First two weeks in Tokyo (II)

Monday 16.9. is a National holiday in Japan, I think it's called "Respect to the Elders Day".

Tuesday morning, all YSEP students of the Dormitory went to the municipal office for official stuff you need to do when you move to somewhere. The office is really nice, however, not knowing any Japanese, this was an interesting experience. Most people in Japan understand written English, but speaking is pretty difficult for them, it seems. After 2 hours, we were done and left for Tokyo Tech, Ookayama campus. There was an introduction event and we got Japanese books for the crash course we would be having the days after this.
It was the first time we met the YSEP students from the other dorm who had arrived early in Japan, the group is very sympathetic and heterogeneous. And there is a surprisingly high amount of chemical engineers who are participating in this program! :D

The next days, we had the Japanese crash course in the morning. To be fair, I had seriously miscalculated the time it would be taking from the dorm to the classroom at 9 in the morning. The first lesson, Capar and I were slightly late for the class, which isn't the best way to start a new semester, but well... After two times 90 minutes of intensive Japanese (from the second day onwards, the course was held only in Japanese, except for a few questions), my brain was feeling a little fuzzy and we deserved a nice lunch. I have to say, the Cafeteria really serves a nice choice of traditional dishes, and the miso Ramen really is nice!
On Wednesday afternoon, I met the professor who heads the research group I'm in. We had a brief but very interesting discussion on my work for the next  few months. I think I chose this field of research very well, as the group is one of the top addresses for photocatalytic reactions. I will try to keep you updated on my work without being to technical, but for those who are interested: http://www.chemistry.titech.ac.jp/english/professor/pro_02.html

The next days, I was introduced to most people in the lab and shown around. The lab is really nicely equipped, but as with normal trash, the waste management is quite complex. In Japan, you must separate burnable, non-burnable and recyclable trash, as well as bottles (glass and plastic) and cans. Also, there is no such thing as green trash (old banana peels and so on)... We actually got a 2 page long paper depicting which trash has to be thrown into which waste bin... oh well. After arriving at home, we now had bought enough other things than cup noodles to cook a proper meal (rice with meat and vegetables). Was a really nice end to a tiring day.