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

 

2017 was the first time when IIT Bombay was included in the IJEP Program and hence me being the first one from my institute selected for this internship program, didn’t have any seniors to talk to about their experience and it was these Student’s Voice accounts that helped me get some idea about the internship affairs, and so I’ll try to keep this sufficiently detailed.

I did my IJEP internship at the Information Science and Technology at Suda Lab. The internship process in India was simple. After completing the application and receiving the confirmation and acceptance one had to discuss and finalise the internship dates and durations with one’s professor and it is usually flexible. The necessary documents were provided and were sufficient for obtaining the VISA. (Note: It may require few documents from your side as well like your fathers pay-slip etc. and hence it is advisable to get the process started as soon as you receive all the documents from the university; The documents are usually addressed to the Consulate in Delhi but works everywhere)

Accomodation

Accommodation is something that might be of some concern as it is not provided by the program but the recommended lodgings are trustworthy and live up to the images on their websites. Some of the most common ones are Fujimi House and Sakura House, the former being costlier. Housing is expensive in Tokyo and hence sharing a room is advisable to save money. I stayed in Fujimi House – Princess Court Tabata Station and the stay was quite comfortable and all the necessary goods required are easily available in the neighbourhood.

Upon Arrival

After coming to Japan, one will quickly realise that it is nothing like India. The ubiquitous cleanliness, traffic rules (being followed), and the security is outstanding. And one cannot forget the convenience of the public transport; the trains, subway and the buses (Note: Look for IC Cards – Pasmo or Suica; They are really helpful). The IJEP staff from the University provide all the necessary orientation to kickstart your stay in Japan and along with the JLCSE department of UTokyo they also introduce you to the culture and some basic Japanese Language phrases! Though, your meeting with your professor and rest of the activities are totally based on the mutual consent between you and your professor and the IJEP staff and nothing to do with it. They will occasionally send emails regarding the JASSO Scholarship collection and other events going on in the university! (Note: No money was provided when we arrived in Japan and we had to fend for ourselves in the first month till the first instalment was provided)

Japan

Japan is a very beautiful country while being modern as well. There are loads of places to visit and thing to do. One must use this opportunity to not only explore the research possibilities in the university but also explore the city of Tokyo and the country of Japan. You may find these links useful in planning your trips around Tokyo and Japan. https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/model-route/kanto/index.html https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ http://www.japan-guide.com/. Here are a few pictures of amazing places I visited in Japan

 

Japan, like India, has loads of Shrine and Temples some of which are amazing and breath-taking and visiting at least a few of them is a must.

Some issues one could face in Japan are

• Food for the vegetarians: Though the raw material is readily available, cooked vegetarian meal is a rarity. Learning to cook is the best option to survive without having to eat salads and breads! Indian restaurants (run mostly by the Nepalese) are not hard to find though, with three of them being just outside the Hongo Campus grounds. Overall, I would say it is not-impossible and manageable.
• Language: Believe it or not, hardly anyone speaks English in Japan and hence it becomes essential to learn basic survival Japanese to communicate well with the local people. The JLCSE department runs an introductory course during the latter part of the stay which is pretty helpful and you can even obtain a completion certificate!

Events – JLCSE

There are numerous event which happen periodically in the University which give a great experience of the Japanese culture right from within the institute. A couple of them which I was a part of include the Yukata wearing Workshop and the session with the Sumo Wrestlers.

Final Presentation and Party!

In the last week, we had a final presentation where we presented our work during the internship period and we were awarded our completion certificated. Later that day we had a part for the International Students of UTokyo with food, drinks and great events like the Watermelon breaking contest and Japanese Musical Chairs!

It was very saddening to leave such a beautiful country and the invaluable experience. Overall the experience was amazing and I would recommend everyone to give Japan a try!

Internships are very important as they enhance your experiences and help you set your future goals. IJEP program allows you to be an important part of your lab. You will feel no less important than any other doctoral student in the lab. If you are considering going for higher studies, you don’t want to miss this program. I will broadly classify my report into three parts:

1)Application

2)Experience

3)Conclusion

1)Application:

Rather than just looking at the reputation of the university, I believe that it is equally if not more important to consider the lab in which you want to work.

Although there is no (Cumulative Grade Point Average)CGPA cut-off for the application, but a good score always helps. It seems as if a substantial attention is given to your Statement of purpose(SoP) and also the recommendation letter, rather than just the CGPA. So show your genuinity in writing your SoP.

2)Experience:

• The most important part of the internship experience in the reflection. As I look back over the two months of the internship, I can see that I really grew as a professional.

I have really enjoyed my internship experience. The goals that I set for this experience, I was able to reach. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I gained personally from this experience.

2.a) Research experience:   I worked on flow boiling in an oblique wavy wall duct. I got hands on experience on Ansys Fluent software(for numerical simulation) and pointwise software(for meshing). I spent the first month in going through the literature and undertaking small assignments to get accustomed with the softwares. Professors constantly monitored my progress as I presented my research in group meetings, from time to time.

2.b)Food:

•  I usually preferred Ramen for Lunch at the Chuo refractory, located within the campus. It is difficult to find vegetarian food at the cafeteria, but there are Indian restaurants near the hongo campus.

2.c) Culture

• Got a chance to meet the sumo wrestlers.

• JLCSE classes helped me learn to speak, read and write commonly used Japanese words.
• International Cafe which provides an opportunity to meet other international students in the campus. Also a summer party is arranged towards the end of the program, where in one gets to play games and of course that comes with delicious food and drinks.
• University Festival was scheduled in the second weekend after our arrival in Japan.
• You will very well be informed about various events that are going around in the campus. So make the most of it by participating in them, they will give you an insight into the Japanese culture.

 

2.d) Tokyo experience and day trip

Japanese people were very warm and helping! I would like to share a experience regarding this. I had a problem and sought help from a Japanese person, he considered it as his responsibility to solve my problem.

Weekends were very special as I explored various places of Tokyo and surrounding areas.

Places Visited around Tokyo:

Odaiba beach:

Akihabara, Shinjuku and Shinjuku: It’s a great place in Tokyo for shopping and buying electronics tax free.

Kawagoe museum: It’s in another prefecture close to Tokyo, where you can explore the traditional Japan. I visited the art, cultural, city museums and also the castle.

Imperial Palace : The area around the Tokyo station is beautiful, with very tall skyscrapers. Imperial Palace is the home of the emperor.

Tokyo Dome City Amusement park: It roller coaster ride is amongst the top 10 rides in the world. Its an adventurous place to spend your day.

Nagoya, Nara & Kyoto (20^th June, 2017): IJEP organized a day trip to CNC machine manufacturing company, DMG Mori Iga Plant. For a Mechanical Engineering student the location of the day trip couldn’t have been better! Also got a chance to visit the magnificent Todaiji temple at Nara. Travelling in Shinkansen bullet train, at the speed at which most of the modern jet liners take off was exciting! We also visited the Todaiji temple at Nara.

2.e) Lab

•  There were many international students in my lab and apparently in UTokyo.
•  Seeing lab members spend 12-14 hrs, certainly motivated me to spend more time in the lab
•  There are state of the art facilities in the lab
•  I was assigned a mentor who helped me during my stay at UTokyo.

 

3)Conclusion:

• Learned many new things in CFD
• Time Management, Punctuality and Planning
• Certainly motivated to undertake further research in the field of CFD
• Had an amazing experience at UTokyo, one of the top ranked university in the world
• Research culture is very rich
• Made new friends from different parts of the globe
• A lot of memories to take back from  here
• Glad that I came to UTokyo

 

 

 

Internships are crucial in determining future goal. Students who wish to go for higher studies and continue their career in research field foreign research Internships are really important for them. The University of Tokyo offers this kind of internship opportunity for Indian students through IJEP Internship program.

As a part of this internship you will be working as an important member of one of the laboratories in The UTokyo. You will be given equal importance as other members of the lab. Facilities provided by my lab during Internship was really awesome. One mentor is allotted to each student who will be taking care of you during your overall stay. People in my lab were very helpful. Everyone was always ready to help me. The thing that I liked most was weekly meeting in lab in which you are supposed to present your research progress. This help in moving forward by getting suggestion from professor.

Moving on to very important point ‘social life’. I would like to say that this Internship period was most memorable time of my lifetime. Be it late night going out with lab members, watching movies with lab members in lab, listening to professor singing or going on really memorable lab trip, I enjoyed each and every thing I did there. During IJEP, There were many events organised this helped me to know other members selected for Internship. I made friends for lifetime there. Best part of Internship was cross cultural talks. Japan being country whose culture is very different from India that made it more wonderful.

Overall I would like to say life in Tokyo was ‘Work Hard and Party Harder’ type. I not only enjoyed my stay there but also cleared my doubts regarding future goals during this Internship. I returned with bag full experience and more matured in all prospects.

Here are some pictures that will describe a little bit about my stay,

 

 

 

 

IJEP Internship Experience

 

IJEP is one of a unique life time experience one is privileged to have and wouldn’t be able to thank it enough. Let me start with my experience chronology. When I  got to know that I was selected for a summer internship under the India-Japan Industry-Academia-Government Collaborative Education Program, my happiness knew no bounds at all as this was the first time I was going to travel abroad and that too Japan – The Land of the Rising Sun.  You would be given a list of around 20 Labs and asked to put forth your preference for which one you would like to work with. I was selected in the Shiomi Lab based on my preference.

 

The internship was totally funded with air tickets too, how  could one ask for  anything more!  but that is not where it stops. I received such heart warming welcome on my first day at The University of Tokyo, one that I could never forget. The splendid architecture of the campus, especially the arcade would take you by awe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Brief Introduction

Research Internship plays a very important and crucial role for someone to explore his field of interest and also open other career opportunities. It’s not  only about having industrial experience in one of the world class university but you also get to know about their hospitality, cultural-diversity, social-technological innovation and lifestyle.
This Year I did internship at Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, JAPAN which was a unique experience for me. It’s research environment also encourages me to go for further studies. There are many project from all field of engineering. Previously in Dec,2014 I had attended a course on High-Speed-Railway under ISWT Course, so I chose to go for project related to Railway and Transportation Engineering, which is one of my field of interest.

2) What was the selection procedure? Any specific tip for getting selected(regarding CV/Projects/Recommendations)?

I got selected through India-Japan Education Program (abbreviated as IJEP, collaborative industry-academia-government linking effort) which was just started in 2015. The Program was only open for several IIT and IIM. Filling application form starts in mid-November. Application was very easy to fill up. You have to create an account on their portal and then proceed step-by-step. The steps include detailing your personal information, educational background, CV & transcript, previous research internship and area of interest. Apart from this, you have to write Statement of purpose (don’t copy and paste, some novelty has to be there, if you really want to get selected) and one letter of recommendation (which has to be uploaded separately on their portal by professor). SOP and previous experiences was very important in any selection procedure, so try not to make any false assumptions.

Every institutions will like to invite student based on their GPA, so higher GPA gives you an edge over applicants with lower GPA, but other factors also mater a lot.

3) What was your project?(Some details about it)

I worked on Weigh-In-Motion System (abbreviated as WIM), a reliable weighing method in transportation engineering which used to overcome great damage to the road caused by the overweight vehicle and to solve the traffic security problem & the transportation market risks. I was expected to verify the numerical and experimental analysis with simulation analysis(software used SIMPACK).

4) How was the work atmosphere? How did you utilized the free time? How was the accommodation/food?

My campus was near-by Tokyo. Tokyo is really a good place to live. Everything here are very user friendly and goes in a systematic way like public transportation system. It’s has the best combination of modern and traditional Japan within. People here are always ready to help you even if they have to go out of their way. It is one of the most populated area of Japan and have large no. of foreigner too. I loved to experience this multi-cultural society which gave me a chance to connect with people from all over the world. The working atmosphere was pretty enjoyable. We get to know about their work culture. Their was no such restriction of working hours, we were free to work on our pace. There were many students from different countries working in my lab. Interaction with many research scholar, postdocs and professor is plus point in any foreign internship. We participated in event Tanabata and Bon-dancing during International gathering, attended tea ceremony. Weekends are completely free, so we explored many parts of japan. My personal favourite places in Tokyo include, “Ueno Park”, “The Imperial Palace”, “Odiba(statue of Liberty replica)”, “Akihabara”, “Akashi Kaikyo Bridge” etc. We visited kobe earthquake memorial park by Shinkansen, climbed Mt. Fuji till 8th station (faced -5 degree Celsius over there). About accommodation, we were group of three people (2 from IIT-KGP and 1 from IIT-M) sharing a apartment near university. Food was quite expensive there, so I used to cook most of the time with my roommate. For Vegetarian people, its not that difficult to find food of your choice, You will easily get Indian grocery shop near a place called shin-okubo.

5) How does this intern help in your long term career goals?

These types of Research Internship open new options for you at international level. Pursuing higher studies is one of the option, there are many more. In a country like India, technology transfer is much needed step to develop and prosper. You will love to stay here forever once you visit. Honestly Japanese language will not be a big problem for you as we have more than 385 language throughout India but we are still connected. The technology/Equipment’s which we use here are just the best known throughout, so JAPAN is the best place for Technologist.

6) Conclusion.

I will conclude that an international internship is breakthrough for undergraduate student to explore his interests and many opportunities. It is not only about getting technological exposure, handling new equipment but you will also get a chance to experience a new learning environment, cross-cultures, lifestyles, languages etc. You will meet people from different areas. Most important thing, you are the one who are going to represent India and its culture for a very short period of time. All these things make you feel proud and confident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

↓Here’s Ms. Dipasha Sinha’s website

http://www.swgiitkgp.in/foresight/tokyo_Dipasha.html

 

 

Instead of writing a long-winded report having an experience filled with positive cliched comments,
I thought it would be better to modularize on certain aspects and I believe these would make you
consider this particular internship program.

1) Academia effect!
Of course, the main motivation of applying to a research internship is to improve your technological
skills, critical reasoning & perception and a culmination of strengthening your Curriculum Vitae.
UTokyo is currently one of the best varsities in the world, and it inherently has brilliant people with
a lot of recognition, and an undying, motivating research atmosphere.
I am from the CSE background, and believe me, some people from this university have done quite a
load of magnificent work in the area. There is an option to choose the laboratory you want to work
in, and this provides flexibility to the applicant.

2) Japan?
When people say Japan is different, believe them! Because it is! This country has some very
beautiful, intriguing places and at the same time some crazy ‘addas’ to hang out at! The people are
very friendly and cooperative, and the country is very hospitable. It was an amazing experience to
not only work in such a high-rated intellectual country, but also get to know the Japanese in general.
The IJEP program had some excursions which entailed us visiting Japan’s Supercomputer, ride the
Shinkansen bullet train, a Sumo meet, a traditional tea ceremony; all of which added to the
excitement. And, in the two months span, I’ve probably travelled a lot more than 20 years in India.
As it was my first abroad experience, it was a bit intimidating, but the IJEP authorities had managed
the program quite well, making the task less daunting.

3) IJEP:
The program’s stipend is enough to buy you accommodation for 2 months, food throughout the
span, a trip to Mt. Fuji, a visit to Disneyland, outings each weekend and lots of souvenir, anime, and
miscellaneous shopping items! So, money won’t be a problem.
You’ll meet amazing people, live in a country which you’ll ultimately fall in love with, and visit
places which will leave you awestruck!
P.S. To the vegetarian people: Don’t fret! It’s not an obstacle, at all!
P.P.S. Visit Mt. Fuji! Just go for it. It’s godlike!