Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tomáš Havlík, but to users of cyberspace and close friends alike I am known as Tomires. At the present time, I am a 20-year-old studying Information Technologies at the Czech Technical University in Prague. My hobbies include programming and graphical design. Outside of computers I have also dabbled in journalism and translation. In addition to more obvious interests I also enjoy geocaching and casual strolls through both urban areas and the great outdoors. I have had a keen interest in Japan for about five years. It all began with my passion for interactive entertainment, which for the most part owes its very existence to the Japanese. Over the next couple years I have become engrossed in other aspects of Japanese exports and the society surrounding it. I am seriously contemplating moving to another country in the long run and Japan is one of the more tempting choices on my list, even with their strict immigration laws and lower financial gain in IT-related market compared to countries such as the United States.

However, without experiencing it all for myself, I can hardly tell if it's the right choice. I would like to use this unique opportunity to educate myself and expand my horizons not only in IT, but also in the field of Japanese society. I admire the politeness of Japanese people, ingenuity of their engineers, the awesome cuisine and wonderful nature as well as urban cityscape, yet I understand that not everything about the country is positive - bureaucracy, strict work culture and emotional burden are all problems faced by contemporary Japanese society. I have already begun learning the language, however there are more pieces to the puzzle I am trying to complete, more variables in the equation. A stay in the country coupled with Hosei University's ESOP courses would greatly help me in that matter. I would also love to attend a traditional Japanese firework festival and admire the sunset atop Mt. Fuji among other activities.

The other reason why I have chosen Japan and specifically Tokyo is my new-found interest in robotics as a software platform. The city's Akihabara district, which is rather close to Hosei's Ichigaya campus, is world-known as a cradle for everything electronic, including humanoid robots. In fact Aldebaran Robotics, a French company owned by Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank, whose NAO robot is used worldwide at universities including ours, has recently opened a place in Akiba called the Aldebaran Atelier, where visitors can practice programming for their newest 'emotional' robot, which releases next year exclusively in Japan. I have recently given a speech on robotics at a convention about Japanese culture and try to delve deeper into the subject. I really hope being an overly-excited geek isn't a capital crime over there!

As well as tackling an exponentially different society and mindset of Japanese people, I would also like to use this chance to better myself in Japanese, which I perceive as a valuable language in today's technological industry and while I have only been studying it for about a year, I am confident I will be able to master it in the long run. In December I will be taking the entrance level N5 exam. I think that studying in Japan could be a really good way to enhance my language ability. Even after an extensive research and consultation I wasn't able to obtain an official list of Computer Science subjects taught at the University, which leaves me unable to point out any particular CS-related subjects, however a couple former exchange students had courses on Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering listed on their reports, which leads me to believe there are some interesting IT-related subjects to choose from.

Thank you for your consideration.