Alexandra Mustățea

Nationality: Romanian
Time Living in Japan: More than 8 years
Employers: Tōyō University/Agera Consulting

Current Job Title: Adjunct Lecturer/Executive Vice-President

Area of Expertise: Japanese studies (intellectual history, Confucianism, bushidō), Japanese language education

Education:PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies, on the topic of Tokugawa-period Confucianism and bushidōron (University of Bucharest). Second PhD (ABD) in Japanese linguistics and education (Ochanomizu University)

Languages: Romanian native, Japanese N1, English fluent

Favorite Thing About Living in Japan: The things I love the most about living in Japan are the incredible access to cultural activities (mainstream, as well as underground), Tokyo’s overall cosmopolitan feel and, of course, the food.

Favorite Place to Visit in Japan: I have so many favorites! But I absolutely love the northern part of Honshu in winter, where I enjoy driving around and discovering small local attractions (like ceramics shops, Sake breweries or tiny, unusual museums). I also enjoy bigger cities like Kyoto or Tokyo, where I just like walking around and discovering new nooks and corners.

BIO: Alex is a Japanese Studies and Language lecturer, as well as a photography enthusiast. She’s been living in Tokyo since 2010, where she came to pursue a Ph.D. and ended up staying for good.

After a short hiatus taken to engage both in her more ‘creative’ interests (like concert and event photography), as well as the Japanese business environment, Alex is currently back into the academic field, where she is researching Japanese Confucian philosophy.

She enjoys long walks on Tokyo’s backstreets, music, and traveling. Depending on the mood, you can also find her blogging at www.alexmustatea.com

Published Work:

  • Yamaga Sokō’s Way of the Samurai – a Translation into Romanian, in ‘Traditions in Dialogue’ vol. 6/2017 (Part I) and ‘European Journal of Japanese Philosophy’ vol. 3/2018 (Part II)
  • The Politics of Confucianism in Contemporary Japan, in ‘New Ideas in East Asian Studies’ vol. I/2017
  • Scrisori din Cipangu [‘Letters from Cipangu’, short-stories volume] (co-author), 2016