Victoria James (Daiwa Scholar 1999)

The Daiwa Scholarship has taken me in directions I could never have anticipated when I applied in 1998.

At the time I was living in Rome, completing a doctorate on the philosophy of language and working in the Vatican archives every morning. A year later, I was nose in kanji dictionary for the better part of the day, studying at Tokyo's Naganuma School every morning. Two years on again, I am still in Tokyo, where I edit the Re:Arts section and Bilingual page of The Japan Times daily newspaper, and write regularly for the U.K.'s New Statesman magazine on Japanese society and related issues.

What brought me out here was a love of Japanese literature (those Italian afternoon were mainly spent sitting by a fountain reading translations of Junichiro Tanizaki, Miyazawa Kenji and others...) I never expected to master the language sufficiently within the span of the Daiwa scholarship to be able to read these books in the original Japanese, but I wanted some deeper sense of what they might be like, how much had changed in translation-and whether the world they represented still existed in contemporary Japan, about which I was no less intrigued.

A poor linguist, I was apprehensive about my ability to master Japanese, and whether I would be able to cope with going 'back to the classroom.' In many ways I was pleasantly surprised: the teaching is so intensive that one graduates from the Naganuma School able to say a good deal indeed-an ability compounded by the homestay experience. The teaching system is old-fashioned pedagogy, geared to an Asian rather than Western style of learning (some 80% of Japanese-language students are Korean or Chinese), and requires some mental adjustment. While a beginner, I found myself enjoying the efficient, drill-style of teaching, although frustration set in at a higher level when I wanted to express myself more in classes rather than parrot back a textbook response.

Yet the emphasis on language learning is one of the great aspects of the Daiwa program, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Very few Western expatriates in Japan, be they business people or JET teachers, have access to the Japanese language in the way that you will after just 6 months of learning. Throughout your life you'll enjoy the kudos of having mastered one of the world's most difficult languages!

But Daiwa is about much more than language: it will give you a real insight into a part of the world still little understood in the West. You will make friends from all walks of life, not only Japanese but those from other Asian countries, and also fellow expatriates with fascinating career histories who could inspire you for further overseas adventures of your own.

It is the Japanese people, though, who will make your time over here. The older generation are warm and courteous, while younger people are wonderfully outgoing, interested, friendly and enthusiastic. Many speak good English-which you will appreciate during your first six months-but are delighted to hear foreigners speaking Japanese, which you will appreciate once you have mastered the basics and are keen to try your language skills out!

What really makes the Daiwa program unique among other Japan-bound or academic scholarship programs, though, it that it doesn't neglect your career interests either. I accepted the Daiwa program uncertain as to whether I wanted to follow an academic or journalistic path, and looking for an intellectual change of scene after seven unbroken years on the university treadmill.

While I was a scholar, Daiwa offered a 3-month part-time then 3-month full-time work placement in the last 6 months of the scholarship. I chose to split mine, working for 3 months at Sophia University's journal of Japanese Studies, 'Monumenta Nipponica', then travelling for the final 3 months. During this time I went from Okinawa to the deep north of Honshu, submitted travel articles to The Japan Times and sent a speculative piece to the New Statesman that led to further commissions and, now, a regular slot.

At the end of my scholarship, I decided that these professional connections warranted a longer stay in Japan. I joined The Japan Times shortly after my scholarship ended, and now enjoy a stimulating, friendly and highly professional working environment on the Arts and Features desk there. My Naganuma teachers would doubtless smile at my responsibility for the Bilingual page, while I also oversee the weekly Arts review pages. I write for my paper, the New Statesman, and freelance for other publications in the UK and Japan. It's a wonderful start in my chosen profession.

Over the next few years I'm also hoping to explore more of the countries surrounding Japan, particularly China and South-East Asia; never again will these countries be as close as Europe is to Britain! When I do return to the UK, it will be with a better understanding of Japan, its neighbours - and myself. For those with the ability, motivation and outgoing personality to make the most of what it offers, the Daiwa program is an almost unrivalled opportunity.

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