In June of 2025, I did something I had never done before, I moved overseas! I’m off on a new adventure: a two-year fellowship in Matsue, Japan. I’m here to research the climate change vulnerability of Japanese basket clams or ‘yamato-shijimi’ (Corbicula japonica) in a pair of estuarine lakes (Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi), that are being impacted by rising sea levels and increasing salinity.

How this came about

Rewinding a little, in March of 2024, I left a position as a Data Analyst with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Whilst I had enjoyed this position immensely, I had a long-term goal that required my full attention, securing a postdoctoral position in an international institution.

I returned as a research affiliate to the Invertebrate Systematics and Biodiversity Lab at the University of Adelaide. I spent the next five months working on collaborative research projects, as well as my own publications, CV and postdoc applications. Whilst I applied for a few things that caught my eye, nothing seemed immediately perfect.

However, in September of 2024, my mentor and collaborator, Dr Michelle Guzik brought to my attention that the 2025 round of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) postdoctoral fellowships had been announced. I had travelled to Japan for a holiday in August of 2023 to celebrate submitting my PhD thesis, and knew it would be a fantastic location for my first postdoc, so I looked into the application process, and (after some encouragement by Michelle) I decided to give it a shot.

The first step was to find an advisor in Japan that would support my application. I reached out to my network, and a collaborator helped me make contact with Dr Hiroshi Yajima at the Estuary Research Centre and Shimane University, and arranged a video call meeting. Dr Yajima was excited by the pitch I made, and had a study system in mind that he thought would be perfect for me to apply the methods I’ve been developing in: two estuarine lakes, and the freshwater mussels that live in them.

Over the next few months, we developed a project, wrote an application, and submitted it to the Australian Academy of Science, who assessed it, before deciding they would support it and nominate it to the JSPS.

It wasn’t until February of 2025 that I heard back from the JSPS, who informed me that my application had been selected! I was moving to Japan!

I then had to go through the slow process of applying for a Japanese working visa, which was eventually granted in late May of 2025. I departed the following month, almost 9 months after I had first decided to look into the fellowship scheme!

Arriving in Matsue

I arrived in Matsue after three flights on Monday the 9th of June. I was exhausted from the travel, but had to get stuck in immediately to all of the processes required to establish a life here.

I had to organise a residence card and register at the Matsue town hall. I had to join the national health insurance program, and opt out of the national pension program. I had to get a Japanese phone and phone number, open a bank account, and above all, find an apartment to live in.

Sorting all of this out was practically a full-time job for the first week and a half after arriving, and was particularly difficult as I speak very little Japanese. Fortunately, my new colleagues at the Estuary Research Centre were very generous with their time, and helped me as much as possible.

Eventually I had it all sorted and was able to move into my home for the next few years, a traditionally-styled apartment only a 10-minute walk from the University.

What I’ll be doing whilst I’m here

My research project whilst here at Shimane University and the Estuary Research Centre is titled ‘Developing climate change resilience within Japan’s declining Corbicula japonica fisheries’.

Corbicula japonica, the Japanese basket clam or ‘yamato-shijimi’, is a species of small mussel that lives in the slightly salty water that occurs where rivers and lakes meet the sea. They are a popular food source throughout Japan and have, in the past, accounted for the largest catch in Japan’s inland fisheries.

However, in more recent decades, this catch has been steadily declining, with the lowest ever catch recorded in 2012. There is concern that climate change is driving this decline, as estuarine ecosystems are amongst the most vulnerable freshwater ecosystems to climate change. Unfortunately, not much is currently known regarding the specific vulnerability of these mussels.

My project seeks to fill in some of these gaps by undertaking physiological experiments to test the thresholds at which these clams respond to key impacts that will occur as a result of climate change: namely increased salinity (which is a result of rising sea levels) and increased temperature. I also intend to improve our understanding of the exact geographical range of these clams in the region using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, and the techniques that I developed during my PhD at The University of Adelaide in Australia. I will be focused primarily on Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi, as well as the network of waterways that correct and surround them.

These lakes are experiencing a multitude of dramatic hydrological changes that have resulted both from changes made to the flow and movement of water, as well as the impacts of climate change. Sea level rise (which is happening much faster on the nothern coast of Japan than the global average) has meant that salt water is infiltrating into the lakes faster then ever before, resulting in higher than normal salinity throughout much of the system. It is with this in mind that I will be studying Corbicula japonica.

The understanding I hope to generate will allow us to build models that predict where and how these clams will move (or not move) as climate change impacts Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi over the next century. This will allow for better management of the species, resulting in environment gains, as well as support for the fishery and the communities dependent upon it.

What else I’ll be doing whilst I’m here

Whilst my research project is my top priority whilst I’m here in Japan, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for the opportunity to also explore this country. My trip in 2023 was only two weeks long, so, whilst I saw a lot, I barely scratched the surface of what Japan actually has to offer.

I’m looking forward to first truly exploring Matsue and the rest of the Shimane Prefecture it sits within, before hopefully getting into other parts of Japan as well. I’ve already visited Matsue Castle, which is a beautifully-preserved 17th century wooden castle, right in the middle of town!

Whilst this next step in my career and my life has been somewhat daunting, I’m very excited for what this next two years will bring me here in Japan!

I’ll miss being an active and present member of the ISB Lab, but my collaborations with the team will continue, and I’m sure I’ll be back, haunting the corridors some time soon!