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Reason for pursuing the doctoral program

Would like to research again

I started studying Christian culture when I entered the Faculty of Theology at Sophia University. During my undergraduate days, I spent huge amount of days studying more than I ever had before, and after graduating I joined an apparel company. Even though I had my own answers to these questions, I felt a bit of contradiction and thirst for my research.

While working hard, I told myself, "The only way to quench this thirst is to return to research." after working for a year, I decided to study in the Doctoral Program at the university again. Since then, I have researched about "How to live a fulfilling life" and "What it means to die" comparing various religions, not just Christianity, and without limiting myself to any one particular religion.

The reason I decided to go on to a doctoral course was because I wanted to develop the research I conducted during my master’s course. However, I didn't go straight on to a doctoral course after completing my master's course, but instead carefully considered which specialist field I should go into. This was because I was unsure whether to base my research on fashion from a sociological perspective or on the expression of death from a death-studies perspective, so during this period I consulted university professors in each of these specialist fields and attended academic conferences, while also seeking to find a direction for my research. Ultimately, I decided that by pursuing research from a death-related perspective, I would be able to delve more deeply into the cultural expressions of modern society, and so I chose the Graduate Program in Applied Religious Studies. In the future, I would like to broaden my research horizons by applying not only to fashion, but also to other fields such as music and literature.

Research objective

An exploration based on the perspectives of fashion and death studies

The research I am working on aims to explore how people's spirituality manifests itself through fashion, and to investigate its cultural and contemporary significance. I will examine the impact of an individual's view of the body, the world, and life and death on the creation and wearing of clothes, and clarify the "cultural spirituality" of fashion based on the findings of research into spirituality in religious studies.

The attractiveness of SPRING

Best research environment, with more time and energy for my mind and body

I feel very grateful for the financial support. I think the biggest difficulty for graduate students in continuing their research is how to cover their living expenses. Until I was accepted into the SPRING program, I had to work four part-time jobs at the same time, so it was difficult to focus on my research due to lack of time. However, now I have a good environment in which I can concentrate on my research, and I am very grateful for that. As I have more time to research than ever, I am now able to participate in academic conferences not only in Tokyo but also in other parts of the country. I could make connections with professors I met at these events, receiving new learning opportunities. I really feel like I have taken the first "0.1" step towards becoming a researcher since choosing this program.

Furthermore, I had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of events. For example, I took part in the MIRAI Project, a week-long program in Stockholm, Sweden. In particular, through lectures on themes such as the economy and environmental issues, I learned about the importance of environmental protection in business and the current state of technological innovation to protect the environment in the future on that program, I found it difficult at first because the themes were very different from my major especially since it was all in English. I tend to get stuck in a small frame when I concentrate on my own research, but I realized that I can find new perspectives by meeting people from different fields and learning about different fields. It was a valuable international learning opportunity to participate in the MIRAI Project, and it also gave me a good chance to think about the environment in relation to fashion.

I have also been taking part in more academic conferences and research in Japan, and when I took part in Sophia University's The Sophia researcher matching project, I received valuable comments from undergraduate students, faculty members and other people I don't usually have the chance to exchange opinions with. Fashion is something that is familiar to everyone as part of the basic necessities of life, so it attracts a lot of interest, and it was particularly impressive that many people were interested in research that re-examines it from the perspectives of "death" and "life". It was a valuable opportunity to deepen my research further, as I was able to experience the appeal of fashion research once again and make new discoveries.

I think that the research environment really differs depending on whether or not there is financial support and a variety of programs and support.

Future career prospects

Aim for a fruitful year by broaden my horizons further.

I have one year left as a SPRING student, and I would like to broaden the scope of my research by taking on challenges such as making presentations in different fields. I would like to make this year fruitful and continue to advance my research! Next year, I aim to complete my doctoral thesis, and I plan to develop my research by incorporating perspectives from sociology and cultural representation theory, while also going beyond the boundaries of the religious studies and death studies that I have presented on so far, and actively seeking opportunities to make presentations at academic conferences and other events.

Ultimately, I aim to deepen my expertise as a researcher and to become involved in education and research as a university faculty member.

For those interested in SPRING project

Something will start with your application to SPRING.

SPRING is a program that provides valuable opportunities to focus on research. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to receive support for studying abroad, and it should be a great opportunity for growth for those who are looking to the future as researchers. In addition, it is a valuable environment where you can meet and compete with doctoral students who are working on research in different fields at the same university. I would encourage you to take on this project.

If you don't try here, where will you try? It's a great opportunity. When you fill in the application form, it's a chance to organize your research content again, reconsider your future research, or update your research content as you go along, so this opportunity to create application documents is very important. I think it's also a good opportunity to practice creating documents for acquiring external funding from organizations such as the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.