COMMUNICATIONS

Kyoto Research Park, a scientific research zone for the advancement of industrial technology, extends to the south of Gojō Hichihonmatsu in Kyoto’s Shimogyō ward. I recall that the area where the Park is located was one of the candidate sites proposed by the city of Kyoto for the location of International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken). There was a possibility that Nichibunken would be located there.

What would it have been like if Nichibunken had been built there? Commuting to work would have been fast. The site is close to JR Tanbaguchi Station, a 4 to 5 minute train ride from Kyoto Station. Its location and convenience would have been perfect for team research and international meetings. Projects to integrate the humanities and science in cooperation with the scientific research institutes clustered at the Park would have gained great momentum. And the prestige of our esteemed institution might have fared better in the eyes of the education authorities.

All such possibilities notwithstanding, Nichibunken was built in foothills of the mountains on the western side of the Kyoto basin, far away from the city center. Let us have no regrets, recognizing how fitting is this location for fostering the rich brew that sustains knowledge informed by the humanities.

Kyoto Research Park where the International Conference of East Asian Consortium of Japanese Studies was held in October 2018.