FAQ

Table of Contents

Here are the translated English link names for the table of contents:

• Q. What kind of students are ideal for this lab?
• Q. Career opportunities for AIS Lab graduates
• Q. Meeting with laboratory professors
• Q. How to arrange a meeting with Professor Lee
• Q. About advancing to graduate school
• Q. About studying abroad
• Q. Concerns about having a foreign professor
• Q. Research related to anime
• Q. Advice for students selecting research laboratories

Q. What kind of students are most desirable for this laboratory?

A. I believe the students this laboratory seeks are those who can take initiative without being told what to do and quickly grasp the fundamentals of research. This differs from regular studying; being good at academics doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll excel at research. Additionally, we value students who have diverse interests. Research, unlike studying, requires various knowledge and motivation. Someone who naturally has curiosity about many things will likely do well in this laboratory. Furthermore, if you tend to become deeply absorbed in things you like, this laboratory is especially suitable for you.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. Where do AIS Lab graduates find employment?

A. While electronics manufacturers and software development companies (application development, game software development, internet service development) might be the first that come to mind, you don’t necessarily have to join companies directly related to your research. What matters in research is acquiring the research process rather than the specific content. Companies value this too; they look at whether you can explain your research and demonstrate research abilities more than the content itself. Of course, this changes for doctorate holders, but up to the master’s level, research skills are valued more than the research content.

Below is a list of companies where AIS Lab graduates have been employed in recent years:

Back to Table of Contents

Q. Is it good to meet with professors from laboratories I’m interested in?

A. If you already know the professor well and have spoken with them often, that’s fine. However, if not, I recommend meeting with professors from laboratories you’re interested in to fully discuss what you want to know. The compatibility between you and the professor is just as important as the research content, so please meet with them and talk about various topics.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. How can I arrange a meeting with Professor Lee?

A. If you wish to meet, please first send an email listing your available times. I will adjust my schedule and reply to you at leejooho@is.ritsumei.ac.jp. If you don’t receive a response within 24 hours, there may be an issue with the email delivery, so please try sending it again.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. Should I go to graduate school?

Our laboratory strongly recommends advancing to graduate school rather than seeking employment after completing your undergraduate degree. There are various reasons for this, but in short, it’s for the students’ benefit. People often cite financial reasons for not continuing to graduate school, claiming that finding employment would be more profitable.

Is this really true? Certainly, simple arithmetic might suggest that employment is more profitable, but in reality, this is not an advantage but a disadvantage. By that calculation, it would be even more profitable to start working right after high school. Here, I’ll briefly explain the two most significant reasons why I recommend graduate school to students.

First, there’s the research aspect. There are three types of research positions for students at universities: undergraduate research done in the fourth year, master’s research in the first stage of doctoral studies, and doctoral research in the latter stage. To compare, undergraduate research is like an introductory course, master’s research is the main school, and doctoral research is the professional licensing school. From a company’s perspective, undergraduate research appears as merely a taste of research. To work in specialized research institutions or become a university professor, you need to be a research professional, which requires a doctoral degree. This involves questions of aptitude and might narrow your career options, so I only recommend it to those truly interested. However, I believe that a master’s degree offers a well-balanced, just-right option. You conduct research for three years (one year as an undergraduate plus two years as a master’s student), acquire considerable skills, and through genuine research experience, thoroughly consider your true aptitude, enabling you to decide whether to seek employment or continue to doctoral studies—making it an ideal, perhaps even the strongest, option.

The second reason is differentiation for survival. Society is a continuous competition. To survive and succeed in this environment, you need to increase your value. With the same specialization, undergraduate and graduate degrees differ significantly. This difference might not be apparent to those who have just entered a company, but at a certain point, the magnitude of this difference becomes evident. However, you can’t go back in time. Regret comes too late. At the very least, having advanced to graduate school and obtained a master’s degree should ensure you’ll almost never have lifelong regrets.

While I’ve made quite strong statements, there’s one misunderstanding I’d like to prevent: advancing to graduate school is recommended but not mandatory. That’s obvious. In fact, the average rate of students from our laboratory advancing to graduate school is about 50%.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. Is studying abroad possible?

A. AIS Lab actively supports students who wish to study abroad. It’s not that going abroad is automatically beneficial, but if you aim to be a global talent active in tomorrow’s global society, international experience is very important. Studying language abroad is important, but learning about cultures, interacting with people from different countries, and even conducting research abroad are all possible.

AIS Lab has actively encouraged students to go abroad. From conference participation to language training, corporate internships, and joint research, our students have lived abroad for periods ranging from 7 weeks to a year. The countries have been diverse, including South Korea, Australia, Czech Republic, India, China, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary, and the United States.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. As Professor Lee is a foreigner, will there be communication issues for research guidance in Japanese?

A. It’s natural to have such concerns, but there’s no need to worry. I’ve been in Japan for about 20 years, and I believe I know Japanese culture better than the average level among you, especially when it comes to popular culture. Of course, there are no issues with research guidance, thesis guidance, and corrections in Japanese.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. I like anime. Can I do research related to anime?

A. Absolutely! However, research on anime itself might be a bit challenging. Research that combines anime with interaction is completely fine. For example, research on automatic scene classification in anime, anime creation tools, or searching for anime scenes based on abstract user descriptions—there are countless possibilities. One of the main features of this laboratory is that any hobby or interest can be treated as research material, not just anime.

Back to Table of Contents

Q. What would you like to say to students who are about to choose a research laboratory?

A. What you want to do cannot be determined simply by looking at materials. Please expand your scope as much as possible, meet with many professors, and participate in laboratory visits. Finally, I’d like to dedicate one of my favorite poems to all of you:

Back to Table of Contents