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Position

Professor at Institute of Japan Studies

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Field

Japanese Semantics / Japanese Language Education

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Take advantage of your graduate school years when you can focus on your studies and research

Delve into your discipline, expand your horizons, study seriously

The Master's Program in Japan Studies is comprised of four disciplines: Japanese Language Studies; Japanese Language Teaching Studies; Japanese Literature and Cultural Studies; and Japanese Societal Studies. This program offers students much flexibility in structuring their learning curriculums. I encourage all students to pursue not broad and shallow studies, but to delve into their disciplines, expand their horizons, and study seriously. Your graduate school years are a precious and valuable time of your life when you can focus on your studies and research. Perhaps you are still unsure as to whether you will become a researcher, a Japanese language teacher, or contribute to society through an entirely different profession. Regardless of what your circumstances may be, I hope that you will take full advantage of your opportunities to study everything and anything, without so much as to think of how you can engage in your studies and research "efficiently." Doing this will help shape who you are.

As for myself, I have been teaching Japanese for many years at Japanese language teaching institutions. In my daily environment, Japan is connected to the world, and they are both open to each other. This foundation will remain unchanged. At the same time, I am deeply interested in the meaning of words, and I analyze the meanings of Japanese syntaxes and vocabularies. For example, recently, we hear people express their opinions or impressions by saying, "ureshiikana to omoimasu" or "shitaikana to omoimasu." People add "kana," a term that expresses question or doubt to describe even their own emotions or hopes. It has become increasingly common to use this interesting syntax. It may be a defensive mechanism at play in order to avoid creating unnecessary friction with others. I am very interested to find out how the use of such syntaxes compares with examples in non-Japanese speaking societies. Semantics seeks to analyze and describe the meaning of a term and the function it fulfills, and to understand the underlying mindset of us people who utilize these words. At the graduate school, I hope to share with you and explore together these intriguing facets embedded in words. I look forward to exploring with you what kind of contributions we can make in a semantic context at Japanese language teaching institutions.

Throughout your graduate studies, you will meet friends and colleagues you can trust, and this will be another of your major accomplishments. Open the door to learning, and step out into the world with your very own feet.