Research

In some ways, all of life is research. As I experience new aspects of life in England or have the privilege to presenting authentic Japanese culture to British people, I am able to add to my understanding of myself and other people. However, in a more formal sense, my research can be divided into two main areas:

1. Academic and quasi-academic investigation of comparative cultures, especially British and Japanese. The academic aspect of this is related to my ongoing postgraduate studies, while the quasi-academic is the application of the same methods, but to gather material for publication in a book.
2. Translating old Japanese texts on seki shu-ryu, and studying from masters of this rare form of cha-do, the way of tea, to understand how it influenced the rulers of Japan during the feudal period and gave rise to many enduring aspects of Japanese culture.

Through my professional activities as a lecturer of Japanese culture, as well as my social life with my husband in England, I am exposed to a variety of social situations, ranging from Royal Ascot to shopping for groceries, from discussion of manga and anime to deeply esoteric ceremonies dating back many hundreds of years. Each experience, however exotic or mundane, can become data for my ongoing research.

One recent example of this was my lecture on RP English (Recieved Pronunciation), which I presented to the pestigious Anglo-Japanese Friendship Society in Tokyo on the 10th and 11th November this year. In preparation for the lecture, I interviewed many British people in diverse places, such as Eton College and the East End of London. Although my aim was to get a sample of different accents and people's views on different ways of speaking English, the exercise also provided an interesting opportunity to see how such matters can be emotive for many British people. Explaining this to my Japanese audience allowed me to attempt to find similar issues within Japanese society.

Sharing ideas and exchanging information with other researchers is always welcome, so please contact me.

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