Contact
Mr. Goswami Shreenav
- From
- Delhi
- Degree
- 1st year Professional Degree student, Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University
Message
Please give a short introduction of yourself.
Hometown: Delhi, India
Schooling: 1-10 grade, at Delhi; 11&12 grade, at Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
UG: B.E. (ECE), SSN College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai
Work Experience: Three years as Social Media Analyst at Chennai
Hobbies: Watching TV series, movies and You Tube. Literature.
Schooling: 1-10 grade, at Delhi; 11&12 grade, at Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
UG: B.E. (ECE), SSN College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai
Work Experience: Three years as Social Media Analyst at Chennai
Hobbies: Watching TV series, movies and You Tube. Literature.
What is your favorite thing about Kyoto?
Kyoto has an aura of rich Japanese culture, and the city is just beautiful – encircling mountains, delightful zen gardens, ancient temples and shrines, mixture of historic and modern architecture, mesmerizing river trail, winter’s snow – spring’s cherry blossom – autumn’s maple, the list goes on. My favorite – Kamogawa trail!
In what way has your impression of Kyoto or Japan changed since coming here?
Kyoto was more modern than I had imagined – I expected it to be an old fashioned city. I was disappointed to not find even a single samurai strolling in Kyoto’s narrow streets, could not find any jin-rikishas rushing around clumsy muddy streets, not every woman put on a kimono, no one wore chonmage or shimada anymore, less people were holding sensu or wagasa, streets and shops were not bustling in that old fashion way. How I wish I could time travel and experience that old Kyoto. Nonetheless, I cherish living in Kyoto – because answer above.
What attracted you to choose Kyoto University as a place to study?
Best was the option to study MBA in English. Other reasons – rather affordable tuition fees, less complicated entrance procedure, wonderful pre-admission support by the university, and of course, the curriculum.
In what way did you adjust yourself to Japanese culture?
I had spent two years in Japan as a high school student, so I had little to adjust this time.
However, when I came to Japan during high-school, I adjusted by – changing to be a non-vegetarian, leaning to use local transportation (the underground railway system here is plain and simple; not), learning Japanese language as much as I could, learning to think about others first (part of Japanese culture), to join Japanese tea ceremony club and grasp the roots of Japanese culture, and so on. It’s imperative to know that while Indian and Japanese cultures have a lot in common, there are many differences as well.
Please give a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan?
Generally -
- Peaceful, safe country
- Convenient, standardized life
- Opportunity to learn Japanese language
- Less vegetarian food available (unless you cook yourself)
- Check for expenses before coming – tuition, food, accommodation, transportation etc. Lots of part time jobs are available, but stability depends
- For reference: in Kyoto they pay ¥1,500-3,000 per hour to English teachers. Part time jobs at restaurants/hotels/convenience stores could earn you ¥800+ per hour. Monthly accommodation ranges ¥35,000-70,000. Eating once at a restaurant could cost ¥500-1,000
- MUST check for scholarships in advance. Monbukagakusho, JASSO, JICA are a few popular ones. For the rest – enquire the university you are applying to.
- Peaceful, safe country
- Convenient, standardized life
- Opportunity to learn Japanese language
- Less vegetarian food available (unless you cook yourself)
- Check for expenses before coming – tuition, food, accommodation, transportation etc. Lots of part time jobs are available, but stability depends
- For reference: in Kyoto they pay ¥1,500-3,000 per hour to English teachers. Part time jobs at restaurants/hotels/convenience stores could earn you ¥800+ per hour. Monthly accommodation ranges ¥35,000-70,000. Eating once at a restaurant could cost ¥500-1,000
- MUST check for scholarships in advance. Monbukagakusho, JASSO, JICA are a few popular ones. For the rest – enquire the university you are applying to.