{"id":915,"date":"2026-07-29T21:11:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/?p=915"},"modified":"2026-07-29T21:11:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:11:37","slug":"sfc-survival-guide-student-interview-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/sfc-survival-guide-student-interview-3\/","title":{"rendered":"SFC Survival Guide: Student Interview #3 (ft. Chellin)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Chellin Concetta (Year 2 GIGA Student)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the third installment of our SFC Insider Stories, we spoke with Chellin, a 2nd-year GIGA student (heading into her 3rd year!) living in Shonandai. Starting with basic N5 Japanese, Chellin shares her experience transitioning from the dorms to off-campus housing, navigating mobile carriers, international money transfers, and the reality of commuting with Hello Cycling!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Housing: Why Shonandai Over Minami-Oyama?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vibe &amp; Convenience:<\/strong> While areas like Minami-Oyama might be geographically closer to SFC, Shonandai offers a much more lively environment with direct station access, restaurants, and shops. (Living near campus dorms can feel isolated with only a 7-Eleven nearby!).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monthly Rent:<\/strong> Around <strong>\u00a590,000\/month<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SIM Card Strategy: Don&#8217;t Stay on International Carriers!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The GTN Mobile Trap:<\/strong> Upon first arriving without a local Japanese phone number or bank account, Chellin initially signed up for <strong>GTN Mobile<\/strong> (an international student provider). However, she soon realized it was <strong>significantly more expensive<\/strong> than local Japanese options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Switch to Rakuten:<\/strong> Once her local bank account and residence registration were settled, she immediately switched to <strong>Rakuten Mobile<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Essential Documents Needed:<\/strong> Always bring your <strong>Passport<\/strong> and, most importantly, your <strong>Residence Card (Zairyu Card \/ \u5728\u7559\u30ab\u30fc\u30c9)<\/strong> when applying!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Banking &amp; International Money Transfers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Opening JP Post Bank:<\/strong> Opened a account with the help of her Japanese-speaking brother. Bank staff are often cautious about legal misunderstandings, so having a Japanese speaker present helps tremendously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Transfer via Wise:<\/strong> For living expenses sent from abroad, her parents use <strong>Wise<\/strong> to transfer funds directly into her JP Post Bank account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Daily Payments:<\/strong> Uses <strong>PayPay<\/strong> as her primary payment method for everyday shopping and dining out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Commuting Reality: The Hello Cycling Dilemma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bus vs. Hello Cycling:<\/strong> Chellin commutes using local buses and Hello Cycling (shared electric bikes).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Rush Hour Pitfall:<\/strong> While shared bikes sound convenient, during peak class hours you will often face two major issues:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No bikes available<\/strong> at the station when you need one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No empty parking spots<\/strong> at SFC when you arrive to return the bike!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Advice:<\/strong> Don&#8217;t rely 100% on Hello Cycling for daily classes\u2014apply for a <strong>Bus Commuter Pass (\u901a\u5b66\u5b9a\u671f\u5238)<\/strong> for consistent travel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grocery Shopping Rankings in Shonandai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For budget-conscious students, Chellin ranks the local supermarkets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83e\udd47 <strong>Gyomu Super (\u696d\u52d9\u30b9\u30fc\u30d1\u30fc):<\/strong> Hands down the cheapest option for large quantities. (Pro-tip: The Shonandai branch is conveniently located right next to Daiso and 7-Eleven!).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udd48 <strong>OK Super (\u30aa\u30fc\u30b1\u30fc):<\/strong> Great runner-up for daily essentials and high-quality discounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udd49 <strong>Daiei (\u30c0\u30a4\u30a8\u30fc):<\/strong> Convenient if you live on the east side of Shonandai Station.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udca1 Top Advice for Freshmen &amp; Dorm Living<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Learn Basic Conversational Japanese:<\/strong> Clinics and offices try their best, but translation apps often lead to repetitive, inefficient communication. Having basic Japanese (or a Japanese-speaking friend) makes healthcare visits much smoother.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Take Care of Dorm Property (SID Users!):<\/strong> If you are staying in student dormitories (especially <strong>SID<\/strong>), take extra care of provided beddings and room keys. Losing keys or damaging furniture can result in tedious administrative hassle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by Chellin Concetta (Year 2 GIGA Student) In the third installment of our SFC Insider Stories, we spoke with Chellin, a 2nd-year GIGA student (heading into her 3rd year!) living in Shonandai. Starting with basic N5 Japanese, Chellin shares her experience transitioning from the dorms to off-campus housing, navigating mobile carriers, international money transfers, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,68,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-giga","category-interview","category-student-life"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=915"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":922,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915\/revisions\/922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ais-official.sfc.keio.ac.jp\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}