It was my great opportunity to discuss my experience of the JSPS overseas fellowship program during the JSPS presentations at King's College London on the 20th of December 2006.

I expressed to the audience about my 24 months experience in Japan as a post-doc in the Laboratory of Prof. Ryuji Kohno at the Yokohama National University, Department of Electrical Engineering.

I started by briefly comparing two countries, Japan and UK. Then, I introduced a little bit of Japanese culture. Japanese culture is very unique from exotic festivals and foods? to traditional art and historical temples. Japan is filled with treasures of folk art from beautiful dishes and lacquer ware to delightful porcelain dolls.

There are perhaps strange things about life in Japan. For example did you know that McDonald's is so crowded that the staff use walkie-talkies to guide customers to free tables, or Young Japanese women don't know how to wear kimonos, so they take classes about it?

Most of the research in Japanese universities is done in Laboratories. Researchers in one group don't interact with people from other laboratories. They have their own funds and buy their own equipment. Each Sensei (Japanese academic) is personally responsible for every aspect of the running of their laboratory; from writing grant proposals to registration of the laboratory's waste. Students are usually 'obliged' to keep working deep into the night because they would feel guilty if they went home earlier than the Sensei.

My talk continued with my research experience at the Kohno Laboratory, my residence at the University Guest House, and the outcome of the two years study.

I would like to thank JSPS for the great opportunity they gave me for a two year research and life in Japan.

At JSPS Programme IntroductionEvent at King's College London on 20th November

• Presentation (Ghavami) (1.47mb)