Introduction

Japan is unique for its beautiful yet gentle way of life. From sky-high buildings to small bonsai trees, deep thoughtfulness and aesthetic sense of the Japanese people is reflected from every part of their surroundings. Getting a research internship opportunity at The University of Tokyo was one of my dreams coming true as I have always wanted to visit Japan and experience their culture. Furthermore, an internship experience in a globally reputed University is bound to be beneficial for pursuing higher studies.

Before Arrival

After selection, there are main three tasks – flight booking, accommodation booking and visa application. Some suggestions were provided for the accommodation by the ESEP Secretariat, which are Fujimi House, DK House, Sakura House, and Tokyo Rent. At first, I decided to go for Fujimi house but later we found an Airbnb apartment near Nezu station, which is much closer to UTokyo Hongo campus. After booking the flight ticket and accommodation, the visa application process went very smoothly. I applied via VFS global Kolkata.

After Arrival

After clearing the immigration at the Haneda airport, I bought a Pasmo card which was really useful and convenient throughout my two-month stay. On the first two days, ESEP organized an introductory session, campus tour, Japanese language class and a Tea ceremony (Matcha). In the language class, we learned basic self-introduction in Japanese. In the Tea ceremony, we learned about the Japanese green tea Matcha making process and the cultural background associated with it.

Laboratory and research experience

I worked in the Bridge and Wind Engineering Lab at Hongo campus. My work was to investigate the effect of multi-axle vehicles on bridge response. This study explores the applicability of two-axle approximation of existing bridge-way-in-motion (BWIM) algorithm, which estimates vehicle parameters from bridge response. Both of my supervisors Nagayama sensei and Su sensei guided me throughout the internship whenever I faced any doubt. I also received valuable inputs and suggestions from the masters and doctoral students in my lab. In addition to this, there were weekly lab meetings where some of the students used to present their progress. I got a very clear idea of the research work going on in my lab from these meetings.

Memorable campus experience

We were lucky enough to enjoy the May Festival organized by University students on the very first weekend. We also experienced a meet-up with the sumo wrestlers. They explained their daily life, food habit, inspirations and demonstrated some sumo moves. There was also an international summer party in the later part of our internship. Besides savouring tasty Japanese foods, I also enjoyed calligraphy, painting and origami. There was also the suikawari or the watermelon splitting event, which was very fun to watch.  

Foods and drinks

Being a non-vegetarian I did not encounter any difficulty with Japanese foods. I have tried sushi, ramen noodles, sakedon, curry rice, udon noodles, oyakodon and miso soup there. I also liked the green tea and jasmine tea, which are available in most of the convenience stores. My friends with whom I was staying were vegetarian and we cooked for most of the days. Vegetables, box noodles, fruits etc. can be bought for the cheapest rates in Lawson100 stores. However, if one cannot find one near their apartment, Lawson store, Familymart, 7-eleven might be some good options. There is a Chuo refractory with Japanese dishes inside the campus where I used to eat sometimes. For vegetarians, the Subway inside the campus and some Indian restaurants nearby might be some good options. There is also a Lawson100 store inside the campus.

Places visited

We visited many places within and outside of Tokyo mainly on weekends. I visited the Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree  (there is a pokemon centre nearby) , Asakusa, Tokyo Metropolitan Building (free observation deck) , Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (it is huge and very beautiful, also has a greenhouse section with pitcher plants), Nezu Shrine, Ueno Zoo (small area but really close view to animals and birds), Meiji-jingu, Imperial Palace and Eyeglass bridge, Akihabara (fun place with animal café, arcade, manga/anime shops and electronics stores), Shibuya (busiest crossing and Hachiko statue), Odaiba (TeamLab Borderless, Rainbow bridge), Omiya Railway Museum, Omiya Bonsai Museum and even the stairs from Kimi no na wa movie!

Conclusion

The memories of this two-month stay in Japan will always be very close to my heart. I got to know new topics related to dynamic analysis like BWIM system, Kalman filter and also got an experience of the laboratory culture at the UTokyo. I became motivated to pursue my doctoral studies in similar fields. I also learned about time management and punctuality. The natural calm atmosphere of the places I visited was really soothing. I am also very impressed with the aesthetic city planning, traffic management, separate waste disposal system and subway system. Most of the Japanese people may seem as introverts but they were really nice and helpful whenever approached. And lastly, here are some suggestions for coming interns. For buying Japanese style or anime printed clothes Uniqlo at Ginza might be a good option. For buying souvenirs, Daiso Harajuku and Asakusa shopping street have much variety at reasonable price. And for buying chocolates or food items, there is a tax-free store at Ueno which offers large variety with relatively cheap price. Good luck!!

Overview

The Engineering Summer Education Program(ESEP) is an organization from The University of Tokyo, Japan, that organizes a research internship program for students from IIT’s. We had to apply online for the program during December, and the results were declared near the end of February. I was among the selected 7 candidates. Through the program, I was able to work in the Micro Energy Systems Lab, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo. I also received a stipend of ¥160,000 per month, for a duration of 3 months, which helped me fund my travel, accommodation and everyday costs. My lab was present in the Hongo Main Campus of UTokyo. I stayed in the Nezu area, which was very close to the university, and allowed me to commute by walk (5-10 minutes).

Research Experience

I worked under Professor Yuji Suzuki and Professor Kenichi Morimoto in the Micro Energy Systems Lab. I was part of the Thermo-Fluids group and my project was to predict and simulate condensation phenomenon in order to improve the performance of a heat exchanger, which the lab was building. My work was to build and validate an ANSYS Fluent function for calculating the heat and mass transfer during the condensation process. The research culture in the university and my lab was very good. The work was quite organized, with there being group meetings once a week or in two weeks where we had to present our work and the professors monitored the progress made and gave suggestions on how to overcome problems. Apart from these, there were also full lab meetings where major milestones in research were presented and the new members of the lab introduced.

Everyday Life in Tokyo

The 3 months I spent in Tokyo were very unique and enjoyable, ranging from everyday activities to unforgettable experiences and sights. Tokyo has an amazing public transport system, meaning that there would be at least one train station within one kilometer of your location. Japanese food was very different from my typical meals back in India, though my options were quite limited due to being a vegetarian. The Japanese are very friendly and well mannered, and I heard an uncountable number of Arigato’s and Sumimasen’s, along with a bow to show respect. Tokyo also has a huge number of Shinto shrines and gardens; whose atmosphere is completely different from the fast paced city life of Tokyo.

The only downside to living in Tokyo would be the extremely high standard/cost of living, especially for food and transport. Thankfully, the stipend given be ESEP was more than sufficient to cover all the expenses.

ESEP also conducted and informed us of several sessions which were unique experiences in themselves, some of them being a Japanese class, a session with Sumo wrestlers, a Japanese tea ceremony, and an international students party.

Tokyo Experience

The two months I spent in Tokyo were unique and very different from my stay in other countries like Singapore, Taiwan and the US. From the pretty Japanese girls walking in colourful kimonos and wooden slippers to Ichiran ramen, from the amazing anime hub Akihabara to the cute Disney Stores, from the amusing Disney Sea to the thrilling FujiQ, I came home with a tonne load of memories.

I found the streets of Tokyo perfect for a stroll. There is always a cool breeze kissing your cheeks while the other pedestrians take their puppies for an evening walk. If one is lucky enough, they get to see a trail of ‘kawaii’ kindergarten kids walking across the streets in yellow or blue caps.

Research Experience

I have interned with Professor Ichiro Sakuma from the BioMedical Precision Engineering (BMPE) Laboratory at The University of Tokyo. My project was titled ‘Analysis of the Intraoperative Plantar Pressure Measurement (IPPM) Device and its usability’. The IPPM device is hypothesised to reproduce the pressure of the standing posture in the supine posture. I have initially conducted experiments and collected data from healthy subjects to prove the hypothesis. The data collected shows that the supine posture pressure distribution is 95% similar to that of the standing posture. In this process, I have observed that the device is very difficult to use. Thus, I designed a 3RPS parallel manipulator to automate the process of usage of the device.

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto

Keeping aside the very famous Universal Studios Japan, Osaka is the home to Osaka Castle, the National Museum of Art and Dotombori. With the flashy neon lights and sea creature displays, Dotombori is definitely a must visit spot. I have tried the popular takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushi katsu and have absolutely loved them.

Kyoto is my favourite travel spot in Japan. While Tokyo is lit and buzzing with busy people, Kyoto is cultural, serene and beautiful. From Fushimi Inari to Gion street, the city couldn’t have reflected Japanese culture any better. The Hollywood film ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ portrays the soul of Kyoto streets beautifully.  I would definitely come back to spend a few more days in Kyoto.

ESEP Experience

I would like to wholeheartedly thank the whole ESEP team for making this program happen. I was fortunate to have an authentic tea ceremony experience organised by the team. I absolutely loved my time in Japan and I will definitely recommend this program to my juniors.

I am very lucky to have got the opportunity to participate in ESEP2019. The program was absolutely amazing. I got to work in a project very relevant to my research area. I was assigned to the Suda lab in IIS- Institute of Industrial Sciences, University of Tokyo. The lab is concerned with research on vehicle dynamics and control. My project was based on Analysis of VD parameters for PUVs with respect to Autonomous Truck Platoons. It was a National Project under Energy ITS. The project gave me a very good idea about graduate research. Also I did learn a lot about VD and Truck Platooning. The research consisted of both, Experiments and Software based Analysis. My tutor, Dr. Shimono had been a very integral support throughout. He encouraged me with important research papers and made sure I learnt new concepts. He was always there to clear all my doubts. Professor Suda too had been very supportive throughout. He made sure I was assigned to a project of my interest and also reviewed my project giving some advice on new approaches. I owe a huge thanks to him for alloting me a project of National importance. It has been a wonderful experience overall. There were no financial constraints whatsoever. Tokyo as a city has totally dazzled me. It is perhaps the best city in the world in terms of automation technology engineering citylife hygiene sanitation and safety. Everything is so organised disciplined and clean. The people here are so cordial and helpful. Life in tokyo is just amazing. Lastly I would like to express my sincere gratitute to UTOKYO for giving me this chance. The professors incharge and the secretaries have been very cooperative in every way possible. There were multiple interative sessions and international get togethers that were organised for the interns which helped us learn a lot about Japan culture as well. Having worked under Professor Suda and having received so much support as an UG researcher, I sincerely look forward to pursue graduate studies in UTOKYO and also a nice future in the beautiful city of Tokyo.

Introduction

I spent 2 months in Japan as a research internship student at UTokyo. The ESEP INDIA programme through which I applied was wonderful. The officials were very cooperative and cordial and the scholarship was enough to take care of all my travel and living expenses.

University and Research

The Hongo campus of the university is beautiful. The architecture is old and traditional on the outside, yet the buildings are modern, efficient and huge from the inside. The environment is quiet and feels very conducive to academic activities and research. There are also a few ponds and trails in the campus which give a serene touch to the whole place.

I worked in the Carbon Fibre Innovation lab in the Department of Systems Engineering under Prof Jun Takahashi. My research work was mainly experimental and so I spent a good amount of time in the lab. The labs were comparatively huge and were organised and well equipped. The work culture was pleasant and we used to have one lab meeting with the professor every week.

Life in Tokyo

One of the most marvellous things about Tokyo is its public transport system. There is an extensive and highly efficient network of subways which can be used to go almost anywhere, thanks to the closely located train stations. The huge prefecture has tons to offer from the glassy shopping complexes of Ginza and the crowded streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya to the peaceful shrines and lively parks that can be found in almost every big city. Tokyo literally has it all.

Japanese class

One of my best experiences of the entire stay will be the Japanese classes. Learning a new language can be a great way to dive into the culture of a land since languages draws heavily from the people and their cultures over many centuries. I attended a short term Japanese course over a period of one month. It gave me a chance to interact with other international students on a regular basis and I made some very good friends as result. The teachers were wonderful pedagogically and managed to make the whole learning process greatly enjoyable.

Food and Travel

Even though I was a vegetarian, I tried quite a few Japanese dishes and also acquired a taste for green tea, which is popular among the people. I went to Nikko city, which has many well preserved traditional and scenic tourist spots infused with natural beauty. The roller coasters of Fuji-Q were absolutely terrific. The trip to Disney Sea marked the end of my travelling in Tokyo and was fantastic.

Conclusion

The whole stay was memorable and a splendid learning experience. I partially pick up a totally new language, interacted with some very interesting people and travelled generously. I am positive that the time spent in the lab was very useful and the research habits that I learnt there would go a long way in the future.

Experience at UTokyo

I was interning at the University of Tokyo during the summer after the 3rd year of my B. Tech. This was the first time I visited any foreign country.

The University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo, Hongo campus is a beautiful place. The campus has some of the oldest yet modern looking buildings. There is a small pond (Sanshiro pond) inside the university campus. There are two co-op stores to buy souvenirs. There is a Lawson store and a Lawson 100 (Here you get most of the items for 108 yen) inside. Outside the university, there are a few Indian restaurants (especially needed if you are a vegetarian). There is also University Chuo dining hall if you want to get food at an affordable price (I ate here only once during my stay). The University has a big library. There is Shirucafe (you can get free coffee here) for international students outside the University.

Internship

The process to apply is simple. The application starts in November, and the selected students are notified by February. The IJEP Secretariat sends the required documents for the visa application. They also book the flight tickets.

I was interning under Prof. Reiji Suda at Suda Lab, Department of Computer Science, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology. My project was based on High-Performance Computing, and I am continuing to work on the same after coming back to IIT Hyderabad.

The IJEP gave an amount of 240,000 yen as the scholarship (excluding flight tickets). The scholarship is not provided at once but in three instalments. The first one was given after around 20 days of our stay. IJEP also took us to a plant of DMG Mori at Nagoya. I got to travel on the Shinkansen (bullet train). The IJEP were kind to pay for the entire trip to Nagoya. Later, we visited TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) Office in Tokyo. The IJEP also organised a traditional Japanese Tea ceremony (Green tea with sweets).

Accommodation and Moving around

I stayed at Fujimi House, Tabata, Tokyo. The rent here is cheaper when compared to other Guest Houses and dorms. There are many convenient stores in Tokyo to buy things for regular needs. Generally, people working in the stores may not know English. Thanks to Google translate, I was able to manage most of the time I needed any help. Japanese people are very kind; they will patiently try to understand your problem even if they don’t understand English.

The University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus was around 2.5 km away from Tabata. Most of the days I took the metro. I used to walk till Nishi-Nippori station and took Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line to reach Nezu station. The University of Tokyo is a walkable distance from Nezu. I had bought a Pasmo card which can be recharged and used while commuting. The fare was 170 yen from Nishi-Nippori to Nezu (Actually it costs 165 yen if you use Pasmo card). During my stay at Tokyo, I never needed to take any Taxi or Cab. All of my commutes happened via trains.

Food

Being a lover of Indian cuisine, I faced difficulty adjusting to Japanese taste. Most of the time, I had food at Indian restaurants. I didn’t bring anything from India to cook. (If you are a vegetarian, I would suggest bringing some ingredients that you can cook here. It will save you money.) The food was a little costly. It was not difficult to find Indian restaurants in Tokyo. For breakfasts, I used to eat bread (bought from one of the convenient stores). Sometimes I used to eat at Subway inside the campus for lunch. For dinner, I used to eat at Indian restaurants. I also had Japanese curry rice at CoCo curry sometimes. I also ate sushi, ramen and miso soup during my stay at Tokyo.

Places visited

There are many places to see in Tokyo. I spent most of my weekends travelling and visiting sites. Some of the places I visited are Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Enoshima Island, Zōjō-ji (Buddhist temple near Tokyo Tower), Meiji Jingu (Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji), Nokogiriyama (If you like nature and quiet place, this is one of the places to visit.), Inokashira Park, Yoyogi Park, Ueno zoo, Kahaku (National Museum of Nature and Science), Omiya Railway Museum, Omiya Bonsai Museum. For shopping, there are Don Quijote stores at Shibuya and Shinjuku. Shibuya has the busiest crossing in Japan. There is a bronze statue of Hachiko at Shibuya. Akihabara is a great place for buying electronics.

Conclusion

Overall I had a wonderful experience during my internship, and I would recommend everyone to visit Japan. If you have anything to ask or say, feel free to ping me on facebook.

 

MY DAYS AT JAPAN

A research internship at the University of Tokyo was a dream come true for me. From being exposed to a really advanced research environment to being able to experience Japanese culture it was exhilarating. The objective of my internship and the background required was communicated to me well before the start and helped me to prepare accordingly before my arrival to Tokyo. After experiencing a beautiful sunrise through the flight windows I landed in the land of the Rising Sun with hopes up for a really beautiful summer. Work My research lab was very friendly and got me up to pace in no time. I made a lot of friends from different nationalities and they were always there to help me and answer my queries. My lab also gave me a welcome and farewell party! My work was interesting and also left me with enough time to explore the city. The cutting edge technology and facilities available at the University is really commendable. At the end of my internship I could really feel that I have experienced a steep learning curve.

Other Activities

Enrolling in the Japanese learning class help me to get closer to Japanese culture and make many more new friends. IJEP had organised to industrial visits for us. One was to the DMG Mori plant at Iga and the second to TCS office in Tokyo. These trips helped us to get an insight into the kind of business models and facilities at these companies. Other than this I also could spare time to visit some of the tourist spots, shrines, parks and so on.

I also got a chance to be part of a macha (green tea) party, Yukata wearing workshop and a meet-up with Sumo wrestlers.

Overall my Summer Internship has been fruitful from academic and leisurely point of view thanks to IJEP for giving me this opportunity, and I hope to return to UTokyo soon.

Research

The quality of research at the University of Tokyo is incredible. It was quite awe-inspiring to see how much thought actually goes in each step of the work. My sensei gave me a week’s time to understand the research done at the laboratory before taking a call. Thus, I could suggest and modify as to what I wanted to do. My research theme was Complex Valued Neural Networks. I worked on classification of subsurface objects by evaluating the degree of conformity between self organizing maps. The work was totally experimental and practical, something which I had not experienced earlier. We also had weekly seminars where I got to know about the research of each of my lab mates. It also helped increase our bonding. All the labmates used to go for lunch along with sensei everyday, which greatly helped me bond with my labmates, many of whom had become the best of my friends towards the end of my internship! I also got a farewell party at the end of my internship. Thus, I would say that the work culture, especially at Hirose Lab, was phenomenal. The IJEP Coordinators also took us for a trip to DMG Mori at their innovation day, in shinkansen! The trip was completely sponsored by IJEP and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Life

I made sure not to waste even a minute of my time while in Japan. I used to walk to my lab and back home even though there were direct metro links, and it made me get closer to the Japanese culture and everyday life! Cooking is my passion and I have been close to the Japanese cuisine even in India, since I Ioved cooking Japanese. Food was the best part of my trip to Japan! I ate anything and everything Japanese, and food will be the what I’d miss the most about Japan. Oh, umami!

Every Saturday, I made it a point to travel through all lines of the Tokyo Metro (I might sound insane, but I’m a bit obsessed with Subway Systems around the world), and travel to the less explored corners of Tokyo.  I collected eki-stamps, went to lesser known shrines, dagashi shops, and simply walked around otherwise. Sundays were for the famous, touristy spots like Enoshima, DisneySea, etc. etc. The highlights of my trip were an urban challenge game, Journey to the End of the Night and my Fujisan climb. Fujisan climb was something that I had really been looking forward to and the entire experience was phenomenal. I went to Fujisan in the morning, climbed till the evening, stayed at the mountain hut, started to the peak at midnight, saw the sunrise and went to Kengamine, finally went down and straight to an onsen! Certainly my best time in Japan!

Language

As for Japanese, I had started to learn before coming to Japan itself. It really helped. I further attended Japanese classes while in Japan, taught by volunteers for a nominal fee. I plan to continue my studies further while in India.

Conclusion

My time during the internship will be something that I will remember for life. I made a lot of new friends and got quite emotionally attached with my lab and labmates! Will surely miss UTokyo! Hope to be back there soon!

 

Enter the Land of the Rising Sun….

 

First time abroad, not knowing what to expect I landed at the Narita Airport on the 9^th of May. For paying my first rent I had to go to Shinjuku and there, I got lost! Shinjuku for me, seemed like a place out of the world. Fortunately, a kind gentleman helped me find the Shinjuku Station, the only reason I even reached home! At that point of time itself, I realized how helpful the people in Japan were and could guess that my experience in Japan was bound to be good.

The University of Tokyo….

 

The university more than met my expectation I had formed about it. Walking in the university lanes for the first time was a remarkable experience. The first thing, I felt was that I should utilize the learning opportunity in every way possible.  As the days passed, the campus engulfed my senses. This beautiful and serene campus located in the middle of the bustling city is a sight to behold and a pleasure to work in.

The first friends, who I made here, were obviously, my lab mates. I had a great amount of fun with them. I went to the Tokyo Dome City and a karaoke (one of a kind experience in Japan) with them. A lab mate had accompanied me on my journey to Yokohama and Kamakura as well. The second set of friends was the people from the Water Polo team of The University of Tokyo. I am a part of the water polo team back at IIT Madras and wanted to play some water polo in Japan too. Three hours of practice three times a week was one of my best times in Japan and got me closer to the people from the team. I learnt a great deal from them and am going to use what I learnt back at my institute.

So many memories of mine are based here. Most of the friends I made in Japan are from the University of Tokyo.

 

Suzuki & Ohtake Lab

 

I had chosen the Suzuki and Ohtake laboratory for conducting my research internship. First week into the internship, I had my problem statement given by Prof. Suzuki and Prof. Ohtake. The clarity of definition of the problem was impeccable. I exactly knew where to start and to end. I had been given the goal of 3D printing a product made from Silicon Rubber with varying Density. The project was challenging and it took about two months to complete the goal. After completion, I could clearly feel an improvement in my programming skills, analytical skills and my approach in problem solving. My professors and lab mates helped me whenever I needed it due to which I could complete the goal in time.

 

Travel….

 

It is said that travelling is one the most beautiful experiences. I found that to be true during my travel in Japan. Visiting 19 places in two months, I can say that I travelled a lot. I visited cities like Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Nikko, Sapporo etc. and went on some adventures such as climbing Mt. Fuji and cycling the Shimanami Kaido highway. Every place was beautiful and interesting in its own way. The Gion area in Kyoto, the Shimanami Kaido highway, Itskushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Hell valley in Hokkaido have their own charm and are some of my personal favourites.

Learning Japanese….

 

Having seen a good amount of anime and manga, it was not a problem to grasp the Japanese language. I managed to learn some Japanese, to a level where I could hold basic conversations. Learning Japanese helped me connect with the country on a deeper level. I could learn things I would never have come across if I hadn’t learnt the language. After all, what better way to communicate with the locals than their own language?

A once in a lifetime experience….

 

It would not be wrong to say that my stay in Japan was one of the best experiences of my life. I have enjoyed every bit of it. My internship gave me much more than just the technical knowledge required for the project and I would like to thank IJEP for that. I am taking back not just the physical certificate but also a huge amount of memories and experiences. I hope to return to Japan again. Sometime definitely!

Experience in Japan

It was my first flight experience and first foreign trip, which made the experience much more exciting. The japan visit was a great learning experience. There is lot to learn from Japanese people. They stood against all the earthquakes, atom bomb attacks, Tsunami very firmly and they are still among the most advanced countries. Crime rates in Japan are negligible, hence it is a very safe country to live in there. They are very helpful, respectful, hardworking people. Huge metro network, bullet trains, a very good waste management were the other interesting things for me. University campus is beautiful. University of Tokyo offers a very good support for international students in many ways. I used to have international gatherings every Tuesday. They offer free Japanese language courses. There are quite a lot of scholarships available for both masters and Phd students, which can help one in managing expenses during stay in japan. The IJEP participants also got opportunity to visit DMG Mori industry in Iga, Mie Prefecture. We travelled by Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and it was completely sponsored by IJEP. There was tea ceremony for us which was my first exposure to Japanese culture. Open campus at IIS Todai gave me opportunity to visit and explore several research labs at the research centre. May festival in hongo camus of University of Tokyo gave further exposures to Japanese cultures.

My Research Project

The research project which was given to me, was a part of an ongoing research on development of Micro Mixer. A pumpless micro mixer was proposed in the work done by Kaneko et.al. in Hasegawa Lab, University of Tokyo. The device consisted pillars on PDMS substrate surface. A vibration induced flow around the pillars was observed in his experiment. But the simulation results showed some deviations from the experimental observations. These anomalous observations motivated me to study flow field inside a droplet on an oscillating wall. I found some interesting results which explained the deviations. I also suggested optimum frequency for operating the mixing device. Other than my own research lab I also got an opportunity to visit Suzuki lab in Chuo University, where the mixing device was fabricated. Both the research labs were very rich in research facilities. Professors were very approachable and helpful. I used to have meetings with my professor almost every week, which was a great help in my research progress. I enjoyed lab parties and lab trips a lot.

Food

Just like me you might also not like Japanese cafeteria food. I used to cook my breakfasts and dinners. My cooking adventures started in Japan itself and cooking was an absolute fun. There is Shin-Okubo station near Shinjuku where several Indian Shops are available to buy Indian rice, freezed chapati and spices. To buy others items, stores available inside university campus, My Basket and Lawson’s 100 Yen store would be better choices.

However I had also tried Japanese traditional food like Takoyaki (octopus) and Okunomiyaki (beef), and these were very delicious. It was fun having beers, wines, several seafoods (Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon etc.) with my lab members and professor. I also tasted Japanese rice wine Sake.

Accomodation

There are a few good options like:

Fujimi House (http://fujimihouse.jp/?lang=en), DK House (http://www.e-guesthouse.com/eng/), Sakura House (http://www.sakura-house.com/en/), Tokyo Rent (http://www.tokyorent.com/top/index.html), UTokyo Housing Office (http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/administration/housing-office/housing/minkan/index.html)

I stayed in fujimi house and perhaps it is the best choice. Fujimi houses are fully furnished with several facilities including like bed, AC, TV, Refrigerator, Gas stove, Oven, Utensils etc.

 

Weekend Trips

I would suggest the future participants to work hard during weekdays and go around places in Japan during weekends and explore japan and its culture. I visited quite a lot of places like Tokyo Tower, Skytree, Nikko, Yoyogi Park, Nezu Park, Ueno Zoo, Onsens (Okutama, toshimaen niwa-no-yu), Kamakura, Enoshima, Shrines, Temples etc. I also had trekking to quite a few mountains (Mount Odake, Mount Mitake, Mount Nokkogiri). These were worth exploring.