Office for Promotion of Equality and DiversityWaseda University

After 10 Years of Dedication

　Chika Kobira
Full-timeStaff
Campus Planning Division

Seeking a more comfortable and balanced environment

▲ I have a perfectly healthy, growing son who is an energetic soccer playter.

I have two children: a son in the fourth year of elementary school who was born while I was working at an architectural firm and a daughter in the third year of kindergarten who was born in my second year of work at the University. Although I am gradually transitioning out of the most demanding period of childcare and others around me believe that I am balancing work and childcare well, I have had many difficulties and failures. After the birth of my first child, I found child-rearing in a world that demands 10 years of training as a prerequisite to competency to be more difficult than I had anticipated. The period when I lacked both experience as an architect and time management skills overlapped with my immersion in work and my desire to devote myself to it above all else. I frequently left my son, who was often ill, in childcare for sick children. Even when his condition deteriorated and he was hospitalized, I prioritized my professional responsibilities over being by his bedside. My family soon became exhausted, and I had no time to spend with my son or to experience the joys of child-rearing. Comfort felt foreign.

I subsequently joined the University in search of a more comfortable and balanced environment. When I gave birth to my second child, I benefited significantly from the University’s comprehensive childcare support system and the balanced environment the institution offered, which allowed me to enjoy child-rearing while achieving a good rhythm and living a balanced life. I had many sympathetic peers who were also raising children to whom I could relate. I also had diverse role models to guide my efforts to balance work and family life and provide a sense of security that I appreciated immensely. However, as I grew accustomed to balancing life at home and at the University, I entered a period of conflict during which I wanted to take on more work. After carefully strategizing my return to full-time work, with the understanding of both my family and my colleagues, I returned early, and for the past two years, I have been pursuing a comfortable work life with increasing professional fulfillment. Although the roles I am expected to assume will gradually change, I would like to continue to accumulate small joys through the habit of family dinner, which is a practice we started during the pandemic.

Solo Training Trip to New York

▲ NY colored by my daughter. I am amazed by children’s rich imagination and sense of color.

From January to March 2025, I had the opportunity to stay in Manhattan, New York while participating in a University-sponsored program. With the full support of the University and my department, I decided to entrust my children to my husband’s care and travel to the United States alone to further enhance my international perspective as an employee and develop my expertise in campus planning.
The time difference between Tokyo and New York meant that when it was daytime in one place it was nighttime in the other, but video calls allowed me to see my family. Communication was smoother than we expected, and we created a fun rhythm using both modern technology and traditional methods such as letters mailed from places I visited. My daughter, who was obsessed with letters, enjoyed that. My husband’s understanding, hard work, and flexible work style provided me with

▲Since returning to Japan, spending time with my children has been my top priority.

substantial support, and thanks to the generous additional support of our parents and sisters who normally live far away, as well as that of sitters, my children stayed healthy and resilient without me, regardless of my worrying.

In New York, I was stimulated by interactions with people I met mainly at New York University, where I had been assigned. I dedicated myself to visiting urban universities, walking through university streets and campuses, conducting interviews, and continuing to compile reports when time permitted. Luckily, even as tension between universities and the US government rose, I was still able to visit, thanks to the efforts of powerful allies. The experience of having the courage to leave my comfort zone and concentrate on one thing for the first time in a decade changed my perspective by the time I returned. Not only did the campus and the University look different, but my outlook on future work styles and career development had also shifted. In the future, I want to remain mindful of unconscious resignation while supporting my children’s growth. I will continue to pursue a comfortable lifestyle that suits me while accumulating experiences and remembering to challenge myself.

Off-Time Architecture Activities

A few years ago, I designed and built my own home. It is a simple configuration on a challenging, narrow site in a densely populated area. Four floors are connected by stairs and atriums. To accommodate flexible changes to the space, partitions were not used. I undertake small renovations annually. This year, to create a personal space for my son who has turned 10, I have enjoyed spending weekends leisurely engaged in design, with my beloved family in mind.

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