After some exhausting search I was able to narrow down on 3 labs in the areas I am more familiar with: Hashimoto lab and Segawa lab in Tokyo University, and Yoshikawa lab in Kyoto University. It didn't make sense to me to "step down" into a lower ranked school. Perhaps it's because of pride.
吉川研究室、京都大学
Professor Yoshikawa forwarded my request to his associate professor, Professor Sagawa since he will be retiring soon. Professor Sagawa immediately accepted my application with a very strange condition. He has asked me to acquire a bigger scholarship and to be able to "do everything in Japanese" once I enter. This was impossible in my mind. On the other hand, Hashimoto lab from Tokyo replied me after some emails spamming (also to his secretary). He informed me that there is a mismatch in our specific research but he'd welcome me if I am willing to switch to his field. It was too big of a jump for me so I regrettably declined the invitation. Segawa lab never really replied my email after me spamming him 2-3 times. I didn't gave much thought to him since his focus was slightly different from mine.
My professor learned about this situation and wanted to intervene because she believes that she still has influence over that Tokyo University departments because she had studied, lived and taught in Tokyo University for 15 plus years. Before her intervention that she asked me to do more research on Segawa lab so I could be sure if that really is the lab I want. Otherwise, if she did put her foot down on the recommendation, there would be no turning back.
Heeding to her advice, I proceeded to contact one of the English-speaking researcher. Joanne gave me great details about the lab in regards to student interaction, professor availability, and lab atmosphere. These were big taboo questions that most local students wouldn't answer. At the time, she had also became aware that I was trying for Yoshikawa lab in Kyoto University. She was confused about the Japanese-language requirement because she had in fact met with many of the students in that lab. 1/2 of them were English-speaking Thai students. She mentioned that research-wise, Kyoto seemed to be a better fit, but Segawa lab does have this well-versed visiting professor on duty. She said if I do come to Segawa lab, I'd benefit greatly if I am able to follow him, although there is no guarantee when this professor might leave his post.
All the arrows pointed to Kyoto University. That's what I thought.
After finding my beloved church, New Hope Tokyo and meeting these great people in fellowship in the past few months, I was shaken and felt reluctant to go for Kyoto University. I have struggled for a long time over this, but I gave myself a deadline until the end of December to decide. I began to search on possible lower-ranked schools in Tokyo to see if they have labs doing my research. I was getting desperate. One day I was talking to my Korean senpai about our future over our regular coffee sessions, I suddenly felt depressed about where I will be in October or whether I could finish anything in Japan.
I returned to my desk, closed my eyes and prayed. I gave up. I surrender my pride of limiting myself to the 2 most prestigious schools in Japan. I surrender my staying in Tokyo. I surrender on staying in Japan. I gave it all up.
Throughout my research, I had been constantly visiting this website from Tohoku University. This website was built by Professor Uchida who is regarded as the authority in dye-sensitized solar cell in Japan. He was the only one in Japan capable of competing with the original inventor of the research in Switzerland. He openly shared his experiment methods for all to see so we may benefit from it. I thought that if I am continue my research, I might as well try for the best and see where God takes me, even if it's Sendai, 4 hours away from Tokyo, in the snowy countryside of isolation.
In the past, I preferred to visit Uchida-sensei's English website, but that day, I went to his Japanese website. On his website, still hosted on Tohoku University's webspace, he sent an open invitation for all to see his lab. Last week I had already visited Ihara lab (my professor's old classmate from Tokyo University) from Tokyo Tech Ookayama to learn from them. So I thought I might as well visit Sendai for a change to learn from him and perhaps ask about the possibility of applying into Tohoku University. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the location of this demonstration.
It was at Segawa lab, Tokyo University. I am back to where I started, with a better prospect.
He was the well-versed visiting professor Joanne was talking about! This is the combination of the best professor in the field, in the lab with the most resources in the most prestigious university in Japan. I fired off an email to him and he replied within 6 hours while on his new year vacation. I couldn't believe how fast this was going. It took me weeks and months to get a reply from professors from other labs. We set the date of the meeting to Jan 8th, 10am.
Yesterday, my lab mate from the same research group was showing interests in my visit to Tokyo University. He has been facing some difficulties finishing the last stage of his research and really needed a push, but nobody was capable of advising him on what to do, including our own professor because the last time she did similar experiments was 10 some years ago. I sent another email to Uchida-sensei. 4 minutes later, I got an okay from him for us to go together. This guy is crazy. No professor answers emails within 5 minutes.
At such an young age Professor Uchida had already achieved so much. He showcased the stacks of books he had written or contributed to. They vary on every aspect of this research. You cannot find anyone in Japan who is so well-rounded in dye-sensitized solar cell. The equipments and funding in lab was impeccable. Each single equipment is worth more than what we could spend in one degree. Step by step, he taught us a great deal step by step on how to finish our cell assembly and asked us to take as many pictures and videos of the procedures. The openness of the demonstration was a rarity in the Japanese academic field. In the past I had been asked to turn off my camera during a lab presentation because of "sensitive" content.
Towards the end, I explained the my current situation to him and he gave me an invitation to join him. "Why don't you come to our lab?", he said so effortlessly. "We are already the most dominant research group on dye-sensitized solar cell. We welcome more students doing research in any aspect of this field" I've gotten the okay from him. I promised him that I will communicate with Segawa-sensei to appeal for a decision on whether I can enter the lab. After that I will need to secure a almost-impossible-to-get-for-me scholarship before April and pass the almost-impossible-for-me entrance test in July.
It is all connected, Waki-sensei (my professor) was classmate with Ihara-sensei (Ookayama, Tokyo Tech) while they were in Tokyo University. Ihara-sensei was a colleague of Uchida-sensei (Segawa ken, Tokyo University) while they were in Tohoku University together. I cannot presume this is the path that God has planned for me based on circumstances alone. I am not sensitive enough to be sure of the will of God yet. What I've learned is that once I surrender it up to God, He gives me something better, something I couldn't have imagined.
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