Kaori Shinohara, animal writer and insect researcher

Knowledge only becomes valuable when it is shared

Animal writer/insect researcher　Kaori Shinohara(Kaori Shinohara)

■ Profile
He has loved living creatures since he was a child and has experience raising a variety of animals.
He has published "An Illustrated Guide to Insect Love: The Love Strategies of Insects and Humans" (Bungeishunju) and has also supervised illustrated guidebooks such as "An Illustrated Guide to the King of Insects" (Gakken).
He is also active as a TV personality, appearing as a mystery hunter on TBS's "World Mysteries Discovered!" and as an animal investigator on NTV's "Ah!! Everyone's Zoo."

Kaori Shinohara has loved insects since she was a child and has experience raising various creatures, including tarantulas. Her appearance in the media has increased since she appeared on the high school quiz show."100 Trivia and Chat Quiz Games"We spoke to Shinohara about the thoughts he holds dear every day, the appeal of his books, and what people should look out for in them.

■ During my student days, I wanted to experience as many things as possible

I wanted to do research in biology, but I was hopeless at math, so I searched for a university I could apply to through the AO entrance exam and that didn't require math, and I chose Keio University's Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. I originally enrolled to study sea urchins, which are closely related to human life, but when I found out that the substance I was focusing on in that research couldn't be used, I quickly shifted my research focus to edible insects.
At the time, I was the type of person who wanted to try anything, even if it wasn't something I was suited to, so in addition to research, I also had a lot of part-time jobs. I thought of the world as a big Kidzania, and I liked to gain experience in a variety of different jobs little by little. I would sometimes work eight part-time jobs a week, and sometimes three in one day. Among them, I continued working as a cram school teacher for the longest time, and it is one of the jobs I still do as a hobby.

■The world expanded thanks to a high school quiz

My first TV appearance was on "High School Quiz," and after that I focused on quiz shows. In my second year of university, I won the grand prize at a student competition called Publishing Koshien, and published a book the following year. Since then, I've also been getting work related to insects. I'm really bad at procedures like issuing invoices myself, and I was afraid of unintentionally causing trouble for someone by forgetting to send an invoice, so in my fourth year of university I joined my current agency, which handles all of that work for me. I started taking part in studio recordings and traveling overseas for TV show location shoots, and before I knew it, being a TV personality had become my main job.
However, I am still continuing my research at Nihon University Graduate School, and while I am shifting the focus of my efforts, I am able to pursue both work and studies at the same time.

■ Don't set a goal, focus on what's in front of you

The important thing about juggling both is not to set goals like "I want to be like this by a certain date." I think the hardest thing for people is to feel cornered. I think the key to juggling both is to not compare your pace with others, to not get hung up on setting goals, and to just focus on what's in front of you.
I think there are other benefits to not setting goals. If you prejudge yourself and decide on one path, you will only be able to reach the very top of what you imagine yourself to be. By not being too determined about what you want to be, and instead trying out a variety of different things, you will naturally be guided to what you can do, and this may lead to results beyond your imagination.
I never thought for a second that I was suited to being a celebrity, but I think I've been able to do what I do now because I didn't limit my possibilities. However, when you're juggling two jobs, your research often gets neglected, and that can sometimes feel like you're not doing your homework, which can be frustrating.
I'm not the type of person who can study a little bit every day, but rather the type who will study all at once once I get motivated, so I try to understand every day what kind of situation allows me to concentrate the most.

■"100 Trivia and Chat Quiz Games"　　

I co-authored the book with my husband, whom I met at a quiz club in college, and it was proposed by an editor who has been kind to me for a long time, and we decided to publish it.
The theme of the content is a so-called "easy quiz" that can spark conversation. Even if there is only one answer, there are many topics that can be expanded from it, so I created it with the hope that people will talk about it in various places with various people.
I think 100 quizzes is not a lot of knowledge, but I think it's more important to see how the conversation expands through this book and what impressions you can share than to gain knowledge.
I'm a shy and introverted person, so when I was little, no matter how much knowledge I had about insects, I always thought, "No one's interested in what I have to say," and gave up on sharing it. However, when I actually tried talking about it, I found that many people were interested and I received feedback I'd never expected, and I experienced firsthand that the true value of knowledge can only be appreciated when it's shared. That's why I hope to convey the appeal of sharing knowledge in this book.

■ I want to spread the appeal of insects to everyone

As urbanization progresses, it becomes easier to develop a fear of insects and animals. However, they are also irreplaceable creatures living on the same planet, and learning to love them makes each day more enjoyable. I want people to know that joy, and with that in mind, I am engaged in research and talent activities.
Furthermore, up until now I have mostly written books based on my own interpretation of someone else's research, but this time I would like to write a book based on my own research. I would also like to work as a part-time lecturer at a university in the future.

■Message to university students

If you have even the slightest interest, I want you to try anything. Don't feel embarrassed if you can't finish it, just dabble in as much as you like and have fun.
I also recommend that you research the fields you are interested in while you are still a student. It is easy to quit if you feel it is not for you as a university student, but once you enter the workforce, the hurdles to quit are much higher.
If you get a little taste of this world and learn about it, I think that experience will be useful in making decisions once you enter society.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on December 9, 2023 by Koji Ishida, a second-year student at Nihon University