my way to the train station across from the arrivals terminal. Stepping outside in August is like walking into a sauna.

An ICOCA card is a rechargeable smart card, and it can be used to purchase items at some stores, pay for public transportation like trains and buses, and pay at some vending machines that include the IC Card symbol, or a picture of the ICOCA. You can use the card all across Japan, even in Tokyo. It is a very convenient card to have if you’re staying in Japan for a long time.

If you’re getting a physical ICOCA card at the station, keep in mind that you’ll need cash (Japanese Yen) to load it. You can simply buy an ICOCA card at the train station at the airport using ticket vending machines showing the ICOCA logo.

It’s been a week since I arrived in Osaka, and I’m excited for what’s to come. Please follow along on my journey 🙂