Affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering
Essay Title: Four Years of Hiroshima Life!

Konnichiwa!! My name is Rizwan Tariq, and I am a graduate student of electrical engineering in Hiroshima University.  Four years ago, I came to Japan as a research student only, but then I enjoyed living and studying here which made me continue my graduate studies further in Hiroshima University. Not knowing anything about Japan and its’ culture, I was quite excited, but at the same time very nervous before coming to study here. I couldn’t speak a single word of Japanese language until I took the six-month Japanese language intensive course offered by the university. The intensive course helped me a lot to communicate with Japanese people and also eased many language challenges that I faced in my daily life here in Japan.

I feel lucky to be studying in one of the top universities of Japan for researchers. My own research laboratory is collaborating with many major companies in Japan which has provided me many opportunities to work on cutting-edge technology used in industry. I, myself had the chance to do internship in one of the leading electronic manufacturers of Japan. It was a wonderful experience to work among professionals and learn from them. Surprisingly, many major companies in Japan are now adopting English as their official language which makes it easier for those who are not very fluent in it.

One of the best things about studying abroad is meeting new people from different parts of the world.  Hiroshima University has a large number of international students from all over the world. We often get a chance to attend many international exchange events organized by the university like bus tours and other seasonal outdoor cultural exchange activities.

Traveling for me is the best part of living in Japan. Whenever I have some holidays, I use the free time to travel around and plan some short trips in Japan. One of the best moments of my trips was when I climbed Mt. Fuji with friends. Watching the sunrise from the top of the highest mountain peak in Japan was a wonderful experience. Just recently, I went to the countryside of Hiroshima for a homestay visit, where we stayed with a Japanese family for few days. It was an amazing experience to see the lifestyle of local people living there and how they spend their daily lives mostly keeping themselves busy throughout the day.

I highly recommend anyone planning to study abroad to come and study in Hiroshima University. The town of Saijo, where the main campus of Hiroshima University is located, is a very peaceful place and suited for students.

Picture 1: Dinner on the final day of internship with office colleagues

Picture 2: Climbing Up Mt. Fuji

Picture 3: Homestay with local people of Kita-Hiroshima

Posted in October of 2016