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Mr. Mohd Jawed
- From
- Uttar Pradesh
- Degree
- Master's study at the Graduate School of Public Policy MPP/IP, the University of Tokyo An Executive Engineer in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Message
Please give a short introduction about yourself.
I am Mohd Jawed and I come from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. I completed my Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Aligarh Muslim University, India in 2009 and a Post Graduate Diploma from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 2010. I had been working as an Executive Engineer in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, before proceeding on study leave in 2015 to pursue Master's Program in Public Policy at the University of Tokyo.
What is your favorite thing about Tokyo?
It's a great experience to live and witness the life in Tokyo. I find the weather to be very comfortable here for the most part of the year. The clean air and environment, safe and congestion free roads and sidewalks, comfortable and well connected intra city transportation system, beautiful scenery of Odaiba Beach are among my favorite things about Tokyo.
In what way has your impression of Tokyo or Japan changed since coming here?
While moving to Japan, I had a few reservations about some aspects of one's social life such as food and language barriers. These concerns, seemingly insurmountable to me initially, proved to be unfounded as I came to Japan. In the academic life in the university with a large proportion of international students from diverse nationalities, English is the most popular and prevalent language for communication among students and faculties. Although English is not very popular in daily life outside the university, I believe that in this era of technology, language is no bar for communicating with the people. The tutor support system in the university makes it a hassle free experience for international students to complete outside formalities such as opening of bank accounts, registration in the ward office, subscription for compulsory health insurance scheme etc.
What attracted you to choose The University of Tokyo as a place to study?
Since centuries, India and Japan have shared cultural exchanges. In current period, there is a strong economic cooperation between India and Japan with scores of Japanese corporations investing and manufacturing in India. This economic cooperation is also affirmed by the fact that India is the largest recipient of Japanese official development assistance (ODA).
The University of Tokyo is often ranked at number one in Asia and among the top universities in the world by most of the renowned global education ranking surveys. A significant number of Nobel laureates from this university is an attestation to the quality of education and research provided in the University of Tokyo. The recent award of Nobel Prize in Physics to Professor Takaaki Kajita in 2015, is just another jewel in the crown.
At the same time, being from a developing country where our per capita income isn't that high, the expenses for education and living for studying in a foreign university was a concern for me. The generous scholarships provided by the university and the government of Japan made the access to the world class quality education significantly affordable to me. All these factors resulted into my decision to study in the University of Tokyo.
The University of Tokyo is often ranked at number one in Asia and among the top universities in the world by most of the renowned global education ranking surveys. A significant number of Nobel laureates from this university is an attestation to the quality of education and research provided in the University of Tokyo. The recent award of Nobel Prize in Physics to Professor Takaaki Kajita in 2015, is just another jewel in the crown.
At the same time, being from a developing country where our per capita income isn't that high, the expenses for education and living for studying in a foreign university was a concern for me. The generous scholarships provided by the university and the government of Japan made the access to the world class quality education significantly affordable to me. All these factors resulted into my decision to study in the University of Tokyo.
In what way did you adjust yourself to Japanese culture?
A beautiful blend of modernity with a rich and distinct culture can be seen in the Japanese society. The healthy Japanese diet is often believed to be related to the longevity of Japanese people. Dishes such as sushi, tempura and ramen have become my favorite food. At the same time, there are plenty of Indian and South Asian restaurants almost everywhere in Tokyo which I visit quite often to have the spicy Indian food as well. The U-Tokyo International Centre keeps us informing about various cultural events and I have attended the Kabuki and Bunraku events, which are excellent demonstration of traditional Japanese performing arts. Although it is not at all a requirement, I have started learning Japanese language along with the Katakana and Hiragana writing systems for my own interest and for my quest to understand and learn more about Japanese culture. Politeness, humility and hardworking attitude is also one of the most distinctive features of the Japanese culture which we all should admire and adopt.
Please give a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan?
Having spent a semester here, I consider myself fortunate to be a student at this renowned institution. As a part of the academic curriculum of MPP/IP, the balanced study of a wide array of courses from a diverse range of pure and applied disciplines such as economics, finance, public management, law, science and environment, equips the students with an effective intellectual toolkit to deal with interdisciplinary nature of challenges at the time of policy making. The University of Tokyo boasts of a rich diversity of students with a variety of linguistic, educational, professional and socio-cultural background hailing from a multitude of geographical and cultural regions of the world. The interaction with such confreres makes it a completely global experience and widens one's outlook besides providing an unmatched platform to learn a multiplicity of customs and traditions prevailing around the world. The insightful learning provided by distinguished academicians is beautifully complemented by professionals having rich experience in government, private sector and international organizations. Studying in Japan would definitely be a memorable period in one's life.