hello (again), Sakura country!

Assalamualaikum!

days passed away so fast and we already faced the third week on August. I had to leave. NASSYE program started at 19th August, which means I had to be there at least one day before. they didn't provide us any place to stay on 18th night, so I chose to made my 'room' inside a night bus that brought me all the way from Tokyo to Niigata Prefecture. 

I put my first step on Haneda Airport at August 18th, 9.00 AM in the morning. 

bismillah; hello again, Japan!

this NASSYE program stands for Nagaoka Summer School for Young Engineers. it was held by Nagaoka University of Technology. they invited around total of 20 bachelor and master degree students from all over the world to experience the laboratory works in this campus. I applied for Multidiciplinary Innovation Course, with Academic Advisor Assoc. Prof. Wataru Yamazaki. but this program was not only about laboratory works; they also provided us for some other activities such as group works with NUT students, Nagaoka sightseeing, company tours, and some Japanese cultural experience. I'll tell about this in the posts later on!

I began my day realized that my phone couldn't read a prepaid simcard I bought just after I landed. it means.. no internet :( 

last year, my days in Japan were highly depended on internet connection; especially for Google Maps and Google Translate application. I couldn't barely go anywhere but lost without Google Maps in my hand. and it always took lootttss of time to 'read' (well, actually, scanned) the ingredients for all the food I wanted to buy, in order to avoid having some 'niku's and 'sake's and 'mirin's went through my throat. thus, usually Google Translate played a big role in this part.

:(

I gave up trying to fix my phone on Limousine Bus, on my way to Shinjuku.

well, dont ever let this small trouble ruin all of your day. would you?

I had a plan to go exploring Odaiba and Miraikan on the very first day, with three of my friends, Mikro, Aiman and Amar. but Mikro were sick that day.. so then it was only three of us heading to Miraikan, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. it was a museum filled with information about technology, innovation, and science development in Japan. we witness that some of the Nobel prize laureates had already come here and left some signatures and messages. we watched ASIMO exhibition, the world's most advanced humanoid robot, and explored some interactive yet entertaining corners about latest technology development.

lucky us that since it was a summer holiday, Miraikan opened a special corner that exposed some of the university advanced robotic research from all over Japan. most of them also let us to try operate and experience the robot by ourselves. there was this very interesting corner where the concept was to let robotic technology simulate human motion and senses. they could transmit sound, touch-feeling, vibration, light, etc. for example, this one band in the tip of your finger, it could make you feel the sense of touching water ripple. or playing guitar. or having someone heart beats in there. this technology would do best on virtual reality simulation.

there was also a robot that let you operate the robot hand using your feet.

i wonder how could they make it so detail; there were plenty of joints in our hands and fingers, but they could even make the robot hand grab and lift things; by only sensing motion in our foot.

dunno. couldn't imagine. but it was so cool anyway.

we ended our Miraikan trip in the evening. it was raining hard in Tokyo. we waited a little bit, and headed to Ayam-Ya, restaurant offers Halal Ramen. got some serious conversation though; about going abroad and studies and research and etc. we went to the same High School but they succeeded first in pursuing their study aboard. hope I can follow their journey someday. good luck for your study, guys! 

I went back to Shinjuku station and met my other Indonesian friends from NASSYE program (say hello to Brian and Qisthi!). our night bus departed at 24.40. it turned out that my seat mate was another NASSYE participant too, Lim from Malaysia.

then our journey began.

wassalam!