Monthly Service
Curated Science Reading List
Four to six articles per month, grouped by theme, with short orientation notes on audience and assumed background. Occasional book suggestions and a quarterly long-form essay.
¥11,000 / month
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Single Session · ¥29,500
Read the Research You Care About With Greater Confidence
A one-to-one session built entirely around the topic you bring. By the end, you will have a clearer picture of the background, the current state of evidence, and the questions that remain open — along with a written reading map to carry the work forward.
What This Delivers
A single session that changes how you read a subject
There is a particular kind of interest that forms when you encounter a piece of research and want to understand it more than the article allowed — but do not have the background to know where to begin, which sources to trust, or what the field is actually debating.
This session addresses that directly. It is a one-to-one conversation, built around a topic you bring, that walks through the background you need, the current state of the evidence, the questions that are genuinely unresolved, and the sources worth reading next. Afterward, a written summary and reading map are delivered so the work does not end when the session does.
A one-to-one session built entirely around your chosen topic
Coverage of background, current evidence, and the main unresolved questions
Primary and secondary sources identified and explained
Written session notes and a reading map delivered afterward
A Familiar Difficulty
Encountering research you want to understand and not knowing where to enter
A science topic arrives in your reading — a paper a colleague mentioned, a development covered in a journal you follow, a question that came up in a piece you were writing or teaching. You want to understand it. Not at a headline level, but well enough to follow the argument, assess the evidence, and know what questions are still genuinely open.
The difficulty is orientation. Without background in the specific field, it is hard to know which sources are reliable, which terminology is carrying technical weight, or which of the apparent debates are settled and which are live. Reading widely without that orientation can leave you more confused rather than less — and with less confidence about what you have actually understood.
A structured session with someone who has read in that area provides the orientation that independent reading alone often cannot. The session does not replace your reading — it makes it more productive from the first article onward.
How the Session Works
A structured conversation, not a lecture
Part 01
The background
The session opens with the context the topic requires — the research history, the key figures, and the foundational ideas that the current discussion builds on. This is calibrated to your existing knowledge rather than delivered as a fixed introduction.
Part 02
Current state of evidence
A clear account of where the evidence sits at this point in time — what has been established with reasonable confidence, what is supported but not yet robust, and what is still contested or early.
Part 03
Unresolved questions
The questions the field is genuinely working on — not manufactured debate, but the places where researchers themselves disagree, where methodology is still developing, or where the evidence is insufficient to resolve what is being asked.
Part 04
Sources and reading map
Primary and secondary sources are identified and briefly described — what each one offers, what level of background it assumes, and where it fits in the sequence. This becomes the written reading map delivered after the session.
What the Session Feels Like
A conversation that follows your questions, not a fixed curriculum
The session is not a presentation delivered at you. It is a conversation in which the structure above provides the frame, but your questions and the pace at which things become clear determines how the time is spent. If something in the background requires more time, it gets it. If you arrive already familiar with one part, the session moves on.
Before the session, a short note is exchanged to establish what you already know, what prompted the interest, and what you are hoping to be able to do differently by the end. This makes the session more precise and the reading map more useful.
The written notes arrive afterward, usually within two working days. They summarise the key points from the session and lay out the reading map in a format that is practical to follow — with sources ordered by where to begin rather than by importance alone.
Session format
One-to-one, conducted remotely. Duration is typically seventy to ninety minutes, depending on the topic and how the conversation develops. The session is not recorded without prior agreement.
Topics suitable for this service
A recent development in any research field. A longer-running question the participant wants a firmer grasp of. A piece of research encountered in reading that prompted further questions. The topic does not need to be narrowly defined — part of the preparation work is finding the right scope.
After the session
Written summary notes and reading map delivered within two working days. These are the participant's to keep and use however they find useful — in writing, teaching, further research, or personal reading.
Suitable for
Students approaching unfamiliar territory, journalists and writers covering research-adjacent subjects, educators building subject knowledge, and lifelong learners who want to read a field with confidence rather than uncertainty.
Investment
Transparent pricing for this service
Single Session
¥29,500
per session · one topic · notes delivered afterward
Pre-session exchange to calibrate scope and starting point
One-to-one session of seventy to ninety minutes
Background, current evidence, and open questions covered
Primary and secondary sources identified with brief descriptions
Written session notes and reading map delivered within two working days
A note on the value
The cost reflects the preparation required before the session, the time of the session itself, and the writing work involved in producing the notes and reading map afterward. A session on a topic that has not been recently reviewed may require two to three hours of preparation reading in addition to the session time.
For a student, journalist, or educator approaching unfamiliar research, the reading map that results from this service often changes what is possible in the subsequent weeks — not by doing more, but by doing the reading in a sequence that builds understanding rather than confusion.
All prices are in Japanese Yen (¥) and inclusive of applicable taxes where required.
How the Preparation Works
What happens before you arrive at the session
After the initial contact and the brief exchange about scope and starting point, preparation for the session begins. This means reading into the background of the topic — not to deliver a lecture, but to be able to answer the questions that arise in a conversation and to identify the sources most worth recommending for this particular reader.
If the topic touches a field that has been recently reviewed for other sessions, that preparation may be lighter. If it is a new area, it may take longer. Either way, the session is not delivered from existing notes — it is prepared for the specific topic and the specific participant.
The written notes produced after the session are not a transcript. They are a structured summary of the key points covered, written in a way that is useful to return to, with the reading map presented in a practical order.
What makes a good topic for this session
Any topic where you have encountered the subject and want to understand it more thoroughly than independent reading has allowed so far. It helps if you can point to a specific piece of research or development that prompted the interest — even if that is not the only thing the session covers.
What this session does not do
The session does not produce expert knowledge in the participant. It produces orientation — a clearer picture of the field, its current state, and a path for reading further. The depth of expertise gained afterward depends on the reading that follows.
Timeline
From first contact to session, typically one to two weeks depending on availability and preparation time. Written notes arrive within two working days of the session. A follow-up question by email is welcome in the two weeks after delivery.
Commitment
An honest approach to what this session can deliver
The session is designed to be useful. If after the pre-session exchange it becomes apparent that the topic is not one that can be covered with the depth the participant is looking for, that will be said clearly before the session goes ahead — and no payment will be taken.
If you are not certain whether your topic is suitable, the contact form is the right place to describe it. There is no commitment in making an initial inquiry, and the answer will be honest rather than encouraging for its own sake.
No charge if not suitable
If the topic cannot be covered to the standard described, this is identified before the session and nothing is charged.
Follow-up questions welcome
A follow-up question by email is welcome within two weeks of the notes being delivered, at no additional charge.
How to Begin
What happens from first contact to session
Step 01
Describe your topic
Use the contact form to describe the topic and what prompted your interest. It helps to mention any specific piece of research or development, and what you are hoping to be able to do by the end of the session.
Step 02
Initial reply
A reply arrives within two working days, confirming whether the topic is suitable, asking any clarifying questions about scope, and suggesting a session date based on preparation time needed.
Step 03
The session
Conducted remotely, at the agreed time. The session follows the structure described above, with the pace and depth adjusted to your questions and the territory as it opens up in conversation.
Step 04
Notes and reading map
Written session notes and the reading map arrive by email within two working days. From there, the reading is yours to pursue in whatever order and at whatever pace works for you.
Topic Deep-Dive Consultation
Bring your topic. Leave with a path into it.
¥29,500 per session. One topic, covered thoroughly. Background, current evidence, open questions, and a written reading map delivered afterward. No commitment until both sides are confident the session will be useful.
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