Friendly Volleyball Competition at Aobayama

On May 13, 2026, Tohoku University’s Agricultural Economics Department hosted a Mini-Volleyball Tournament on the Aobayama Campus. This fun and casual setting provided an opportunity for students and faculty to participate as teams and to engage in a social sport environment outside of the classroom. In addition to providing a welcome break from classes, participants were able to take time to socialize and build camaraderie with their colleagues and peers.

Imoto Laboratory celebrated the year-end party together

What a great way to end the year than with a year-end party. Normally called a bōnenkai (忘年会), which literally means "forget the year gathering"; however, it is a year where new laboratory members are introduced, and with newcomers coming next year, therefore, it is a year worth remembering. 

The laboratory went to Daimao house restaurant for a dinner course followed by a second round at a nearby tavern, or in Japan, we called it 'izakaya (居酒屋). This is a typical tradition within Japanese colleagues to enjoy the company of each other, talk and share stories, and have fun together. 

Indeed, it is heartwarming to have gatherings from time to time outside the busy yet enriching days of research at the laboratory. We look forward to another gathering this coming 2026! 

Study abroad: 7 months at the University of Guelph

For seven months from March to the end of October 2025, we conducted overseas research at the University of Guelph in Canada. It was my first long-term stay abroad, and I had never studied abroad (I only had a summer homestay experience in high school), so I was so excited that I couldn't sleep like a child because of anxiety and anticipation even before I went.

 Guelph is a small university town about an hour's drive from Toronto, Canada's largest city. Also known as Royal City, it is always at the top of the ranking of cities to live in Canada due to its rich nature, small but convenient city functions, and good security. (Although there is one flight a day!) You can also use the VIA railroad to get to just before Michigan in the United States. 

At the University of Guelph, through Professor Niel, I was accepted by Professor Brady Deaton, President of the Canadian Association of Agricultural Economics, and I was able to build a lot of knowledge, research stimulation, and networking. We were able to discuss the issue of food access for indigenous peoples and the modeling of protein preferences based on socially disadvantaged and economic disparities. I also learned about behavioral economics and research methods based on actual social experiments, and received theoretical suggestions for expanding the methodological framework of environmental assessment. The University of Guelph has a very good school cafeteria, and it was very delicious, with a buffet style system where you can choose your favorite food, and you can choose your favorite ingredients, noodles, and sauces and have them grilled on a teppanyaki. It is also possible to increase the amount of protein at cafes on campus, and the trend of consuming more protein is the same in Canada.

Many Canadians seem to be concentrating on their work hours and living completely separate from their private time after 5 o'clock. I feel that I have received many life hints outside of research, such as valuing my family, thinking rationally, tolerant thinking, and careful way of living. I will continue to actively interact with researchers in Canada and overseas, and publish my good research in good journals.