Engineering major, Suhail Khan, reflects on his time studying abroad at Temple Japan as a Gilman International Scholarship awardee.
I went to Tokyo, Japan as I am studying mechanical engineering and Japan has opportunities for mechanical engineers especially in the robotics field which made me want to go to the country so I could connect with companies directly and speak with them regarding options for work. If you are a stem major who does not see their major being offered in TUJ then you can take gen-ed courses, there as both grades and credit transfers.
For my fellow Muslim travelers there are plenty of halal options for food and mosques around Tokyo. First the food. There is food from Muslim countries, and you could very likely find your own cuisine there as well. The places I went to are Malay Asian Cuisine Shibuya Shop (Malaysian), Ankara Dogenzaka (Turkish), Tokyo Halal Restaurant (Bangladeshi), Halal Sakura (Uzbek), Kaenzan Lanzhou Lamian (Chinese). For Halal Japanese I went to Halal Ramen Honolu, Nikoniko Mazemen, Ayam-Ya Halal Ramen Tokyo, and Toribushi Halal Ramen. If you feel like splurging and want some halal wagyu, then I recommend Wagyu Yakiniku Panga. Also, most sushi places are halal so you can just go in to pretty much any sushi place you see. You can also search for Halal food around you and will probably find Turkish Donar Kabab at almost every corner.
For mosques there is a one in almost every part of Tokyo and is just a search away. The one I frequented the most was the Tokyo Camii & Diyanet Turkish Culture Center as it doubles as both a masjid and a cultural center where people can buy books on Islam and Turkey. Also is has a Halal market on the ground floor where you can buy Halal ramen and meats. Other Mosques around Tokyo include As-Salaam Masjid in Okachimachi, Asakusa Mosque, Kamata Masjid. You will also find prayer rooms in some of the Halal restaurants like Halal Raman Honolu, and Tokyo Halal Restaurant.
My favorite Halal meals for Japanese cuisine had been Halal Ramen Honolu for their Wagyu Ramen and for sushi it was Kura Sushi. I found Halal Ramen Honolu through TikTok as I was looking for places to go and it was mentioned multiple times and when I went there I saw the wagyu ramen option priced at 3800 yen which was at the time 27 dollars and it was very much worth the money. My second favorite place was Halal Sakura where you can find Plov, a rice dish with carrots, meat, raisins, and spices (my description does not do it justice). Both places have a prayer room.
I found out about the Gilman Scholarship through the study abroad department as I attended a session for it where it was explained to me that it is a scholarship for students that get the Pell Grant. So, if you receive the Pell grant and are thinking of studying abroad then definitely apply for Gilman scholarship as because of it I was given the extra cash needed to be able to afford the trip abroad. It made the decision of whether to go or not a lot easier and affordable for me. For your application make sure to start your essays as soon as possible and have them reviewed by the writing center as they helped me in writing them and were the reason I felt confident in my writing. If you have any questions, contact the Education Abroad office and ask away as they are there to help you through any confusion or difficulties you have.
Learn more about the Gilman International Scholarship for Pell Grant Recipients.