Interviewer: Are there any benefits in conducting research in Kyoto?

Tanaka: Kyoto is blessed with abundant nature. Besides, people in Kyoto are worth noting. On the one hand, they try to respect and preserve tradition and history as much as possible, yet on the other, they also rebel against it in a way. Such dynamism worked positively in my research. The technology I have developed is based upon the accumulation of my predecessors' knowledge. For example, I made use of a chemical theory established more than 100 years ago. Kyoto's atmosphere might have encouraged me to create something new based on history and tradition.

Okada: I have lived in Kyoto for more than half a century now, but until a couple of years ago, I didn't realize what I used to consider a problem with Kyoto was actually its distinguishing characteristic. When we started out as researchers, Kyoto was overwhelmed by extreme ideologies. Biology was especially susceptive to them, as it is ambiguous and hardly separated from science of art. Sometimes even a doctrine was influenced by an ideology. For example, I was confused when I learned there were two schools of genetics. (Editors' note: In those days, the genetic theory championed by Dr. Lysenko and other Soviet researchers was counter to the Mendelian theory that prevailed in the West.) However, now I cherish them as valued experiences. The fact that so many ideologies existed is a positive proof that academic freedom took firm root in this city.

Tanaka: Kyoto has many universities such as Kyoto University and many researchers are studying in Kyoto. Dr. Kenichi Fukui (a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry) was also based in Kyoto. I would say I was immersed in the academic atmosphere. Maybe inspired by that atmosphere, I came to dream of doing something creative by myself.

Okada: And the intellectual level is quite high here. A mediocre-looking middle aged man you meet on the street understands remarks like "I saw a hairstreak flying". To understand this, you have to have a broad knowledge of biology. In Kyoto, you may come across people with authority even in the least expected places. That is the great latent power of the city.

Interviewer: I have the impression that manufacturers in Kyoto, like Shimadzu, are inclined to make different things from their competitors.

Tanaka: As Shimadzu's Chairman, Yajima, once said in an interview or something, people in Kyoto do not extend any support to those who break away to start their own business. He said this is the custom which started here in the middle of the 19th century. In tacit understanding, people are expected to do something new, rather than just following their traditional ways when they stand on their own feet.

In fact, several companies have branched out of Shimadzu and each of them has made their success in their own ways. People know that they are supposed to do something new when they start up their own businesses and that's the norm here.

Another characteristic of Kyoto's industry is the rivalry with Tokyo. Companies here tend to try to outsmart those in Tokyo or to do something Tokyo-based companies don't do. Such mentality might work as a catalyst for creativity.