Student：Luc BOULARDOT
Internship at Kagawa University : Oct 2015 - Mar 2016

My name is Luc BOULARDOT from France. I am currently doing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Design at the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC).  I came to Kagawa University to do an internship for one semester at the Faculty of Engineering.

I joined Guolab, under the supervision of Prof. Guo Shuxiang. This lab mainly focuses on the research and development of micro mechatronics and microsystems for biomedical applications, which includes Biomechanics, Micro machines, Man-machine Interfaces and the CAD/CAM, Multi-DOF Teleoperation Controls and Micro mechatronics. The subject of my research is rehabilitation robotics.

I was really worried before coming here and the first days were hard for me. Japan is completely different from the life I was used to. I couldn't speak Japanese so buying food in the supermarket or ordering in a restaurant was difficult. With time and help from my tutor, I adapted very quickly. I received a lot of help from my tutor; he made my life easier by helping me in every situation. Now can do things by myself without speaking a word of Japanese.

Picture of me, learning/showing bicycle rules in Japan.

Takamatsu isn’t a very big city in Japan and at first appeared to be only an “Udon city”, but in reality, there are many beautiful things to discover.  Temples, Ritsurin Garden, Yashima Mountain, Takamatsu Sunport, and the Seto Inland Islands are to name a few. Public transportion is not very developed in Takamatsu, but the city is small and flat, so many people use bicycle every day. The engineering Campus is about 40 min by bicycle from the international Dormitory in Yashima. At the beginning it was difficult, but after 5 months of bicycling the distance now seems short and I am much healthier than I was before.

You can’t live in Takamatsu without eating Udon. It’s cheap, delicious, and since Kagawa is considered the Udon capital of Japan, I ate Udon a few times every week. I love it! Japanese food in general is very healthy and so delicious! For this reason alone, I don't regret coming here for my internship!

Finally, I want to say, coming to Japan was an amazing experience for me. I met many great people in the dormitory and at the University, and it was a real pleasure to work in Guolab (Kagawa University). Japanese food is excellent, I really love this culture and I hope I have the chance to come back again in the future.

Me at the sunport
(very beautiful and restful place to contemplate waves and mountains).