Tokyo is a once-in-a-lifetime place to be a student: safe, spotless, hyper-convenient, and so layered that you could explore for years and keep finding new pockets. It hosts an incredible concentration of top universities, an enormous international community, and the best food, transport and nightlife in the country. Yes it is expensive, but nowhere else offers this much to do or this smooth a daily life.

• The University of Tokyo, Waseda, Keio and Sophia sit within one city, alongside dozens more.
• The rail network is so dense you can reach almost anywhere in under an hour.

There is no single scene, it is thousands. Shibuya and Shinjuku deliver big clubs and neon, Shimokitazawa and Koenji the indie, vintage, live-music side, and student hubs like Takadanobaba by Waseda buzz with cheap izakaya. University circles, ESN chapters and language-exchange meetups make it easy to find your people, and standing bars and tiny Golden Gai haunts keep nights affordable if you are careful.

• Takadanobaba (by Waseda) and Koenji have the cheapest, most studenty izakaya and bars.
• Explore Shimokitazawa for vintage shopping, tiny live houses and a laid-back crowd.
• Ask the Tokyo Studcasa group for the meetups and circles that best fit your interests.

Tokyo is the priciest posting on this list, so budget 1,100 to 1,500 euros or more a month, with rent the dominant cost. Flats are small and often demand key money ('reikin') and a guarantor, but daily life can be cheap: conveyor sushi, gyudon chains, standing bars and 100-yen shops all help. A commuter pass ('teiki') between home and campus saves a fortune if you pick your location well.

• Expect small flats plus deposit, key money and a guarantor; a sharehouse sidesteps much of this.
• Eat cheaply at gyudon chains (Sukiya, Yoshinoya), conveyor sushi and standing bars.
• Buy a commuter 'teiki' pass for your home-to-campus route, it pays for itself fast.

Because Japanese rentals can demand key money, deposits and a guarantor, many exchange students choose a sharehouse (Oakhouse, Sakura House and others), which are furnished, foreigner-friendly and social. If you rent a private flat, factor in the upfront costs and pick your neighbourhood around your campus and rail line, since a long Tokyo commute is soul-destroying. West-side areas near the loop line are popular.

• Sharehouses (Oakhouse, Sakura House) skip key money and guarantors and are great for meeting people.
• Choose your area by your campus and train line to keep the daily commute short.
• The Tokyo Studcasa group is invaluable for finding rooms, sharehouse spots and flatmates.

Tokyo's rail network is the best on earth: Tokyo Metro and Toei subways interlock with JR's Yamanote loop and countless private lines, all tapped with a Suica or Pasmo card. Trains are spotless and punctual to the minute, though rush hour is a genuine crush, so avoid the 8am peak if you can. Get a commuter pass for your regular route and use the last-train times to plan nights out.

• Tap a Suica or Pasmo everywhere; add a commuter 'teiki' for your daily line.
• The JR Yamanote loop links most of the key districts, learn it first.
• Check the last train (around midnight) before a big night, or you'll pay for a taxi or capsule hotel.

Tokyo has the densest academic scene in Japan: the University of Tokyo (Todai) is the national flagship, Waseda and Keio the great private rivals, and Sophia (Jochi), ICU and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies especially international and welcoming to exchange students. There is an enormous range of English-taught programmes and Japanese-language courses. Whatever your field, you will find a strong department and a big cohort of fellow exchange students.

• Waseda and Sophia run large, well-organised exchange and English-taught programmes.
• Todai (Komaba and Hongo) is the research flagship; ICU and TUFS are strong for language studies.

For a full semester you'll need a Student visa, and the reality depends on your nationality, but the shape is broadly the same. Your host university applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) on your behalf inside Japan, which can take 1–2 months. Once it arrives, you take it to a Japanese embassy or consulate at home and they issue the visa, usually within a week and often free or cheap.

At the airport you're handed a Residence Card ('zairyu' card), carry it at all times. Within 14 days you must register your address at the local city hall and enrol in National Health Insurance (around ¥1,500–2,000/month, covering 70% of medical costs). Want a part-time job? Apply for 'permission to engage in activity other than that permitted' and you're cleared for up to 28 hours a week.

• Student visa needs a COE, your uni applies, allow 1–2 months
• Register at city hall and join health insurance within 14 days
• Work permit clears you for up to 28 hours/week part-time

Tokyo has more Michelin stars than any city on earth, but the everyday food is the real joy: ramen shops on every corner, conveyor and standing sushi, izakaya feasts, and monjayaki on Tsukishima. Depachika department-store food halls and the Toyosu and Tsukiji outer markets are edible playgrounds, and even convenience-store meals are a cut above. You could eat somewhere different every day and barely scratch the surface.

• Browse a depachika food hall in the evening for discounted gourmet bento.
• Eat your way round the Tsukiji outer market, then compare a standing sushi bar in the centre.
• Try monjayaki on Tsukishima and a proper tsukemen ramen on a cold night.

Each neighbourhood is a world: Shimokitazawa and Koenji are the bohemian, vintage west-side favourites, Kichijoji regularly tops 'most liveable' lists thanks to Inokashira Park, and Nakameguro is stylish and canal-lined. Takadanobaba is student-central by Waseda, while the old 'shitamachi' east around Asakusa and Ueno keeps traditional charm and cheaper rents. Pick your loop-line side and go from there.

• Koenji and Shimokitazawa: indie, affordable-ish and full of music, vintage and cheap eats.
• Kichijoji: green, liveable and beloved, a little further west on the Chuo line.
• Asakusa and Ueno: traditional east-side atmosphere with more affordable rooms.

Even a city this big needs escapes, and Tokyo's are superb. Kamakura's Great Buddha and beaches are an hour away, Hakone's hot springs and Fuji views about ninety minutes, Nikko's dramatic shrines around two hours, and Mt Fuji itself via Kawaguchiko a similar trip. Yokohama is a quick hop for Chinatown and the bay, and a shinkansen whisks you to Kyoto in a bit over two hours.

• Day-trip to Kamakura (about an hour) for the Great Buddha, temples and a surf beach.
• Head to Hakone or Kawaguchiko (around 90 minutes) for onsen and Mt Fuji views.
• Take the shinkansen to Kyoto (about 2h15) for a classic longer weekend.

Get an IC card and a commuter pass immediately, and always check the last-train time before you commit to a late night out. Cash still matters at many small places, so carry some even though contactless is spreading, and keep quiet on trains as locals do. Above all, resist trying to 'do' Tokyo in a checklist, pick a few neighbourhoods to know deeply and let the rest reveal itself.

• Carry some cash; plenty of small restaurants and bars still refuse cards.
• Note the last-train time (around midnight) or budget for a taxi or capsule hotel.
• Keep phone calls and loud talk off the trains, quiet carriages are the norm.