The Thames And I: A Memoir Of Two Years At Oxford by Prince Naruhito

After finishing the book, my impression was how truly exceptional His Majesty is as a scholar. It became clear to me that the foundation of his excellence was precisely this study abroad experience in England.

During this study abroad experience, His Majesty discovered his lifelong research theme, "the history of transportation on the Thames River." The process of how he arrived at this theme comes across with a strong sense of presence to the reader. The excitement and exhilaration that His Majesty felt at that time also come across directly. His Majesty was directly guided by excellent scholars, including his tutor, on the know-how of research. He humbly accepted their guidance, digested and understood it, and then explored his own unique form of research. My personal impression is that it was "very regrettable" because if he had continued his academic career, there is no doubt that he would have become a world-renowned expert in the history of water transportation.

It was impressive to see how well-rounded His Majesty was, with a deep understanding and appreciation for both classical music and sports. His passion for classical music went beyond just being a fan, as he had a professional-level ability to analyze and interpret music. He even formed a chamber music group and performed with them. As for sports, he was involved in a variety of activities, including tennis, squash, boating, and mountain climbing. What further impressed me was that in both music and sports, His Majesty was not just a recipient, but always acted as a sender. In other words, he was very aggressive in his activities.

His Majesty has stated his intention for the reprint of this book as to contribute to encouraging young people who are considering studying abroad and also to support them in their decision-making. His Majesty's thoughts were not expressed in the "Afterword" of the first edition (Gakushuin-kyoyo Bunko, 1993). This is probably because after 20 years, the social situation, especially the development of the internet, has changed the academic life in universities and graduate schools. Additionally, His Majesty himself became a parent and felt the need to convey a message from the parent generation to the younger generation. It is a very characteristic thought of His Majesty to always consider "being close to the people."

The first two chapters detail how the author spent approximately three months from his arrival in London in June to the start of the new term at Oxford graduate school on October 4th. As someone who has been an English teacher at the university level for many years, I found this account to be very interesting.

During most of those three months, Naruhito stayed with a host family in order to experience the daily life and way of thinking of a British household, which is different from that of Japan, and to study English. The latter involved receiving four hours of daily language instruction from a professional educator at the host family's home.

The teaching materials used included BBC radio and television news. Using these materials, the author was expected to develop his listening, reading, and speaking skills, and eventually to synthesize them into written compositions. I was impressed by the highly effective structure of English lessons, which aimed to develop analytical skills necessary for thinking, presenting, and writing academic papers in English.

As an extracurricular activity, Naruhito was also tasked with exploring the surrounding area and writing compositions about his experiences. One of these compositions included a walk along the Thames River, which could be said to have sparked His Majesty's later research interest in the river.

Living with a host family and taking English lessons as described can be seen as a blueprint for the author's graduate student life at Oxford. By experiencing this kind of life beforehand, Naruhito may have aimed to acclimate more quickly to the academic and social aspects of graduate school.Indeed, His Majesty's experiences can undoubtedly be helpful for those who are considering studying abroad in the future.

The most exciting part of the book for me was chapters 5, 6, and 7, and I ended up putting a mountain of sticky notes on those pages. As I mentioned at the beginning, this part of the book describes, but some aspects of His Majesty's experience as a graduate student at Oxford University overlap with my own graduate school experience at the University of Pennsylvania. I felt that much of the graduate school system was modeled after British universities. Although it has probably changed quite a bit in recent years, the approach and methods of research did not seem all that different. We were required to read a lot of papers, often as much as 100 pages per week for a single class. While the tutor system is not adopted in the United States, the TA (Teaching Assistant) system is in place as a substitute.

The book also vividly depicts the process by which His Majesty gradually "awakened" as a researcher, which was particularly interesting. It was impressive to read about how, as a high school student, he found a sign for the "Oshu Kaido" (an old highway) within the Akasaka Imperial Estate, which led to his interest in the highways and lodging stations of the early modern period. This interest became the germ that later connected to his research on the water transportation history of the Thames River in Oxford.

What was even more impressive was the close relationship between His Majesty and his supervisor, Professor Matthias, and his tutor, Dr. Highfield. It was clear that both professors were highly accomplished in their respective fields and provided valuable guidance to His Majesty. At the same time, it was evident that His Majesty was receptive to their guidance and was able to deepen his research under their supervision. Yes, it was truly wonderful to see how His Majesty approached his research with such enthusiasm and excitement.

Socializing during graduate school is essential, and His Majesty participated as an ordinary young person. In reality, this socialization is one of the most challenging aspects of studying abroad (in my personal opinion). Effective communication between individuals with different cultural backgrounds is primarily dependent on language. Additionally, if the levels of education and intellectual sophistication are not aligned, the conversation cannot progress. Looking at the graduate students in the photos with His Majesty, it is clear at a glance that they are highly educated individuals (compared to the sometimes immature Japanese university and graduate students). His Majesty fits in naturally with these colleagues and does not seem out of place at all with these future scholars. It is heartbreaking to think about how much His Majesty did not want to return to Japan.

I once visited Oxford a long time ago. At the time, I joined a walking tour, which included a visit to the Bodleian Library that His Majesty often mentions in the book. I remember buying several books from Blackwell's Bookshop during the tour. Afterwards, I participated in a six-week literary study program in the UK organized by the University of North Carolina (probably several years after His Majesty’s going back to Japan), which happened to be held at Queen's College, Cambridge University. Since the university systems at Oxford and Cambridge are almost the same, I can imagine that living in the university dormitories can be quite "harsh" and very Spartan-like. That is why I am impressed with His Majesty's ability to endure such a Spartan lifestyle.

The humble and composed nature of His Majesty is evident throughout this book, reaffirming the fact that Emperor Naruhito is a remarkable leader. I pray that this world continues on and that Princess Aiko succeeds as the next Empress.