What I Study

I study at the Graduate School for Innovation and Practice for Smart Society (SMASO). It is on the edge of the HU campus in the IDEC building which is the international building with plenty of international students from ASEAN and Africa that are sponsored by JICA, MEXT and other programs. Only my courses are at the IDEC building, but my lab is in the engineering building on the floor of the architects. Before I came to Japan, I worked for the German government (GIZ) on clean energy and circular economy in Vietnam. I came to Hiroshima University to study air conditioning and heat pumps. Which is why my academic advisor is Professor Sayaka Kindaichi. As my bachelor's was in economics, my research focus is on Germany`s new municipality heating planning law and on the purchasing decisions of HVAC technicians. As Japan is the country of air conditioning and heat pumps it is a great environment to understand the Japanese perspective on it and I hope that with my master I get the opportunity to work between Japan and Germany on heat pumps.

Graduate School in Japan

Having to apply for the master with a research project is making the every day research so much more focused. In Germany we do not do that. As I have plenty of work experience I want to build on this and HU is encouraging me to come up with primary data and the Japanese system that has 12 months courses in 4 terms and 12 months for research allows a researcher to do data gathering with an experiment or questionnaire.

Masters in Germany are often consecutive, are two years long, and most only have 6 months for the research. Professors do not have a lot of time, and students study from the library. If during my professional career I realize I want to gain more engineering/technical expertise I would need to study a bachelor again in Germany (due to the consecutive nature of most masters in Germany). Japan offers research student semesters to get up to speed on the necessary entrance requirements. I did not need to do that, as for my master my entrance exam was an online presentation and my master is in English.

My master courses are in English but sadly 40% of English courses have no good quality. Sadly my Japanese is not good enough to take Japanese classes. My professors organize brown bag lunches in English to foster the academic conversation between my Japanese lab mates who are bad at English and me who is bad at Japanese. Most Professors speak good English and they are always open to help.

A Mix of Nature and City Life

Hiroshima University and Higashi-Hiroshima are a wonderful place to study. Having worked in Hanoi before living in the quiet Higashi-Hiroshima feels very wholesome. Hiroshima University has a beautiful park in the middle. Every day I cycle along the Kurose river. By night I walk to the well of the Saijo Sake breweries to get fresh tasty water. It is an hour to beautiful Onomichi or 40min to Hiroshima downtown with its gorgeous rivers and plenty of shopping opportunities. In spring and autumn I cycle with my bike over the mountains to Takehara. Hiroshima also has a good connection to Kansai, Shikoku and Kyushu. For nature lovers it is perfect to be here.

I have a 2LDK apartment for 55.000 Yen. I know people who rent for 20.000 Yen. I often go shopping at the farmers market with very good food prices. I cycle everywhere I want to go; just thinking of the vast size and complicated cityscape and public transport in Tokyo or Kansai stresses me out. Plus the associated cost to get around every day in the big metropolitan areas. Higashi-Hiroshima is just very cheap to live in.

Challenges of Living in Japan

Japanese buildings are not insulated, which is a problem in winter and summer, when electricity bills are getting expensive and living a little bit uncomfortable. There are a lot of old cheap plastic wall buildings, so finding a good apartment is not easy, especially because most agencies do not speak English and do not rent to foreigners. My support student has been incredibly helpful and I would not have made it without her! In Vietnam, where I lived before, apartments are furnished but can become pricey for foreigners. In Germany we have to furnish apartments also on our own and Japanese rent and furniture is much cheaper than in Germany, so in general I have a great experience. In Germany most people live in shared flats, which is not a thing in Japan. Living can therefore sometimes be a little bit lonely.

The university cafeteria in Japan is really unhealthy, not friendly to vegetarians, and a little bit pricey. I have a great kitchen but most student apartments are tiny so cooking and meal prepping in these tiny kitchens is very cumbersome. The street design in a lot of places in Japan is not made to accommodate cyclists, but the air is clean and it takes a little bit of time to find wonderful cycling routes. In Japan there is always a looming fear of natural disasters. Saijo is one of the safest places in Japan regarding earthquakes but flooding is a thing. Nothing has happened so far but we sometimes get warnings that we should stay home. As I am over 30 and Japan is my 5th country I lived in, I know how to adapt to different living conditions.

How I Enjoy My Time in Japan

Every Monday from 2-6pm I learn Sado (tea ceremony). On Tuesdays and Sunday evenings, I do Aikido. I love going to Onomichi, which is a short train ride away and cycling around Saijo with my E-Bike. A lot of friends and family visit me in Japan. I went with them to Uji, Osaka, Ise, Naoshima, Kan-Onji and Miyajima.