Sustainable Energy in Japan
My time in Japan was a blast. We met lots of cool people, saw lots of cool things, and ate lots of good food. Being a Mechanical Engineering student, this program was very attritive to me because you have the opportunity for 5 M.E. elective credits and you don’t have to take a quarter off because of it occurring during pre-fall. The topics covered are also incredibly interesting, you learn about Japan’s unique energy situation (being 95% dependent on foreign energy sources). You also get to learn about alternative forms of energy such as wind, solar, hydro, and hydrogen. While in Matsuyama we got to work with Japanese graduate students in their labs which was a total blast! We would never be able to work on the start of stuff we did over here. The labs had a wide variety of topics that were all focused on sustainability.
Going into this trip I didn’t really know my classmates too well but after going on this trip we all grew really close. Had I not gone on this trip I probably would not be enjoying my Senior year as much as I am today. We would go out and explore Matsuyama after classes and try out different restaurants every night. There was a ton of free time after classes to do whatever you wanted which was a total blast so the group of us would just do whatever we wanted. The school-sanctioned events were also really cool too, we met a ton of really cool Japanese students, saw a ton of cool places, and ate some really good food. We say Matsuyama castle, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, nuclear power plant training facility, and other tons of cool things. Most of us went to a homestay also which I thought was a really cool experience. My host family was very friendly and would take me out to go fishing (we ate the fish we caught too) and make homemade Japanese food!
Somethings I would recommend before going on the trip is to learn some Japanese beforehand. I wish I could at least read Katakana and speak a little bit more functional Japanese such as: how much? Left and right, where? Your socks are untied, and any other useful phrases. A little goes a long way! Also make sure you leave early if they give you a buffer between classes at Bothell and Japan. Some of us left right after classes at Bothell to Japan and explored other places in Japan. Me and my friend Josh had a layover in Taiwan and got a free tour, and then we went to Tokyo for a few days before Matsuyama. Some people even stayed after the trip which I definitely wish I did.
Overall this trip a TON of fun, worth every penny, and I wish we had more time there. I made some great friends at Bothell and in Matsuyama. I definitely will want to make a trip back sometime in the near future.
Conrad Ciszek, Early 2019
