Daniele Anzaldi
I am a graduate student in Materials Engineering, currently enrolled in the Master's course entitled "Design and Development of New Materials" at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy. I am now here in Fuji-city to attend an eight-month internship at the Analysis and Simulation Center of Asahi Kasei.
I have been doing research on organic semiconductors used for field effect transistors, studying and developing the filmmaking process, analyzing the semiconductor microstructure, and eventually estimating the carrier mobility by conductivity measurements of FET samples. I have had a very positive experience here, a nice and dynamic environment based on the principles of kindness and cooperation. I have been working on a new, extremely interesting and challenging research topic, having the chance to use advanced technologies daily and moreover to learn thoroughly about Japan and the Japanese society, which I find extremely interesting.
I would like to thank all the people from Asahi Kasei for their nice manners, smiles, kindness and all the efforts they always make to consider me part of the team and teach me some Japanese. Warm thanks to my Japanese friends, with whom I have enjoyed myself and from whom I have had valuable "life lectures" about the Japanese philosophy and way of thinking. I will never forget any of them. Finally, many thanks to Dr. Matsuno, who gave me the opportunity to take part in this project and kindly helped me any time I needed it.
Anja Austermann
Hello, I am from Paderborn University in Germany. My major is computer science. I started my internship at Asahi Kasei in January this year and I am working on the acoustic models for German speech recognition.
I enjoy being a part of this team, working together with people from many different countries and with many different fields of interest. You always find someone who can answer your questions, no matter if you are searching for the best algorithm to solve a certain task or for something to do on the weekend. There are many common activities and Tokyo and Yokohama are pretty close, so that things never get boring.
When I came here, I was very surprised that I was given so much freedom to try out my own ideas and approaches, and this is definitely one of the things I liked most about working here. It’s not like a typical internship, but a very interesting and sometimes really challenging combination of both work and research.
If you are interested in speech recognition and you want to experience life in Japan then this is definitely the place to be! :) For those who want to improve their Japanese skills, Atsugi also offers free Japanese classes, held by volunteer teachers several times a week, which I particularly enjoyed during my stay here. But even if you do not speak Japanese at all, you receive so much help and support from the company that you will certainly not run into any problems.
I am very thankful for all the support I got during the past six months and I am sure that this internship is an experience that I will never forget.
Emanuel Carnevale
Ciao a tutti!
I’m the Italian trainee, and I come from the University of Bologna, in Italy, Computer Science Engineering.
My work here involves the development of the Italian model for the VORERO voice recognition system. If you expect only a typical Japanese work environment, come here and you will discover how different it is! There are many trainees from different countries, making the experience really international and interesting, and the Japanese co-workers are also very kind and ready to help us at any time. Everyone here is trying his best to communicate with everyone else: that makes a good opportunity to improve our skills in English and in Japanese. The work is interesting and given the responsibility you will receive, you will have the ability to make decisions you think are the best for the improvement of your model.
But the life in Japan is not only about work! Here I had the opportunity to make some real good friends and to discover all the amazing things and places the Japan has to offer. Until now I build nice memories of my internship year and I’m looking forward to the next month to see what the Land of the Rising Sun still has to offer. Said that, I want to thank Asahi Kasei for giving me this nice opportunity: I’m sure I’ll never forget this experience.
Jason Danielson
I am from Michigan State University, located in the friendly, mitten-shaped state in the northern part of the United States. It is here, in this school deep within the center of the frozen tundra that I am majoring in Computer Science.
It's pretty hot in the summer here and it rains constantly, but there is a beautiful mountainous view and you can see forever from the twenty-second floor on which you will work.
I work with people from all over the world representing thirteen different countries and I am very grateful for this opportunity to learn not only about computer science and voice recognition technology but also about the rich culture of Japan and of many other places in the world.
The work is interesting and challenging to say the least and the technologies used here are very advanced and you are able to do very impressive things using them. You are given a lot of freedom to try to improve the existing models and programs and there is always someone who's been here longer than you that's willing to lend a helping hand and answer any questions of which you may think.
This internship is a one of a kind experience that I will treasure until the end of my days.
Christian Eisenacher
Hi everybody, I am the current German intern. When I am not busy in Japan, I study computer science at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. Two of the things I have great interest in are Pattern Recognition and Japanese Anime ^-^. So Asahi Kasei seemed to be the perfect opportunity to combine both interests with one Internship. But it is way more than "two birds with one stone"...
My original expectations were rather straightforward: Being in Japan, doing research with useful and interesting technology that won't disappear in some drawer, ... But those expectations were far exceeded. All Interns (currently there are about 15 foreign Interns jumping around) are embedded within a strong team and, as the only native speakers around, are responsible for the recognition performance of their language. That sounds like a huge task, but you get a lot of help and it is quite doable. There is also a very good set of introductory tutorials available ;-).
What puzzled me very much, is the efficiency and speed around here. Also nobody gets mad if you interrupt by asking a lot of questions. The answer is delivered almost instantly. That includes non work related questions like "is it safe to eat that?!" (btw. food in Japan is really good ^-^) or how do you say xyz in Japanese...
Most of all, you are anything but "alone in a strange foreign world": Most things of daily life are taken care of by the company (and "intern sitter", kamisama Takako). This starts right after the first (telephone) contact with the necessary paperwork for a visa, and doesn't end by doing the contracts for telephone, internet connection, etc. In general the atmosphere is more like a within a big family, as a lot of time after work is spent together. There is a welcome party for each newcomer, an annual company barbecue party...
You can be very busy in your free time as well. There is always someone to eat with, talk to, to do sports with, etc. Tokyo (especially Roppongi ^-^) is only about 400 yen away, occasionally there are "everybody tries to cook something from his home country" parties among the Interns, people tend to have birthdays (including birthday parties) once a year, ... If you like it more quiet and like to do sports (once a week there is basketball training) or like to gain/improve your Japanese skills (there are free Japanese language classes three times a week) you will like it here as well.
I enjoy being here very much. Thank you, everybody, for your support and the chance to experience Japan. So to sum it all up: Do yourself a favor and apply.
Guillaume Felix
 Bonjour à tous!
I am an ESCPE Lyon student (France) studying Electronics, Telecom & Computer Science. I think I will never thank Asahi Kasei enough for having given me the wonderful opportunity of this 12-month internship, where I am dealing with the French model for speech recognition.
The work is really varied and challenging for me, and the international team is really aware to help you when you need (not only at work). I really have no doubts about the benefits I will gain in terms of working skills and personal experience. This year will be a step in my life and I couldn't miss it. Besides the daily life is really nice and Japan offers you a lot of great places to be amazed every day.
I am really grateful and want to thank the people of the Vorero team for their welcome and their kindness. The only problem is that you wonder if you really want to come back your own country after this experience....;-)
Hector García
I came to Japan after graduating in Spain, and studied Japanese and took some courses about Japanese culture and business. Then I joined the VORERO project at Asahi Kasei, and I think this is the best way to learn about culture and how a Japanese company works. It’s really exciting to participate in creating things that will be commercial products in the future, and not just research! Another thing that I really like is that all the Japanese people are always willing to help you – your coworkers, your boss, the people on the street, and so on.
I can say without any doubt that this is the best year of my life. Thank you to everybody that helped to make this happen, and my best wishes for the next trainees.
See my blogs for more (in Spanish):
http://kirai.bitacoras.com/categoria/nihon/nihon-atsugi/
http://kirai.bitacoras.com/categoria/nihon-trabajo/
Ganbarimasu!
Johan Hult
I’m from Gothenburg, Sweden. During eight months in 2005 I’ve been working at Asahi Kasei as a trainee via the Vulcanus in Japan program. My field of study is biotechnology, which I’ve studied for three years at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg.
My research took place in the Central Research Laboratory in Fuji City. Here they have a pretty small, but interesting, Bioapplication Group, which conducts research in fields like stem cell development, membrane technology, diagnosis, etc. I was a part of the stem cell group and that suited me perfectly, because this subject has always fascinated me. I feel that I’ve gained a lot of useful real-life experience that you can’t get by only studying at university. Finally you are able to see how real research is done, and during my stay I had a lot of freedom to design and conduct the experiments I wanted. The people I’ve worked with are very open and I’ve always felt welcome during my stay. My supervisors here spoke perfect English, so for me the language hasn’t been much of a problem. It is good if you know some basic Japanese, because most people don’t have as good English as my supervisors. But even if you don’t know any Japanese you will get by just fine with simple English and gestures.
My year here in Japan has certainly been one of the best if not the best year of my life. Things are made differently and I like some things better than others, but all in all you’ll certainly grow as a person after experiencing Japan. For those who are part of the Vulcanus program this year in Japan is also a period of discovery about the countries in Europe through the other participants. I’ve learned almost as much about Italy, Spain, France, Poland, etc., as I have about Japan. To live here is a great experience so enjoy it as much as you can.
MyungHwan Ko
I am a computer science student from University of Waterloo, Canada. I am finishing up my second year at Asahi Kasei Corporation. I worked as an acoustic model developer during the first year, and now as a researcher in a group research fellow team. Spending two years in Japan was not an easy choice. However, it turned out to be one of the best decisions that I've ever made. Not only that I was exposed to the state-of-the-art technology, but every single day has been filled with new experience. I am working with engineers from all around the world, each of them specialized in his/her research field. We are truly a diversified team, but could not be more harmonized when working together.
Life in Japan was always adventurous with excitement. Sometimes it is hard to realize that I have only one month left to leave here. I came to Asahi Kasei as a naive student, and now leaving as a totally different person. For the two years I have been learning in every possible way. I cannot thank enough the Japanese and international friends who made this possible.
I am leaving with a lot of memories; beautiful scenes of Yokohama, crazy nights in Shibuya, a deadly trip to Mt. Fuji, the peaceful sea of Okinawa and the nicest people I met in Japan. Thank you for everything.
Hanjoong Lee
I'm from the University of Waterloo, Canada where I was studying Computer Engineering before coming to Japan about two months ago. I'm working on the Korean acoustic model for Vorero.
Having been here only two months, I'm still getting used to the life in a foreign country, but I have seen so many interesting things that I've never seen before. I'll be here for 10 more months and as I get more comfortable, I hope I can gain more life experience and learn more about the culture.
The work itself is quite interesting especially if you are interested in the automatic speech recognition field. You will be working with people from all over the world representing their own languages, so you will be exposed to many other cultures as well.
Overall, I think this is a unique opportunity to gain great work experience while living in a foreign country, being overwhelmed and just enjoying it. I hope to have a great time for the rest of my stay here, and that some of you will do the same as well.
Joanne Li
 Hello! I am an MBA student from Auburn University, USA and I am working on the Cantonese Acoustic Model for speech recognition. I have been with Asahi Kasei since July 2005 and I have been enjoying every day here.
I am really happy to be part of the VORERO team not only because I am able to gain the work experience, but also to meet people from all around the world and collaborate as a team. Everyone in the company is really nice and willing to help the intern in any way. All interns are assigned to real tasks and responsibility, and given great deal of freedom to explore different ideas on their work and make important decisions. I have gained so much knowledge about voice recognition since I got here, I can say I come into the office expecting to learn something new everyday. However, it is not only about work here. We also try to have the true Japanese experience by doing different things.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone in Asahi Kasei for having been so kind and supportive to me. Also, I want to say thank you to all the interns for being so great! My life in Japan would certainly not be the same if it were not for them. Thank you so much for everything. This year is going to be something that I will remember for the rest of my life, and coming here is one of the best decisions I have ever made. You should really come and experience this for yourself!
Stefan Mertens
Hi, I'm currently doing an internship at Asahi Kasei. I'm working in the field of Driver's Fatigue Recognition, which means face detection and facial interpretation. From my point of view it is worth to mention that in our group one is allowed to do real research guided by excellent colleagues. In contrast to other internships, Asahi Kasei embeds the applicants totally in their working environment and they are really expected to learn much.
Aside from work it is also a unique opportunity to experience real Japanese life from the perspective of an average Japanese employee. Even students of Japanology just do their practice in university environment surrounded by non-Japanese people, doing the average tourist program. At Asahi Kasei you can expect to get a deeper insight into everyday Japanese life. There is also the possibility of having conversation with a wide spectrum of natives.
I am very grateful to Asahi Kasei for offering me this opportunity.
JinSeok Nam
Hello! I am a Korean Canadian who lives in Vancouver, Canada. However, I am studying at the Univ. of Waterloo, Canada. I joined Asahi Kasei this June.
I am responsible for a project called, TTS (text to speech) for Korean language. This internship will give you exposure to voice recognition and text synthesis.
Why would you want to join this group? First, this is not an ordinary internship program. You will be treated like a real employee. They expect a lot, so you will not feel like a student. Second, we love to have fun. A lot of exciting events are happening inside and outside of the company. Third, you won’t be the only student working here. There are many students from all around the world, who will help you as much as possible. Fourth, you will have a chance to travel around Tokyo and other places. Lastly, you will love the food in Japan.
I want to thank everyone in Asahi Kasei for giving me so much support and encouragement. I will never forget this internship!
Jin Kyu Park
Hi. I am a South Korean student who studies at University of Sheffield in UK. My degree title is Software Engineering. I have joined the Korean TTS (Text-To-Speech) team at the end of September 2005. Before I started work here I had general interests regarding speech technology areas including Automatic Voice Recognition and TTS through studies at the university.
I also have a great research interest related to Spoken Dialogue Systems so it was a fantastic opportunity to work in the TTS team at Asahi Kasei. The working environment is great here and all the colleagues are willing to help each other so it is very fun to work. However, what I have studied at the school and what we are developing was very different so I am learning quite a lot everyday.
Many training materials are written in English so it will not be a problem to study and learn within the company. Indeed a lot of interns in the same office are from different countries so that makes a very unique place to work together.
Atsugi city is a lot bigger than I thought (it seems a lot busier and more crowded than Sheffield although the population in Atsugi is less) and is very close, takes about 50 mins by tube, to Yokohama and Tokyo so it is easy to travel around to bigger cities on weekends to have a short trip, shopping, night out and much more.
I would definitely like to recommend this internship to anyone who has interests in speech technology as well as wants to experience different cultures in Japan. Many interns who came here have just basic knowledge about Japanese language skill including myself so do not be so afraid too much of language ability. There are many chances, e.g. free Japanese classes, to learn Japanese step by step after arriving in Japan.
Thank you very much to the people at Asahi Kasei to give me this opportunity working on the Korean TTS project. I am really enjoy working and living here in Japan at the moment. This internship will definitely be a valuable experience for my future career as well as further research studies at the university. Domo arigato gozaimashita.
Aaron Stevenson
Hi, I'm a student of Computer Science at the Robert Gordon University in Scotland (The UK). I work on the UK English part of the VORERO project. I've found my time so far at Asahi Kasei and in Japan to be some of the best I've had of my life. The work here is really interesting and the people are very nice, so nice in fact that I wonder why people in the UK can't be as nice. You'll be part of a truly international team so you won't just be picking up Japanese culture, but many others as well!
Japan as a country is simply fascinating, I've came across things that at first puzzled me as I'd never seen them before, but they make so much sense. During my time here I have visited many places that Japan is famous for, Mount Fuji, Akihabara and I've been to many festivals that offer so many experiences. Out of the many countries I've been to I can safely say that Japan has been my favorite.
I would definitely recommend the work here if you are interested in learning and seeing new things.
NingNing Tao
Hi, I'm from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in China. My major is Communication and Information Systems and I'm going to graduate in April 2006 as a Master. Now I am working on the acoustic models for Chinese Speech recognition at Asahi Kasei.
It's amazing to experience the research process and the international teamwork here. Asahi Kasei provides us the best research environment and full technical support, which allow a fast-learning student to develop the ability to embark on research work independently in a short period even if he or she is not majoring in this field. In addition to the knowledge and professional skills obtained from research work, I also gain a thorough insight into the whole amazing voice recognition world. Here I would like to thank all the voice recognition specialists and other intern students who have helped me a lot during the internship.
My interests in Japanese culture and spirit may stem largely from my passion for Comic and Animation (C&A) since my childhood, and many classic Japanese C&A stories from which I learnt a lot are actually a kind of artwork. When I took this internship, I hoped it could be a good chance to not only learn more about the daily life, but also gain a vision into its culture. And now it's finally proved to be a correct choice.
So, if you're also interested in Voice Recognition or Japanese culture as I am, don't be hesitating! Come and grasp this valuable opportunity with your will if you're confident that you're ready for a new trial to realize the value of your very existence before you step out of the campus. Of course one important thing is that you should be one who is capable of taking care of your responsibilities. I believe that you will always gain more than you lose if you chose to be curious and creative.
Marco Visentini Scarzanella
Hi, I am the Italian trainee, and I just completed my third year of university at Imperial College London, reading Information Systems Engineering. I joined the VORERO team here at Asahi Kasei just over a month ago, and so far everything has been terrific. If you enjoy open-ended research projects, an extremely friendly atmosphere and an insight into the Japanese culture, this is the place to be!
Work is challenging, but hugely gratifying and a tremendous learning opportunity... with the sight of Mount Fuji from the window as a nice cherry on top. And if this is not enough, I can assure you Japan will keep you amazed.
To all of you, in bocca al lupo! |
