17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students
KU Leuven / Online
18–20 August 2021

Reports by the Participants of the 17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral
Students
I applied to the 17th EASJ workshop following the suggestion of my supervisor, who was herself
a participant during her Ph.D. years. I was extremely glad to have been accepted and to have had
the chance to spend two intense days with other professional and highly prepared Ph.D. candidates
and experienced faculty members. Even though the workshop had to be held online again, due tothe worsening pandemic and the stricter travel restrictions, it was an extremely rewarding andproductive experience. As a first year Ph.D. candidate, it was an honor to share my preliminaryplan with other more advanced Ph.D. candidates and to get their insights on my work. All their
feedback has been valuable and allowed me to consider theoretical and methodological issues I did
not consider before.
I am also particularly grateful for the fruitful discussions we had during the panels and in the more
informal meetings, such as coffee breaks and online dinners. Sometimes, carrying out a Ph.D.
project can be a very solitary endeavor and we forget how essential insights from colleagues
working in other research fields and with other methodologies can be to our own work. Especiallyin this pandemic year, during which in-person events have been either cancelled or moved online,
it was a pleasure to find such a highly motivated group that was able to provide thought-provoking
feedbacks in a very kind way.
I am very grateful to the organizers and to Prof. Jan Schmidt who helped us build a community inwhich we felt safe to share both intellectual and personal matters. I would also like to thank Prof.
Daniel Poch for providing essential insights on my work, and all the other participants who
contributed with their research to create a productive space for inquiry.
Giulia Baquè
Ca’ Foscari University, Italy / Heidelberg University, Germany
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 more than one and a half years ago, I have listened to manydifferent voices on the ways how the pandemic reshapes academic practices. Some of the mostobvious remarks regard the struggles of not being able to go to the field, the limitations of creatinga network with peers, and canceled or postponed funding opportunities. A more positive
development, on the other hand, is the ability to join events all over the world through which very
specific knowledge is made available to a wider audience. In this light, I have been joining numerous
online lectures, roundtables, and workshops in and outside of the field of Japanese Studies
throughout these times. Yet, the 17th EAJS Ph.D. workshop was the first occasion where I feltthat the inability to physically meet did not take away from the success of the event.
Over the course of three days, the fifteen participants and senior scholars exchanged meaningful
thoughts, expressed personal doubts, and built genuine personal and professional relationships.

Discussing my Ph.D. project in this environment provided me with new insights and energy todevelop my research further. What I found especially valuable were the thought-provoking
conversations about academia as a work environment and the choices that our generation of young
scholars must make to determine its future direction. These discussions that combined both
personal and institutional topics stood out most for me during the two workshop days.
With the above I hope to illustrate that, rather than simply a platform for knowledge-sharing, the17th EAJS workshop provided a very intimate experience full of encouragement and care. I would
sincerely like to thank Prof. Dr. Jan Schmidt, Prof. Dr. Daniel Poch, Prof. Dr. Shimizu Yuichirō,Prof. Emeritus Dr. Willy Vande Walle, EAJS, the Toshiba Foundation, and the Japan Foundation
for making this possible. Further, I am particularly grateful to Dr. Deborah Giustini. Her personal
thoughts on my project were extremely helpful and our honest and open talk during the private
consultation session a valuable guidance for my future career.
Sarah Bijlsma
Freie Universitaet, Germany
The EAJS 17th Ph.D. Workshop 2021 was the highlight of my first year doing postgraduate
research. Not only did I have the opportunity to present my research in a time when doing so islimited, I also received a huge amount of helpful and constructive feedback on my ideas from bothpeers and the incredible supervisors. Yet the value of the workshop, I felt, lay in the ability to
network, collaborate and discuss in a friendly and encouraging atmosphere. After a year of working
from home in total isolation, I felt for the first time like part of a wider community of scholars,
which helped my confidence in myself and my research immensely.
Even over zoom, the conversation never felt awkward or stilted, as can occasionally happen whensocial events move online. The online dinners on day 1 and day 3 of the workshop really helped tocreate a relaxed environment, and any initial nerves I had were dissipated almost instantly. While
we did have a real laugh together, we also had moments of seriousness. In a roundtable, we
discussed numerous poignant themes such as life after the Ph.D., research and parenthood, andgender equality in academia. It was great to have such a ‘safe space’ to talk openly and freely about
these important issues with both supervisors and Ph.D. colleagues.
Particular thanks go to Prof. Dr. Jan Schmidt for his invaluable feedback and for making the entire
workshop a thoroughly enjoyable experience, but a huge thank you also goes to everyone involvedin making the event a success. I would advise anyone who is thinking of applying to the next EAJS
Ph.D. workshop to definitely give it a go.
Lauren Constance
Cardiff University, UK

In the light of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, possibilities for scientific exchange – let aloneinternational exchange – have been rare. Hence, I was especially excited about the opportunity tojoin the 17th EAJS Ph.D. Workshop of 2021 in Leuven. Even though the event was unfortunately
held as an online format, the organizers and senior advisors really made an effort to design theworkshop as interactive and vivid as possible.
The atmosphere was productive and appreciative during the whole time of the event. My fellow
Ph.D. candidates listened to the projects of others with interest and even after long hours in frontof the screen, thoughtfully asked questions and gave useful tips. It was enriching and motivating
to be given the chance to gain new insights and learn from the different perspectives andmethodological approaches of the interdisciplinary participants.
I especially would like to thank the senior advisors Prof. Dr. Schmidt, Dr. Giustini, Prof. Emeritus
Dr. Vande Walle, and Prof. Dr. Shimizu as well as Prof. Dr. Poch for their openness to share evenpersonal stories and their straightforward advice which I am truly grateful for. My advisor Prof. Dr.
Shimizu, who´s valuable comments I greatly appreciated, further stunned me by committing
himself to the Belgian time zone while actually being in Japan during the event.
I am very much looking forward to being part of the EAJS network and keeping in touch for theyears to come and to hopefully having the chance of getting together in person in the near future.
Katharina Dalko
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, GermanyFirst of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks for receiving the chance to be one of theparticipants of the 17th EAJS Workshop for Ph.D. Students. The Workshop was originallydesigned to be attended physically at KU Leuven from the 18 to 20 August 2021. As Covid-19 andits Delta variant caused an increase in the number of cases, the Workshop was moved and took
place online. Despite being skeptical about the online format, I wanted to take the best from thisgreat opportunity I was offered.
I think that the Workshop was useful in different ways. It was organized in four main panels which
gathered together the research projects of the participants in accordance to the field of study
and/or the thematic kinship. The presentation of each research project was followed by theremarks of the assigned Senior Advisor and by a discussion among all the Ph.D. students involvedin the workshop. I believe that the opportunity to receive feedback about the project from theexperts and the participants of the workshop constituted an important tool to improve the qualityof the research. Considering that each Ph.D. student and each advisor has different majors, theworkshop gave the possibility to think about your own research from a multitude of perspectives,
therefore becoming an ideal laboratory to exercise your skills and your “imagination” as researcher.
The workshop was not limited to the academic realm. Coffee breaks, dinners, and ad hoc sessions
were relevant moments during which the Ph.D. students and the advisors discussed important“academic life” related topics, such as mental health issues, life balance, and gender gap in
Academia.

My initial skepticism was replaced by new energy received through the Workshop. For this reason,
I want to express my gratitude to every single person that made this amazing experience possible.
Mattia Dello Spedale Venti
Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” Farizova, Italy

There is not a single activity nor element of the 17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students that
I would have planned otherwise. Despite the initial frustration after the communication that theWorkshop would turn out to be an online event and my assumption that so many opportunities
would have been lost, fortunately, I stood corrected. Professors and organizers have successfully
built a two-day event that little had to envy to some on-person events I have attended so far. Firstly,
the interdisciplinary character of selected students’ researches allowed me to delve into a wide rangeof Japanese studies disciplines that up to that moment I was only superficially aware of. Sessions
have been organized in such a way that presentations, although framed in quite different areas ofstudy, were still very approachable and no matter the background, all students could easily intervenewith comments or feedbacks. Secondly, participating senior supervisors came from different fields
of expertise allowing again for a diverse but always reliable wide range of high-quality feedbacks
and comments on students’ presentations. What I also personally and highly appreciated was the
keen and passionate participation of such supervisors in interacting with students and creating
genuine chances for open dialogue. Thirdly, besides the tight schedule allotted for students’research, the Workshop included several moments for more informal interactions, ending up to beprecious networking opportunities with both students and supervisors.
Lastly, I do believe the EAJS Workshop is a critical occasion especially for doctoral students who
do not have the chance to be supervised in the Japanese area studies at their home institution andseek to receive confirmation that their work is navigating towards the right path. Personally, finding
myself in such a situation, participating in the Workshop allowed me to regain confidence in thequality of my doctoral dissertation and boosting my commitment to enthusiastically carry out myresearch.
Giulia Dugar
Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy
Despite being in an American university, I was kindly admitted to the EAJS Ph.D. Workshop in
August 2021, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity. The workshop has helped me inadvancing my research in multiple ways.
First, I was motivated to sit down and write a proposal of my future research and think throughmy next steps carefully. Moreover, the fact that I had to present it to a group of people who were
not familiar with my ideas boosted my incentive to put my research into words carefully. Second,
I got the chance to meet people from my field of Japanese studies who were doing their researchin spheres totally different from mine, and it led to the variety of opinions and suggestions that I
was looking for. As my research is interdisciplinary, advice related to other disciplines besides art
and literature was extremely beneficial for me. Finally, it was my immense pleasure to connect withpeople in Europe. Despite the ongoing pandemic that somewhat spoilt the experience, I managed

to get to know marvelous scholars. On top of that, I did not expect to enjoy dinner events as muchas I thought! It might be awkward to eat in front of the screen, but I surprised myself when I talked
over several hours after the workshop was over with everyone in breakout rooms and fully enjoying
my time.
I would like to thank the organizers for this amazing opportunity, especially Lorenz Denninger andDr Jan Schmidt for going above and beyond for all participants, despite the challenging times.
Natalia Egorova
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
The workshop was a great experience for me and I was able to advance my dissertation project by
a big step. The interdisciplinary exchange was an enrichment for my own research and I got toknow a variety of topics, theories, and methods within the Japanese Studies which I was hardly
aware of. A unique feature of the workshop is the one-on-one consultation with senior supervisors.
My supervisor raised exactly the right and critical questions that had been bothering me for a longtime and so I was able to grasp my problems and prepare the next steps to solve them. Although
the workshop took place online, we were all able to get to know each other and engage in both ascientific and casual exchange. The interaction with each other was extremely respectful, so that it
was possible to openly communicate one's own problem areas within the scientific work and toreceive constructive and valuable feedback. Working on your first research project can be a solitary
experience, especially due to the current pandemic situation. I struggled moving from the periodof fieldwork, analysis of data, literature, and visual material into a phase of successive, routine
writing. The EAJS workshop provided me with the necessary motivation and energy to approach
my problem. The diversity and internationality of the participants was so inspiring that I realizedthat in the future I would like to work in a scientific environment with diverse and as international
as possible perspectives.
Thank you very much for this unique and encouraging experience!
Olga Isaeva
University of Bonn, Germany
The 17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students offered participants a great opportunity to gain
insight into young scholars’ current research regarding Japan, and gain feedback from peers andsenior researchers of Japanese Studies. While usual networking activities were not possible due towell-known circumstances, the organizers nevertheless managed to create an informal atmospheresurrounding the presentations and ample time to converse with other participants during thelunchbreaks and online dinners.
I personally enjoyed hearing about the diverse research topics and approaches, of which all werevery well thought through and deeply insightful. Discussing the various disciplines and researchinterests enabled me to see my own dissertation project from a new point of view and got me
thinking about integrating new approaches, like virtual ethnography, for gathering further data. It
was uplifting to hear about the various ways researchers manage to adapt to the challenges the
COVID-19 pandemic holds for conducting fieldwork around the globe and create fascinating

studies regardless of this difficult situation. Further, I am thankful for the openness andapproachability the senior advisors demonstrated in giving constructive feedback and sharing theirown experiences in academia in different settings all around the world during the roundtable“Daigaku-in wa deta keredo… then what?”
Overall, participating in this workshop enabled me to strengthen my own research approach andfigure out upcoming steps in my dissertation project, gain new insights in ongoing research
regarding Japan, and connect with peers from different universities and research backgrounds. As
exchange among likeminded peers is something of a rarity in the current times, and networking
during online-conferences is limited, participating in this workshop was a highly welcome
experience.
Antonia Miserka
University of Vienna, Austria
Like last year, the 17th EAJS Ph.D. Workshop took place under adverse circumstances due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. I was initially disappointed that the workshop had to be moved to an online
format, as it would have been an exciting prospect to meet other Ph.D. candidates and scholars inperson after more than a year of online courses, lectures, and meetings. However, the organizing
team from KU Leuven and the EAJS, especially Prof. Dr. Jan Schmidt and Lorenz Denninger, dida great job of putting on an online workshop that created a productive as well as collegial
atmosphere among the participants.
I applied for the workshop because I hoped to receive valuable feedback on my dissertation project,as I am still in the early stages of my Ph.D. work. Furthermore, I had hoped to get new impulses
for my project through the exchange with other Ph.D. candidates and scholars, helping me to lookbeyond my own horizon. These hopes have been more than fulfilled. My senior advisor Dr. Daniel
Poch not only helped me to find the gaps and missing links in my dissertation outline, but he also
provided me with a list of recommended reading and advice on working as a researcher in a moregeneral sense. The feedback from my cohort, especially those outside my discipline, also helped
me to look at fundamental parameters of my project in a new light and to rethink them where
necessary.
I cannot emphasize enough what a valuable experience the EAJS Ph.D. Workshop has been, andI would like to thank the EAJS and everyone involved. My sincere thanks also go to the Toshiba
International Foundation and the Japan Foundation for making this workshop possible.
Sarah Puetzer
University of Oxford, UK

On 18-20 August 2021, I had the privilege of attending the 17th EAJS Ph.D. Workshop, hosted
by KU Leuven. It was an immensely stimulating experience, both intellectually and socially, and I
will remember it for the rest of my life (although it may sound hyperbolic, I promise this last partis actually true!).
I was initially disappointed to learn that this year’s workshop would be held online due to the spreadof the delta variant of the now not-quite-so-novel coronavirus. I imagine that all participants –professors and Ph.D. students alike – would have preferred to meet in the flesh, since there isalways something lacking about virtual events. However, I want to commend the organizers fordoing such a good job with what they had been given – although the schedule was strenuous, there
was a definite sense of an ‘atmosphere’ throughout the workshop – probably the most tangible‘atmosphere’ at any digital event I have attended thus far. Here, I wish to highlight one particular
aspect of the workshop: On Thursday, the senior scholars had arranged a zadankai of sorts where
they shared their personal experiences and career advice regarding life after the Ph.D. Not only did
I learn much from this roundtable, but it was also a very warm and cordial discussion – for a brief
moment, I almost forgot the screens separating us!
I want to use this occasion to thank Professor Willy Vande Walle for his insightful feedback on myproject, as well as professors Jan Schmidt and Daniel Poch for their ideas and suggestions to myproject. I also want to thank all my fellow Ph.D. students for sharing their projects and feedback
throughout the workshop – it is humbling to think that I have been included in a group of suchbright minds. Also, I think I owe it to the Toshiba Foundation to say ‘thanks for dinner!’ – not tomention a thank you for funding the workshop itself.
Finally, on a personal note: A part of me was also relieved that I did not have to travel to Belgium
after all, since my newborn son, who was originally due to be born in July, chose to arrive
fashionably late: He was less than a week old by the beginning of the workshop, and I spent manyof our ‘coffee breaks’ changing diapers – my memories of my son’s first days on Earth will thus
forever be inextricably tied to the EAJS workshop – thank you all for making this a good thing.
Jonathan Puntervold
Aarhus University, Denmark
As a doctoral student that works between the disciplines of Japanese Studies and the Study ofReligion, it was an honor to participate in the 17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students to beheld at KU Leuven, Belgium. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from meeting
face-to-face. Nevertheless, I still felt like we met at KU Leuven due to the great atmosphere during
the workshop. I personally felt very connected and close to the supervisors and participants
throughout the whole time, which is most definitely thanks to the great organization of both the
EAJS and KU Leuven.
During the three days, we had the opportunity to present our projects, discuss academic life andchallenges as well as socialize. Presenting one’s own project in front of such a generous andintelligent audience from various disciplines not only made it very easy to feel confident, but also
made the conversations about our topics, methods and progress much more fruitful. Since thesupervisors and the Ph.D. students brought with them different perspectives from the sub
disciplines of Japanese Studies, such as history, linguistics, media and communication studies orsocial sciences, I considered the high-level debates extremely helpful in rethinking my own project.
Being able to receive input from experienced colleagues that took the time to intensively study
one’s thesis’ topic and give feedback from a new perspective aided me in taking into considerationa broader field of study. I value their advice.
Besides the high academic level discussions, the very supportive atmosphere of the workshop andthe one-on-one coaching sessions, I am grateful for the honest roundtable discussion about
academic life on the second day. In addition to the personal talks over dinner, we discussed theuncertainty about one’s future in academia as well as the many opportunities our globalized world
has to offer. Since we are now all connected thanks to the workshop, I felt a very strong sense of
belonging, equal respect and support from all sides, and I have to say that I am very thankful forhaving been able to participate in such a great workshop.
Dunja Sharbat Dar
Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
I am grateful to EAJS, Japan Foundation, and the Toshiba International Foundation for organizing
the 17th EAJS Ph.D. Workshop and for choosing me as one of the participants. Running theworkshop over two intense Zoom days without any issues is no small feat, and the tech team did
wonders in ensuring a smooth operation. I especially want to thank my workshop supervisor, Dr.
Jan Schmidt, and the other supervisors on the team for providing valuable feedback. Their feedback
and the questions and feedback from my fellow Ph.D. colleagues highlighted to me important
aspects in my writing and communication which would help me improve. As I am in the final
stages of my Ph.D., writing up these days, this was invaluable feedback and one I was very gratefulto receive.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the social distancing it brought with it led to a slight sense of
disconnection and isolation over the past 18 months, but the organizers of the workshop managed,
together with the supervisors and the attendees, to create a welcoming, collegial atmosphere, where
Ph.D. students and established and experienced academics could share opinions, ideas, andtechniques. It was a pleasure also to hear about others’ research and the variety and scope of topics
they cover. The discussions were interesting, stimulating, engaging, and after a year of lockdowns
and social distancing, it was heart-warming to regain the sense of community again, an academic
community of scholars, who share curiosity about Japan which is at the root of all research. I am
looking forward to meeting everyone in person one day and continue to develop the friendships
we started in the workshop.
Julia Stolyar
SOAS University of London, UK

“Don’t do your Ph.D. alone!” was a piece of advice I received when I just embarked on my Ph.D.
last year. After an exhausting year of social distancing, I finally got to fully understand its meaning
during the 17th EAJS workshop for doctoral students. In addition to being an environment for me
to present and get feedback on my work, the workshop was a place where ideas were exchanged,
friendships were fostered, and inspiration was given.
I am extremely grateful to Prof. Shimizu Yuichiro for giving me a much-needed dose of reassurance
in what I am doing. Prof. Shimizu has given me many valuable suggestions on how to proceed
forward, i.e., who to contact, when to reach out, and what to read. I really look forward to meeting
him again at Keio University during my upcoming fieldwork. Besides, Prof. Jan Schmidt’s advice
for my future career also inspired me greatly, keeping me awake at night to think about the question“What’s next after the Ph.D.?”.
Throughout the workshop, I got to learn about multiple topics in Japanese studies from my fellow
Ph.D. candidates, which I was ignorant about. More importantly, I really enjoyed the fireside chats,
where we could discuss a variety of matters, from the life of a Ph.D. student to biases in climatechange discourse. I am greatly thankful to all my new friends and mentors for the inspiration.
Although we could not visit KU Leuven for the workshop this year, the online format was skillfully
executed. Hence, I would also like to thank the organizing team of EAJS for making this workshop
happen.
“Don’t do your Ph.D. alone!”. This tongue-in-cheek piece of advice has proven to be true. The
inspiration, the academic and emotional support, and the get-together dinners are all importantfactors that can push me towards the finish line. And the EAJS Ph.D. workshop has given me allof them.
Ngo Tu Thanh (Frank Tu)
Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany
I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Prof. Dr. Jan Schmidt, Mr. Lorenz Denninger,
and the rest of the organizing team from the Leuven Catholic University. Despite the fact that the
epidemiological situation did not allow us to meet physically, the organizers were successful increating a friendly yet academically stimulating atmosphere.
I applied for the 17th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students after hearing about it from my seniors.
My high expectations were fully met and now I consider the workshop as one of the mostmeaningful experiences during my Ph.D. candidate life so far. Moreover, considering that I am
studying in Japan and the pandemic disrupted much of the traditional scholarly exchange, themainly European audience helped me gain a fresh perspective on my doctoral dissertation.
In addition, on the second day of the workshop we had planned a roundtable during which we
enjoyed a very frank discussion regarding the career pathways of young academics. The senioradvisors offered us information about the challenges, but also the rewards of an academic career.
As Ph.D. candidates, we have numerous chances to receive feedback for our research, but there
are little opportunities to gain clarity about what follows after getting our degrees. For this reason,
I personally think that the roundtable was one of the highlights of the workshop.

Lastly, I would like to thank Prof. Emeritus Dr. Willy Vande Walle for his careful reading andinsightful comments during the individual consultation. As I am entering the final year of my Ph.D.
program, the whole experience gave me more confidence that I will be able to finish my project.
Alin Gabriel Tirtara
Osaka University, JapanWe gratefully acknowledge financial support for this event from: