Exchange Report

Exchange report - Student at KI

Minoh waterfall


Home university:	Osaka University
Study programme:	Biomedicine (Master's)
Exchange programme:	INK
Semester:	Autumn semester 2014/2015

Pre-departure

Why go on exchange?

I have been traveling all my life, been abroad (not living at home) since I was 15 years old, so I guess it was just a logical progression to venture east. But I guess that is not a very good response, I went to learn new things, to see how things are done in a completely different culture, to feel challenged...

The Osaka University exchange was new, so we were guinea pigs. However, everything went smoothly, coordinators both at KI and at Osaka University were very helpful helping us find accommodation, scholarships, sending us the necessary documents to get the VISA etc.

When finding a laboratory it is important that they understand what you will be doing, and if you plan on taking courses talk with the responsible people overseas to make sure they can offer courses during the time of your stay.

Arrival and registration

We went one week before the start of our internship. We were asked to go directly to the University, and from there the people in charge of international students took over and drove us to the dormitory. However, I would recommend to check before you go how to get there exactly. In my case I had a general description that people from the university had sent me, but with luggage, 40 degrees, 100% humidity, and all the signs in Japanese things can get complicated .

We did not have any introduction days, we went directly to the laboratory, accompanied by the exchange representatives.

Economy

Regarding university fees we only had to pay a small amount for some sort of insurance. We were not sure if it was mandatory, but it was very cheap, so better safe than sorry.

Accommodation wise we found a dormitory the month before moving to Japan. It cost 3000 Kr a month, including breakfast and dinner, but not including electricity (which can add almost 500 extra Kr).

Food and drinks are cheap, but when going out keep track of your drinks, you dont pay up front. They will keep a tab that you have to pay afterwords, but there is no break-down of what you consumed, and sometimes it can get... steep. Always have cash with you! Certain cards do not work in Japanese ATMs so make sure yours does, I could not use my card for my entire stay.

Acommendation

The responsible persons at Osaka University helped us find accommodation in an all male dormitory.

The dormitory included two meals as I said before, and was located 10km away from the hospital. We bought bikes, and biked every day back and forth. We were 20 minutes away from down-town Osaka by train.

We had a futon as a bed, it was a hard bed, but I guess that is also part of the experience, and you end up getting used to it.

Studies in general

We spent most of our time in the laboratory.

We had a course every Friday from 16 to 19:30 of back to back classes on state of the art techniques and research being performed at the University and other universities. This program we attended was meant for a very competitive group of students and the lecturers were very renown scientists within their field.

Supervisors were very friendly and very understanding of our position as exchange studies. They wanted us to learn and work, but at the same time have fun and enjoy the most our time in Japan.

Courses during the exchange period

Courses corresponding to semester 3 at KI

I went on exchange the Autumn semester of my second year of Master in Bio-medicine.

I took one course that consisted of lectures on different topics ranging from molecular imaging (including life imaging) to stem cell research applied to different areas of research. The course was taught by very good professors, but classes are long, 1 and half hours long each on Fridays.

We had to write a report after each lecture either summarizing the lecture or researching in more detail something the lecturer had mentioned. This report was then graded by the lecturer.

Language and Culture

At the University we could somewhat communicate in English. The course we took was in English and some people in the labs speak English; however, outside the University this is not the norm, and some basic grasp of Japanese is helpful. It is worth noting that we did not know how to read kanji, and we learnt most of our Japanese as we went along speaking with friends.

The University offered Japanese courses, even the town we lived in.

But people are very helpful and they will try to aid regardless.

Regarding cultural clashes I had no problem, I think nowadays Japan has a lot of influence from the west. Moreover, people are very interested in meeting you and getting to know you.

Leisure time and social activities

There were some events organized by the university, but we only went to a couple organized by the course.

The University had loads of different of sport activities, however we did not engage in them. We trained by ourselves. Although we did participate in a relay race at the University.

We met loads of people outside the University that showed us around and took us to many different places, and accompanied us in our tourist trips around the area of Kansai.

People from the laboratory took us to dinner, in Japan older people, specially if they are your bosses, sensei, will make sure to invite you to dinner, and that you experience the most.

The city of Osaka is huge, it is called the kitchen of Japan, so foodies will have a great time venturing around the endless restaurants.

I am into craft beer so I made sure to visit the different craft beer bars around the city, and there I made loads of friends that showed us around and invited us to different events.

Summary

When thinking were to go on exchange Japan crossed my mind, but I had other options as first option. I am very glad I made up my mind and decided to go to Japan instead. It is probably one of the most unique experiences you can get. To truly get a grasp of a culture you need time, you need to immerse yourself, and you can only do that on an exchange.

I do however recommend to go two people, it really does help in a country like Japan.

I think in the future, if I ever have to treat professionally with Japanese people, I will have a good knowledge to approach them.

You obviously encounter hard times, but the good ones overcome the bad ones. Just go!