Japan exchange

I’m going on a 6-month university exchange to Tokyo, and I’m trying to figure out how to plan it in a way that doesn’t get overwhelming.

I am currently studying away from home as well, but I didn’t really explore my city much and mostly stayed in my routine… I have serious issues with anxiety and comfort zone. I don’t want to repeat that this time, especially because I’m genuinely excited about Japan and want to make the most of it while I’m there. However this my first kinda “alone” tourist experience where I am not following a parent.

At the same time, I’m not going as a full-time tourist. I’ll be a student with classes and a normal weekly schedule, so I’m trying to understand what a realistic balance looks like.

I’d really appreciate practical advice from people who’ve done something similar, how you actually structured your weeks, how you decided what to do on weekends, and what kind of simple system you used to keep track of places or ideas without overplanning everything.

Also, what are the things you think are actually worth prioritizing over a longer stay in Japan, and what are the common mistakes people only realize afterwards (either from overplanning or just drifting and not really exploring)? When I read through some posts they’re mostly aimed at people who travel to Japan for 2 weeks and everything feels crammed up and overwhelming.