Luka Vranićさん（リエカ大学第5学年次）

I would like to start with “Thank you” for all members in Hyogo College of Medicine, both doctors and students, for such a great care of my colleagues Ivan and Andrej and me and for making our adventure in Japan more interesting and more beneficial and for inspiring me to proceed to my dream to become a doctor and to travel and discover different cultures all around the world.

Before I am going to write all my good memories from Japan, I would like to say why I applied for this exchange program. From the first year of medical studies, when I realized that my choice to become a doctor was right, I wanted to go on exchange, to meet medical students just like me from other countries, to get acquainted with a new medical system, to experience to work in another hospital and to benefit from all of that. Also, I presumed that it would give me new experiences like living on my own and getting along by myself in a new surroundings. That is why I have chosen to apply for this exchange program, because as a person who never have traveled outside Europe, it would be a great step for me to become a better person and doctor and to give me self-esteem.

Japan as a country and this exchange program in Hyogo College of Medicine gave me so much more than my expectations. In spite of common prejudices in Europe that Japanese people are closed-minded, not so friendly, and always busy and work too much and always talk too much about work, I found that these are completely wrong. Japanese people are kindest and friendliest people that I have met so far, always ready to help and to make your stay in their homeland delightful.

Before start of student exchange, my colleagues and I went to Tokyo for five days as tourists. It is a city that you cannot see in Europe, and it amazed us from the minute we stepped out of the airport. It was our first touch with Japanese culture. From Shibuya and Shinjuku as the new, modern part of Tokyo, over “high-tech” Akihabara to more traditional parts like Asakusa, everything was new to us and very interesting. What astonished me the most is Japanese food. Before my trip, I was a little bit in fear, what I am going to eat because I don’t like fish so much, and like every European guy I was thinking that Japanese people eat only raw fish. But I was completely wrong, because now, after my trip, I think that Japanese cuisine is the best cuisine in the world. Even Sushi that we have tried in Tsukiji market in Tokyo was a real surprise and tasted very good.

After five days in Tokyo, from the first minute when we arrived in Osaka, I felt so welcomed. A special thanks to Ms. Kyoko Torii, who not only welcomed us warmly and instructed us about everything we need to know about Osaka, Nishinomiya and hospital, placed us in our guest house, but also being our support and ready to help all of the time during our stay in Japan.

Ivan and I were placed in four different departments in hospital: Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pain Clinic and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and we were rotating every day. We were in the hospital from 8時30分 to 13時00分 (in average). It was a perfect amount of time to spend in the hospital and to learn new skills every day and to have time to visit and explore a little bit of Hyogo Prefecture. I benefited a lot during my stay in Japan and it would help me a lot to become a successful doctor. During my stay in the hospital, doctor were always trying to show me examinations, procedures and other activities of their ordinary working day. In that matter, I have to especially mention that Dr. Shiro Nakamoto, from the Department of Anesthesiology, who was one of the best mentors that I have ever had. In spite of slight language barrier, he managed to explain me everything he tried, when he was busy, he always found a replacement doctor for me and told him what he must teach me and also he organized for me a practice in simulator room (3 times) where I could practice general anesthesia, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intratracheal intubation, transesophageal ultrasound and transthoracic ultrasound. Regarding practices in simulator room, special thanks to Dr. Shimode, who explained my colleague Ivan and me everything we need to know about these two kinds of ultrasound. Another interesting skill I was learning was mechanical ventilation. Dr. Takeshi Ide was instructing me and two Intensive Care Unit residents about it in a small mechanical ventilation course. I am really grateful to him that he managed to take his own time to explain me this subject as best as he could (on a real ventilator), first explaining to me and then to other Japanese students. Also in ICU department, I had to write two reports (about ECMO and ARDS). Doctors provided me a private laptop for me during my whole stay and also materials to write these reports, which helped me a lot understanding these two important subjects in ICU. In Pain Clinic, Dr. Hirose and his colleagues instructed me about their everyday procedures and also arranged for me to observe Celiac Plexus block, procedure which I have never seen before. In Emergency Medicine department, besides everyday activities in emergency room, I saw an interesting burn patient and all burn treatments that were also strange to me before having my clerkship in Hyogo College of Medicine.

Moreover, besides my everyday practice in the hospital, students and doctor took really good care of my friends and colleagues Ivan and Andrej and me outside the hospital. I would like to mention Mayuu, Tomoko and Marumi, three Japanese students who would go to Croatia as exchange students. They took us dinners several times, showing us special Japanese dishes, and also went with Andrej on one-day trip. At the moment, my friends and I were trying to return a favor by making their stay in our beautiful country as pleasurable as we could. Moreover, a kind Bulgarian doctor Yosif, who was doing research in Hyogo College, showed us around Kobe and its nightlife, which was really fun. Also, he taught us a lot about Japan and tried to explain all the differences between Japanese and European culture.

ICU department took Ivan and me on a wonderful two-day trip to Tokushima for rafting. First day, Dr. Takeshi Ide and other employees of ICU took us for lunch to try Ramen, which was really delicious. After that, we came to a small house in a village where 18 of us spent whole afternoon and night playing different games, having fun, drinking and eating delicious meat from barbecue. During one game I even injured myself, my wound required stiches, and Dr. Ide and a nurse, Kinu Yokochi took me to a hospital and also took really good care of me during my whole stay on that two-day trip. I am really grateful to them for that. What astonished me even more, when I came back from that trip, Dr. Nishi paid for my medical costs and refused my attempts to pay. That was a really nice gesture from Dr. Nishi and the whole ICU department. Second day was a rafting day. It was unbelievable. From 9時30分 till 16時30分 we were having fun on rafting. I had to be careful because of my wound and stiches, but kind doctor Ide took really good care of me, he put a bandage on me and paid attention whole time on me.

Moreover, doctor took my friends and me on several dinners to hang out with us and to show us all the specialties of Japanese cuisine. With them, we have tried Udon with Tempura, Sushi, different kind of meat, Takoyaki and my favorite Okonomiyaki. Also, with doctor Ide, Ogata and Nakamoto and with nurses Kinu and Choco we went out, to see Osaka’s local restaurants and nightlife. I enjoyed those nights very much, they were such wonderful nights to remember. We have tried Japanese specialties, we were drinking sake, beer, playing billiards and at the end, went to a nightclub where we were having fun until the early morning.

The schedule of exchange was well-organized, because it provided enough time both to learn and practice in the hospital and enough free time to explore Japan and its amazing culture. During our free time, Ivan, Andrej, Anna (friendly German girl also on the exchange who was with us in our guesthouse) and me visited all the cities near Osaka like Himeji, Nara, Kobe and Kyoto. A trip to Himeji was nice, we rented bicycles and visited amazing white castle and a park that surrounds it. Nara amazed us with a beautiful combination of nature and parks and old temples like Todaiji temple. Also, it was really fun experience to feed and play with deer in the city center. In Kobe, we went with Yosif, who showed us harbor and the big earthquake memorial and led a tour through a several nice night bars. In Kyoto, we went for a whole weekend, because there were so many to see. We were astonished with the amount of old traditional and beautiful shrines, Arashiyama (bamboo forest) and also with the monkey resort.

I also what to thank Dr.Takeshi Ide and Ms. Kyoko Torii for taking care of me when I was sick and for helping me with all the necessary papers that I had to fill in. I was really surprised positively when Kyoko came to guesthouse after her work just to check in person how I felt when I was sick and gave me food to make me better. That gesture really meant me a lot.

At the end, I want to say that I consider this exchange very profitable both in academic way and in touristic way. It is a great opportunity to learn a lot in a very modern hospital facility and to meet Japanese culture that is very different from European. I would definitely recommend it to younger students in my faculty. Also, I hope that my colleagues and friends Ivan and Andrej and me made stay in Croatia for Marumi, Tomoko and Mayuu pleasurable.