What to sort out before you fly, and what to sort out in your first week here.
| Read this first Most of what follows is detail you can come back to. The bits that genuinely hurt if you skip them are these: bring more cash than you think you need, do not land without a bed booked for at least your first few nights, and register your address at the city office within 14 days of moving in. |
1. Your timeline at a glance
| When | What you do | Where |
| 3–4 months before | Keio applies for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). Issuance takes 2–3 months. | Handled by Keio Admissions |
| 2–3 months before | Apply for the student visa at your local Japanese Embassy/Consulate using the digital CoE. | Embassy / Consulate |
| 2–3 months before | Apply for university dormitory (deadlines: late January for late-March move-in, July for September move-in), or start contacting realtors. | Keio / realtors |
| 1–2 months before | Book flights. Gather income documents for scholarships. Get a medical check and, if you take prescription medicine, an Import Confirmation. | Home country |
| 2–4 weeks before | Book temporary accommodation if your housing is not confirmed. Pre-order a SIM or pocket Wi-Fi. | Online |
| Arrival day | Immigration → Residence Card issued → part-time work permit stamped → travel to Fujisawa. | Narita / Haneda |
| Days 1–14 | Resident registration, National Health Insurance, My Number, bank account, SIM card. | City office / banks |
| Weeks 1–2 | CNS account, Keio ID activation, orientation, placement tests, course registration. | SFC campus |
2. Visa and Certificate of Eligibility
Everyone entering Japan is given a status of residence at the airport. Yours has to be “Student”. With anything else you will not be allowed to enrol, so this is not something to leave half-finished.
How the CoE works
- Keio University applies for the Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書) on your behalf. You fill in the application form and upload an ID photo and supporting documents to the site Keio sends you.
- The regional immigration bureau issues an electronic CoE — this normally takes 2–3 months. Keio emails it to you as an attachment.
- Book an appointment at your local Japanese Embassy or Consulate and apply for the student visa. You may present the electronic CoE on your smartphone.
A CoE expires 3 months after it is issued. Book your embassy appointment as soon as it lands in your inbox, not when you have finished packing.
Reference: Student visa — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Bring to the Embassy
- Smartphone showing your digital CoE
- Completed visa application form
- ID photo
- Passport
Tuberculosis screening (JPETS) — some countries only
Applicants from the Philippines, Vietnam and Nepal must have a chest X-ray at a designated Panel Clinic before travelling and submit a TB Clearance Certificate with the CoE application. Indonesia, Myanmar and China are preparing to implement the same requirement. Details: Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening (MHLW)
Permission to work part-time
“Student” status does not allow you to work by default. Keio emails the application form for Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted Under the Status of Residence Previously Granted (資格外活動の許可) together with your CoE.
- Hand it to the immigration officer at the airport. They stamp your passport there and then, for free. Do it later and you are making a separate trip to the immigration bureau.
- Once granted: up to 28 hours per week, up to 8 hours per day during long academic breaks.
- Work in adult entertainment or gambling businesses is prohibited by law, without exception.
3. Document checklist
Carry in your hand luggage — never in checked baggage
| Item | Why |
| Passport with student visa | Required at passport control |
| Smartphone showing your digital CoE | Required at passport control |
| Completed part-time work permission form | Stamped free of charge at the airport; a separate trip to Immigration otherwise |
| Cash (see §4) | Your first weeks run on cash |
| A credit card and a cash card, if you have them | Backup for ATMs and deposits |
| Flight tickets | — |
| Travel insurance certificate, if any | You are uninsured until NHI enrolment |
| A pen | For the customs and E/D cards on the plane |
| Contact list: your embassy in Japan, Keio, your guarantor, your accommodation | You will not have mobile data on landing |
Prepare at home, use after arrival
- Photocopies of your passport (biodata page and visa page)
- Extra ID photos, 4 cm × 3 cm — you will need several
- Contact information for your embassy in Japan
- Documents certifying the income of your parent(s), spouse or financial supporters, for scholarship applications. Anything not in English or Japanese needs a translation attached. Requirements: Keio International Center — scholarship application
- A copy of your medical records in English, especially for a chronic condition
Prescription medication
Bringing prescription medicine into Japan is regulated. Apply for an Import Confirmation (“Yunyu Kakunin-sho”, 輸入確認書) before leaving home and present it to the customs officer on arrival. Form and Q&A: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Over-the-counter medicine, vitamins and contact lenses: up to a two-month (60-day) supply needs no prior approval.
Prohibited and restricted articles: Japan Customs
4. Money: how much to bring and how to pay
| Method | How it works for a new arrival | ||
| Cash | Notes: ¥1,000, ¥2,000 (rare), ¥5,000, ¥10,000. Coins: ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, ¥500. Many shops outside central Tokyo are cash-only. Consumption tax is 10% (8% on food and drink taken away). | ||
| IC transit card (Suica / PASMO) | Tap-to-pay for trains, buses, vending machines and a lot of shops. The single most useful thing to sort out on day one — see “Get an IC card before you leave the airport” below. | ||
| International credit card | Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express are widely accepted. Confirm with your issuer that the card is enabled for use abroad before departure. | ||
| ATM withdrawals on a foreign card | Convenience store and post office ATMs accept most overseas cards. Check compatibility: Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank publish lists (links below). | ||
| QR / mobile payment apps | Available once you have a Japanese phone number and a bank account — not on day one. | ||
Card compatibility: Seven Bank international cards · Japan Post Bank international ATM service
Nobody tips in Japan. Trying to will just confuse the staff, and if you leave money on the table someone will chase you down the street to give it back.
5. Packing
Almost everything is available in Japan. Bring the things that are expensive, hard to find or hard to ship.
| Category | What to bring and why |
| Clothing | Kanto temperatures run roughly 1–2 °C in winter to 35 °C in summer, so pack for all four seasons. Include formal attire — a dark suit — for ceremonies and official events. |
| Larger sizes | Japanese “L” can equal an “M” elsewhere. If you wear larger sizes, or shoes above 28 cm (men) / 25 cm (women), bring them with you; online shops now stock more, but high-street stock is limited. |
| Medicines & lenses | Up to a 60-day supply of OTC medicine, vitamins and contact lenses. Buying contact lenses in Japan requires an eye doctor’s prescription, so bring a back-up pair of glasses or lenses. |
| Electronics | Japan runs 100 V, 50/60 Hz, Type A two-pin sockets (same shape as the US). Bring adapters and, for high-draw appliances, a converter. |
| Connectivity | Free public Wi-Fi is sparse. Pick up a short-term prepaid SIM or pocket Wi-Fi router at the airport, or pre-order one for airport/hotel delivery, until you sign a long-term plan. |
6. Arrival: immigration and getting to Fujisawa
Before you land
- Register on Visit Japan Web to complete your immigration record and customs declaration in advance — it is much faster on arrival. vjw-lp.digital.go.jp
- Fill in the E/D card and customs declaration card handed out on the plane.
At the airport, in order
- Passport control. Present your passport, completed E/D card, and the part-time work permission application form. Fingerprints and a photograph are taken. A landing permission stamp is affixed and your Residence Card (在留カード) is issued. Check that the residence status and duration are correct before you walk away.
- Baggage claim, then customs inspection with your declaration card.
- Arrivals lobby. Pick up a SIM or pocket Wi-Fi if you did not pre-order one, sort out an IC card (below), then take the train or a limousine bus.
| Always carry your Residence Card You will be asked for it constantly — at the city office, the bank, the phone shop. You must register your address at the city office within 14 days of moving in; failure to do so without good reason can lead to your status of residence being revoked. |
Get an IC card before you leave the airport
Suica and PASMO are the rechargeable tap-to-pay cards that run Japanese transport. They are interchangeable — either one works on Tokyo and Kanagawa trains, on the Kanachu buses to campus, and in most convenience stores, vending machines and supermarkets. You will use one every single day, and later your student commuter pass gets loaded onto the same card.
| Do this in the arrivals hall, not later Both Haneda and Narita have JR East Travel Service Centers and ticket machines right by arrivals. Sorting out an IC card there takes five minutes; doing it after a 12-hour flight when you are already lost at Shonandai does not. |
| Option | How to get it | Worth knowing |
| Suica or PASMO in Apple Wallet (iPhone / Apple Watch) | Add it in Apple Wallet yourself — no queue, no shop, no Japanese needed. You can set it up on the plane or before you even leave home. | The easiest option by far. No ¥500 deposit and no card to lose, and it works before you have a Japanese phone number or bank account. Top up with an overseas credit card inside Wallet. Mastercard, Amex and JCB generally work; Visa often does not, so bring a second card if Visa is all you have. |
| Mobile Suica / PASMO on Android | Google Wallet, if your phone has it. | Only works on phones with FeliCa (Osaifu-Keitai) hardware, which in practice means a Japanese-model Android. Most Androids bought outside Japan cannot do this, so check before you rely on it — otherwise buy a physical card. |
| Physical Suica or PASMO | Ticket machines and ticket offices at any major station, including the airport stations. | ¥500 refundable deposit on top of whatever you load. Unregistered cards went back on general sale in March 2025 after a long shortage, but stock at a single machine can still run out — try another machine or the ticket office rather than giving up. |
| Welcome Suica / PASMO PASSPORT | Airport counters and machines, aimed at tourists. | Avoid these. They expire after 28 days and any leftover balance is lost. They are for two-week holidays, not for someone living here. |
Registered or unregistered? A registered card (My Suica / registered PASMO) is tied to your name and can be reissued with the balance intact if you lose it. An unregistered one is gone with whatever was on it. Registering takes a minute at a ticket machine and is worth doing.
Top up with cash at any station ticket machine, at a convenience store till, or by asking the bus driver on board. Later on, once you have a commuter route, see Section 03 §9.1 for how to load a student commuter pass onto the same card.
[EDITOR NOTE] Apple Pay Suica top-up card acceptance (the Visa limitation) changes occasionally. Worth a quick check before publishing, and worth revisiting each year.
Routes to Shonandai
| From | Route | Approx. time |
| Haneda Airport | Keikyu Airport Line Express (bound for Shin-Zushi) → Kamiooka → Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line → Shonandai | 50 min + 20 min (≈1 hr total to SFC) |
| Narita Airport | Narita Express → Totsuka → Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line → Shonandai | 100 min + 10 min (≈3 hrs total to SFC) |
| Tokyo Station | Tōkaidō Main Line / JR Yokosuka Line → Totsuka → Blue Line → Shonandai | 40 min + 10 min |
| Tokyo Station | JR Tokaido Line → Tsujido | 50 min |
| Shinjuku | Odakyu Odawara Line Express / Odakyu Enoshima Line Express → Shonandai | 50 min |
Limousine buses run to most major destinations in the Tokyo area too; check each airport’s website. Campus access map: SFC campus and access
Shonandai / Tsujido to campus
| From | Bus stop | Routes | Time | Fare |
| Shonandai Station | West B Exit, Bus Stop #1 | Sho23 [湘23], Sho24 [湘24] via Sasakubo, Sho25 [湘25] express “Twin Liner” — all bound for Keio University [慶応大学] | 15–20 min | ¥270 |
| Tsujido Station | North side, Bus Stop #2 | Tsuji34 [辻34] bound for Keio University | 25–30 min | ¥430 |
[EDITOR NOTE] Fares “as of April 4, 2026” in the handbook. Verify before publishing — Kanachu revises fares periodically.
Get off at “Keio Daigaku Honkan-mae” [慶応大学本館前] (Stop B) — that is the main building. Other on-campus stops: “Keio Daigaku” [慶応大学] (Stop A, nearest the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care) and “Keio Chukotobu-mae” [慶応中高等部前] (Stop D, nearest the junior/senior high school). On Sundays and holidays buses do not stop at Honkan-mae or Chukotobu-mae.
Paying: tap your Suica or PASMO when you get on and again when you get off, or pay cash. Some buses will not give you change, so break a note in the coin changer on the fare box before your stop.
Taxi: Shonandai west side to campus is 10–15 minutes, roughly ¥1,500–2,000. Taxis are not easy to flag down in the SFC area; call one or use the GO app. Kanachu Taxi 0120-777-701 · Shonan Taxi 0466-50-8801 · Soai Kotsu 0120-87-2610 · Minami Shokai 0466-44-0010.
Sending your luggage ahead (takuhaibin)
Every arrivals floor has a baggage delivery (宅配便 takuhaibin) counter. Hand over your suitcases and they turn up at your accommodation, usually the next day. A case of roughly 80 × 40 × 30 cm costs about ¥2,000–3,000 from Narita to Fujisawa. Worth every yen if you have more than one big bag: the train route to Fujisawa has stairs and at least one transfer, and you will be doing it jet-lagged.
7. Housing
There are four realistic options. Try to settle this before you fly. Arriving with nothing booked means paying for a hotel while you house-hunt in a language you may not read yet, and that kind of pressure produces bad decisions.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
| Keio dormitories | Furnished; utilities and internet included; safe; easiest way to make friends | Limited rooms; fixed application windows; limited stay period; house rules; less privacy |
| Local student dormitories (Dormy) | Furnished; meals often included; first-come first-served, no lottery | Shared with students from other universities; rules; upfront fees |
| Private apartment | Full privacy and independence | Expensive upfront (≈6 months’ rent); guarantor required; unfurnished; long application |
| Share house | Cheapest to start; furnished; utilities bundled; no guarantor usually | Shared kitchen and bathrooms; non-student housemates; noise; less privacy |
7.1 Keio University dormitories
| Dormitory | Details |
| H Village (on campus) | Opened spring 2023. Keio’s only on-campus international dormitory, for undergraduate and graduate students. Each unit houses five students, mixing domestic and international residents. One all-male building, one all-female, two co-ed, plus a communal building. |
| Shonan Fujisawa International Dormitory (SID) | Opened 2021, one minute’s walk from campus. Co-ed, with morning and evening meals provided and extensive shared space. Maximum stay: two academic years for all students. |
Application windows: late January (for move-in at the end of March) and July (for move-in in September). Contracts run 6 months or 1 year, renewable annually after screening — up to four years for undergraduates, two to three for graduate students (SID: two academic years maximum).
- Application and details: SFC dormitories for international students
- H Village: h-village.sfc.keio.ac.jp
- All Keio dormitories and student villages: keio.ac.jp/en/student-life/housing · International Center housing
- Enquiries: Nishimatsu-Jisho Co., Ltd. Yokohama Branch, 0120-533-669 (9:00–17:30 weekdays), or SFC Student Life Section, sfc-housing@adst.keio.ac.jp (9:15–16:30 weekdays).
[EDITOR NOTE] The 2026 handbook prints sfc-housing@adst.keio.ac.jp in the dormitory section and sfc-housing@sfc.keio.ac.jp in the realtor section. Confirm which address the Student Life Section wants published.
7.2 Local student dormitories (Kyoritsu Maintenance)
Several “Dormy” dormitories near SFC are run by Kyoritsu Maintenance in cooperation with Keio, and also house students from other universities. Around Shonandai: Dormy Shonan Fujisawa, Dormy Shonan Fujisawa 2, Dormy Shonandai and Dormy Shonandai Lei (women only).
Applications are first-come, first-served and close when a dormitory fills. Contact Kyoritsu Maintenance at int@gakuseikaikan.com or 03-5295-7889. Guide: Student Dormitory Guide 2026
7.3 Private apartments
A student-sized apartment around SFC averages roughly ¥70,000 per month. Rent is higher near stations. Most apartments come completely unfurnished — a basic kitchen unit and nothing else.
Initial costs. On top of the first month’s rent you normally pay:
| Cost | Japanese | Typical amount | Refundable? |
| Rental deposit | 敷金 shiki-kin | 1–2 months’ rent | Yes, minus cleaning and damage beyond normal wear |
| Key money | 礼金 rei-kin | 1–2 months’ rent | No — a gratuity to the landlord |
| Agency fee | 仲介手数料 | 1 month’s rent | No |
| Guarantee company fee | 保証会社利用料 | ≈50% of one month’s rent | No |
Budget at least six months’ rent up front. And photograph every room before you put a single box in it. Those photos are what you will be arguing from when you want your deposit back.
Joint guarantor (連帯保証人 rentai-hoshōnin). A co-signer who is legally liable if you default. Requirements are strict: aged 20–64, a relative within the third degree of kinship, stable income equal to or greater than yours, and a Japanese national or permanent resident. Around 90% of tenants now use a rent guarantee company instead (fee ≈50% of one month’s rent).
| If you have no guarantor: Keio’s Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance 留学生住宅総合保障制度 (“Ryuhosho”). Keio University may co-sign your lease for the duration of your studies. Conditions: roommates limited to family members or other Keio international students, no history of late rent, and an in-person interview — applications from overseas are not accepted. Details: JEES Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance · How to subscribe (PDF) · Contact the SFC Student Life Section: sl@sfc.keio.ac.jp |
Reading a floor plan. Size is quoted in m², tsubo (≈3.3 m²) or, most often, jō (畳, ≈1.65 m² — one tatami mat).
| Code | Means | Example | What it is |
| R | Room | 1R / Studio | One room directly connected to kitchen and bathroom |
| K | Kitchen | 1K | One main room with a separated kitchen |
| D | Dining | 1DK | One main room plus a kitchen/dining combination |
| L | Living | 1LDK | A separate living room and a bedroom |
| S | Storage | 1SLDK | 1LDK with a storage room |
Some apartments still have a traditional washitsu (和室) — tatami floors and paper fusuma sliding doors.
7.4 Realtors near Shonandai Station
All of the below have English-capable staff, even where the website is Japanese only.
| Agency | Contact |
| Iiheya Net International Branch | room-daito@kentaku.co.jp — supported in 9 languages, online contract procedures available |
| Housemate — Shonandai branch | s-syonandai@housemate.co.jp |
| Mini Mini — Shonandai branch | shonandai@minimini.jp |
| Leopalace21 | English website |
| Able | English and Chinese website |
Shortcut: download the Request Form for Housing Referral (xlsx), fill it in and email it to the SFC Student Life Section. They forward it to every agency above, and any agency with a matching property contacts you directly.
Bring to a viewing: passport, Residence Card, guarantor form. Move-in can take up to a week after you sign. And do not let a friend move in with you without asking the agency first — room-sharing without prior approval is strictly prohibited and it can cost you the lease.
7.5 Share houses
Cheaper to get into and cheaper to run. Usually furnished, with utilities and internet bundled and handled by the management company, and normally no guarantor needed, though you will have to name an emergency contact living in Japan. The trade-off is obvious: you share the kitchen, living room and bathrooms, and not everyone in the house will be a student.
8. Setting up utilities
First find out whether utilities are already included in your rent. Most dormitories and share houses bundle them. If yours does not, you have to call each provider yourself.
| Utility | Provider in Fujisawa | What you do |
| Gas | Tokyo Gas 0570-00-2211 or 0466-47-7130 Mon–Sat 9:00–19:00 (Japanese) | Fujisawa uses city gas (都市ガス). Book an activation visit — you must be present while the technician checks and opens the line. |
| Gas leak (emergency) | 0570-00-2299 or 03-6735-8899 24 hours | If you smell gas: turn off heating appliances, open the windows, then call. Do not use switches. |
| Water | Kanagawa Prefectural Waterworks 0570-00-5959 / 045-522-8820 (Japanese) | Water usually flows from day one, but you must call to open a billing account and give your start date. |
| Electricity | TEPCO 0120-995-113 or 046-408-5996 Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00 (English) | Find the breaker near the entrance and flip everything to ON (入). Then call with your name, address, move-in date and the customer number printed near the breaker or meter — or fill in the start-up card left there and post it. |
Paying bills. Bills come by post. Take the slip and the cash to any convenience store, bank or post office and hand both over; that is the whole process. Once you have a bank account you can switch to direct debit (銀行口座引き落とし) and stop thinking about it. Miss enough payments and they will cut you off.
Internet. Fibre-to-the-home (光ファイバー) is fastest, but installation can take weeks or months if your building is not already connected, and the line provider and the ISP are often two separate contracts. English or multilingual support: Sakura Fiber Internet and GTN Hikari. Japanese-language providers: NTT East, au Hikari, SoftBank Hikari, docomo Hikari, NURO Hikari. A pocket Wi-Fi router needs no installation and is the usual stopgap — a credit card is normally required.
9. Furnishing your room on a budget
| Where | What for | Location |
| MUJI | Furniture, bedding, curtains, storage | Terrace Mall Shonan (Tsujido Station north exit); Shonan Fujisawa OPA (Fujisawa Station south exit) |
| NITORI EXPRESS | Affordable self-assembly furniture and home essentials | Inside Ito-Yokado Shonandai, between Shonandai Station and SFC |
| DAISO / Seria / Can★Do | Tableware, cutlery, cleaning supplies, storage, small shelves | DAISO near Shonandai Station and inside Ito-Yokado — both popular with international students |
| HARD-OFF / BOOK OFF | Second-hand electronics, instruments, books, games | hardoff.co.jp |
| Treasure Factory | Large recycle shop — fridges, washing machines, microwaves | 1-14-6 Kameino, Fujisawa — one stop on the Odakyu Line or a 20-minute walk from Shonandai Shop page |
| Expert | Second-hand goods | 6-34-10 Shonandai — 10-minute walk from Shonandai Station Exit G, past Shonandai Park Shop page |
“Sayonara sales”. People leave Japan all year round and sell everything cheap before they go. This is the best value you will find. Check Craigslist Tokyo, Freecycle Tokyo and GaijinPot Classifieds.
Keio Welcome Net is a volunteer organisation of Keio alumni that helps international students settle in: sites.google.com/site/welcomenethomepage · welcomenetevent@gmail.com
10. Hear it from students who did it
Current SFC students describe what they wish they had known — housing, first weeks, language, workload:
- SFC Survival Guide: Student Interview #1 (ft. Pawit)
- SFC Survival Guide: Student Interview #2
- SFC Survival Guide: Student Interview #3 (ft. Chellin)
- SFC Survival Guide: Student Interview #4 (ft. Mana)
All interviews: AIS Hub — Interview category