Profile

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, I majored in English literature at university and the graduate school. Now I teach at universities in Japan and contribute some essays on Japanese music magazines. I am also a director of Association of Pop Culture Studies.

My subjects of study are contemporary English poetry, poetry and music. I research R.S.Thomas's poetry as a main subject for years. Recently I am also concerned in the Welsh culture and working on Welsh popular music scene especilally since 90s.

My critical essays on the English literature includes 'There is no "Drummer Hodge" -- on the mental changes of Thomas Hardy's war poetry' , 'Structure in the Poetry of Thomas Hardy -- The Seventh Chord of Restlessness', 'On "Young Man" in W.B.Yeats's symbol drama, At the Hawk's Well', 'Thomas Hardy and Benjamin Britten's Winter Words -- Fusion of poetry and music', 'Into the depth of Wales--R.S.Thomas at Manafon', 'The Labourers drawn by religious poets, G. M. Hopkins and R.S.Thomas', 'To Return To The Welsh Hills -- On R.S. Thomas's Poetry For Supper', 'Looking at the ground -- Early stage of R.S.Thomas', 'Darkness in Wales, Which Young R.S. Thomas confronts', 'Into the Green Darkness: searching for Welsh Eden'. They are all written in Japanese and contributed to some review magazines.

I also have been studying Welsh popular culture recently, and an essay finally emerged in May 2005. It is called "Wales, A Land of Songs, and Comtemporary Welsh Popular Songs -- The Youth Singing about Wales" and included in A.P.O.C.S. no.3. This essay traces musical movements from Acts of Union to the year 2000 and deals with a deep linkage between the Welsh people's traditional choiring hymns and rock songs by contemporary Welsh rock bands like Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, and Super Furry Animals.

At the end of the year, I wrote a special article, 'Wales Sound Travel,' where I took photos and interviwed the inhabitants in Wales, as well as I wrote an introduction & travel diary. It contains special bonus CD which includes the interviews which I gave and recorded!

The first half of 2006 was really busy! I gave two presentations. One of them is 'R.S. Thomas and Welsh -- Between Two Languages,' on 13 May 2006 at the Cymdeithas Astudiaethau Cymraeg yn Japan third meeting and the other 'Between Gaps -- R.S.Thomas's Iago Prytherch Poetry' on 10 June 2006 at The Society of English Studies 120th meeting. In both of them, of course, I considered R.S.Thomas's poetry. I also gave a presentation called 'Poetry & Lyrics in Wales In and After 1984-85 Great Strike' on 29 July 2006. Here I collected and considered poetry and lyrics written in & after 1984-85 Great Strike by Anglo-Welsh poets.

I also have written articles about music including 'Looking Through the Eyes of a Child -- Pete Sinfield's Poetical World,' serialized in a monthly Japanese music magazine.

My special feature article called 'Sound Journey around UK and Ireland' was published in November 2006. This includes my travel diary, photos & interviews given by myself through Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland & Wales.

The Welsh Festival 2008 was held in March, 2008, in Osaka, JAPAN and run a booth to introduce Welsh popular music using DVD, photographs, and my small article written for this festival only.

Did Neoliberalism Change English Literature? (Shin-jiyushugi ha bungaku wo kaetaka), edited by Toshimitsu Somura (Hosei University Press, 2008), was published in March 2008. This book includes my essay called "The Mineless Valley -- Anglo-Welsh Poetry In the time of and After Great Strike 1984-85."

I gave a presentation entitled as 'R.S.Thomas: Iago Prytherch's Landscape' at the Cymdeithas Astudiaethau Cymraeg yn Japan 7th meeting on 17 May 2008.

I published an English text book for university students and it is called The 9/11 Commission Report Digest in May 2008. The text is taken from The 9/11 Commission Report -- Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States.

In Feburary 2009, The 9/11 Commission Report Selections, an English text book for university students, was published. This book tells you more detailed facts on 9/11 than the previous The 9/11 Commission Report Digest.

I and my two friends held an event to introduce the Welsh culture at a venue called UMU, Roppongi, Tokyo JAPAN, on 25 Februray 2009. We made speeches on Wales as a country, Welsh language and Welsh music. 3 days after, on 28 Februray 2009, I also made a speech on Welsh contemporary popular music at 'Wlesh culture festival 2009' in Osaka.

On 28 February 2011, Hillary Clinton Online: Yes We Will, an English text book for Japanese university students, was published.

On 28 May, 2011, I gave a lecture entiled Coming Down From the Hill -- Facing the Real World / R.S.Thomas in Eglwys-fach at the meeting held by Japan Wales Society.

On 20 July 2011, Welsh Basic (Ueruzu-go no Kihon), the very first Japanese guide book to learn basic colloquial Welsh Language co-written by Takeshi Koike, was published in Japan by Sanshu-sha Ltd. This book consists of twenty chapters, each with a lively dialogue, useful vocabulary and grammatical points. It also contains 20 interesting essays on Welsh culture, Welsh place name list and abundand glossary. This is definitely the best to begin to learn both the Welsh language and the Welsh culture.

On 28 Oct 2011-14 Feb 2012, I published my third (or fourth) English text book for Japanese university students, The World Watches Japan. This contains 16 chapters including English news paper articles from around the world.

And, then, I finally published A Journey to Celtic Britain and Ireland (52 chapters). This is the one which I have been wanting to release for these six years. This is a wonderful guide book for Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Manx and some parts of Celtic England through their music, legends and historical sites. It contains 174 Celtic music disk guides and abundant beautiful photographs(taken by the author). Written in Japanese.

In May 2014, I published an accademic essay called "Welshness on R.S.Thomas's Three Early Poems -- with translations" through Showa Women's University's Bulletin, Gakuen no. 833.
In 29 November, 2014, Encylopedia of British Culture, where I contributed two articles, one of which is on R.S.Thomas, is published by Maruzen Publishing Co., Ltd.

some of my books (Japanese only except Ue-ruzu Go no Kihon / The Basics of the Welsh Language)

Ue-ruzu Go no Kihon / The Basics of the Welsh Language* was featured on BBC WALES and WalesOnline on 25 August 2011! The World Watches Japan / Encyclopedia of British Culture* / J-Pop Culture on the Net* (* Click to the Amazon.co.jp) A Journey to Celtic Britain and Ireland (52 chapters)*

Apart from reading books of poetry, I am interested in music. I play some musical instruments including bass, electric uplight bass, synth-guitar, acoustic guitar and ukulele. I have written and played my own songs for more than 15 years but recently I prefer to play improvisations.

I am also fond of listening music. I love Toru Takemitsu, one of the greatest composers in the world. I also like to listen to other contemporary music (especially Ianis Xenakis and Steve Reich), avant-garde music, classical music (especially Igor Stravinsky, Richard Wagner and Mahler), free jazz (much love for Derek Bailey), jazz (especially Charile Parker and John Coltrane), techno, drum'n'bass, popular music, rock and....

I also like Kobo Abe, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, Science Fiction (not Science Fantasy!) and movies.

Any suggestions are welcome.
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