Assignment for Friday, April 28

In a response to this post, please give your thoughts about what you wish to accomplish in Japan, how you think you’ll be able to accomplish them, and what concerns you have about either your preparation for or your stay in Japan.  

Please post by 2 pm, Friday, April 28.

T-Mobile Japan Coverage

T-Mobile Coverage In Japan:


T-Mobile offers two different plans for international travel to Japan for two different prices depending on their customers needs.


1. Stateside International Talk offers


1. Unlimited Mobile roaming data
2. Unlimited mobile texting
3. $0.07/ minute of talking


This plan is $15 additional to one's normal service bill per line.


2. Pay Per Use offers


1. $1.99 per minute of talk
2. $1.99 per megabyte of mobile roaming
3. Unlimited texting

The coverage in Akita, Japan where I will be staying has spotty coverage, even in the major city. All the white spaces are empty coverage spots. The stateside coverage plan is most helpful to students such as my self in order to contact parents and friends daily.

AT and T Study Abroad plans

As a person with AT and T I found that the phone services can be very complicated at times. The online site told me that a monthly price had to be paid here was the table of prices:

Apparently the phone plan also  includes:

• Low rates for study abroad lasting 3 months or longer.
• Smartphone and tablet packages available.
• Packages can be used in over 200 countries.*
• 24/7 access to AT&T international customer care.

For more questions answered go to: http://www.corp.att.com/edu/docs/study_abroad_faq.pdf

Basic Verizon Plans Abroad

Verizon, which many people have as a carrier, has a fantastic tool on their website.

I used my personal phone but I believe the rates are the same across all Verizon devices we have in the class. Their calculator asked for the model of phone I was using, the amount of time I planned to be in Japan, and the estimated data plan I thought I was going to need. Below are the results I got from the site:

Japan

International Travel 100 Talk, Text and Data

• Keep connected in 140 countries.                            
• Best for travelers that need talk, text and data on their device.

For the person that wants to manage their usage on their international trip.  You get enough data, talk minutes and text messages to connect with others while you're traveling.

$40/Month

Japan

100 minutes

100 sent messages

Unlimited incoming messages

100 MB data allowance 

*Overages:

$25.00 per 100 MB

$0.25 per minute

$0.25 per message sent

Below is a map of the coverage in Japan provided by Verizon:

There is almost complete 4G LTE coverage in Japan, so the chances of not having a signal are fairly low. There are two other main payment plans offered as well on the site. Both are pay-as-you-go for calls and texts, with the only difference in each being the data allowance; one gives 100mb for a flat $25 a month, and the other is $2.05 per mb used in Japan. 

I checked for both one semester and full-year durations and found that the $40/month plan listed above was the best for both of them, and the one that Verizon recommended as the best option for international travel. 

Akita's famous local foods

 Akita's northern location has a large amount of regional local foods that just makes your mouth water, a large amount has to due with the amount of rice, meat and fish that are fount in the area. If in Akita going to a local restaurant you can find these dishes just waiting to be consumed:


1.Kiritanpo(きりたんぽ)

This is a famous dish that is made in Akita, the way it is made is when white rice is pounded, until it is smoothly mashed into a near paste product, then it is formed into cylinders and put around a Japanese cedar skewer, and toasted over an open hearth. Kiritanpo can be served with sweet miso paste, or as a kind of dumpling or noodle in soup or nabe dishes. However a very famous dish that is eaten with Kiritanpo is Kiritanpo Nabe.

     

 

  This dish is very well known in Akita, and is basically a hot pot with Kiritanpo in it, a large amount of other ingredients and a soup base substance are also put in it, these could usually include: chicken, beef, mushrooms, burdock roots, Japanese long onions, seri, and etc.

2.  Inaniwa Udon

This is another famous dish in Akita, compared to other Udon noodles which are usually thick these noodles are thin in comparison. They are easy to slurp and very chewy. They are made in the Inaniwa area of Inakawa machi, which is in Akita. These noodles are hand stretched and cream colored. The way they are made is that the udon is kneaded on a starchy-floured board and flattened before drying, and perhaps the most important part of the making process is the repeated hand-kneading that follows. The noodles get kneaded and gradually shaped into their final form, and are then ready to be aged for a while. Due to the fact the fact that they cannot make the noodles in large quantities and it has to be man made.


3.Hata Hata Zushi

This is known as the "God Fish" dish. The fish which is called the Hata Hata, is really sticky and strange looking, this is due to the fish having no scales. It is usually eaten as a sushi and is one of the most famous dishes in Akita. This is due to the fact the fish is mostly found and sold in Akita. With the preparation of the dish, the fish is salted then unsalted. After which it is marinated in a mixture of rice, koji malt, turnips, carrots, and kombu seaweed.


4.Yokote yakisoba

This dish is a very interesting one it is a dish of buck wheat noodles with a stir fried mixture of cabbage and minced pork, as well as seasoned with some sweet sauce. The finishing touch is putting a sunny side egg on top of the noodles, and having a side serving of Fukujinzuke pickled vegetables.


















5.Hinai Jidori Oyako-don

The meaning behind the name of the food is, "parent and child." The dish is made with succulent Hinai Jidori chicken, that is stir fried to keep the thick, juicy meat flavor trapped inside. The eggs are cooked very softly, and hold the flavor of the meat to top the rice. However when the egg and the rice are cooked together the flavor gets 10 times better.