The HIRAKU-Global retreat is one of the few annual HIRAKU-Global events which is held in-person, as for a program composed of researchers from many different universities around the Chugoku-Shikoku region of Japan, arranging in-person events to facilitate discussion and exchange is often challenging for practical reasons. As such, the retreat is a major highlight every year for the HIRAKU-Global Researchers (HGRs), and this year's retreat, held at the Josanjima Campus of Tokushima University on September 25-26, 2025, was no exception. As is customary, HGRs from the host site (Tokushima University) organized all aspects of the retreat (with some logistical support from Tokushima University staff members), including the theme ("Grow Your Science"), lecture and discussion contents, and the fieldwork site.

The Introduction Session was then followed by two keynote lectures. The first keynote lecture was by Professor YASUI Takeshi (Institute of Post-LED Photonics (pLED), Tokushima University). His talk centered on his experience of fostering development on an institute-wide scale, a significant leap beyond the traditional confines of individual research labs. Through his strategic vision for managing and expanding pLED, we could really feel both Prof. YASUI’s immense passion and the inherent struggles of building a world-changing institute—not just a collection of labs—by discovering and developing the next generation of "unexplored" invisible light. After Prof. YASUI’s lecture, Professor Tony Z. JIA (Hiroshima University), the new HIRAKU-Global Program Manager, gave a talk featuring small vignettes about his experiences in international collaboration as the second keynote lecture. Prof. JIA’s message to all attendees was to make as many diverse personal and professional connections as possible, as you never know how any of these connections might blossom into unforeseen opportunities and innovative research!

The participants then moved to another part of campus to tour the pLED facilities, specifically the labs of Professor YANO Taka-aki and Associate Professor TOKIZANE Yu. The various research groups in pLED are arranged not by field or discipline, but by the wavelength of light that they investigate, which makes for a diverse research environment. For instance, Professor YANO's lab focuses on medical science applications, developing methods for ultra-sensitive and specific substance detection with light and new materials. In contrast, Associate Professor TOKIZANE's lab is working on next-generation communication technologies utilizing terahertz waves. Finally, on the evening of the first day, a social gathering featuring local Tokushima cuisine was organized which allowed the HGRs to have more discussions with each other in a more relaxed setting; the discussions proved so engaging that they continued past the time-limit of the restaurant reservation!

The second day of the retreat started in the morning with a session on Fieldwork on “Disaster Prevention and Collaborative Research”, which included a boat ride around Hyotanjima, the central island of Tokushima City. Despite the hot and humid weather, the refreshing breeze on the water and the unique experience of passing under low bridges offered a completely new perspective on the city's landscape, making it a trip well worth taking. This was then followed by a discussion session where HGRs shared in small groups their updates on their research progress, funding, student management, and work-life balance. This discussion session allowed attendees to learn more about how their colleagues were doing research-wise and life-wise, everyone's current goals and challenges (and possible solutions), and how HGRs can support each other. The small size of the discussion groups really helped the attendees discuss some issues (and possible solutions) in greater detail; each group summarized their discussion to all of the attendees, and the organizers plan to compile the discussion contents so that HGRs who could not attend can also receive some updates!

After an afternoon session and a morning session, the retreat was then brought to a close. While the retreat itself was not very long, being held over less than 24 hours (partially due to the fact that everyone is super busy!), the fact that attendees could spend nearly the entire time with their HGR peers in-person, with a lot of deep discussions, made the retreat a success; there is no other HIRAKU-Global event that really allows such casual and open discussions between HGRs like the retreat. The organizers did a great job with the retreat, and hopefully the discussions, lectures, lab tours, and opportunities for exchange will be a positive influence so that each HGR attendee can really grow their science.

Program

■Day 1: Thursday, September 25, 2025

14:00-15:00: Introduction Session - "Getting to Know Your Peers"

15:00-15:40: Lecture I - Prof. Takeshi Yasui (Chief Research Officer, Post-LEDPhotonics Institute, Tokushima University) - Motivations for expanding research activities not just at the individual researcher or lab level, but on a larger scale as 'pLED, ' an 'institute. '

15:40-16:20: Lecture II - Prof. Tony Z. Jia (New HIRAKU-Global Program Manager, Hiroshima University) - Vignettes on International Collaboration

16:20-17:00: Facility tour - Post-LED Photonics Institute

18:00-: Reception featuring local Tokushima cuisine (optional)

■Day 2: Friday, September 26, 2025

9:00-10:20: Fieldwork on Disaster Prevention and Collaborative Research - Hyotanjima River Excursion

10:30-12:00: Group Discussion - Research progress, data management, research funding, etc.

12:00: Wrap-up and dismissal, followed by an optional lunch

HIRAKU-Global Retreat FY2025 Organizers from Tokushima University

HASE Eiji, 1st Cohort HGR 
MATSUSAKI Motonori, 2nd Cohort HGR, Lead Organizer 
SATO Ryota, 3rd Cohort HGR  
Alberto GALLEGOS RAMONET, 4th Cohort HGR  
KAWATANI Ryo, 5th Cohort HGR  
NAKAMURA Shunta, 6th Cohort HGR 

Acknowledgements

Tokushima University HIRAKU-Global Administrative Office
Tokushima University pLED Office
Shinmachigawa wo Mamoru Kai