Social life as a MEXT scholar in Japan, especially for grad students?
Hi everyone,
I’m from Algeria and I'm interested in applying for MEXT, and I wanted to ask about the social side of life as a graduate student in Japan.
For people who went through MEXT, especially master’s or PhD students, how was your social life? Was it mostly lonely and lab-focused, or was there a strong MEXT/international student community where people actually got to know each other?
I’m also curious about housing. Do MEXT scholars usually live alone, in dorms, or with roommates? Does this depend a lot on the university?
I’m especially interested in hearing about student life at Tohoku University, Kyoto University, and the University of Tokyo. I’m asking more about the student/international community experience rather than general Japanese society as a whole.
Basically, I want to know what daily life feels like outside of research: making friends, meeting other international students, dorm life, events, and whether it feels isolating or not.
Thanks!