Exploration of the emotion of awe

Masataka Nakayama

In our research, we explore how the emotion of "awe" helps people find new meaning from profound experiences. We have found that awe has both positive aspects, like beauty, and negative ones, such as threat. Our studies reveal a key cultural difference: in Japan, people tend to experience awe as a mix of positive and negative feelings, while in the U.S., the experience is more uniformly positive.

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Dreams

Hisae Konakawa

Dreams experienced during sleep are believed to reflect one’s mental state and unconscious processes. This study conducts cross-cultural surveys of dreams in Japan, Europe, the United States, and other Asian countries. By elucidating the psychological challenges that contemporary Japanese people tend to face, as well as the characteristics of their well-being and sense of happiness, this study seeks to provide insights that deepen our understanding of the human mind in modern society.

Biological Information Analysis

Ryusuke Nakai

We measure the structure, function, and characteristics of living organisms using various measurement devices, including a mangtic resonance imaging system. Our objective is to understand mechanisms of living organisms from various perspectives by analyzing the large amount of data. In recent yeras, we have developed and applied analytical methods using machine learning, deep learning and numerical simulation to advance a variety of research initiatives.

Plural Research into the History of Japanese Thought and Culture

Takahiko Kameyama

Buddhism has played an important role as the foundation that supports Japanese culture and thought. However, the ways in which Japanese culture and thought and Buddhism have influenced each other remain unclear currently. This research project sheds light on the structure of Japanese culture and thought, and the significance of Buddhism within it, through interdisciplinary research that encompasses various fields of the Humanities and AI technology.

The Future of Connectedness: Considering from En and the Collective Bodies

Kengo Konishi

My research began with fieldwork on festivals. Amid rapid changes in local communities caused by depopulation and natural disasters, I explore how “doing something together, being physically present”— a “collective body”— creates connections, or en. Through interdisciplinary studies and regional collaborations centered on en, I pursue research and practice to envision the future of social ties.

A Cross-Cultural Representation of the Concept of Amae

Igor de Almeida

Some words or concepts are very difficult to translate into other languages. In Japan amae is one of such words. The behavior and emotions related to amae exist in other cultures, but explaining and discussing it might be very complicated in languages other than Japanese. In my research I focus on emotion words such as amae, that are commonly discussed and easily expressed in one culture, but complicated in other cultures.

Psychological Clinical Practice and Empirical Research on Its Specialization

Yuka Suzuki

I engage in psychological clinical practice with individuals who are experiencing distress and suffering, while also conducting research on the professional competencies of counselors. At first glance, listening to people’s problems may seem like a simple activity; however, empirical studies have revealed that professionals differ from non-professionals in how they listen and how they understand their clients.

Research on Social Determinants of Health

Chie Koga

Our work seeks to unravel the intricate web of social forces—collectively known as the social determinants of health—that shape human well-being. By illuminating how these diverse and interconnected factors exert their influence, we aim to generate insights that open pathways to meaningful, actionable interventions. This illustration captures the many dimensions of our lives that ultimately leave their mark on our he.

A sociology of knowledge of Japanese society and modernity

Takehiko Kariya

The present study explores how translated knowledge has shaped the frameworks for recognising problems in Japanese society. For instance, I am conducting a sociological study to elucidating the features of inequality perceptions in Japan: how the circulation of the Japanese term 'kakusa' 格差 rather than the direct translation 'fūbirai' 不平等 for 'inequality' has influenced our perception. Thus, my research focuses on the knowledge structures which underpin our frameworks for recognising social problems.

Exploring contextually sensitive models of well-being

Alexander Kirchner-Häusler

The illustration reflects the idea that well-being can be composed from diverse components that vary across individuals, cultures, and contexts. Each person weaves their own pattern using threads labeled with different values, reflecting that well-being is not a single universal concept, but a diverse tapestry of personal and cultural elements, and that meaning and happiness emerge from the unique ways people connect and balance these threads.

Dynamics between Environments and Visual Cognition

Yoshiyuki Ueda

How we perceive and understand visual information differs depending on the environments in which we live. In this study, we explore how features of visual information processing relate to structures and regularities in the environment, in order to examine individual differences, cultural differences, and universal mechanisms in human visual cognition.

Understanding Human Society through Coexistence with Animals — Toward the Realization of One Wellbeing —

Shinya Yamamoto

My research aims to scientifically understand human–animal relationships and promote the realization of mutual happiness and a sustainable coexistence society (One Wellbeing). I explore the essence of human nature through comparative studies, as well as the mechanisms that enable strong bonds with companion animals and harmonious coexistence with wildlife. The insights gained are applied through various collaborations to contribute to building a future where humans and animals thrive together.

Neural basis of decision making

Nobuhito Abe

Our daily lives are a continuous stream of decisions, yet the exact neuroscientific mechanisms underlying them are not fully understood. By combining multiple approaches—such as functional neuroimaging, which measures brain activity, and neuropsychology, which examines the effects of brain damage— I study the neural mechanisms of decision-making.

Research and Development of Traditional Wisdom Technology

Seiji Kumagai

Traditional wisdom, such as religion and philosophy, represents the sophisticated intellectual heritage humanity has cultivated in the pursuit of better lives and societies. By integrating traditional wisdom with modern science and technology, we aim to create “Traditional Wisdom Technology.” This involves building mechanisms to precisely visualize and adjust both physical and mental states as well as external environments, with the goal of implementing these solutions in society.

A Critical Historical Account of Urban Form and Discourses in the Modern City

Sayuri Hayakawa

This research questions the assumption that modernization necessarily equals progress, and examines what was erased and what was carried forward in modern urban thought. By focusing on nature, local identity, bodily scale, and diverse urban forms, as well as their psychological effects and the sense of attachment to the city, it reconstructs the discourse history of the city and critically reassesses both the limits of modernist urban images and their potential reinterpretations for the present.

Psychological and neural mechanisms of romantic love and aesthetic experiences

Ryuhei Ueda

Both the feeling of romantic attraction toward someone and the pleasant sensation elicited by viewing a beautiful painting are known to engage the neural circuitry referred to as the reward system. Our work focuses on how such forms of subjective pleasure are represented in the brain, with the aim of elucidating their underlying psychological mechanisms.