From Taiwan
- Name
LIANG Wan-yun - Country/ Region of Citizenship
Taiwan - Graduated from
National Cheng Kung University (国立成功大学) - Department
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering （Master’s）
Ting Hsin International Group, Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. Scholarship Honor
How did you find out about Waseda University?
I attended Waseda’s seminar especially for recruiting new students at my university last year and got some information on the program. I also checked the homepage.
One of my friends at National Taiwan University participated in the exchange program with Waseda, so I was able to ask him some general questions about Waseda.
Actually, in Taiwan, everybody knows the name, Waseda University, because the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, who is very famous in Taiwan graduated from Waseda.
How did you decide on Waseda University?
I did not have a thorough research of all the graduate schools because pursuing master’s was just one of the options I had. Originally, I was more likely to enter a career, but when I found out that Waseda provided the scholarship, I thought it was a very wonderful chance.One of my teachers at my university told me Japanese universities are more willing to give resources to foreign students compare to America and Europe because they already have a lot of brilliant people.
Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?
I was not that concerned, but I became worried after I arrived here.
For example, I found out that they start doing the research on the jobs a year or a year and a half before graduation so that they will have a clear idea of what kind of companies they want to work for. I thought I had to get used to that and start planning ahead for myself earlier. But for now, I just relax.
Did you have any difficulties when you started a new life here?
I think the difficulties I had were just the common symptoms that people have when they leave their hometowns.
They are eager to have new friends or try to figure out what is happening around them.
Trying to have conversations with the Japanese students in my dormitory was difficult especially because of the language problems and the lack of common topics. There is no awkwardness with my lab friends since we always have some practical matters to talk about, but it was not like that with the people in the dormitory.
What do you do for fun in your spare time?
I am interested in going to check out art exhibitions or movies. I sometimes go see them held at Waseda.I also sometimes go sightseeing in and around Tokyo with peoples from my Japanese class. I take Japanese lessons at the local community centers, and they have some sightseeing outing events from time to time.I enjoy “Ohagi” (a rice cake covered with sweet red bean paste) very much. We have rice cake with red bean paste inside in Taiwan but not the inside out version like Ohagi. It is very special.
How are the relationships with your supervisor and lab members?
My professor is really relaxed and easy-going, so I am pretty relaxed around him.
In my laboratory, there is a student from Sudan and a student from Mexico who is ethnically Japanese.
And, this year, there are lots of Chinese students. Maybe 10 or 11 and the rest are local students.
My lab friends invite me to baseball games either to play or watch. They have games between laboratories just for fun. So, I might go see some games.
Outline of the research
My research examines compulsory purchase of private property involved in the sub-urban area. The specific context for my studies are airport infrastructures in Taipei and Tokyo metropolitan.I am interested in the disparity of the geographical perception between planners and local residents in urban land use, and how neoliberalization of public owned land and agricultural land might be effecting the future urban fabric.
How do you find the facilities here at Waseda?
I think the facilities here are very nice. The campus is very clean, for one thing. And the school provides many other facility for extracurricular activities. We can use swimming pool and gym for a low price. In Nishi Waseda campus, there is a studio called ものづくり工房 that provides many machines and devices to hand make stuff and work on experiments. I sometimes use the sewing machines there.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I do not have very clear ideas at this time.
If I get an opportunity to stay and work in Japan, I would be willing to try, but may not be for a long time.
Short message to the prospective students
in English
International programs in Waseda takes good care of foreign student’s needs, so I had no promblems settling in Japan. Lectures that are conducted in English are rather small in size compared to Japanese classes, and were taught by highly experienced professors, students could participte in discussions freely and actively during classes.
Within campus and in the community where I live, there are plenty of network for foreign students, so I don’t feel I am alone. However, learning the Japanese language is also a very important part of life in Japan.
in Mandarin
九月初到東京時天氣已經有點涼，真的鬆了一口氣，因為當時台灣到處還呈現炙熱的狀態，反差很大!
早稻田對留學生很照顧，對於適應的過程不會有什麼問題，就算有，問了就可以解決。
在IPSE的課堂中，老師和學生之間可以自由的討論上課的內容，學習的氣氛很好。碩士班只有兩年不長，所以時間規劃比較重要，例如，在日本實習和求職的時程比較早，這方面和台灣還是不太一樣。
東京有很多好玩的地方，學校也會有各類活動可以選擇，如果研究室的要求不會太嚴格的話，想要怎樣的留學生活都可以自由地規劃。
