Facing "Academia" as an End in Itself, Not a Means.

To start off, what was your life like during your undergraduate years?

I was in a wind ensemble club called the Keio Wind Ensemble. I played the alto saxophone throughout my time in the wind ensemble clubs in junior high and high school, as well as in the university club. During my time in the club, I mainly served as the person in charge of regular concerts, focusing on the planning and management of the performances.

I belonged to two seminars: one with Professor Hiroko Mio of the Faculty of Letters and another with Professor Yoshikazu Shiobara of the Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science. Both were seminars that conducted research through fieldwork. The research methods and ways of thinking I learned then are still useful today, and it was truly a great experience. In Professor Mio's seminar, I did fieldwork on Ishigaki Island during my third year of undergraduate studies, and in Professor Shiobara's seminar, I did fieldwork at a high school "ibasho" (a place to belong) cafe created in cooperation with a local NPO. Both Professor Shiobara and Professor Mio connected students with the field, and it was very significant to have the opportunity to learn on-site rather than just through theory and literature. For me, the field was not just a place for research, but another place where I felt I belonged outside of the university.

It sounds like a very fulfilling undergraduate period. After such a life, did you have any internal conflict about taking the minority path of going to a humanities graduate school?

Of course, general arguments like "there are few humanities students" or "you can't get a job if you go to grad school" were in my head. However, I also had a vague anxiety about the future, wondering what to do with myself and how to live from now on. I decided to proceed to a master's program for the time being, partly to create time to think about those concerns. To be honest, I felt a lot of anxiety when I decided to go to grad school. It was around the end of my third year. Despite that anxiety, I was very interested in the fields of international cooperation and international development. Perhaps it's because of my high school environment, which I'll mention later. I wondered how I could take on international cooperation as a job rather than as a volunteer. My interest grew further as I read books on the subject and talked to seniors who had gone to grad school. Ultimately, the advice of a senior from my club who had gone to grad school gave me the final push.

I heard you went to a graduate school in the UK for your master's degree. Why did you go all the way to the UK?

I suppose it's because the fields of international cooperation and international development, which I was interested in, were quite developed in the UK. Additionally, my high school was international-focused, and many of my friends had studied abroad. While quite a few students studied abroad even after entering university, I was so absorbed in my club activities after entering university that I didn't have the chance to go. Looking at my high school friends, I felt like I wanted to go. I just couldn't quit the club halfway through. I didn't have the confidence that I, who couldn't quit the club to study abroad, would be able to take the plunge and go after becoming a working adult. So, since there were things I wanted to learn, I decided to go abroad to study at the same time as entering grad school and made the decision to travel to the UK.

A strong sense of purpose—that's wonderful. Was life in the UK fun?

In a word, it was tough. I was in a course where I had to get my master's in one year instead of two, so there was a lot of pressure. The students around me were also quite desperate. However, there were also people with work experience who attended while enjoying themselves, and I was impressed watching them. For me, having gone straight from undergraduate to master's, I was surprised by the diversity of paths to higher education and forms of learning. I thought an environment where you can learn regardless of country or age is wonderful. The fact that lectures were canceled due to strikes is now a fond memory.

You put in a lot of effort. Did you have any realizations during that process?

Have confidence in what you are learning and enjoy it. Speak up clearly about what needs to be asserted. These are things I learned in the UK that might have been difficult to truly feel if I had stayed in Japan.

It sounds like your studies and life in the UK were very fulfilling! What path did you choose after graduating from your master's program? Did you find a job in the UK?

After my master's in the UK, I actually got a job at a private company in Japan and worked there. While working as a member of society, the themes I truly wanted to face became clear. Through working in regional areas, I realized I wanted to research the themes of "creating a place to belong" and "dialogue" that I had learned in my undergraduate seminars. The reason I chose Keio for my doctoral program was largely due to the presence of the mentors I met during my undergraduate years. The faces of the professors who took care of me at Keio, like Professor Shiobara and Professor Mio, came to mind. I wanted to engage deeply in research once more in an environment where my mentors were. That's how I decided to enter the Doctoral Programs at Keio.

I see. Whether there is someone you want to study under is very important. Is that the main theme you are researching in the doctoral program?

Currently, while accumulating fieldwork in the doctoral program, I am proceeding with research using "inclusion" as a keyword. Terms like "inclusive" or "leaving no one behind" are frequently shouted nowadays. My interest lies in how these are being addressed in society, rather than just being words. During my master's program, I couldn't conduct on-site surveys due to the impact of COVID-19, so my work was centered on literature research. However, now I go out to educational settings, actually participate in educational activities, and conduct dialogic interviews, encountering new perspectives every day that weren't visible through desk research. At Keio, the fact that you can freely belong to seminars across faculties and receive direct guidance from professors in various fields is attractive and supports my research. With the abundant library resources, it truly feels like a crossroads of academia. Returning academic knowledge to society and connecting research with society—it's a grand way of putting it, but it's what I want to keep in mind.

That's amazing. Actually, is there anything you are looking toward beyond your research?

A society with kindness, I suppose. While researching sociology and inclusion, I felt I wanted to create a "kind joint" between academia and the field. I believe that the perspectives needed in this day and age exist precisely in areas that belong to neither society nor academia. While balancing research and work, I want to steadily move forward with my research with gratitude to the people who support me.

That's wonderful. I'm sure you can do it, Ms. Arai. Finally, could you give a message to the readers?

I feel that the questions I had at various times, such as in high school and as an undergraduate, led to my going to a humanities grad school and to my current research. They are the "Why?" kind of questions. I want the readers to live their lives valuing their daily interests and sense of unease without overthinking things. Someday, those questions will surely lead to your own unique awareness of issues. Please don't miss the "Why?" lurking in everyday life; keep it precious within yourself.