[No. 195] Naho Yashiro

Thank you for this opportunity to contribute to the Alumni Relay.

It has been less than two months since I became one of the Keio University alumni, but I wrote this article while reminiscing about my incredibly fulfilling student life at Keio University.

Since I was a child, I have been interested in places that humans have rarely reached, such as outer space and the deep sea. I had a strong desire to go to these unexplored places myself, but of course, there are extremely high hurdles for humans to actually go. A realistic approach is for a robot to go before a person does. Before I go, a robot I built will go first. With that in mind, I naturally became interested in robots. Following this line of thought, when it came to university entrance exams, I inevitably chose a university with a Department of Mechanical Engineering. I then entered School 4 of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University, and when it came time to choose my department in my second year, I proceeded to the Department of Mechanical Engineering without hesitation.

When choosing a laboratory in my fourth year, I selected the lab of Professor Genya Ishigami, who researches field robots, including space exploration robots. In the Ishigami Laboratory, from my fourth year as an undergraduate to my second year as a master's student, I consistently worked on the motion analysis of lunar vehicles. While there is a great deal of research on terrestrial vehicles in the world, there is still very little research on lunar vehicles. I could directly feel that I was making new discoveries, which made my research very enjoyable.

Separately from my research, I also participated as a team member in "Cybathlon," an international competition where people with disabilities and developers of advanced technology collaborate to tackle tasks necessary for daily life. Through this experience, I learned the fun and difficulty of developing as a team, as well as the sense of accomplishment that comes from releasing a developed product to the world and achieving results.

From my academic advisor, Professor Ishigami, I learned a great deal not only about research but also about other things, such as the spirit of an engineer and how to be a leader. My peers in the laboratory were very cheerful, and we had a wonderful time together. I received a lot of support not only from my seniors but also from my juniors. Spending my student life with a professor I respect and with fellow student members is a treasure to me.

Looking back a bit further to my undergraduate days, in addition to my studies, I did internships at companies, studied abroad, and traveled around the world as a backpacker. I thought I was good at English, but my academic English was still immature, and I was soundly beaten in both discussions and reports at my study abroad destination (but it was a lot of fun).

Traveling freely across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America as a backpacker nurtured my cross-cultural understanding and vitality. I truly made full use of the privileges of being a student. There is no doubt that these experiences have become a part of who I am today.

I would later start my own business as a student, but what sparked my interest in entrepreneurship was that a peer from my internship days had started a business. Until then, although I knew about the concept of student startups, I was convinced it wasn't a realistic option. Strangely enough, however, when you see people of your own generation around you starting businesses, you start to think that maybe you can do it too. After that, I spent my days participating in business contests, attending industry-academia collaboration courses at other universities, and searching for startup ideas. But I still couldn't bring myself to the point of realistically thinking about starting a business.

In 2020, the world was transformed by COVID-19. Student life also changed dramatically. With fewer opportunities to go out, I inevitably had more time to reflect on myself. It was also a time when I was thinking about my future path as a first-year master's student, and when I reconsidered what I truly wanted to do, the option of "entrepreneurship," which had been lingering in my mind, resurfaced. Don't I actually want to start a business after all?

I pulled out a business plan I had thought of during my undergraduate years. This was the idea for a marine-related business, which became the original draft for my current venture. I had no idea how to move forward with this idea, but somehow I felt I shouldn't give up. Based on this idea, in graduate school, I took an entrepreneurship training course (*) and participated in programs run by the national and local governments and other universities. Through these studies and activities, the idea gradually took shape, and I became determined to actually start a business and focus solely on this venture.

(* Entrepreneurship Training Course: Keio University offers this course to foster an "entrepreneurial mindset" in graduate students and contribute to the development of human resources who can create businesses in the future using their own research results and other advanced technologies as seeds.)

Currently, at MizLinx, Inc., the company I founded in my second year of my master's program, I am developing a marine observation system. It is now mainly used by people in the aquaculture industry, and we are developing it daily to help aquaculture farmers streamline their operations and support them in producing better fish. The company is not even a year old yet, and there are still many immature aspects, but every day I am thinking with all my might about how we can please the aquaculture farmers right in front of us.

In the future, I envision that it would be interesting if we could further develop the technology of this marine observation system to the point of undertaking deep-sea exploration. Beyond that, I dream of being involved in the exploration of celestial bodies in outer space that are said to have oceans. I dream that one day, a machine I built, and then I myself, will go to the world no one has ever been to, the world I longed for as a child.

Starting a business certainly has its difficulties, but it allows me to directly implement what I learned at university into society and see the users right in front of me be pleased. And I can implement the world I envision into reality. There is nothing else as enjoyable as this. To create better things, deliver them to more people, and make more people happy. To advance society with technology. I feel that this is my path in life.

The time you spend studying at university is a chance to devote yourself completely to what you love. And Keio University is a university that supports students' challenges and responds to their passion. With gratitude in my heart for Keio University, which provided me with such a blessed environment, and for the many people who have supported me, I will continue to strive to become a person who can contribute to the development of society.