SIYA JITENDRA DESHPANDE

Voices of International Students

Feb 26, 2026

School of Science and Engineering, College of Interdisciplinary Engineering

From India

What sparked your interest in this university?

The Interdisciplinary Engineering program offered by the University of Tsukuba is a unique opportunity to study Engineering and Physics through hands-on learning. Since I was interested in learning both physics and engineering, having not streamlined a specific branch after just graduating from high school, this program is what initially drew me towards the University of Tsukuba, as it allowed me to explore my wide interests better. The greenery-filled environment and a big campus were features I always wanted my university to have, and the moment I visited the campus, I felt for the first time that it was a great learning environment with students from all around the world.

What aspects of Japanese culture or customs surprised you? How did you adapt to them?

Although I have been in Japan for a long time, some aspects of Japanese culture still continue to stand out. Initially, it took me some time to adapt to the customs and unsaid "rules" of Japanese social interactions. Being polite is valued a lot in Japan, therefore, the choice of the right words and mannerisms is quite important. Learning the language and interacting with more people from different parts of Japan during my travels helped me adapt to these differences.

What do you enjoy about Tsukuba?

I like that Tsukuba, especially the University of Tsukuba, is surrounded by nature. There is a lot of greenery and fresh air around, allowing me to enjoy activities like cycling, hiking, and having picnics with friends. It is also away from the main city of Tokyo, making it a peaceful and uncrowded environment, which I prefer. Since it is not too far, if I ever miss the loud, "city-life," I can always take the TX (TSUKUBA EXPRESS; train) to Tokyo for a quick day-trip! Moreover, I also like that Tsukuba is a "Science-City". There are lots of research institutes, and generally, everyone I meet, including students and professors, is not only kind but also really smart.

What do you hope to achieve during your time here?

My goals when entering the university were (1) to learn a lot from the various labs, classes, and internship opportunities provided by the university; and (2) to make lots of friends with different types of people. Academically, I was able to join two amazing labs, allowing for my research relating to AI, and ultrafast lasers to hopefully help make contributions to the scientific community as well as medicine, I was also able to make friends from many different countries, including Japan, India, Korea, Thailand, the U.S, Indonesia, Brazil and more, allowing me to learn about so many new perspectives and helping me grow holistically as a person. I participated in extracurricular activities such as the pottery circle, Kabuki theatre club, and the Ultimate Frisbee club, among the many choices that I was presented with.

What do you think makes the University of Tsukuba special?

The University of Tsukuba is special to me because of the wide variety of disciplines and extracurricular activities available here. Top-notch programs ranging from Physical Education, Art, Humanics, Biology, Engineering, and Physics are available here, with research opportunities for several sub-fields from those disciplines being presented at over 150 research institutes present at the university. I liked that even as an engineering student, I could take so many classes from other fields, such as Volleyball, Dance, and Canoeing (for P.E), Sculpture-making, Digital Photography, Microbiology, and Disability Science. With the presence of so many different fields of research on the huge campus, there is great infrastructure in place for all of these activities to take place on campus, such as canoeing at the university's Amakubo Lake, which still remains a memorable experience for me in my university life.