Brain Science Research at RIKEN−My Recollections Dr. Kang Cheng Deputy Laboratory Head Laboratory for Cognitive Brain Mapping Picture 1 Prof. Susumu Tonegawa on one of his early visits to RIKEN (1989). Our office then was in the prefabricated building. The building is still there, but now it mainly houses Dr. Hitoshi Okamoto's zebrafish. One third of the building, as can seen here, was the meeting space. The group had three joint lunch-time seminars a week. Picture 2 Campus of RIKEN before BSI East and Central Buildings were built (1995). This picture was taken on the roof of the (present) BSI West Building. The cherry trees seen here (not in existence anymore) and those still lined on the south side of the (new) First Cafeteria were planted only a few years earlier. Yes, the Central Building was built on old tennis courts. Of course, the transition from old tennis courts to new ones was very smooth, too. Picture 3 With Ray (left) at Oiso Retreat (1999). I think that this picture best captured Ray's appearance and smile. The only thing missing was a cigarette in his hand. Ray quitted smoking only in the final year of his life when he was battling cancer at the hospital. Before the Brain Science Institute (BSI) was established in October 1997, brain science research at RIKEN was operated on a much smaller scale. Upon his retirement from the University of Tokyo, Prof. Masao Ito came to RIKEN to direct the Research Program of the Brain Mechanisms of Mind and Behavior as a part of RIKEN's Frontier Research Program (FRP). The group was commenced in October 1988, and was composed of three laboratories headed by Prof. Masao Ito, Prof. Edward G. Jones (now at the University of California at Davis), and Dr. Keiji Tanaka, respectively. The group's research building (present BSI West Building) was not completed until the end of 1990. For about two years, the entire group with about twenty members used a prefabricated building as its office (see Picture 1). Our temporary experimental rooms during the transition were scattered in the basement of FRP's Central Building and RIKEN's Main Research Building. Prof. Ito, as usual, did many things then, including conducting experiments by himself. His room was next to the exit (the only exit!) in the basement, with a huge piece of glass wall on the corridor side, so he could see everyone passing by (at least everyone could see him!). My setup was in the room facing his directly. Well, for my part, I usually shut up the room all the day. We sometimes had a brief chat with him after the midnight when he came out to make his instant noodles, as the hot-water pot was shared between us. The three labs stayed very closely (not only physically, but also academically, of course) even after we moved to the new building. Brain science research has since enjoyed a steady expansion and BSI has eventually emerged as one of the major institutes within RIKEN (see Picture 2). In one of his early essays (1989) advertising the FRP's Research Program of the Brain Mechanisms of Mind and Behavior, Dr. Keiji Tanaka wished that a "RIKEN Institute of Brain Sciences" (notably similar to the BSI's present name!) would be widely known in fifteen years. This is already the reality. One aspect that has been emphasized since the early era of FRP is to attract more researchers from foreign countries. To this end, RIKEN has made tremendous efforts to accommodate foreign researchers. In the early time, most of us coming from other countries stayed in the FRP's guest house (now International Houses A-D). A lot of memories were associated with the Building D-the club house. When it was originally built, it was located on the opposite side of the road. Later, to make space for the Building G, it was relocated to the present place (I still feel very strange whenever I pass by the complex). In short, we did a lot of things (usually till later at night!) when the club house was still at the old site. Over the past fourteen years, many people have worked here, and an even larger number of people have visited us. One of those former colleagues was late Dr. Raymond Tadashi Kado (more people knew him as Kado-san, see Picture 3). Ray was a Japanese American, and for more than twenty years until his retirement a few years ago, he was a director at CNRS based in the suburbs of Paris. Before his retirement, he had come to work at Prof. Ito's lab on regular basis every year, and after his retirement, he had become a Senior Scientist in Prof. Ito's group. I do not remember exactly when Ray came every year, but I remember that he was always here in November because he always had a wine and cheese party for us on a November day when Beaujolais Nouveau is sold. Ray was a great scientist and teacher, and first of all, a great friend. His presence here had had enormous influences on many of us who at that time just started our career in neuroscience. I still remember the day, before he was repatriated (Ray explained the meaning of the word to me very carefully) back to Paris by the French Government for treatment, when I drove him back temporarily from the hospital to RIKEN to clean up his belongings. We bid goodbye to each other as usual, but it turned out that that was the last time I saw him. When I heard that Ray had passed away on the 12th of May this year, I was really saddened, so were many others at BSI who knew him. I dedicate this short essay to the memory of our colleague and friend, Kado-san.