-What are your impressions of Towada City and the Towada Campus? ‍

It is rural in a good way. Time seems to flow very slowly. The lack of public transportation is a little inconvenient, but it is a very comfortable place to live. Also, the local people's dialect (accent) is quite strong and often difficult to understand (laugh). I am from Fukuoka, so last year I shoveled snow for the first time, and it was quite good exercise. ‍

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-What is your impression of the students? ‍

I have the impression that they are diligent and serious. I think everyone is studying better than when I was a student. Also, there are many honest students and they absorb what I teach them very well. I think that they are very diligent and serious.

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-What are your thoughts on being a faculty member at the University or in the Department of Animal Resource Science? ‍

I am honestly happy. I have changed from being a student to a position of responsibility, and while I feel the pressure, I want to enjoy the work. I will also work hard with the feeling that becoming a faculty member is not the goal, but a start. I will do my best to make the most of this opportunity.

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-What are your hobbies?

I ‍Basically, I like all sports, reading, and eating good food. I used to play tennis when I was a student (junior high and high school: soft tennis, university: hard tennis). The Towada campus has excellent tennis courts, so I am looking for people to play with me. As for reading, I often read mystery novels. I have a pile of books at home that I bought because I wanted to read them but haven't read them yet (tears). Also in Aomori, I am happy because the seafood I love is fresh and delicious. ‍

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-What prompted you to begin your research?

‍It is difficult to know where to call the start of research, but I remember you saying that the reason you went on to a master's program first was because you were not satisfied with only one year of thesis research. You didn't even know at the time how much time research would take (laughs). Later, when I was looking for a job, I was not sure whether to go on to a doctoral program or work for a company, but I was rejected for a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (a doctoral program graduate student who can conduct research while receiving a salary), so I went straight to work for a general company. While working there, I felt unsatisfied and had a chance to reconsider what I really wanted to do. As a result, I decided to become an academic researcher, quit the company, enrolled in a doctoral program, and set my sights on becoming a researcher. D. program.

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-What kind of research were you doing before you arrived at the University? Please tell us about the research you are currently conducting.

We are conducting research on changing the properties of skeletal muscle (muscle) with functional ingredients in ‍food ingredients. Let me begin by telling you about skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle, which is an important tissue that controls our motor functions, is broadly classified into slow muscle and fast muscle. Slow muscle, also called red muscle, is found in humans in endurance athletes such as marathoners and is excellent for endurance exercise and fat burning. On the other hand, fast-twitch muscle, also called white muscle, is found in athletes who engage in instantaneous exercise, such as short-distance athletes, and is excellent for exerting great power and metabolizing glucose. From a meat perspective, slow twitch muscle is known to be more tender and juicy. Basically, the change between the two can occur with exercise training, but I am working to see if this can be altered with food ingredients. I am specifically targeting increasing slow muscle type. ‍

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-Why did you focus on it? ‍

When the properties of skeletal muscle change, various substances fluctuate in vivo to induce these changes. Recent research has discovered that one of these substances is triggered by components in food, and it is interesting that nutritional components can induce something that could only happen with exercise! I thought.

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‍-How will the research involve our lives in the future?

An increase in ‍slow muscle type has many benefits for our bodies. For example, it has characteristics that make it good for endurance and fat burning, which makes it easier to lose weight and less likely to get tired. Also, from a meat perspective, meat that contains more slow-twitch muscle is said to be more colorful (called red muscle), tender, and juicy, which can be expected to lead to the production of delicious meat.

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‍-How would you like to conduct research with students? ‍

I would like to conduct research giving priority to the students' independence. I think it is more enjoyable and more enthusiastic to work on your own ideas than to study (research) that you are forced to do. I think it is more enjoyable to work on it by oneself than to be forced to study (research).

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-What would you like to share with students in the future based on what you have experienced so far? ‍

The first is to be proactive in everything you do. Time flies so fast, so do what you think you should do to avoid regrets. Second, it may seem contradictory, but when you put things into action, do so with a solid plan. No matter how carefully you think you have prepared, there is always a possibility that something has been left out. I have failed many times because I was not thorough enough in the planning stage.

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-Please tell us what kind of dreams you have.

There are ‍two main things. First, to create supplements that mimic exercise. Second, to create tasty meat that adds more value than ever before (this one is partly because I want to eat good meat myself).

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‍-Thank you very much.