IBRAHIM AKID

Source: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250902110146.html Parent: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/

Voices of International Students

Sep 02, 2025

IBRAHIM AKID

Doctoral Program in Life Science Innovation, Degree Programs in Life and Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology / Food and Medicinal Resource Engineering Open Innovation Laboratory (FoodMed-OIL)

From Tunisia

What sparked your interest in this university?

Hello everyone. I'm AKID Ibrahim, though my friends in Japan know me as AkiDo (秋戸, lit., The Gate towards Autumn), a kanji name I composed to bring me closer to their beautiful language. I come from Tunisia, and my journey with the University of Tsukuba began right there. In fact, there is no other Japanese university that has a representation bureau in Tunisia except UT, which is in itself a detail that captures its greatest strength: its outward‑looking spirit. You may not know this, but UT is the only national university in Japan with a campus beyond the archipelago, and for years it has led—or ranked among—Japan's top universities for the proportion of international students. In short, this is a place where no foreign student ever feels alone. It is a community of diversity and opportunity, a place where you forge lasting friendships with locals and internationals alike.

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

My worst habit is stuffing every vital document (ID, bank cards, cash) into one bulging wallet that won't fit in a pocket, so I keep it in my bag. In my first month in Japan, at Tokyo's very busy Kita‑Senju Station, I recharged my IC card and left my wallet on the ticket‑machine ledge. Two stops later, panic struck: 30 minutes in one of the world's busiest stations must have doomed it. I raced back, despondent, yet there it sat, untouched! That shock revealed to me a nation scarce in resources yet rich in values. Months of observation have shown why: strict guidance, layers of regulations, and countless tacit moral codes shape daily conduct. Learning these rules by reading and quietly watching Japanese people can be difficult, but remembering that my wallet remains safe because of them makes every effort worthwhile, deepening my respect for Japanese society to this very day.

What do you enjoy about Tsukuba?

As I mentioned earlier, in Tsukuba city you never feel alone as a student from across the seas. Here you will meet countless people who share your background, and just as many who don't. Roughly 5% of the city's residents are foreigners, and both the City Hall and local community work tirelessly to ease our lives (translating documents, providing English‑language support, and much more). Their efforts truly deserve praise. Personally, I am proud to call myself, even temporarily, a citizen of this beautiful city, and I promote it whenever I can. Tsukuba offers peace of mind, natural beauty, plentiful facilities, and, above all, an absence of crowds. It is unquestionably the ideal place to focus on your study and intellectual output. Home to dozens of research institutes, the city is steadily shaping itself into a world‑class hub of knowledge creation!

What do you hope to achieve during your time here?

Living in Tsukuba opened a remarkable door: a joint research project linking the university with a major institute on the city's southern edge, known as AIST. There I am working on cutting‑edge techniques in chemistry and biology that have transformed my outlook on the future. My immediate aim is clear: complete my doctoral work, then secure a position with a Japanese company in my field—ideally one that also operates in Tunisia. I hope to spend several years here, gathering expertise, contributing what I can to Japan's economic fabric, and then carry that experience back home. By entering Tunisia through the gateway of a Japanese firm, I can remain permanently connected, productive, and collaborative with the Japanese people, strengthening, in every way I can, the economic and cultural ties between the nation of my birth, which I cherish, and the nation I have come to love and respect deeply.

What do you think makes the University of Tsukuba special?

Here I have met friends from every corner of the globe. The campus stretches for kilometers, and daily I bump into new faces that greet me with a smile. It is one of the few truly open campuses in Japan, an openness that embodies the university's philosophy: freedom that radiates both inward and outward. The grounds are woven into local life: everyone can stroll freely through its lanes, exploring its distinctive buildings as naturally as if they belonged there. That spirit of openness gave me one of my dearest friendships. During a university event celebrating foreign cultures we met, and soon found ourselves on a fishing trip with other friends, landing a catch as tall as any of us. Without UT, I would never have known that friend or enjoyed such a memory, which was later featured by the Embassy of Japan in Tunisia—a small testament to Tunisian‑Japanese friendship.

[SIYA JITENDRA DESHPANDE

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260226150549.html) - [RIBEIRO FALCÃO LORRANA

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260209143407.html) - [VICTOR MASSAKI NAKAGUCHI

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260202113333.html) - [RIYAM MOTEA AL-RAABEA

From Iraq](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260120140827.html) - [ASYRAF KAZUKI BIN ABDUL ZAKI

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251106153458.html) - [CHUN PI HSIEH

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251028142948.html) - [EI YADANAR MAUNG

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251016155616.html) - [LIANG LIU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251007101114.html) - [EMMA ROSE DANGERFIELD

From Australia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250922090000.html) - [IBRAHIM AKID

From Tunisia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250902110146.html) - [LEYUN HUANG

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250728113623.html) - [HYOWON LEE

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250718102403.html) - [ZACHARY JAMES YOSHIOKA

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250707114426.html) - [NIMISH SUDHIR GODSE

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250627133322.html) - [HASINI NIMANTHI KATIYAPE SAMARASEKARAGE

From Sri Lanka](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250619133000.html) - [MURAN XU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250612140000.html) - [YANG HU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250606103000.html) - [TE-YU HUANG

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250530094000.html) - [SHAFIQULLAH YOUSAFZAI

From Afghanistan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250225105959.html) - [QI SHI

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250204110000.html) - [MYLES

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250131113000.html) - [ISRAT JAHAN

From Bangladesh](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250121133053.html) - [SOTHEARITH ENG

From Cambodia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241029114315.html) - [FELIX COOMBER

From UK](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241017104601.html) - [WAI PHYO THU

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241011140751.html) - [SRINITHI ASHOK KRISHNASWAMY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240919133000.html) - [SACHI JOCHI

From Japan/India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240716140000.html) - [PING HUAN WANG

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240712140000.html) - [NGHI NGUYEN BAO

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240711133000.html) - [GUANGQI AN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240710150000.html) - [HELIO NONOSE

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240528092344.html) - [TAO LENG

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240523151907.html) - [INSYIRAH

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240514152825.html) - [ARAMAKI, CAUE SINGO

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240430095237.html) - [SUHARMAN

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240227114125.html) - [NG RAY SHAN

From Singapore](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240226133548.html) - [DU XIN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240117102400.html) - [YINA SHIN

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240116154326.html) - [JOOEUN YOON

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231102090000.html) - [REN YIHAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231023134514.html) - [MENG LIYUAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231013131944.html) - [WU BOQIAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231012154418.html) - [YU, CHENG-HAN

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230725103018.html) - [PARK KIWON

From Republic of Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230721105324.html) - [CHEN MIN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230719132452.html) - [CHAEYEON LEE

From Republic of Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230718143142.html) - [ELIZABETH BERGEN-BARTEL

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230706133924.html) - [LIAO, HSIN-YEN

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230705103506.html) - [PAKORN WANGSUEKUL

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230703120649.html) - [NGUYEN THUY ANH

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230630105343.html) - [LAN CHI

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230602095633.html) - [NADIA HASNA KARIMAH

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230322094500.html) - [HNIN OO

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230307090437.html) - [KAWTAR

From Morocco](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230224102000.html) - [NA

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230215090000.html) - [AFSARI

From Bangladesh](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230208090000.html) - [REZA

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230131154914.html) - [YOLANDA GRAÇA

From Angola](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230110090000.html) - [ADOM

From Ghana](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230105090000.html) - [SUDHIR

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221214095228.html) - [MIKI

From Mongolia/Japan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221213105143.html) - [AISANA

From Kazakhstan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221125101929.html) - [VITHOR SILVA

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221122095714.html) - [CHINMAY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221118111537.html) - [JEE

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221117140614.html) - [ISLA

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221021141022.html) - [MIVE

From Turkmenistan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210426132421.html) - [LAURA

From Argentina](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210420132735.html) - [SERGIO

From Colombia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210416143645.html) - [LENNY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20201022151142.html) - [ZHANAR

From Kazakhstan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200911020140.html) - [PENG

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909030142.html) - [RAVI

From Nepal](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909020143.html) - [SUNITA

From Nepal](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909010141.html) - [ATOM

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200907020144.html)