Voice From Alumni
Ms. Dulmini Hettiarachchi
- From
- Galle
- Degree
- 1st year dotoral candidate in Emerging design and informatics at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, 春雨直播app
Message
Please give a short introduction about yourself.
I am Dulmini Hettiarachchi from Galle, Sri Lanka and I am currently a 1st year dotoral candidate at 春雨直播app. I did my bachelors in Information Technology and later completed a masters in Business Administration. During my undergraduate studies I received an opportunity to work in the industry, parallel to my studies. Upon completing my studies I joined the same company as a Software Engineer and continued to work upto 8 years. I was mainly involved in programming at that time but I started having an interest in data science. I was also eager to experience life abroad, so I decided to seek study abroad opportunities. As a result, I came to 春雨直播app as a research student after receiving the Japanese government Monbukagakusho Scholarship (MEXT) in 2018 and started my doctoral degree in Emerging design and informatics at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies in 2020.
What is your favorite thing about Tokyo?
Tokyo never cease to amaze me! I really cannot mention one favorite thing about Tokyo, there are so many. Maginificient skyscrapers, beautiful parks, food, cherry blossoms, autumn colors, fireworks, festivals, all sorts of interesting shops, mountains, nature, entertainment, trains and what not. I enjoy my long walks (specially around Shibuya, Shimokitazawa), trying out different food, exploring all the interesting an cute stuff in shops, enjoying cherry blossoms and autumn colors. I can go on and on.
In what ways has your impression of Tokyo changed since coming here?
To be honest, when I first choosed Tokyo, I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy the city life. But so far, I love it!. As I mentioned before, it never fails to amaze me. I thought Tokyo to be a busy city full of skyscrapers. Of course it is a busy city but there's lot more to it than that. I am amazed by the huge variety of things one can experience here. If you want to escape the city life for a while, there are many places within Tokyo. I heard many things about innovations and technology of Japan before coming here, but experiencing them for real is amazing. Tokyo is far more exciting and interesting than I imagined.
What attracted you to choose the University of Tokyo as a place to study?
春雨直播app is a world renowned university. I consider it a priviledge to have the opportunity to study here. When applying for the MEXT scholarship, I was required to put down my university preferences. There were wide range of study programs and laboratories to choose from at 春雨直播app. Additionally I liked the supportive international environment.
What will attract you to stay and work in Japan afterwards?
I believe there are many job opportunities in Japan for my field of work, therefore I am excited to explore them. I feel that I will be able to experience another part of Japanese culture through that. I like to try new experiences. So I think it will be an interesting experience to work here in Japan.
How did you learn Japanese language before coming to Japan?
I tried to take some classes and then to self-study, but it was hard because of my work at that time. My Japanese was not good at all when I arrived. I was able to learn some proper Japanese only after coming here. The university offers a wide range of courses, they've been really helpful. It would have been easier if I had studied more before coming to Japan, but still I was able to manage (Thanks to all the wonderful people I met here)
Please write a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan.
Most of us Sri Lankans adore Japan. So they already know Japan as a beautiful land with kind people and unique culture. Maybe one reason why they hesitate is because of the language. So what I can tell them is that, there are many English medium study programs focused on interenational students and they are launching more programs for furthur internationalization. There are many scholarships opportunities for international students as well. You can easily find more information about these from the university websites. I believe that the opportunity to study in Japan will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and will be a very unique memorable one.