Tom Scotti

Italian author in Japan

A non-linear trajectory across scientific research, technology, and culture.

THE SHORT STORY

I was born in Rome, but I have been living and working in Japan since 2012. I earned a PhD in applied mathematics in Tokyo in 2015, after which I started working in the world of financial and advertising technologies. I also like writing, and in 2021 I published my first novel The Emperor’s Umbrella (Longanesi). I have played the piano since childhood, and I have practiced martial arts since the late 1990s. In my free time I do calligraphy, ride my motorcycle, write, read, code, take photos... and I probably forgot something.

I was born and raised in Rome, where I spent the first twenty years of my life balancing an early passion for music and sports with a steady dedication to studying, under careful supervision at home.

In the summer of 2007, while visiting a friend on an Erasmus exchange in Spain, I realized how flexible the notion of “studying abroad” could be. As I was about to complete a master’s degree in mathematics, I decided that I wanted to experience that form of “study” myself.

Spain, however, did not feel far enough, at least in terms of temperament. I therefore chose Finland, and in January 2008 I moved for a semester to the University of Oulu, a few kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. It proved to be a formative experience in many respects, not only academically, but also because it taught me what it means to live in a radically different environment, navigate new languages and habits, and develop genuine personal independence. Finland was a first step, but certainly not the last.

After graduating in 2009, I took a break from academia to pursue another long-standing passion, martial arts. With over ten years of practice behind me and a basic knowledge of Chinese, I moved to Beijing. The transition was far from easy. The cultural shock was significant, and the first months required a considerable degree of adaptation and perseverance. Once this initial phase passed, however, China became an extraordinary experience, shaped by encounters, music, martial practice, and exposure to very different cultural contexts, which decisively broadened my perspective on the world.

It was during my time in China that I first visited Japan. Just a few days were enough for me to understand that the country would play a central role in my future. In 2010 I moved to Tokyo with the intention of staying longer, despite not speaking Japanese and lacking real professional experience. The outcome was, predictably, uncertain, and after a few months I returned to Italy. Giving up, however, never truly took shape. I resumed my academic path and, after a long period of applications and procedures, in 2012 I obtained a scholarship that allowed me to move permanently to Tokyo, where I still live today.

In 2015 I earned a PhD in applied mathematics, conducting research on reaction-diffusion equations. After completing my academic training, I began a professional career in financial technologies and later in advertising technologies, working in international and highly interdisciplinary environments. This path gradually led me from theoretical mathematics toward programming and data analysis, while allowing me to develop organizational, project management, and coordination skills in complex professional contexts.

In parallel, I have always maintained a steady commitment to arts and culture. I have played the piano since childhood, practiced martial arts since the late 1990s, and for many years studied and practiced Japanese calligraphy (shodō) as both a linguistic and aesthetic means of deepening my understanding of Japanese culture. In 2021 I published my first novel, The Emperor’s Umbrella (Longanesi), followed by other works of fiction set in Japan. Through my writing, I also engage in cultural outreach for an Italian readership, with the aim of portraying contemporary Japan in all its nuances, far removed from simplifications and stereotypes.

Looking back, my path has unfolded along a non-linear yet coherent trajectory, from scientific training to cultural production, shaped by a long experience of living and working in Japan. Having lived in the country continuously since 2012 has allowed me to develop an internal understanding of its cultural frameworks, institutions, and social dynamics, and to build over time a deep, everyday relationship with the Japanese context. I believe that this combination of academic, professional, and cultural experience provides a solid foundation for contributing, responsibly and with a spirit of service, to the promotion of Italian culture and to the strengthening of cultural dialogue between Italy and Japan.

THE LONG STORY...