Princess Akiko

 

The first female member of the royal family to receive a doctorate. The days of studying abroad written in fresh style. The first female member of the Imperial Family to receive a doctorate abroad, Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Akita Prefecture, Japan, studied in England. Long-awaited paperback edition! Red and blue gown. I have dreamed of one day wearing a red and blue gown ever since I started my doctoral course. During my five years of study abroad, I have seen many of my friends successfully complete their doctoral studies and leave Oxford many times. I was both proud and envious to see them emerge from the Sheldonian Theatre, where the degree conferment ceremony was held, wearing their gowns with beaming smiles on their faces. The red and blue gowns, which only those who had completed Oxford's rigorous doctoral program were allowed to wear, were the "goal" that came to mind when I felt discouraged and brought me back to the person I had been when I first came to Oxford. (Excerpt from "Afterword") I spent one year from September 2001 and five years from September 2004 at Merton College, Oxford University in the UK. This work, which describes the feelings of those days in a fresh style, includes a new "Postcards for the paperback edition".