I hope you go and I hope you enjoy studying there. Japan is a bit pricier than here, and one thing to remember is that "personal" space here is about arms length. In Japan, it is much more crowded, and their personal space is much smaller, so when someone seems pushy, they are not necessarily being rude. Its kind of hard to get used to. The language is a difficult one to learn, but if you are living there it is much easier than learning from abroad. It is as someone else said, very safe, and you should be fine I hope that aleviates some of Mom's fears, and gives you a little heads up. Enjoy