In the summer of 2018, I was privileged to spend 7 weeks in Japan on a fellowship provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). This essay explains my motivation for spending significant time in Japan and summarizes the many valuable lessons I learned about Japanese academic life. My goal is to encourage others to seriously consider collaborating with Japanese scientists in the future.
My name is Roger Koide. I am a third-generation, Japanese American, 62-year old professor of biology. As a boy in California, I had a mostly typical American experience, but it was strongly flavored by my Japanese heritage. Because of the food we ate, the holidays we celebrated, the people we associated with, and the way we reacted to situations, I was always aware of my Japanese roots.
As a professor at The Pennsylvania State University (1986-2012) and, more recently, at Brigham Young University (2012 – ), I have had several pleasant interactions at various professional conferences with several Japanese colleagues. These interactions sometimes led to invitations to deliver lectures, review academic programs, or perform collaborative research at various Japanese institutions including the National Grassland Research Institute, Nagoya University, Yokohama University, Tottori University and Kyoto University. During these short visits, I learned much about the excellent research performed by my Japanese colleagues. However, although every visit permitted me many opportunities to exchange professional insights with my colleagues, each visit was too short to develop the close relationships necessary for the exchange of more important personal insights. Professional exchanges, of course, can be done efficiently via email, but personal exchanges, from which we learn far more about the cultural context in which we do our science, are only possible by spending significant time with a colleague.
So, when I became aware of the JSPS, I immediately applied for a short-term fellowship so I could visit my Japanese colleagues for an extended period of time. I contacted Professor Yasushi Hashimoto of Obihiro Chikusan Daigaku because he and I are both interested in interactions between fungi and plants and, more importantly, because he is one of the kindest and most gracious men I know. I asked if he would be willing to serve as my host if I were awarded a JSPS fellowship and he agreed. When we were awarded with the fellowship, Professor Hashimoto quickly arranged for me to take field excursions, have discussions and give lectures throughout Japan where I met new colleagues and renewed old acquaintances including:
Of course, I learned much from the field trips and visits to those institutions. But I learned far more by spending time with my host, Professor Hashimoto. The following are some of the insights I gleaned from my close association with him and his students. First, it is important to understand that professors in Japan and in the United States have somewhat different roles. Both may be heavily engaged in research. Both may teach undergraduate and graduate students in formal, lecture-based courses on various subjects. At research-oriented universities, both may be in the classroom 3-6 hours per week. On the surface, therefore, Japanese and American professors appear to have similar jobs. But Japanese professors typically have quite a different responsibility to their students. At many Japanese universities, undergraduate science students may be required to have a research experience prior to graduation. A biology professor, therefore, may be assigned a dozen or more undergraduate students to mentor. Moreover, in keeping with the role of the sensei at all levels of education in Japan, the professor frequently feels responsibility for more than the formal education of his or her students. The professor is a mentor in the broadest sense; students frequently consult with their professors about personal matters of all kinds. The majority of a professor’s time may be spent in such personal consultation. So, American professors should not be surprised to find that Japanese professors do not have as much flexible time to discuss research.
Graduate students in the U.S. and in Japan have similar responsibilities and face similar challenges. Both must engage in novel research and write dissertations. But there are distinctions that may not be readily appreciated by American professors. Japanese graduate students are frequently self-funded; they and their parents usually pay the fees, sometimes at great sacrifice. Therefore, there is tremendous pressure on graduate students to perform at a level that will result in a decent job. If ever a student feels that a future job simply does not seem possible, it is psychologically difficult to continue in a graduate program. Some students may become depressed and leave the university. There is frequently less pressure on American graduate students primarily because they are often funded by the university, the department or extramural private or public foundations. Japanese students may be required to successfully publish some of their findings in international journals prior to graduation. This can be quite difficult. While Japanese students do learn English, the structure of the two languages is so different that most Japanese students find it impossible to communicate essential subtleties in English that are so easily communicated in Japanese. A visiting American professor could do much good by encouraging Japanese students emotionally and by helping them write their manuscripts in English.
Americans who have not traveled in Japan previously may feel some trepidation about the prospect of living in a place as foreign as Japan. However, as a third-generation American with little ability in the Japanese language (most would say “no ability”), my experience has been that getting along in Japan is relatively easy. I have traveled to Japan and China on multiple occasions and, in my experience, Japan is much easier for an American than China. Transportation is efficient and easy in Japan. The signage in train stations and on trains is in Japanese and in English. And train and subway tickets can be purchased from machines using English. No English-speaking individual should feel hesitant about traveling within Japan. Accommodation in Japan is as good as you can get anywhere in the world. Moreover, inexpensive accommodation in Japan is not unsafe or untidy. I have stayed in university apartments, luxury and business hotel rooms, ryokan, bed and breakfasts, and short-term apartments at all price ranges. I have never been disappointed. And, if you enjoy Japanese food in America, you have no idea how good it really is until you experience food in Japan, especially if you are willing to try new things. If you are not, never fear, you can also eat all the American junk food your heart desires – but even the junk food is better in Japan!
My JSPS fellowship in Japan was fantastic. It is one of the best experiences I have had. Of course, I was very fortunate in that my host, Professor Hashimoto, is one-of-a-kind. I can only hope your host is as good. I sincerely hope you will consider Japan as a destination for research collaboration and real fellowship. It will change your life for the better.
Roger T. Koide
Professor of Biology, Brigham Young University
Emeritus Professor, The Pennsylvania State University
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