Taka Suzuki, Reflections

In the summer of 2009, I was granted the opportunity to spend two months in Kasugai as the 35th Kohei Miura Visiting Professor at Chubu University.  As a political economist who studies about advanced industrial democracies, I was researching at that time how governments were responding to the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-8, and asking more broadly whether a global economic crisis of this magnitude would lead to the same kind of changes that we witnessed in the wake of the Great Depression. My time at Chubu provided me with the invaluable opportunity to explore these questions in depth in the context of Japan.  

For much of that time, I was joined by my wife and two children, and we had a wonderful time exploring the area. Although Chubu University is located near Nagoya, a major city in Japan, there were parts of Kasugai that felt more like the countryside. On the trip to the local supermarket, we would walk between rice fields marveling at the little frogs that were hopping across the pathway.  And in the mornings, we would wake up to the sounds of Tsuchiya Sensei (then Director of the Center for International Affairs) and his colleagues playing tennis right below the visiting faculty guest house.  

It is hard to convey to those who have never been to Chubu University just how much effort and care the people there put into their relationship with Ohio University.  During our stay, the various members of Chubu’s Center for International Affairs were always looking out after us, helping us make the most out of our experience in Japan. To this day, our family recalls fondly the time when Amy Oya and her husband took us out for a wonderful dinner to an Okinawan restaurant that served goya champuru. Who could have imagined that bitter melon and spam would pair so nicely.

In closing, it is important to note that the kindness and care that we received at Chubu University extended all the way to the very top. My wife and I recall very fondly being invited to Chairman Ohnishi’s home to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which was then followed by a delightful dinner prepared by a guest chef from a traditional Japanese restaurant.  We were joined by other members of Chubu’s leadership, and throughout the evening Chairman Ohnishi regaled us all with many wonderful and detailed stories of his time spent throughout the years with various people from Ohio University.   It is very rare to find an international partnership between two universities that is as long and extensive as the OU-Chubu partnership, and I am grateful that i was able to spend a special moment with one of the key figures that has made this possible

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