Interviews with UTokyo students from all over the world
Walter Tiako Juimo
Second-year Master's degree student, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies
From Cameroon, and has lived in Japan for nine years. He is a bright young man who is a huge soccer fan. He cheerily recollected how he had to sit in the seiza position for long periods of time as a member of Japanese tea ceremony clubs during his technical college and undergraduate years. He loves Japanese curry, and he's (maybe?) thinking about trying to make crocodile meat curry…!
Q. Why did you come to Japan?
From a young age, I saw that my father was interested in engineering, and I decided that I wanted to become an engineer myself. Being a fan of Japanese electronics, my father encouraged me to study in Japan. I received a scholarship and studied in a technical college and a university in Japan, after which I came to UTokyo. I chose UTokyo because I found a professor here doing amazing work in a research field that I was passionate about.
Q. What are you currently studying?
I'm researching how to measure electricity consumption in appliances more accurately, practically and cost-effectively using an open API in a "smart building." For example, making it possible to see the temperature of a refrigerator from anywhere can lead to more effective energy-saving. After I graduate, I will start working at a Japanese company and gain a wide range of technological experience and expertise, which I want to put to use in solving various issues faced by African countries.
Q. What have you found the most difficult in Japan/UTokyo?
The job-hunting period was changed for just this year, so writing my Master's thesis and looking for a job at the same time was difficult. As for UTokyo, I think that the University has many good systems and services for students to use, but I think that information about these great resources isn't communicated well enough to international students.
Q. What do you like about Japan/UTokyo?
I like how people can study subjects in a wide range of disciplines. It's great that famous people who are in the forefront of their fields come to speak in our classes and that I'm given the opportunity here to interact with outstanding people. UTokyo's alumni network is also appealing to me.
Q. Please tell us something about Cameroon!
People in Cameroon practice polygamy, but one wife is enough for me! (laughs) We have three types of wedding ceremonies, and in the type carried out by my local tribe, you have to pick out your bride-to-be from a line of women whose faces are covered in veils! By the way, the picture is of me and my younger brother at a namahage festival in Akita Prefecture.
* The content of this page was translated from the Ryuugakusei-san Irasshai! article printed in Gakunai Kouhou No. 1480. (Japanese language only)
* The content of this page was translated from the Ryuugakusei-san Irasshai! article printed in Gakunai Kouhou No. 1480. (Japanese language only)
