Hello everyone!

It’s been another two months, and a lot has happened. Having said that, I’m low on spoons, so I’m going to try and keep this entry brief.

Job Market

I spent the vast majority of my time over the last two months working on job apps. I submitted applications for four tenure-track positions and one post-doctoral fellowship this year. I’ll refrain from saying anything else about the programs to which I’ve applied for the time being due to concerns about anonymity, but I’ll let you all know if/when I have updates about my candidacy.

Research Updates

Over the last two months, I also completed the third chapter of my dissertation and the preliminary research for my fourth and final chapter. Additionally, I gave talks at venues including, but not limited to: 1) The Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies Conference at Dickinson College; 2) The Modern Japanese History Workshop Series at the University of Tokyo; 3) The US-Japan Symposium (‘Toward an Inclusive College Campus’)  at the Nippon Foundation; 4) The University of Michigan; and 5) Toyo University. Currently, I’m preparing another series of talks for the Anthropology of Japan in Japan Conference (AJJ) at Meiji Gakuin University, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and the Suzugamo Caregiving Company.

Perhaps more important than my talks is the fact that I heard back about my first article submitted to a peer-reviewed journal a few days ago. I’m pleased to say that I was offered a revise and resubmit by one of the top journals in my field, and I may be published before too long! I’m excited about this opportunity and I hope it pans out.

Networking and Service

What little time I had away from my job applications and research activities over the last two months was spent with my friends and family. I hung out with current and former advisors like Patrick Galbraith and Jolyon Thomas as well as long-time mentors like Nagase Osamu. I also spoke with disability activists and academics like Aya Higa and Hoshika Ryoji. Perhaps the most memorable of my conversations were those with peers from my coursework days: Kaitlyn Ugoretz, Daria Melnikova, Jooyeon Hahm, and so many others. I really cherish the community that I’ve built over the last four years, and I wake up each day looking forward to working with everyone. Here’s hoping our talks continue for years to come.

Looking Forward

My plan for the next two months is to finish the final chapter of my dissertation. By the new year, I want to be in a position where I just have to write my intro and conclusion and make some edits to the interstitial tissues of the document just in case I get a job offer. If I fail on the market this year, I’m content to spend another year working on the four-chapter manuscript and expanding it into a six-chapter monstrosity. We’ll see what happens!

Other than that, I look forward to continuing my consulting work for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games here in Tokyo. There’s so much left to do, and I cant wait!

Until next time.