As a MEXT scholarship student in Japan , I had an extremely challenging and interesting time as a Research student of Tokyo Imperial University in Ando Lab, Department of Architecture, for a year and a half (October 1999 – March 2001), the duration of the scholarship. Before leaving for Japan, I had already had a 5 year working experience as an architect (registered at the Technical Chamber of Greece) working (mostly) in Athens, and a 3 year period as a PhD student at the National Technical University of Athens, Department of Architecture, Section 3, Greek State Grant scholarship student.
In preparation for my studies in Japan I had been taking Japanese Language Lessons ( approximately 4 years), the last school, being the Hellenic-Japanese Friendship Club of Athens, attaining Level 3 Certificate of Japanese Language Proficiency.

On arriving in Japan I enrolled in the Tokyo University Language School (enrollment was not optional), then switched to the Department of Engineering Language School, which was more geared to my chosen field's language needs.

In spite of the cultural differences and relative size and scale of Tokyo , where I was living, always in comparison to Athens , and probably because of my preparation before arrival, I experienced no particular problems in daily life, or in the university or other aspects of my stay. While the allowance was adequate for someone living in a dormitory ( Soshigaya ) and in general for normal daily life in Japan , of course it needed to be supplemented if one wished to travel and visit the main Japanese cities. Probably this was my main point of constant surprise, the cost of travel, inner-city and to other cities.

My most impressive experience is connected to Ando Lab, as the professor at the time had completed a hotel on Awaji Island and took us for a field trip to visit the grounds of the hotel, inviting us to one of the three separate opening nights. Another most important experience was while winning second place in a 2 stage architectural competition with Ando Lab, under professor M. Chiba, we took part in the presentation of our project to the relevant committee in Aomori to a distinguished panel of judges, Toyo Ito among them. A third very interesting experience would have to be through Greek acquaintances visiting Tsu Shipyard and boarding a tanker under construction.