Application for the Internship

The application for the internship was started in November 2016. I came to know about the IJEP Internship program through an email from the Office of International Relations, IIT Kanpur.  We had to select a lab from a given list of host labs. One could submit up to two recommendations from professors of the home institute. There were no interviews or any need to contact host professors. Selection of candidates was made purely by academic records, statement of purpose and recommendations from professors. If you already have an excellent academic record and good experience in the field you are applying for, I would recommend preparing a good statement of purpose. Be sure that your statement of purpose is original and reflects your interests and research goals. Results were declared by the end of February, and I was notified of it through an email from the IJEP secretariat.

Before arrival in Japan

All of us were recommended different accommodation places in Japan by the IJEP Secretariat. I selected Fujimi House Evergreen Yoyogi as it was close to my lab in IIS Komaba. The flight tickets (round trip) were provided by the IJEP Secretariat. The return date was flexible, and so I extended it to one more week than the minimum required days. All the necessary documents for the visa were provided ahead of time, and IJEP people helped a lot in case of any doubt.

After Arrival in Japan

I stayed at Fujimi House along with another IJEP intern from IIT Kharagpur. The facilities provided at the Fujimi House were excellent. It was entirely furnished, and we also had unlimited internet access (Both wireless and LAN). I was anxious about the internet connection before coming to Japan, but Fujimi House had a very good internet connection. My lab was 30 minutes walking distance from my house, but I used to take the metro for daily commuting. The nearest station was only 3 minutes walking distance from my house. If you get into such a situation, I would recommend getting a bicycle. It’ll save you a lot of money.

We had an orientation session where we had a heartwarming welcome by the IJEP coordinators, and we were taken to Hongo campus tour of the University of Tokyo. We were astonished by the beauty of the campus and splendid architecture of buildings. On the 2nd day itself, we had Japanese language class from Furuichi san where she taught us day to day Japanese words/language which proved to be very useful during our entire stay, and it was fun too. We also had a Traditional Chado Tea Ceremony.

I had a welcome party by my lab members, and since I was vegetarian, they had specially ordered vegetarian items for me.

1. Food

When I came here, I was a vegetarian. I had brought ingredients from India for cooking. I didn’t know cooking before and learned everything in Japan. It was an awesome experience to learn cooking. I can assure vegetarian people with all sincerity that you are not going to face any problem at all if you bring ingredients from India. Also, there are very good Indian Supermarket so even if you run out of the ingredient, you can always buy them here. I would recommend having dry fruits like Cashew, Almond, etc. It’ll help you a lot. There are so many good Indian restaurants in Tokyo. So, if you don’t want to cook, you can always go to a restaurant in Tokyo.

2. Lab and Research Work

For my internship work, I was assigned a mentor who was a 2nd year Masters Student at The University of Tokyo. My task was to work on long term GPS raw probe data of Indian vehicles with her. Despite being research mentor, she helped me throughout my stay. She helped me in buying SIM cards, Train Pass, Food, etc. during my initial days. She was always the first person from whom I used to seek help. Despite her busy schedule, she was always ready to help.

Every Wednesday, we used to have Bootcamp (Lab-meetings) where all lab members had to show their research progress. We used to have good and healthy discussions.  We also used to have joint lab seminar of two labs every other Saturday. It was really great to know about other people’s research work.

All lab members were amiable and helpful. I could talk about anything with them. Also, there was no problem of resources in the lab. Whenever I required anything for my research, I got them immediately.

I finished my internship work very early and then I was assigned another task which I also completed ten days before leaving Japan. For my main work, I submitted my work for international conferences. My skills and experiences improved significantly because of this internship. Before coming here, I was not sure about my career, but now I am determined. I am very much inclined toward research now.

3. Major Events and Trips

There were regular events during the stay. The most important of them was May Festival and IIS Open House. May Festival is like IIT’s Cultural and Tech Festival combined. It is held for two days. It was a great opportunity to learn Japanese culture. I got so many Indian seniors in May Festival through UTISA. Some of them also went on a trip with us and helped a lot through our stay. In the end, they also gave us a big treat.

IIS Open House is also a two-day event where every lab of IIS Todai presents their work. It made us familiar with the level of research that goes here. I felt mesmerized by some of the presentations like ‘Treasure Hunting’.

We also had a trip by IJEP coordinators. We visited DMG Mori Plant, Nara, and Kyoto. We took Shinkansen (Bullet Train). The entire cost of the trip was taken care by IJEP coordinators. Traveling in Shinkansen was a lifetime experience.

There were regular events during the stay. The most important of them was May Festival and IIS Open House. May Festival is like IIT’s Cultural and Tech Festival combined. It is held for two days. It was a great opportunity to learn Japanese culture. I got so many Indian seniors in May Festival through UTISA. Some of them also went on a trip with us and helped a lot through our stay. In the end, they also gave us a big treat.

IIS Open House is also a two-day event where every lab of IIS Todai presents their work. It made us familiar with the level of research that goes here. I felt mesmerized by some of the presentations like ‘Treasure Hunting’.

We also had a trip by IJEP coordinators. We visited DMG Mori Plant, Nara, and Kyoto. We took Shinkansen (Bullet Train). The entire cost of the trip was taken care by IJEP coordinators. Traveling in Shinkansen was a lifetime experience.

 

4. City Life

You are never going to be bored in Tokyo. My house was very close to Shibuya and Shinjuku. They are the most happening place in Tokyo. Even roaming around these locations is so exciting. You can watch Shibuya Crossing all day sitting at Starbucks.

There are so many places to visit in Tokyo. Some of them such as Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Shinjuku Observatory is must for everyone. For anime lovers, Akihabara will be like heaven. You also have Tokyo Disney Resort nearby. There are so many hills you can trek. We trekked Mt. Mitake, Odake, Nokogiri. The list of places goes on and on. It is left up to you to explore them.

People of Japan are awesome. Japanese people are very polite, disciplined, helpful and hard-working.  There are so many things to learn from Japanese people. Tokyo itself is a very safe place to live. I would recommend you all to apply for IJEP internship and experience Japan once. You will never regret your decision.

If you have any doubt, feel free to message me here: http://facebook.com/ashutkg