Ken Hicks, Reflections
I was the 26th Kohei Miura Visiting Professor, during the year of 1999. It was an experience that would change the direction of my research career and open my eyes to the wonderful culture of Japan. My wife, Terry Murphy, joined me for this 4-month experience.
When we arrived in Japan, we were met at the airport by hour host, Prof. Miyazima, who was serving in his first year as Director of the Center for International Programs. He was assisted by Yuko Yamada, who also welcomed us and provided much of the warm hospitality that is a hallmark of the visiting professor experience at Chubu University.
Our arrival date was just before April 1, when the new Japanese academic year starts. At the open ceremony at Chubu University, I remember that it was a beautiful spring day, with the cherry blossoms in full flower. It was an impressive vista that I still remember. Chubu University has the most beautiful campus of the many universities that I have visited in Japan. It was a pleasure to walk around when I had free time or to meet with the excellent Chubu faculty for research discussions.
In addition to the daily activities at Chubu campus, my wife and I had opportunities to do off-campus activities. These included a tea ceremony at Chancellor Yamada’s home, visits to other cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, and Hiroshima. Our visit to the Peace Museum at Hiroshima was one of the most moving experiences of our entire visit. I also fondly remember Founders Day, to celebrate the life of Kohei Miura, where I gave a short speech along with the other presentations that day. It was at that ceremony that I better understood the vision of Kohei Miura and the importance of his life’s work.
There were many other cultural activities that my wife and I found to be great experiences. For example, we were invited to visit the homes of some Chubu faculty. We were treated to go to the Kabuki theatre when it came to Nagoya. We went to Gifu prefecture to see the cormorant fishing at the invitation of Chancellor Yamada, along with Gerry Krzic who was teaching English at Chubu that year. We saw a koto musical concert in a splendid downtown theatre that featured the wife of Prof. Sato in the Chemistry Department. These, along with other experiences, were thoroughly enjoyable and shaped our understanding of Japanese culture.
The kindness of everyone we encountered in Japan, and especially those at Chubu University, is something my wife and I will always remember. It was an experience that I would recommend to anyone, in part because it helped us to see the world through the eyes of a different country. We will forever be grateful to Chancellor Yamada and the others at Chubu University for this life changing opportunity.