[Looking Back on Study Abroad at The Scripps Research Institute].

Just after receiving my Ph.D. degree in 2004 from Tokushima University, under the supervision of Professor Masayuki Shibuya, I had the opportunity to work as a Research Associate in the laboratory of Professor Kim D. Janda at The Scripps Research Institute in the U.S., for about a year. Since it has already been more than 10 years since my time at Scripps, the specific research performed at that time may no longer be of interest to readers, but the benefit of working in a different research environment is timeless. Therefore, this paper describes not only details of the research conducted, but also the significance of working in a foreign country as a postdoc, and the subsequent influence those experiences at The Scripps Research Institute have had on my career.