There was an article in the Japan Times in early June on the problems facing anyone who wants to develop a long-term career in Japanese academia.

The Japan Times Online
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070605zg.html

The author (Peter Osborne) points out the contrast between the reasonably easy to obtain and well-supported short-term JSPS Fellowships and the prospects of an actual job as a junior lecturer or researcher after the 2-3 year JSPS Fellowship runs out. He points out that very few universities offer any prospect of employment outside the insecure world of a temporary research assistant, so “many capable foreign scientists leave Japan frustrated after their work experience”.

There is some truth in his article, but it is focused rather on universities and ignores the more international research institutes at Tsukuba and elsewhere where sometimes an overseas researcher can find a more permanent job after the expiry of the JSPS Fellowship. But it is undoubtedly true that most Fellows do return to their native country rather than seek to develop their career in Japan. It’s thus a good idea to keep in contact with your old research field while in Japan so it may help you find a position when you return.

Last week I went to Tohoku University Environmental Sciences Faculty which is trying to fuse humanities, science and engineering into Masters and Doctorate degrees in various aspects of environmental science. There is one particularly interesting new course- on ‘Human Security’ which encompasses global health, environment, food as well as energy security. This may be quite timely given the increasingly stress on global systems of continued population growth, economic development and climate change. Anyone interested look at
“Human Security and Environment” program
The Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University
― Guidance for Entrance Examination for April / 2008 ―
http://www.kankyo.tohoku.ac.jp/adm/h11.pdf

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Japan is always very colourful. Even in winter, Camelias bloom throughout.
Most university campuses will have planted Japanese cherries (Sakura) and in late March into April (depending on where you are) they come out reminding everyone that Winter is over.
There is a tradition of gathering at lunchtime or evening with friends-always on a blue plastic sheet -to drink beer and sake and eat sometimes quite elaborate picnics.
Then as soon as the cherries have gone it is not long before Wisteria and Azaleas continue the blaze of colour until the summer.

Here are some photos of my University campus in Nagano.

I mentioned learning Japanese. This is not easy.

Japan has two ‘alphabets’ (Hiragana and Katakana) each over 40 ‘phonetic letters’ and of course a limitless number of Chinese characters (Kanji).
Because many of the spoken sounds for the kanji are the same, the sound of words, and words expressed in English letters (Romaji) hold considerable scope for misunderstanding.

However do not despair - I have met many researchers in the last 6-7 years and most, to be honest, had not devoted much time to learning Japanese.
In the major ‘international’ labs at Tsukuba or Tokyo, most of their colleagues are good at English and Japanese is optional. However if you are going to a university lab then you may find that Japanese is more important.

In any case learning Japanese is a distinct advantage for your social life and the JSPS Fellowships usually have some Japanese training attached to them.
My advice for what it's worth is that if you're serious it's best to jump in at the deep end, forget about shortcuts such as romaji and start trying to grapple with the Kanji.
“Japanese For Busy People” takes a more practical approach than some of the other textbooks favoured by language schools and is designed for self-study if you're really keen! Best to look upon it as a hobby until you find a better one!

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I have been asked to do a blog which may be useful to scientists thinking about coming to Japan for research fellowships. I’m not actually in that position so can’t give direct advice, but I met many researchers from UK and other countries when I worked at the British Embassy (1999 to 2004) and have been a prof in a Japanese university since 2004. So maybe some of that experience may be of interest if you’re thinking about Japan for your research career.

Researchers I have met had a variety of reasons for coming to Japan. Sometimes it had to do with the research, sometimes an interest in the culture, sometimes a Japanese girlfriend (most of the researchers I met were male). The overwhelming majority had no regrets and enjoyed their time here, but just one or two had problems which marred their stay. So my overall message is encouraging and reassuring but with just a couple of caveats. Many researchers go to the concentration of research units near Tsukuba Science City, where the working language is generally English, and generally international attitudes prevail. Some however go to universities where you can’t take it for granted that English will be dominant. Particularly if you are thinking of doing research towards a masters or doctorate, it is worthwhile double-checking that the thesis can be submitted in English before you commit. I know of one case where the local department rules precluded anything but Japanese and this caused awful problems for the overseas graduate student involved. In university research groups, you will have to work closely with your Professor, so it wise to satisfy yourself that you can work with him/her.

I taught at Tokyo Institute of Technology for two years; this is a very international University with well over a thousand overseas students and graduate students. I show you three photographs from that time - one of the entrance in the cherry blossom season; one of part of my innovation class with many nationalities; and a new course we put together on science communication. Universities like Tokyo Tech will have no trouble accommodating English speakers. However in my current university, overseas students comprise a much smaller fraction and English cannot be taken for granted. You will want to learn Japanese just to make your daily life easier, but more about that later.

http://www.im.shinshu-u.ac.jp/index.html

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