Preparation for Japan. Any more?

I'm an almost 14yr old 9th grader who will be studying as an exchange student in Japan starting April 2010.

-I know how to write 400 kanji along with knowing their usage, and have been working on learning more.

-I have learnt to pick up peanuts and tofu with chopsticks.

-I'm watching my weight. Currently 160cm & 42kg, plan on not gaining any weight in the next 6 months. Before I get eggs thrown at me, I know I needn't watch my weight, but being slimmer than most Japanese is a personal accomplishment.

What else should I prepare for Japan?

Thank you for any help!

There are many unique things in Japan's culture you can prepare for.
Try this page-
10 Common mistakes westerners do about Japans culture
http://www.tokyo-top-guide.com/Culture_Of_Japan.html

I think you should try to improve your math ability. The Japanese tend to teach a higher level of math than what is taught at an equivalent school grade in the U.S.

Please don't set "being slimmer than most Japanese" as a personal accomplishment. You are already quite underweight and there is no accomplishment whatsoever in damaging your health for some random weight goal.

Thank you for the link TokyoTopGuide. I didn't know it's impolite to turn one's back to someone of higher status.

I've already completed elementary Algebra. I'm currently enrolled in Geometry. I'll probably be ok as I'll only be in the beginning of jr high 3 in Apr 2010 (by then I will have almost completed jr high 3 in my home country). The main problem is probably word problems in Japanese.

Underweight? I don't think so. The last time I checked 160cm and 42kg is underweight for a grown woman, but a healthy weight for a 13yr old girl with the same stats. I fit clothes around my age size well. Actually to tell you frankly, I'm somewhat scared of not being able to fit clothes made to fit a 14yr old in Japan. If I can only fit clothes meant for 15, 16, 17 or 18 year olds, then I consider myself plus sized. I know I have wider hips than the average Japanese girl my age (I'm slimmer everywhere else), but it shouldn't be an excuse to not be able to fit in the clothes. Bottom line is if I can't fit clothes for 14yr old girls, I am plus sized. Don't you agree?

Anything above a US 6 is plus size in Japan. For girls your age the standard of plus size is probably anything above a US 2.

Childrens/teens clothes in the west don't look like childrens/teens clothes at all by Japanese standards. I have seen childrens/teen sizes in the west bigger than Japanese adult sizes.

No, Megan, I don't agree. I was 174cm tall and weighed 50 kg by the time I was your age, so I didn't fit the clothes for girls my age at all in my home country, much less in Japan. That in no way made me plus-sized, in fact I was very thin, as I am guessing you are- I had just developed earlier than other girls my age.

I am assuming you are not of Asian descent- there are differences in body types, as you are aware, so it should not bother you if clothes made to fit less curvy Asian girls don't fit you well. They don't fit me well either, and although I weigh a little more than I did at 13, I still in no way consider myself to be plus-sized because I don't fit Japanese clothes well- I am not overweight by any stretch of the imagination, so what concern is it of mine if clothes made for Japanese women don't fit me?

My daughters were a exchanged students in Japan and both had a wonderful times. I know you will to.

Here are few helpful reminders: Soon as you enter anyone (s) home remove your shoes and set them with others; be prepared to wear the basic (approved) school clothes just like everyone else (no exception); before partaking in meals be prepared to say "itadakimasu" {e ta da kee ma su} to start eating and when finished, say "gochisosama" {go chi so sa ma} (I shall partake, & I am finished); most home in Japan will not have a shower but a bath called "ofuro" - ofuro is for soaking your body only - you will wash and rinse outside the tub; some home will not have a bed, so be ready to sleep on a floor, and tidy up sleeping items every morning.

It's true that Japanese kids are 2-3 years ahead in math versus U.S. but you are going their as a exchange student, so don't worry - SAT math & other college entrance tests are similar & equivalent in Japan & U.S.(that what my daughters tell me, and both are Stanford graduate).

Enjoy the experience.

Megan, did you know Japanese teenagers in general are plump?

Thank you for elaborating.

Plus size: Good to know :) US 2 is still a little big on me. I typically don't buy ladies clothing unless it's lingerie. I would feel plus sized buying ladies clothing at only 13.

Sira: You are not plus sized at all. I was talking about those of average height not being able to fit clothing sizes meant for their age. I have always been near average height so I use clothing sizes as benchmarks (I watch my weight so that I wouldn't be wearing a size greater than my age). And no, 42kg is not plus sized. But if I'm not careful, gaining 10kg in a year is not unheard of among girls my age. That's why I need to watch my weight. I wish to be no more than 47kg in my early 20s. I have seen many Japanese and other Asian women fitting into that description. They look attractive at that size! So that's what I aim for.

No, I'm not Asian, I'm Caucasian. You are right about different body types, and it's quite apparant earlier than you think. I have a few Japanese friends around my age. At 13-14, unlike Caucasians, Japanese girls' hips haven't widened a lot.

EichoKago: Thanks for reminding me. I know Japanese are particular about cleanliness. I have been to several Japanese people's houses. They wear slippers around the house, and they have slippers dedicated for the bathroom.

Ikuyo Kuruyo: Japanese teenagers are plump?! I bet they are still slimmer than caucasian teens.

I might be wrong but in my experience, Japanese girls tend to slim down once they tuned 20, while Caucasian girls tend to have curbs. It is not one is better than the other. We all come in diffferent shapes and sizes. I also think people who are confident look more attractive than ones who compare themselves to others.

You are HW proportional Megan, and as you get older it's natural to gain few more pounds. When my daughter was your age she was 5'3" - 95 lbs with hips (LOL) & when she graduated from high school she was still 5'3" but weighted 105 lbs. She participated in many athletic programs, wasn't a couch potato, & remained active. Above all she abstained eating the junk foods, like Mc Donald. And while in Japan she ate foods provided to her
and returned home weighting less.

Ikuyo: Japanese girls tend to slim down once they tuned 20, while Caucasian girls tend to have curbs.
Then I want the best of best worlds :) I want to be slim and curvy at 20!

EichoKago: Like your DD, I have hips too! My hips are 86cm (doesn't sound that big but my hips are 25cm wider than my waist!). I probably have wider hips than most grown Japanese women of the same waist size.

Will I have problems getting girls sz 14 or 160 (or however it's sized in Japan) jeans and other bottoms over my hips?

Regarding gifting: Are 14 yr old Japanese girls still addicted to sweets? or do they prefer chocolates?
How about middle aged Japanese women in their thirties, forties and fifties? Do they appreciate chocolate?

Thanks!

Why are you so concerned about your looks. You should be comfortable about yourself, under or over weight,.. no one in Japan will care-r u joking curves? Japanese kids your age is more concerned about passing their school exams than about such none sense, and teen age girls your age does not date boys! And for you to wear makeups & tight clothes would be frowned upon by their society at your age and will not look good for your host family.

Japanese girls and adult like their counterparts in U.S. enjoy chocolate too. Best & simple gift that will be truly appreciated.

Sounds like you have done your homework on the kanji, keep it up. You did not mention if you speak Japanese, I assume you have some basic level? If not, start working on that. I bought An Idiots Guide to Conversational Japanese and find it very helpful with language as well as customs & culture
Other than that:
Learn about the basics of Japanese customs & culture. Making a good first impression is very important.

Make sure to bring your host family some small gifts, nothing expensive but maybe something unique to your home area.

Be ready to try all sorts of new & interesting foods!

Take lots of pictures.

Most importantly, have fun!

Sweetheart - I think you should to talk your regular dr about your weight. As an ER nurse I can tell you that your opinion/impressions of weight is unhealthy. It doesnt matter if you are 14 or 41 an ideal height/weight ratio is the same. You need to actually assess (and healthcare professionals agree that BMI is not at all accurate) fat, muscle and overall health status. For example, you and I might be the same height and have the same weight but I might have lots of body fat and you might have lots of nice healthy muscle coverage with only small amounts ofnormal body fat and you would actually healthier then me. On the other hand, professional football players will have a BMI that is tells them that they are mobidly obese when realisticly they are just heavy from all that muscle that they have. From the information you wrote on your post I am concerned that you are already starting to develop unhealthy impressions of diets and acceptable body shapes/images. Have you ever discussed this with your parents or a trusted adult?

How do you know how skinny or thin the average Japanese girl is? The Japanese also come in varying in sizes. How will you feel if you need to go 'up a size' while living in Japan because you believe your hips are wider then the average Japanese girl?

For the record - It doesnt make you a plus figure just because you dont fit into clothes that are designed to fit your age group. Would you consider yourself a plus figure if you were an inch or 2 taller then your peers and then need to go up a size just to get the right length of your clothes? It depends on where you come from as to the 'numbering'/'sizing' of clothes. If you lived here in Australia it would be normal for a girl of your age to probably be in a ladies sized 8 or girls 14 -15. Thats not cause we are aussies are bunch of fat girls - we just number/label our clothes in different ways. Keep in mind things might be labelled different in Japan then in your home country. I know here in Oz I wear a ladies size 9 shoe but in Japan I was a 25.5 size shoe.

There is so much more to life to embrace then being caught up in how big or pretty you are. (Trust me I have seen so much trauma and illness that I know that there are far more important things in our short lives).

Enjoy your exchange program. I went to Japan at 16 as an exchange student and the experience has set me up for life. Embrace the culture, make some life long friends, learn heaps about who you are and live every minute to the fullest.

Take care and keep us posted as to how you go.

cf: Yes, I can speak simple Japanese. As for the gifts, I think chocolates are simple enough. Other ideas for simple gifts are welcome :)

Have you ever discussed this with your parents or a trusted adult?
How do you know how skinny or thin the average Japanese girl is? The Japanese also come in varying in sizes. How will you feel if you need to go 'up a size' while living in Japan because you believe your hips are wider then the average Japanese girl?

For the record - It doesnt make you a plus figure just because you dont fit into clothes that are designed to fit your age group. Would you consider yourself a plus figure if you were an inch or 2 taller then your peers and then need to go up a size just to get the right length of your clothes?

I don't really discuss with adults, but my mum knows that I'm afraid of getting fat. That doesn't seem to bother her as she's afraid of getting fat herself.

I have been to Japan so I know the average Japanese person is much slimmer. I say most adult women are under 60kg, or even under 55kg. If I have to go up a size in Japan, I will feel fat (of course). If I don't fit in clothing meant for my age, I may not be plus sized in others' opinion, but I am plus sized in my own opinion. If I am plus sized imo, I'm unhappy. I'm currently girls size 14 in Oz and usa so I need to watch my weight so that I stay the right size for my age. I know doing so is best for me.

Thanks for caring about me. After all, what girl doesn't want to be slim, sexy and healthy?

-I have grasped 500 kanji
-I'm taking up calligraphy (Enjoyed Roman calligraphy as a kid so I decided to practise Japanese calligraphy. It's even more fun and challenging!)
-I had my physical and shots today. 161cm and 43kg... so I need to get serious on watching my weight. I would still like to be slimmer than at least 75% of J girls my age.

I don't mean this to sound offensive, but in my opinion what you should do is talk to a health care professional about your weight obsession. A GP, psychiatrist, psychologist or psychiatric nurse would be a better professional to talk to than a nutritionist. Giving an internet diagnosis is always risky business, but it seems like you may be prone to an eating disorder. This is meant to be a friendly advice, I assure, not a slur meant to hurt you!

Please consider seeing a professional, for the sake of your physical and mental health! I'm afraid that moving into a strange country, while going through stuff like that in your head, may be the last straw that triggers a full-blown eating disorder.

I hope you get better and start enjoying life, without paying that much attention to your weight! You are not plus-sized at the moment, but even if you were, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with that. Big size does not automatically mean poor health!

Megan, you have to drop those percentage-related goals, and comparisons to Japanese girls are just ridiculous, as people have already told you- it is just a terrible way to think, and very dangerous. You are already very thin- you may not be able to see it yourself, but believe me, you are.

Do not constantly compare yourself to other people, you will never be happy as long as you continue to do that.

In any case, since you haven't spent any time in Japan, all you have to go on are statistics, and statistics can't be trusted, making nonsense of your goal. I am willing to bet that girls here are bigger than you think they are.