My internship took place in Tokyo, Japan, a metropolis with a population of 14 million people and 37 million in the wider metropolitan area. It's the largest metropolitan area in the world.

I lived in Sumida-ku and worked at the University of Tokyo, located in Bunkyo-ku. Tokyo is my favorite place in Japan. With its incredible transportation system and diverse restaurants, there's always something to explore. The city was built around its railway system, promoting public transit and reducing car dependency. Living in a city where most people commute by train was a truly unique experience. While ticket prices may seem reasonable individually, regular use adds up quickly. But don't stress - just enjoy life in Tokyo with its amazing transit systems!

Tokyo itself is a place worth exploring at any time, with busy areas such as Shinjuku and Shibuya, as well as temples, shrines and parks. There are many opportunities for day trips in the Tokyo area, such as Hakone, Kamakura, Enoshima, Kawagoe, Okutama, Chiba Prefecture.

For longer trips, I recommend the less touristy Tohoku region, with the city of Sendai, or the cat island of Tashirojima. I especially liked the small coastal town of Miyako in Iwate Prefecture, with Jodogahama beach and beautiful rocks. This region was hit by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Osaka and Kyoto are the most popular tourist destinations, and Hokkaido should also be very nice with its scenery. During a trip to Hiroshima, it is good to spend a day on the island of Itsukushima. Nagano Prefecture has beautiful mountains and is the home of soba noodles.

I have not visited all the places on my list, in Japan you need to accept that you cannot see everything and that is fine.

I worked at the International Project Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. My colleagues were mostly students - from bachelor to PhD - and other international interns. As most of the lab's projects focused on Southeast Asia or other regions, everyone spoke fluent English. I had two supervisors and we had regular meetings to discuss my progress and plan next steps. Their guidance was structured and helpful.

My task was part of a larger project that my supervisors were working on. I focused on researching transit-oriented development in Tokyo, combining literature review, station visits and expert interviews. In the end, I prepared a final presentation and report to show the results of my research and compare the practice of station area redevelopment in Japan and Central Europe.

The salary was given in cash by the International Office of the university, which was enough to cover basic living expenses, but for the plane ticket to Japan, travel and extra activities I used my savings and the scholarship from my faculty.

For a short stay in Japan, English is sufficient and all you need to know in Japanese are basic polite phrases. At university, my supervisors and colleagues spoke very good English and we had no problem communicating. However, it is not a standard that everyone speaks English well. Many people know some basics, so we could communicate somehow or use Google translator.

For longer stays, it would definitely make sense to learn Japanese, for better integration and more opportunities to talk to Japanese people.

I stayed in a shared house provided by a company called Freshroom near Morishita station. IAESTE arranged the accommodation and the university paid the rent. The location was perfect - close to two metro lines, and my commute to the university was only 30 minutes door-to-door, which is precious in a city like Tokyo.

IAESTE members were very helpful in the beginning, picking me up at Ueno station on my way from the airport and guiding me to the university on the first day, arranging the IC card etc. We had a WhatsApp group for communication, but there weren't many organised activities. There was only one day trip during my stay and most of the members didn't speak much English.

I met other IAESTE trainees and international students through work, friends or people I had already known before.

As the summer was very hot and humid, the best thing to do was indoor sports - the university had a sports centre that we could use at reasonable prices. However, the temperatures stay high even in the evenings, making it less comfortable for outdoor activities.

Try as much as you can. I enjoyed Japanese food and hardly ever cooked (which I usually do). With colleagues we often went to restaurants near the university for lunch, or meeting friends always involved going out to eat. The Sushiro chain is very good for cheap sushi. I really liked vegan ramen, the best I had was at Bossa Nova in Harajuku. Udon, soba, Japanese curry, okonomiyaki, moja or takoyaki are also really good. Most of the food is eaten with chopsticks, which I was stubborn to learn before coming to Japan, but it was very quick to learn later. It is very common to eat alone in the restaurants and the prices are also reasonable.

For a quick bite, you can get a snack from a convenience store anywhere and anytime - there are more brands of so-called "konbinis" - 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson or others, which are open 24/7 and offer prepared food and almost everything you need for everyday life. My favourite snack was definitely the tuna-mayonnaise onigiri.

I bought 10GB of data on my way from the airport in an electronics store, which was just the right amount for me. There was wifi at the university or in my accommodation and many public places also have wifi. I used Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate. With a 7 hour time difference it was a bit harder to arrange calls, so I often called my family or friends in the late evening.

Enjoy Tokyo, but do not get frustrated by the number of places you cannot visit. Leave plenty of space in your luggage to bring home Japanese treats. Plan further trips in advance and worry less about missing work. It is very safe and convenient to travel alone in Japan, so do not hesitate to do so.

In terms of clothing, people in Japan do not usually wear short clothes and dress modestly. They will not judge you, but if you want to blend in more, long trousers or skirts are the best option. There is air conditioning everywhere indoors, so it makes more sense to dress this way.

Otherwise, you can buy everything you need in Japan. Many things, such as shoes, are even cheaper. For small household items, 100 yen shops are the place to go.

Thanks to this opportunity, I learnt what it means to do research on a small scale of 2 months internship. I became a fan of Japanese cuisine and learnt a lot about the culture.

The communication from the acceptance to my arrival was smooth and clear. The pick-up assistance was very convenient and helpful. It would be nice if IAESTE members could organise more activities for us interns.