Paperwork, more paperwork... and then some more paperwork... Thank God I had Oochi-san and Pan-san in my corner.
The application for research student residency, for foreigners mind you, is, naturally, in Japanese...
Went to the university for the first time, and was greeted by a very very long line of club representatives waiting to pounce on new freshmen. Thankfully I don't look as young as I do in Lebanon so only a few "wakarimasen" (I don't understand) got me through. The campus is I think as big as Monsef and Helweh combined, if not bigger (18,240 students or so), and naturally, the International Student Center is at one side, and the department of Technology (and our lab) is nearly all the way on the other side, a good 15-minute walk away :S
Met my professors though, and other students in our lab. All are very friendly and extremely helpful. Also found out that if I can pass entrance exam in August (in Japanese...), I can start Master's degree next semester, skipping the research part.
Bestest part of my trip however, was finally walking into the electronics store! Wow. This store, which is much smaller than similar stores in Tokyo for example, is bigger than the technology conventions held at Biel. Divided into sections, with a different company filling each section... bliss :)
After walking around the laptop area for about an hour or so, finally decided on a very very expensive Sony Vaio, and a telephone company that gives out a free iPhone 3GS 16Gb with each line, or a 32Gb version for 5$. The service for internet on it however costs too much. Pan-san (whose friends all have the same provider) pays 10 yen a month, that's 10 cents! Getting an iPhone with the service would cost something like 60$ a month... we shall see.
Ah nearly forgot. Saw an old lady walking a gorgeous husky. Made a new friend!
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