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From Kanagawa Prefectural Kibogaoka High School

During his junior high and high school years, he grew up in an environment where he learned to be self-disciplined and tackle things on his own, rather than having things forced upon him. While this spirit served him well after entering university, he says he "fell into a dilemma, unable to form a concrete vision for the future." What saved him was the university's internationally rich environment and an educational system that gave him time to immerse himself in finding what he wanted to do. A field of study he encountered by chance became his dream, and he says that foreign countries, which he had no interest in before, became more familiar. He is grateful for the university life that sparked his dream of becoming an architect active abroad, and he hopes to give back.

[*] The student's academic year at the time of the interview (June 2019).

Both my junior high and high school had a distinctive culture that encouraged us to not only study but also to put our all into club activities and events, to find what we love for ourselves, and to move on to the next stage. There were almost no school rules, and at first glance, it seemed free. But freedom actually comes with the greatest constraints; you have to find your own discipline, regulate yourself, and live with self-responsibility. I'm very grateful to my parents because they let me decide my own path from childhood to the present. In each case, I was drawn to that unique school culture and chose my path believing it was where I could grow the most. True to the school's culture, during my high school life, I was able to give my all not only to the hardball tennis club—which I started in elementary school and captained in junior high and high school—but also to the sports festival and school festival in my third year, even as they overlapped with my exam studies.

I spent most of my high school days immersed in club activities, so honestly, I hadn't thought much about my path to university. I couldn't even begin to imagine a vision for my future beyond that. I started studying for entrance exams around the beginning of my third year of high school, but I wasn't aiming for Keio from the start. I think I only began to consider it around the summer of my third year. My reasons for choosing it were, first, that I liked physics and thought the Faculty of Science and Technology, where I could use it, would be a good fit. And second, that there is a one-year grace period after enrollment before you have to choose a department, which directly connects to your specific career path. I was anxious about not having a clear vision for my future. But when I consulted a senior who had gone to Keio University, he told me about the "Gakumon System[*]," a system where you can choose your department when you advance to your second year based on the interests you've developed after a year of study. I found it very appealing and immediately set my sights on getting in.

[*] Gakumon System: A unique system at the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology where students select one of five "Gakumon" (academic fields) at the time of the entrance exam. After enrolling, they gradually narrow down their desired field of study based on their interests and decide on their department when advancing to the second year.

Yes, I've now discovered the field of "architectural design" and am aiming to work at a design firm overseas. This is a profession I hadn't even considered when I first enrolled. In the first year after enrolling, you search for what you want to do while taking various lectures. At one point, I was one credit short in my general education courses and casually took an architecture lecture. At first, I had no interest in it at all—I didn't even know the lecture existed. But once I took it, I found it fascinating and got hooked. I became absorbed in it to a degree that surprised even me. What's even more interesting is that many of the students who chose the architecture track, like me, hadn't originally intended to study architecture from the beginning. This is a feature that sets it apart from architecture departments at other universities, which tend to attract students who were already set on architecture. I think this environment, where students from different backgrounds learn from each other while leveraging their respective strengths, is a unique and wonderful aspect of the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology.

From my own experience, I believe it was very helpful that I was able to build a solid foundation, including general education, without narrowing my field during my first year of undergraduate studies. Having a multidisciplinary perspective allowed me to approach the discipline of architecture from various angles, and I'm really glad it broadened my horizons. On the other hand, in terms of "mastering a specialized field," one could say that we inevitably start our specialized studies a year later than architecture departments at other universities. That's where the spirit of self-discipline I cultivated in junior high and high school came into play. I proactively made time for self-study, built up knowledge from specialized books, and was motivated by the desire to catch up and surpass others. In that sense, I feel that my personality was a great match for the university's culture and learning system. By the end of my second year, I started making architectural models, producing one every one to two weeks. It was time-consuming at first, so I sometimes had to give up my holidays or pull all-nighters. But the joy and sense of accomplishment when I created something I was satisfied with were immense, and the accumulation of each of those experiences is what I draw on today.

As I approached my fourth year, the process of choosing a research lab began. There are three professors in architectural design, each with their own unique style. I was interested in an approach that designs buildings and entire sites from an urban perspective, so I chose Professor Radović's lab, where we study urban space and architectural design. For example, we are given a challenge like, "What kind of architecture is needed for the next generation of Ginza?" To tackle this challenge, we first need to research and analyze the area's characteristics, such as the fact that "Ginza has very few residents, and the majority of people flow in from outside the area." Based on that, we consider what kind of facilities would attract people and what kind of architecture is needed to create a flow of people, starting from the design of the entire urban space and then refining it down to the design of a single building. It's extremely interesting because you can think about architecture from multiple perspectives. However, one thing I was worried about when I first joined the lab was that "the professor doesn't speak any Japanese." Of course, all communication and presentations in the lab are in English. I couldn't speak any English at all, so I started from a point where I had no idea what anyone was saying.

Perhaps because I've always been the athletic type, I never had the mindset of "I won't go because I can't speak" or "I won't do it because it's hard." I had the momentum to just jump in and figure it out as I went. Another feature of my current lab is the large number of international students. They were very kind, spoke slowly for me, and never gave up on communicating. By studying during breaks and talking with the international students, I found that I could speak English by the time I was in my fourth year. I believe you learn English by putting yourself in an environment where you have no choice but to speak it and by realizing its importance. That environment sparked my interest in other countries, and starting from the summer of my first year in the master's program, I studied abroad for a year and a half.

In my lab, it's relatively common for students to study abroad. In my case, one of the universities I did joint research with during my first visit to Croatia was Politecnico di Milano. While studying there, I came to want to attend Politecnico di Milano, the most prestigious university in Italy. However, even when I decided I wanted to study abroad, I didn't know the specific steps to take. That's when I turned to the university's International Center. They kindly consulted with me about studying abroad and told me about the "double degree program[*]," which allows you to study at both Keio University and a partner university abroad to earn two degrees. I was then able to study abroad in Milan. While there, I was in an environment with students from various countries, absorbing their different perspectives, and my horizons expanded as my conventional wisdom was overturned one after another. In terms of architectural studies, unlike the broad categories of cities and spaces we learn in Japan, they have a strong focus on the design of individual buildings—for example, "What height should the windows be set at when making this wall?" or "What materials should be used?" Japanese architecture tends to be divided into three separate parts: aesthetic design, structural design, and equipment design. But there, I was able to re-examine architecture from a composite perspective, which was an excellent experience.

[*]double degree program: A system where students who complete a curriculum prepared under an agreement between the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology and a partner institution can simultaneously obtain master's equivalent degrees from both schools. For example, the Keio University Graduate School of Science and Technology sends two of its graduate students to Politecnico di Milano, while also accepting two graduate students from Politecnico di Milano.

Yes, it had a huge impact. I used to be indifferent to both English and studying abroad, but now, conversely, I'm thinking, "I want to work at an urban and architectural design firm overseas." Currently, I'm hoping to find a job at an architectural firm in Scandinavia. Scandinavia was an early adopter of designing cities and buildings with consideration for the environment. As an architect, I also want to "create what is needed in harmony with nature and the environment," rather than just making what I want to make, so I really resonated with that approach. This is something Professor Radović taught me, but the required conditions and environment should differ for each region. I want to be involved in designing cities and buildings that meet the needs of a town and benefit it.

I'm in the middle of my job search right now. There aren't many Japanese people who have found jobs at overseas design firms and had long careers there, so aiming for that is a challenge in itself. There aren't many precedents, so I'm feeling my way through it, but again, Professor Radović is the one I can rely on. He really values unprecedented challenges and dreams and supports me wholeheartedly. As for the process of job hunting abroad, I applied by sending my portfolio and a statement of purpose through the English websites of the companies I want to work for. Now, all I can do is wait for a response and hope they're interested. In this process, Professor Radović draws on his extensive international experience to give me precise advice and even introduces me to overseas companies, so I truly trust him and consult with him about everything. He gave me, someone with no vision for the future, a dream I had never even considered, and he even cheers me on. I can't thank Keio University and Professor Radović enough for providing me with such an environment. In the future, I hope to give back by forging a new path for myself.