Dick Irving

In 1973, while a student of Geography and Japanese in England, Dick won a scholarship to Japan. The Japanese Government invited him back again to begin his PhD research into rural depopulation, the subject of his doctorate awarded by Sheffield University. On a third scholarship from the Japan Foundation, Dick wound up sifting through Kyoto University's map collection. Inspired, he disappeared for some 25 days, much to the consternation of his Japanese colleagues. He had set forth on the Nakasendo highway for Tokyo. Dick is probably the only foreigner to have walked the old road in its entirety since the early days of modern Japan. He has since travelled the best sections many times, leading Walk Japan's Nakasendo Trail tour.

When not in Japan, Dick worked with museums in West Yorkshire, England, devising ways to make local history more accessible to the public, then went on to join the staff at the University of Hong Kong. Here he met Tom Stanley and their first collaborative venture was to set up cross-departmental courses for Japanese Studies. Dick also served on the management committee of the Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong and contributed material for the extensive educational resource there.

Dick has been back in Japan since 1995, this time as Professor at the School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University in Osaka. 'I teach all sorts of things about population, rural and urban areas, statistics and how to improve the quality of life. But my real love and speciality is discovering how landscapes evolve over time.'

Dick's family home is in Bath, where he co-founded the Combe Down Heritage Group. This has now evolved into a Society with over 100 members and Dick has been made the President, which he says means 'others now do the work'. Whenever back in the UK, he continues research on the history of Bath and his home, a Victorian villa. Dick relaxes by renovating his home and fighting its garden.

Dick is a founding member of Walk Japan.