My name is Ema, and I’m from Vilnius, Lithuania. I’m a master’s student here at Kyushu University, having completed my undergraduate degree back home.

What attracted you to Kyushu University?

One of the things that influenced my decision was the climate. Since I wanted to live somewhere warmer, southern Japan seemed like an ideal choice. Kyushu University is one of the best in the country, and I found a laboratory whose research interests aligned with mine, so I was very glad about my decision to study here.

What’s the most interesting part about your program?

One of the most interesting and challenging aspects of my program was having lectures in Japanese. While most lectures were in English as well, I had a few that weren’t, so self-study was important. Besides that, I was surprised by how much free time I had to carry out my work in the laboratory and other activities.

How’s student life at Kyushu University?

In my time here, I’ve only been in the Ito campus of Kyushu University. The Ito campus has a lot of facilities that are available to the students, such as a library, sports centre, various sports fields and many more. There are also a lot of student clubs that you can join, so there are many activities for students on the campus.

What do you like about Fukuoka?

As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to live somewhere warm, so of course I enjoy the weather here in Fukuoka. Since coming to Japan, I’ve started hiking, and Fukuoka and the surrounding areas are full of all kinds of mountains and hiking trails. There are also a lot of shopping and entertainment centres in the city, so finding fun things to do is not a problem.

Any advice to prospective international students?

I would say it’s important to have at least some basic understanding of the Japanese language, so I would definitely recommend starting to study it before coming to Japan. Besides that, make sure to make the most of your time here in Japan and experience its culture.