With the DAAD PROMOS scholarship to Japan
April to September 2019

Study program: Pharmaceutical BiotechnologyHost university: Toyama Prefectural University
Department: Department of Biotechnology - Biotechnology Research Center and Division of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering
Laboratory: Laboratory of Plant and Cell Engineering

From March 29 to October 16, 2019, I lived in Japan to get to know the country, the people and to gain practical experience. The contact came about through the mediation of my professor. A lot had to be arranged in advance regarding the student visa and my accommodation and employment for the 6 months. Despite the fact that the partnership did not yet exist, communication between the universities ran smoothly and the day of departure drew ever closer. After 20.5 hours on the plane and at airports, I finally arrived in Toyama. My local supervisor and a student picked me up from the airport. After taking my luggage to the hotel (my accommodation for the first 3 nights), I went straight to Toyama Prefectural University in Imizu, Toyama. I met the students from my lab, which turned out to be a rather stiff and chaotic welcome. For the next three days, I had time to explore the area around my hotel and find out what the shopping facilities were like. On April 1, I moved into a small one-room apartment 5 minutes from the university and started working in the lab at the same time. As the professor who supervised me on site only had limited time, I was instructed by one of the Master's students.

Communicating in English with the Japanese students was problematic at the beginning, but this improved over time. I had taken a preliminary course in Japanese beforehand, which didn't really help me. Instead, the students taught me new words from time to time and in return I taught them English. During the first few weekends, I explored the area around my apartment and made myself at home, borrowing some equipment from the lab manager. I also did a lot with the students. We went to the mountains, to the seaside, to festivals, went out to eat together, shopping or to the movies. Once, the head of the lab gave us time off to go to the Murodo Plateau and a 16-metre-high snow wall. On another day, we went to Kurobe and to Kanazawa by the sea.

Cherry blossom (Sakura) in Toyama

My regular working hours were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although it was not uncommon for me to spend 12 or 13 hours in the lab. The laboratory had sufficient space and was technically well equipped. The larger equipment was shared with the other departments. The library and canteen were also pleasantly spacious. At lunchtime there were always a few students with whom I could eat in the canteen. There were 10 students working in my office. It was still very quiet. The topic I was working on in the lab was about biochemistry in the secondary metabolism of plants. I had to learn how to cultivate bamboo cells and optimize the cultivation conditions. Furthermore, the bamboo cells were examined and certain substances were purified in order to then determine the structure of these substances.

There were also many new experiences for me outside the university, for example the money for the rent was not transferred but taken to the bank. In general, people still pay a lot in cash in Japan. There were many different shopping opportunities in my area, including some supermarkets where you could shop from Mon-Sun from 7am to 2pm. I had no problems with the food, on the contrary, it was so delicious. I wanted to try everything and so the students made it their job to always present me with something new in culinary terms and wait for my reaction. I discovered matcha ice cream (matcha = green tea) during my time in Japan.

Kurobe

If you are ever in Japan, you should visit a festival if possible. I was lucky enough to be able to visit many festivals and by that I don't mean music festivals like we have here, I mean city and street festivals. These festivals show people from a completely different, exuberant side, which you might experience during a meal together, but otherwise not during normal everyday life. These festivities take place on different occasions and at different times of the year. Many people wear traditional clothing and the shrines and temples are often decorated with many lanterns.

Unfortunately, the time passed far too quickly and I left the lab again on September 27. There was a small farewell party at which many tears were shed. As I had planned to travel around Japan for a while from the start, my route took me via Kyoto and Nara to Tokyo, where my plane took off for Germany on October 16, 2019.

Floats at the Shinminato Hikiyama Festival

Takaoka Mikuruma Festival

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Conclusion

I can only recommend a trip to Japan, as you quickly feel at home there if you get involved with the slightly different culture. Of course, a visit to cities like Tokyo, Nara and Kyoto is a must. However, I would also like to recommend Toyama, Kanazawa and the surrounding area to everyone. Kanazawa is a beautiful landscape by the sea. Toyama has the sea to the north and the Japanese Alps to the south, which is worth a trip in itself. There is also a small shrine or temple to discover on every corner. The people in Japan are extremely polite, helpful and relaxed. The good service and cleanliness should also be emphasized.

Cherry blossom trees