KATSUYAMA HARUKA | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Reason for Applying

My future goal is to pursue a career in global marketing, promoting products and brands with cultural significance to international audiences and communicating their unique value. Through my studies in business administration, I became interested in how the value of culture and tradition can be effectively communicated to wider audiences. In addition, my experience studying in France through the Double Degree Program (DUDP) gave me the opportunity to rediscover the value and appeal of Japanese culture from an international perspective. Building on these experiences, I applied for this program to use the Korean language skills I had developed at APU in conducting field research, compare Japanese and Korean ceramic traditions, and deepen my understanding of how these traditions are preserved and how their cultural value and appeal are communicated to others.

What do you hope to gain from participating in the program and how will you apply it to your future undergraduate studies or career?

Through interviews with artists and professionals in the ceramics industry, as well as field research in Japan and Korea, I deepened my understanding of how long-standing ceramic traditions are sustained through the interactions among diverse stakeholders, including makers and consumers, each bringing their own perspectives and values. I also learned how the ceramics industries in both countries have continued to develop by incorporating each other’s strengths. Moreover, I gained a new perspective on cultural preservation: rather than simply maintaining traditions in their existing forms, adapting them to contemporary lifestyles allows them to remain a “living culture” that can be passed on to future generations. Moving forward, I hope to build on these experiences in my academic studies and explore how cultural understanding and respect can serve as a foundation for creating new value within contemporary contexts and communicating it to society and future generations.

In my future studies of Japan-Korea relations at APU, I hope to value a comparative perspective between the two countries and apply it to my future research.

Message for Students Interested in The Program

One of the greatest strengths of this program is the opportunity to go beyond classroom learning and gain new insights through first-hand experiences, including field research and interactions with local people. By observing the cultural context firsthand and listening directly to those involved, I was able to view culture from new perspectives while also deepening my understanding of Japanese traditional industries, which I had previously had limited opportunities to explore. In addition, applying the language skills and knowledge I had acquired at APU to actual field research allowed me to recognize the connection between academic learning and society, while also strengthening my confidence in my language abilities. If you are even slightly interested in the program, I encourage you to take the first step and use this opportunity to broaden your interests and future possibilities.