Hello!
I have researching a lot because I am going to be studying abroad for about a year starting this September. I have read a lot on many of the subs regarding questions I have but cannot seem to grasp/fully understand the answers so I wanted to ask more specific ones.
Esim+Bank:
I was looking at different esim companies that would be able to provide me one during my time in Japan, such as Sakura mobile and Mobal, but am a bit overwhelmed with all the information that I need to know before deciding on which one. For some background, I am staying in a dorm all year and they do not accept debit cards, credit cards or checks. This means I have to do either cash or a payment through a bank. Cash would be easier if I didn't have to pay 100,000 yen a month.（I know…a bit expensive, but I would rather stay in a dorm because I got a scholarship that can help cover the cost, and I have never been to a foreign country by myself before). So I was thinking I could get an esim with voice+data and then hopefully set up a bank account, but I read that this can sometimes be a very long process for foreigners and I would have to close it before I leave. That being said, if anyone has any experience with this and has any advice for an esim company or how they did it, that would be wonderful! I also am trying to get at least 5g and at most 10g of data on a plan. I am on a strict budget and am trying to make room within it to travel during my time there. If anyone has any suggestions on a budget friendly esim that would be helpful too.
Card+Atm:
Of course there is also the cash route, where I would only need a data only plan and hopefully use apps like whatsapp and line for communication. If I were to go the cash route, I can spend less on the esim and avoid the bank stuff. So for this I was thinking of opening a Charles Schwab account because they have 0 international withdrawal fees. This way, I can withdraw probably a little bit every week so that I have enough for my monthly rent. Seeing as though I have never been to Japan, I am not sure if every ATM will accept this card and so I was wondering if anyone had any insight on this. I also have a Capital One card and saw that the 7/11s have no withdrawal fees for this bank. I also am trying not to spend too much money on the exchange rate as I have a strict budget that I really want to stick to. If anyone has any insight or advice on any of this, anything would be extremely helpful.
Realistic Budget:
Now going into my budget..I am sorry I know this is super long. Anyways, my dorm offers services for breakfast and dinner which are already included in my rent. I was thinking about 30,000 yen for my monthly food budget but I am kind of unsure whether this would be enough considering I would probably go out for lunch often and will want to explore. Everything else I sort of gauged based on past experiences with other students and what I found online, but the one thing I can't accurately measure is how much I will likely spend traveling around. In march I have a month of no classes and so I wanted to know how much would be appropriate for going around and exploring. I have about 3000 usd for this budget, but if anyone has any insight on this that would be super helpful.
Thank you guys so much for reading and I appreciate any responses I get!
by No-Violinist-4867