?Background of my study abroad
When I was an undergraduate, my major was food and nutrition. From both my university classes and from a wide range of experiences, such as student organizations and volunteering with the theme of "Food × 〇〇", I realized the importance of the sociological aspect of food. I therefore found a university where I could study food from a philosophical and cultural anthropological perspective, with a focus on food culture. I took an absence from my university and applied to the University of Gastronomic Sciences through the Japan Public-Private Partnership Student Study Abroad Program, TOBITATE! Young Ambassador Program.

?Classes at my study abroad destination
I chose to major in World Food Cultures and Mobility in the Master of Gastronomy program.
I learned about the food culture of various countries with classmates from all over the world.
My undergraduate research field, sensory evaluation (a method for evaluating people’s particular food tastes), was also taught in the study abroad program, and I found it interesting to learn how to quantify the deliciousness of Italian foods such as wine, cheese, and tomatoes.

?Life at the study abroad destination
Japan Culture Creation Project
I made a lot of Japanese food with my classmates, and we had a Hinamatsuri (Japanese Doll Festival) party and a gyoza (Japanese dumplings) party using Italian ingredients.

?Planning events
I belonged to a slow food youth organization called Condotta UNISG, which is a slow food organization that values traditional cooking methods and ingredients, and I participated in planning events to promote the organization.
We invited people who were participating in a project with us to reduce food loss to talk about their efforts, and together we made meals using vegetables that would have otherwise been thrown away.

?What I learned from studying in graduate school
It was very difficult because I had to not only attend lectures, but also to earn credits and write a master's thesis. However, I was able to genuinely study professionally without outside distractions, and I was able to gain a lot of experience related to food.

?Studying abroad also influenced my subsequent career path.
Based on what I learned in the program, I am now pursuing a new research project in graduate school, the "Science of Food Culture”.
Specifically, my research is a fusion of "sensory evaluation" in the science field and "food culture" in the humanities field.

○留学の経緯
学部の時代は、「食×○○」とテーマを決めて、学生団体、ボランティアなど幅広く経験し、社会学的な部分の大切さに気付きました。そこで、食文化を中心に、食を哲学や文化人類学的に勉強できる大学を見つけました。大学を休学し、国の「官民協働海外留学支援制度～トビタテ！留学ＪＡＰＡＮ　日本代表プログラム～」を利用して留学しました。

○留学先の授業の様子
Master of Gastronomyというコースで、 World Food Cultures and Mobilityという専攻を選択しました。世界中からの友人とともに色々な国の食文化を肌で学びました。
私の学部時代の球天下体育分野である、官能評価(人が食物を評価する手法)の授業が留学先でもあり、イタリアならではの食材であるワイン?チーズ?トマトなどのおいしさを数値化する授業が興味深かったです。

○留学先の生活
?日本発信プロジェクト
クラスメイトたちと、自分の国の料理を作り合い、わたしも日本食をたくさん作り、イタリアの食材を使ってひなまつりパーティーや餃子パーティーなどをしました。

○イベントの企画
Slow food youth の団体Condotta UNISGという、伝統的な調理法や食材を大事にする、スローフードの団体に所属しイベントの企画をしました。
捨てられそうな野菜で食事作りをし、フードロスを減らす取り組みをしている方を招いてお話を聞く

○大学院留学したからこその学び
聴講するだけではなく、単位をとり、修士論文も書くので、とても大変でした。しかし、時間や就職活動に左右されることなく純粋に専門的な勉強ができ、食に関わるたくさんの経験をすることができました。

○その後の進路にも留学が影響
そこで学んだことをもとに、大学院では「食文化を科学する」という今までにない新たな球天下体育を進めています。
具体的には、理系分野の「官能評価」と、文系の分野の「食文化」を融合させたような球天下体育です。