My First Nomikai Session

Short note: This entry contains images of alcoholic drinks. Does that make this a non-halal entry?

A nomikai is a drinking party phenomenon particular to Japanese culture. Nomikais are a part of the culture of most places of employment, from schools to nightclubs. They are most often held in restaurants or izakayas, usually with everyone seated at one large table or occupying a separated section of the venue (taken from Wikipedia).

It might be something surprising, and I am actually shy to say that after more than two and a half years in Japan, I have never attended any nomikai yet. Not until my research lab organised the first nomikai for the lab this year. It was held last night to celebrate the success of everyone in their respective universities entrance exams, job exams and internship trips. Fifteen of us were there, including two lecturers and a lab assistant. The venue was まぐろ居酒屋さかなや道場 (Maguro Izakaya Sakanaya Michiba), just a stone's throw from Nagaoka Station.

Kirin's Ichiban Shibori, one of the two most popular beer in Japan.

To be honest, I am not a drinker although my tolerance for alcoholic drink is satisfactory, I would say. Like they say, you got to adapt yourself to the environment you are in to fit yourself in that group. So, I guess getting used to nomikai session is one of them when we are living in Japan. I am not saying I dislike it, although in the beginning I felt a little bit awkward. Perhaps it was my first time.

As the session progressed, I slowly managed to mix into the group and I think I have grown some interest in nomikai session haha.

As usual, every nomikai starts with a 乾杯 (kanpai) session.

Talking about adapting ourselves into a new environment, all but only two people didn't smoke. I do not like to stereotype people, but a smoker generally gives me a bad impression about that person, not matter how close that person is to me; even my Dad. However, as long as they do not smoke in front of me, I think that is okay.

However, the lecturers and my classmates were smoking one cigarette after another throughout the nomikai session. That is one of the few things I dislike about nomikai. Other than that, everything is fine. How can it not be fine when you are served with these food.

Fresh sashimi. That tuna is just for decoration purposes and it was dead when it was served. I hope animal activists will not flame me after seeing this picture haha.

Steamboat containing chicken, scallops, meat balls, tofu, Shitake mushrooms, carrots, leeks, bean sprouts, and fried flat tofu.

Fried chicken with green chillies, topped with sweet and sour sauce.

Maguro (tuna) pizza. The name itself is enough to tell you how nice it tasted.

Final meal of the day - porridge with eggs that we cooked in the steamboat pot.

There were two other dishes which I missed taking their photos - baked scallops with capsicums and chicken salad. Damn nice-lor. Thinking about them alone already made me feel like going there again one day haha.

One of the Advanced Course (専攻科) students started the nomikai session with some short words. It was during that time Professor Kondo Toshimi, one of my research lab lecturers showed his trademark body language.

#1 Adjusting his long fringe which always go out of shape haha.

#2 Putting his palm on his ear will collect more sound wave going into his ear haha.

#3 Kondo's famous hand gesture whenever he talks.

Told you that is his trademark haha.

After that, every one of us gave a brief introduction to the rest and it ended up with the lecturers. Prof. Kondo started his introduction by telling us proudly that he has been teaching in Nagaoka Kosen for thirty-four years. That is even longer than the total of years I have lived on this planet wtf. Prof. Sasaki meanwhile is quite new, as this is just his forth year in the college.

Mr Sugiyama, the lab assistant however, has been working there for seventeen years. By the way, he is a real drinker. While people were stil busy distributing our first glass of beer, he had finished his glass of beer =.=

Mr Sugiyama, who looks so much younger than his age.

Talking something funny, eh?

Kimura scooping the rice porridge.

One classmate of mine, Takao who was sitting to my right was a heavy drinker and at the end of the night, I guess he was a bit drunk.

You cannot take away the peace sign from Japanese.

To wrap up the nomikai session, we were given the chance for a last order. I went for peach mango, which was not bad.

At the end of the night, I was supposed to join a few of my classmates to go back to our hostel by bus. However, two of my seniors was nice enough to offer me a ride back since they are heading to the college as well. That is something I did not expect. Perhaps Japanese are not that bad after all. It is just that sometimes they do not show their friendly side that obvious.

Ohh yea, total damage for the night was ￥4,000 per person.

Graduation Research Mid-Term Presentation

Short note: It is my college's Sports Day today. Will make an update on that very soon. Anyway, all pictures in this entry was taken using my new Canon 930 IS.

One of the requirement for the students in our college to graduate is to do a graduation research, more commonly known as sotsuken (卒研), an abbreviation from the word sotsugyo (卒業) (graduation) and kenkyu (研究) (research). All the fifth year students will spend the whole year working on their own research and there are two times when they will present their work, the mid-term in mid-October and the final presentation would be in February the following year.

Almost everyone do their research individually, including me. However, due to the lack of computers and software in my lab, I was recently combined with another mate from the same research lab as my partner. It was quite a last-minute decision and I had to go through a few inches-thick of thesis (in which I am still doing right now, but I doubt I will ever finish them haha) to get an idea what the new research is all about. Fortunately, the new research is similar to my initial research, so it was not a real big deal.

Atrium of the building for Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering faculty - the venue for the presentation.

I am not gonna give a detailed information about what research I am currently doing because I doubt anyone would have much idea about it, or rather, nobody is interested about it lol.

But anyway, to briefly explain my research I am currently working on, the theme is 混合モードVノッチを有する板のReissner-Mindlin板曲げ理論による一般化応力拡大係数の決定 (Determination of Generalised Stress Intensity Factor in V-Notched Plates under Transverse Bending by using Reissner-Mindlin Theory). One of the most basic requirements in the fracture mechanics in the knowledge of the singular character of the stress field near the crack tip. Imagine a thin plate which has a V-notch in one of the plate's sides. Force is then added to the both end of the plate and the stress occurred around the V-notch area is calculated. Subsequently, the Generalised Stress Intensity Factor for the plate is calculated using two methods - Finite Element Method (FEM) and strain gauge.

Preparation time.

Posters are all ready.

Find it hard to understand what I am explaining? No problem because most people, even the lecturers do not really understand it haha.

This mid-term presentation is attended by lecturers from my faculty, as well as the fourth year juniors. The presentation was after lunch, so we went to set up everything in the morning like cleaning up the place. arranging tables and put up the posters according to the decided orders.

Played with my camera mode using Yan Kuang's iPhone, while waiting for the session to begin.

Listening to the opening speech by one of the lecturers.

Here come the lectures and juniors.

Yan Kuang explaining his research to the juniors.

One of my classmate's who did a research on robotic fingers.

He made this model from scratch.

By half past one, the lecturers and forth year juniors began to fill the venue. My poster was the tenth one, so I was one of the presenter in the first session. Anybody who sees my poster will know that there are hardly people who understand what research I am doing. My poster is full with mathematical formula and diagrams that is rarely seen in our textbooks.

However, there were a few lecturers who threw us with several questions, like a brief overview of the research we are currently doing.

Explaining my poster to the college's principal. Felt damn proud-lor haha.

Took a picture with the principal and my research partner, Inaniwa Shota.

The principal of my college came to the presentation session as well since he graduated from Mechanical Engineering faculty during his schooling days. I was wondering whether he would come to my poster to have a look because he is really nice to international students here. Just like I expected, he came to my poster and ask me to explain about my research.

To be honest, it was quite nervous to have the principal to come and ask you questions, but I glad we did quite rather well.

The person in beige coloured shirt, Professor Kondo Toshimi, who is from my research lab.

Actually, before the presentation began, Prof Kondo actually came to our poster and asked us a few questions; something like letting us to practise how to handle questions from other people later on. One of his question was quite funny.

"What does this Φ sign mean?"
(after a few seconds)
"Ohhh, it is written down here, in this equation. Hehe, paiseh-lor hor"

We didn't know how to react, whether to laugh at his joke or what haha.