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Computer in Japan

Your computer is the most important tool for contacting with your family and friends in your country, managing your account and money, saving your music and picture files, collecting information about your visit and writing your reports. So, in my opinion, it's impossible to stay in other country without your computer.

If you don't have your own computer, I recommend you to buy your own computer before your stay.

I wrote about my opinions that are some merits to bring your computer and some advice about bringing your computer. Please refer to below sentences.

Contacting with your family and friends in your country

Maybe, contacting with your family and your friends in your country should be one of the most important reasons to bring your computer to other county. E-mail is expected, some interne protocol phone would be very useful during your stay.

It would be very expensive that you call your family in your country from Japan, but the fee of Internet protocol phone is just free between Internet protocol phones, so I would like to suggest calling by such some Internet protocol phones as skype to save your money. And the software can send your files in your computer, so you can send your pictures and music files during talking your friends in you country. It should be fun and more convenient than general phone.

Actually I talked with my girlfriend in Japan by skype when I stayed in Vancouver. And the Internet protocol phone is the best communication tool, because of the price is just free and it has a function contact by movie if you have a camera.

Skype - The whole world can talk for free
This is Official Website. We can download free skype!

Managing your money account.

Next is also important for me, that is a management my money and online stock trading.

I had some reasons using online banking. One of them is checking my Japanese bank balance, because I used my international ATM card, so I could withdraw my money from my Japanese bank account by my international ATM card in Vancouver.

Second is an online stock trading. If we connect Internet, we can invest by Internet from everywhere. The time, you need a bank transfer between your bank and your finance company by online banking also.

Saving your music and picture files

Your computer would be very useful when you bring such digital data as your music MP3 files and your pictures took by your digital camera.

I usually listen to music by my MP3 Walkman, so my computer has all data of my music CDs. In additionally, CDs would take up much space, but you can bring a lot of data by only your computer that.

Your data of digital picture would continue to increase during your stay in Japan. Your memory stick of your digital camera is very easy to be full, so you need to move your picture data from your memory stick to your computer sometimes. Also you can show your pictures took in your country to everybody in Japan, it would be joyful.

Collecting information about your visit.

Maybe, you would want to search a lot of area information at beginning of your staying in Japan. At that time, Internet would help you always. I recommend for you to have an Internet environment as fast as possible, and then collect much information. The knowledge about the area would make your stay to be fun and great.

Writing your reports.

If your purpose is studying or business, sometimes you need to write your reports for your school or business by your computer. So your computer would be expected to install a Word and an Excel, and sometimes you would be required to use a Power Point. If your computer installed Microsoft Office, it's the best.

* Advises bringing your computer.

If you buy your new computer in Japan, the computer usually installed Japanese OS with Japanese keyboard then it makes you to feel uncomfortable. That's why it's better to bring your computer from your country. In additionally, if your computer company has any customer service in Japan, it should be perfect.

It is mandatory that you install the new release of antivirus software. I had some friends whose computer was broken by any virus during staying Canada. Generally, you can't do anything with your computer that is in some trouble in other country.

Maybe the price of the antivirus software isn't expensive when you think about the problems.

It's very easy to forget to bring your recovery disk of your computer. Sometime, it would be required when you reinstall OS on your computer again by some trouble in Japan. The time, if you don't have your recovery disk, you have to send it from your county to Japan, it costs you and you have to spend time to wait for. So, I recommend you to bring just the one or two disks, and it's not heavy.

If you don't have your computer in Japan.....

When your computer is broken in Japan, you can use some computers in your school or Manga Coffee Shops called "Manga Kissa" that are similar to Internet cafe in Japan. But absolutely your computer is the best to type your ID and passwords.
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