For the final episode of this season of VIJS, we bring you a bumper interview with the President of the British Association for Japanese Studies - and therefore the person ultimately responsible for this podcast's existence(!) - Dr Christopher Hood, Reader in Japanese Studies at Cardiff University.

Anna and Matt talk to Dr Hood about his life in Japanese Studies: how he got here, why he chose Japanese Studies, and how he balances his roles at Cardiff and BAJS with his personal life and his second life as an author of novels.

You can find out more information about Dr Hood's work and his writing at his personal website.

Thank you for listening, and we hope to be back on your podcast feeds in the future!

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Our sixth guest is Dr Mark Pendleton, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield. Dr Pendleton has researched and taught Japanese Studies across the globe, from his native Australia, where he was educated at Griffith University and the University of Melbourne, to Japan, the US, and since 2012, the UK.

In this interview we talk to Dr Pendleton about his experiences living and learning in such a wide variety of environments, his career before he became a professional academic, and his thoughts on the current state of Japanese Studies. We also chat about Dr Pendleton's approach to social media as an academic, and his role as an active union member and political activist.

We hope you enjoy the interview!

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Twitter @voicesinjs

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Our fifth guest is Dr Erica Baffelli, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester. Before beginning her current role at the University of Manchester in 2013, Dr Baffelli then spent six years as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions at the University of Otago in New Zealand. During the interview we talk to Dr Baffelli about her experiences as a student of Japan and its religions; and her career as an academic who has researched Japan in multiple countries and across multiple disciplines. Dr Baffelli also explores the realities of life as a working academic, attempting to balance teaching, research, and administrative work, and we have a thoughtful discussion about how we might rethink the expectations and burdens that are placed on working academics.

We hope you enjoy the interview!

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Our fourth guest is Dr. Lauren Richardson, Lecturer in the Department of International Relations at ANU. Prior to joining ANU, Dr Richardson was a lecturer at VIJS's home institution, the University of Edinburgh. Dr Richardson shares her experiences of not just Japanese Studies, but as a cross-disciplinary scholar who also focuses on South Korean and East Asian issues.

We hope you enjoy the interview!

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Twitter @voicesinjs

Instagram @voicesinjapanesestudies

Our third guest is Dr Victoria Young, Kawashima Lecturer in Japanese Literature and Culture at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge. We recorded this interview with Dr Young in October 2020. Although we focus on Dr Young’s academic journey, we also ask her about her thoughts on the future of Japanese Studies in a post-COVID world.

We hope you enjoy the interview!

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Twitter @voicesinjs

Instagram @voicesinjapanesestudies

Our second guest in the series is Dr Sherzod Muminov, Lecturer in Japanese History at the University of East Anglia. This interview with Dr Muminov was recorded in February 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic reached the UK; the pandemic subsequently impacted our team's ability to record a joint introduction as planned. We hope you enjoy the podcast despite the technical challenges!

Many thanks to Dr Muminov for sparing his time.

Our first guest is Dr Jennifer Coates, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield. We recorded this episode with Dr Coates back in October 2019.

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