Minkuan’s weekdays are very busy. He shared hisschedule, especially on busy days.

Min Quan wakes up at 8 a.m. He works part-time at a Japanese language school from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., then heads to the university for a short lunch break, and classes start at 1 p.m. In the evening, he takes an online business Japanese course from 6:30 p.m. Then, he gets home around 9:30 p.m. From there, he has dinner and finishes his assignments, and finally goes to bed around midnight. Min Quan is currently working on his graduation thesis, and often spends his weekends working part-time or studying.
Min Quan’s main mode of transportation for such a busy life is a moped. It’s indispensable not only for getting to university and her part-time job, but also for short outings on her days off.

Despite his busy daily life, Min Quan has a favorite way to unwind: taking walks.
“Sometimes I take a bus to a place I want to visit at night and walk back from there,”
Min Quan said with a smile. Recently, he went to Ohara and walked about 15km in one day. Rather than visiting tourist spots, he enjoys going to places he’s never been before and walking freely, soaking up the atmosphere of the place.
Another pleasure of his is going out to eat with friends from the Japanese language school he used to attend in Osaka, or with friends from university. He particularly likes a Vietnamese restaurant near the university. Unfortunately, he rarely drinks alcohol because he often uses his moped.

When asked about his eating habits, he said he doesn’t eat out very often. He usually has bread from a convenience store for breakfast and eats at the school cafeteria for lunch. He usually cooks her own dinner after returning home. He
often cooks Vietnamese food for dinner, and says that the taste of his home country is a daily pleasure for him. He has a wide variety of recipes and says he “looks up and tries to make anything he wants to eat.”
“There are Vietnamese grocery stores near the university, and I can also get Southeast Asian seasonings at the wholesale supermarket, so I don’t have any problems.”
On the other hand, he says he feels the effects of rising prices on the cost of living in Japan.
“Vegetables and fruits are more expensive compared to Vietnam. But recently, my hourly wage for my part-time job has also gone up, so I’m managing somehow.”
Incidentally, his favorite menu item at the school cafeteria is “taco rice.” It was the first dish se ate after entering university, and it has been hisfavorite ever since.

One of the biggest concerns when studying abroad is the cost of living.
In Minkuan’s case, his monthly expenses are approximately 130,000 yen. This includes 40,000 yen for rent, 40,000 yen for food, about 10,000 yen for utilities, 2,000 yen for gasoline for his moped, plus communication costs and insurance. He covers most of these living expenses with his part-time job income.
When asked about his money-saving strategies, he
said, “I use the university facilities when I’m working on assignments, and I eat at the cafeteria because the food is cheap. Also, in winter I don’t use the heater much and often use an electric blanket.”
Many universities in Kyoto have comfortable study spaces and lounges, and making good use of these environments may be one way to have a cost-effective study abroad experience.

Min-Kuang is currently working part-time at a Japanese language school where he plans to work after graduation. His work is diverse, including providing information to students who wish to study in Japan, supporting them with residency procedures, and providing consultation to students who are currently studying abroad. He says there are many challenging aspects, such as creating difficult documents and using polite language, but he finds it rewarding to expand his network of connections through interacting with students and people in the education field.
Incidentally, Min-Kuang also worked part-time at a convenience store in the past.
“A Japanese friend told me, ‘You should work at a convenience store at least once while you’re a student.’”
He reflects that his experience in customer service significantly improved his conversational Japanese skills.