Land of the Rising Sun

It has been an exceptionally long gap since I last penned down my experiences. I have travelled extensively in the past one year, visited many unusual places, met many people and learnt a lot of new things.

However, something that happened in the mid-June 2018 slightly changed the course of my academic activities.  I received the prestigious Japanese Government scholarship called the Monbukagakusho (MEXT） Scholarship that supports foreign students who study higher education in the premier institutes of Japan. Although I had applied for PhD to the International Robotics Program, I was not confident enough that I will clear the multiple stages of screening (interviews, written tests, elimination rounds) and eventually succeed since only two scholarship positions were available and 300 applicants. I was on cloud nine when Prof. Kazuya Yoshida from Tohoku University notified me that my application was successful. Prof. Yoshida-sensei is quite famous in the field of space robotics and his laboratory is involved in breakthrough research on space exploration. I have been following the progress of his laboratory past 3 years and wanted to somehow work with him. Now I can spend the next 3 years here and contribute something outstanding to the space community, and I am super excited about it! More about my work and university in a later post.

This post is dedicated to my initial experiences, observations and impressions of this amazing country of Japan. So, I landed in Tokyo in the end of September and took the high-speed train Tohoku Shinkansen to reach Sendai. It is a fulfilling feeling to finally sit in a bullet train that you have heard so much about and realize that everything is true. Although quite expensive, travelling in the Shinkansen is very comfortable as inside you cannot feel that you are moving at a speed of 320kmph. As I had expected Japanese trains are exactly on time and people are mannered enough to stand in a queue to board and deboard the vehicle. However, something that pleased me was that they have visual representations of everything. This solves the problem of a newcomer if you do not know the language.

I arrived in Sendai, 500km north of Tokyo within 90 mins. The city is extremely beautiful surrounded by hills and close to the Pacific Ocean. There are green trees all around and the air is fresh. The calming view of the hills from my balcony cheers me up every time.

As I observed the people and the society, the country became more appealing to me. It is impressive to see how disciplined and efficient humans can be with only a little bit of effort.  Daily life in in this city is extremely simple yet mesmerizing. Japan is both cute and mature at the same time. Pop and traditional culture coexist and is prominent all around.

There is a lot that the rest of the civilized world can learn from the Japanese. The garbage segregation and disposal are one of these – they separate waste into 6 categories in special bags making sure that everything does not end up at the dumping yard or the ocean. Waste that can be burnt are sent to incineration centers, waste for recycling sent to recycle center and likewise. Mixing up garbage bags is a serious offense. It is not uncommon to find 5-6 different colored dustbins in Japanese homes, offices, markets and public places. The country recycles 77% of its plastic waste which is way ahead than any other nation in the world.

From traffic rules, to garbage disposal rules, the dedication with which Japanese follow every law and rules is worth appreciating. All four campuses of the University spread across an area of 4km² is totally smoke-free zone making it easy for non-smokers to breathe fresh air all the time. However, the local people like to wear a mask to cover their mouth and nose. It is a very common sight and they probably do it to avoid spreading germs or protect themselves from germs and pollution.

 

Japan is the perfect example that automation will not end jobs. Robots and automated machines are employed at the most unexpected tasks working along with humans. Even the toilets are innumerable functions to choose from, like the direction of bidet, type of music, etc!

Signing off for now, more updates about my Japanese experiences will follow soon!

View from my room in Sendai

Autumn colours in full bloom in Sendai