Harry in Japan

Harry was in Japan for ten days, first visiting the Nippon Steel Corporation laboratories in Futtsu, where he delivered two lectures (aspects of pearlite, novel martensitic steels) and held discussions with the research staff. He then went to the International Steel Science Seminar at the Kansai Seminar house for four days, where he talked about bainite and listened to talks on steel, and steel alone. This was followed by a visit to JFE where he repeated the bainite talk and also the martensite lecture, and had discussions with their researchers.

It was an exhilarating visit, not just from a technical point of view, but rekindled many long friendships. Also made many new friends.

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Steel at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.	One wonders whether the use of better steel might have made these structures more elegant and less wasteful of this wonderful material.
The hotel where Harry stayed in Tokyo (Okura Academia Park Hotel)	Origami birds land on Harry and Honeycombe's book
Okura Academia Park Hotel	Driving to the Nippon Steel Laboratories in Futtsu
Arrival at the Futtsu laboratories. This shelter is made using weathering steel.	The UK flag in honour of Harry (... really true)
In front of the flagpoles.	Monuments to Isaac Newton; in the background are apple trees
	Three apples
On arrival in Tokyo, rested for a day and then went on to the Nippon Steel laboratories in Futtsu. Here, I am holding the mascot of Futtsu city, with Kazutoshi Ichikawa (PT Group member) and Hiroyuki Kawata. The laboratories have about a 1000 employees, consisting of scientists (about 500) and technical support staff	Nippon Steel sponsored many of their employees to conduct research leading to a Ph.D. in Harry's group at the University of Cambridge.
Pictures from different configurations	In the evening, Nippon Steel hosted a nice dinner.
Formal dinner in the evening. Hideki Murakami (Fellow) on the left, Nobuhiro Fujita in the middle (PT Group member, Senior Managing Executive Officer in charge of the Laboratories), Shingo Yamazaki on the right (PT Group member, Fellow and Head of Laboratories)	The food, all vegetarian.

Harry Bhadeshia, Nippon Steel Corporation

A stop at the Tokyo Wan Aqua Line Expressway which connects Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture with the city of Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. There is a bridge and a tunnel under the sea, and the stop was at an artificial island.



	Travelled with Ichikawa by Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, and then a taxi to the Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier.

Visited the Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto

	These bronze bells were used originally to sound alarms in the event of a fire.
More information on the bells.
Not allowed to take photographs inside the buildings. Interesting that the floors were fitted so that even the slightest movement triggers an audible sound. This is to warn the occupants of anyone trying to sneak in for nefarious purposes.
Stunningly beautiful and peaceful.
	Metal ties.
	Honmaru garden.

	The visit to the castle was followed by a reunion dinner (the black package has an iron object, a gift from Ichikawa, for each participant)
	Ichikawa kindly organised a reunion party in Kyoto, attended by Darwin College alumni Dr Koichi Murakami (President and Chief Executive Officer of IHI Transport Machinery Co.), Professor Naoya Masahashi (Emeritus Professor of Tohoku University), Dr Hideyuki Murakami (National Institute for Materials, Tsukuba), Hideoshi Fujii (Professor at Osaka University and Director of the Welding Research Institute), Shoichi Nambu (Professor at Tokyo University), Manabu Takahashi (Emeritus Fellow of Nippon Steel, now a Professor at Kyushu University), Toshihiro Tsuchiyama (Professor at Kyushu University) and of course, Dr Ichikawa Kazutoshi (Nippon Steel Corporation and designer of extraordinary of ship steels, also a Professor at Tohoku University).
The reunion party at an Indian restaurant in Kyoto. From the left, Hideyuki, Hidetoshi, Koichi, Harry and Naoya.	Delicious food.
Reminiscing	After Naoya is Tsuchiyama, Namba, Manabu and Ichikawa
	On the next day, travelled a short distance from Kyoto to the Kansai Seminar House for the ISSS2024 meeting. Here Dean Dong-Woo Suh from GIFT POSTECH, Harry, Professor Sung-Mo Jun (GIFT POSTECH), Kaneaki Tsuzaki (National Institute for Materials in Tsukuba - Harry has known him since 1981), Manabu Takahashi (Harry's first Japanese student who came over to work with him on steels).
Harry's lecture.	On the left, Professor Shibuta from Tokyo University, Harry, and Professor Shoichi Nambu, also from Tokyo University.
I met Hiroyuki Dannoshita (Science Tokyo) by chance in the street not far from the conference centre.	Professor Kataro Ueno from The National Institute of Technology, Kurume College, in the middle. At the right is Kazuki Tamura from NSK.
Kim Ji Sun (Tohoku University, formerly a student of Dong-Woo Suh on the right (now Dean of GIFT POSTECH).	Kansai Seminar House

Food especially set aside for Harry	Dong-Woo talking about taking an advantage of heterogeneous steel
Tsuchiyama gave a clever interpretation and validation of the strength of martensite.	Manabu Takahashi, chairing sessions and also a master of ceremonies.
Manabu, introducing the conference banquet	Harry, giving an impromptu speech at the banquet.

Heading back to Tokyo using the Shinkansen, combined with another journey by train to the New Otani Makuhari hotel before the meetings and talks at JFE	The wonderful Hiroshi Matsuda (PT Group member) and Kazuki Endoh who took Harry to an Indian restaurant.
	After all the technical sessions at JFE, we met at the New Otani Makuhari hotel for a nice dinner.


Harry and Kazukuni Hase (PT Group member and Head of Research Laboratory of JFE Steel corporation.	The smiling Hiroshi
Hiroshi Matsuda, Shusaku Takagi, Harry, Kazukuni Hase, Kazuki Matsubara, Kazuki Endoh