Seventy years have elapsed since I finished high school, and I am honored to commemorate this milestone with a written piece. Reflecting on my contributions to this magazine, I recall writing about my travel to a summer academic conference in Southeast Canada in the 20th issue (1980), which celebrated the school's 80th anniversary. Subsequently, in the 47th issue (2007), I penned an article on the newspaper club alumni association titled "Ten Gatherings." Furthermore, my essay "Guash Painting as a Hobby," initially published in a booklet by the Kansai branch, was reprinted in the 63rd issue (2023). From these writings, readers might deduce my involvement in the newspaper club during my school days, my subsequent engagement in research with international conference participation, either in the realm of sciences or humanities, and my leisure pursuit of watercolor painting, but no more.
Allow me to supplement the above information with that of my school years. An excerpt from the Kinsho–Kindai Centennial History (2000) sheds light on my involvement with the student council magazine Shinju:
In the initial issues, a strong literary trend prevailed. However, from the fourth issue, scholarly articles emerged, [including] Tatsuo Tabata's "The Use of 'with' in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.''The fourth issue referred to above coincided with my second year at school. The actual title of my contribution was simply "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and its content was not an article but a personal essay. The essay appreciated the opening sections of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a text I encountered in Principal Akiyama's English class, evoking analytic reflections on Carroll's prose. Consequently, it may have been perceived as a research paper. In the subsequent fifth issue of Shinju, at the behest of my homeroom teacher, Mr. Sakai, who also taught me English, I authored a partial Japanese translation of the English literary work The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft. Concurrently, inspired by Mr. Kuwayama, who had assigned us Japanese language homework the previous summer, I submitted a piece of fiction titled "A Star Shining in the Summer Sky," which I had written for said homework. Initially hesitant to submit what I deemed an immature work, I eventually acquiesced to Mr. Kuwayama's advice, who assured me, "It will serve as a cherished memento." The primary focus of my classmates' intrigue was identifying the inspiration behind the female protagonist.
This additional information may portray me solely as a humanities enthusiast. However, I pursued scientific endeavors, receiving the Takamine Prize (See "Note added to the reprint edition") and enrolling in the Faculty of Science at Kyoto University. My decision to join Kyoto University was chiefly motivated by my aspiration to study theoretical particle physics under the tutelage of Dr. Hideki Yukawa, Japan's inaugural Nobel laureate, and emulate his groundbreaking achievements. Following my receipt of the Takamine Prize, close friends even jested, "You're destined for the Nobel Prize next!" However, during my final year of university, I opted to specialize in experimental nuclear physics, a decision influenced by various factors. Subsequently, upon completing my master's degree, I joined the Radiation Center of Osaka Prefecture, established by Professor Kiichi Kimura, my mentor in the specialty. I earned my Ph.D. in science through an electron backscattering experiment. In 1990, following the center's amalgamation into Osaka Prefecture University (now Osaka Metropolitan University), my designation transitioned from senior researcher to professor. I retired in 1999, honored with the title of Professor Emeritus. Since then, I have continued my modest research work at my fictitious private institutes, the names of which are given on my website.
Although my ambitions did not materialize precisely as envisioned, I enjoyed a fulfilling research career, contributing a few papers that continue to be cited even after five decades. Consequently, I harbor no regrets regarding my erstwhile aspirations. My enduring reverence for Dr. Yukawa allowed me to delve into his Nobel Prize-winning work alongside fellow physics enthusiasts as an advisor for the "Citizens' Association for Research on Hideki Yukawa," active at the Osaka Science Museum for the centenary of his birth in 2007. Furthermore, I fondly recall delivering a lecture titled "The Influence of the Chinese Classics on Yukawa's Work" at a Kyoto University alumni local gathering in Himeji in 2010. I urge current students of our alma mater and young alumni to have ambitions, for they will foster a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Note added to the reprint version: The Takamine Prize is one of the programs run by the Dr. Takamine Jokichi Memorial Association, which was established in the spring of 1945 to honor the achievements of Dr. Takamine Jokichi, a great scientist and international figure born in Kanazawa, and to promote science education. The first Takamine Prize was awarded in 1951. On those days, 10 students (5 each for the main and secondary prizes) outstanding in science and chemistry were selected from junior and senior high school students in Ishikawa Prefecture, respectively. At the 21st award in 1971, a school prize was established in addition to the individual prize, and high school students were instead excluded from the nominees. (Reference was made to the Kanazawa City website.)
