Explanatory sessions were held on April 15th and 18th to assist incoming and current students in applying for credit cards from Japanese banks.
 For international students at NAIST a credit card has become a basic necessity for doing almost anything. From conference registration and travel arrangements to online shopping and media services, students find they need a credit card in many cases and that, because they are in Japan, a Japanese card is more convenient. While there are many banks offering various credit cards, the applications are written in Japanese and can often be confusing.
 The Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS), with the support of the International Student Affairs Section, organized these sessions as part of its mission to offer support to international students as they pursue their studies. The sessions opened with a brief explanation of credit cards, debit cards, and their different uses by Robert King, the UEA (University Education Administrator) who heads CISS, and then students filled out their applications with the help of the staff.
 With a total of roughly 15 new and current students that attended, both sessions were busy with the staff fielding questions from the students and students doing their best to fill in their applications using Japanese and English. These sessions are held regularly each semester for new students and those who couldn't participate previously.