Introducing New Staff Vol.96 : Yutaka YOSHIDA

Life in connection

YOSHIDA, Yutaka
（JSPS Research Fellowship, April 2026）

　‘The world is actually made of many different worlds. Even though they seem connected, some worlds never touch.’

These are the words of Hirayama, the protagonist of the film PERFECT DAYS (released in 2023).

From a young age, I have repeatedly felt the terror of connecting with others. Perhaps because of this, I often find myself exhausted and bedridden behind the scenes after putting on a show of sociability.

I encountered cultural anthropology during my student days, and whilst enrolled in my PhD program, I was due to conduct fieldwork in Kenya. But I was terrified. Once I set foot in Kenya, I would likely be bound to the people I met there for the rest of my life. Would I be able to endure that? I forced myself to tell that, having been raised in a rough-and-tumble sort of way, I’d be able to fit in anywhere.

It’s been over twenty years since I made that decision. I chose the ‘African continent’ simply because I wanted to get as far away from my mother as possible; the catalyst was my supervisor at the time telling me, ‘Why not Kenya? (Your English is shaky enough as it is—French would be impossible, wouldn’t it?)’ Though I call it a ‘decision’, it wasn’t a voluntary one. It was merely a convergence of negative factors.

　At my first academic conference presentation, I was asked, ‘Why did you go all the way to Kenya?’ It was just after I’d returned home temporarily from research based at a school for the deaf in Kenya. ‘Surely there are schools for the deaf in Japan, too?’ I couldn’t answer. When I mentioned this to a professor from another discipline, he replied:

‘It’s not “Why Kenya?”, but “What did you find in Kenya?”, isn’t it?’

　These were the words of someone who had never given up on me, showing interest in and supporting my research for a long time, ever since my postgraduate days.

　What did I find in Kenya? I witnessed deaf children gathering and breaking into joyful dance. They were literally bursting with energy. On the lawn of the school for the deaf, their movements became synchronized as they danced. I found this fascinating, and it led to my current research theme. A journey began to explore how I, someone who is naturally tongue-tied and not good at languages, managed to connect with people despite numerous failures.

　In one village, too, the children began to dance (top image). Among them was a pupil from the school for the deaf (at the time). I have shown this video in classes and asked who among them was deaf, but the answers have always been divided. Why can they move rhythmically, even though they cannot hear? Or rather, what is happening when they move rhythmically? That is the central question of my research.

　More than ten years have passed since then, and I was able to meet those children again, now grown up (image below). Although there have been repeated cycles of connection and disconnection, the bond with the people of Kenya continues. There have also been discoveries.

I am no longer afraid. I wish to continue my work, remembering not only the connections with others, but also the chain of connections that led to my own birth and my existence here today.