UK JSPS Alumni Association

JSPS Fellow's Experiences in Japan

Dr Nicolas Delerue

(Particle Physics Sub-Department, University of Oxford)

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for foreign researchers (Long-Term)

Host Institution; High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (October 2002-October 2004)



Being a JSPS fellow in Japan


Together with Europe and the United-States, Japan is a major player of modern science but unfortunately European graduates looking for a post-doctoral position tend to overlook Japan. They miss a very good opportunity to do first class science in a very interesting country.


I have spent two years in Japan as a JSPS fellow. I was living in the city of Tsukuba near Tokyo and worked at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (KEK). Tsukuba is sometimes called �gTsukuba Science City�h. It was built in the 70s to relocate major research organisations (such as KEK) which could not find the space they needed in the center of the Tokyo metropolis. Thus Tsukuba with only 200 000 inhabitants has many different research labs covering all the spectrum of Science. This means that they are many scientists in Tsukuba and many foreign scientists (mostly JSPS postdoctoral research fellows). Several groups and mailing lists gather foreign scientists and allow them to share their experience of Japan.


KEK is the biggest High Energy Physics laboratory in Asia and thus it is coordinating the particle physics research effort all over Asia. Soon after my arrival at KEK I was surprised to see that despite its huge responsibilities the KEK workforce was rather small. One of my colleagues explained to me that Japanese laboratories work very closely with the industry and thus there is very little �gin-house�h support staff. In Europe research prototypes are usually prepared in workshop belonging to the institution and only once the prototype is ready will the industry be asked to mass produce it. In Japan on the other hand, the industry is asked to produce even the very early prototypes of a system. This means that the technology transfer naturally happens as the prototype evolves to its final form. This approach is more expensive but gives more flexibility to the researchers and helps the industry be at the front of the technology.


One of the main worry of a foreign visitor to Japan is the language. Not all Japanese speak English and most of the Japanese who have learned English do not have the opportunity to speak it very often. But if they speak English Japaneses (especially students) will be glad to find somebody to practice with. Even when they do not speak English, Japaneses will be very happy to help as they can and they will do significant efforts to bridge the language separation. Most of the street sign are written both in Japanese characters and in Latin characters, and thus the traveler is always able to find its way. Of course you will enjoy much more your stay in Japan if you learn Japanese beforehand but if, as it happened to me, the last corrections to your thesis do not leave you the time to learn Japanese, you should not be afraid of going to Japan without having learned Japanese.


The Japanese culture has been for me a source of surprises. Japan being an island a lot of dishes contain fish or sea-products but it is also possible to find other tasty food. Some of the Japanese food can be very surprising to foreign people (fermented soy beans, raw fish, octopus,...) but it is always also possible to find dishes that are much closer from what we are used to in Europe. I was also surprised by the Japanese �greligion�h: Shinto. Shinto believers respect trees, natural things and most objects as being gods. Shinto shrines are usually set in beautiful and peaceful settings (even in the middle of busy cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto). Japan has a lot of interesting sights to offer. Tokyo and Kyoto are probably the most famous but my favorite is a Shinto shrine located on the island of Miyajima near Hiroshima...


The most important parameter to consider before choosing a postdoctoral fellowship is the scientific opportunities that it will open to you. Scientifically Japan is one of the countries leading the world. At a time where science becomes more and more global knowing how science is made in Japan can only be advantageous in a scientific career. But Japan has much more to offer than just scientific labs: Japanese culture is certainly worth knowing.


I have been back to Japan several times and received a grant to collaborate with Japanese colleagues. Most of the foreign postdocs that I know who have spent time in Japan are also looking forward to return Japan. If you are looking for a postdoctoral fellowship an are open to other cultures I would encourage you to seriously consider Japan...


See also �gResearch as a foreign scientist in Japan�h
http://nicolas.delerue.org/researchjapan/


At JSPS Programme IntroductionEvent at King's College London on 20th November



Dr Nicolas Delerue
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