Yujin Yaguchi

Ph.D. in American Studies, College of William and Mary
M.A. in American Studies, College of William and Mary
B.A. in English, Goshen College

I was born in Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido. As a child, I loved skiing and baseball.

When I was 10 years old, my family moved to Buffalo, in upstate New York, for nine months due to my father's work. It wasn’t easy, as I didn’t speak any English and wasn’t familiar with the American way of life. However, I also have many fond memories from that time.

After graduating from high school in Sapporo, I entered Hokkaido University. Later, I transferred to a school called Goshen College—I couldn’t do a traditional “study abroad” program because such a system didn’t exist at the time, and I wouldn’t have been able to transfer credits back to my Japanese university. (At the University of Tokyo, we now have a well-established student exchange program called USTEP, which allows students to study at over 80 universities worldwide. I strongly encourage you all to take advantage of this opportunity—but please make sure to come back!)

After graduating from college, I worked in the U.S. for a short time before enrolling in graduate school at the College of William & Mary, where I earned a Ph.D. in American Studies.

I first taught at Hokkaido University before joining the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo in 1998. Since then, I have been teaching English and American Studies (within Area Studies). My research focuses on the culture and society of the Pacific region, with a particular emphasis on Hawai‘i. In addition to my academic work, I have spent many years advancing the internationalization of the university’s education. Currently, as the director of the Center for Global Education, I continue to promote this effort—many challenges remain, but I hope to create more global opportunities for everyone at UTokyo.

One of UTokyo’s challenges is its lack of sufficient diversity, as seen in the gender ratio of students and faculty, as well as the relatively uniform regional and national backgrounds of undergraduates. I encourage all students to break out of this cocoon and step into the wider world. The global experiences you gain during your student years will be treasures that you cherish for a lifetime!