My Group & I Made Japanese TV 9/16

We had a full 13 minutes out of the 1 hour "Why did you come to Japan" episode!  It is mostly in Japanese.  Check out minute 7-21.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j0WWybQAdk

Conclusive Reflection

Throughout the trip I made some great friends, explored new cultures, and learned about international business from a new perspective.  Immersion in the different countries was an amazing experience.  Learning how to interact and understand people from different cultures is an important aspect of business.  If I had to choose between the two countries, I would say I liked Taiwan more.  I felt that Taiwan was more internationally friendly than Japan.  In Taiwan, more people we interacted with were able to speak English and there was English signage in many places.  I also think that we did more traveling in Japan which made it hard to take in and enjoy the culture.  I have a feeling we did not have enough time to experience Japan fully.  I am going to miss the beautiful mountains.  It was nice to step out of the city and enjoy the natural scenery in both countries.

As far as the business culture, I noticed differences in the way they dressed, tipping, and business culture.  Workers were typically dressed in suits in Japan and women were more conservative than in Taiwan.  Most US companies, I am familiar with, have a business casual dress code.  Not tipping was a big cultural difference.  I am used to tipping for customer service, but the tip is baked into the price.  I think this is a good way to do business, but in the US it may demotivate employees from providing good service.  The focus for many US businesses is quantity over quality, which is not the mindset in Taiwan and Japan.  Many aspects of Asian culture and beliefs are prevalent in the way they do business.  Quality control was key in almost every company we visited.

Sumo in Tokyo was my favorite activity.  It was more exciting and entertaining than I anticipated.  An interesting observation from the tournament was that they still adhere to all the rules and rituals.  Participants and spectators respect the traditions.  From a business perspective, we learned that when doing business internationally, it is important to adhere to the company culture and way of doing business.  It is important to learning as much as possible about the traditions of the host country and respect the way they do business.

There were a lot more street vendors and night markets in Taiwan.  You could drink on the streets, but the culture was not a drinking one.  It was hard to find a bar or place to do karaoke in Taiwan.  Japan was completely different.  Business people typically when out to drink and smoke every day after work.  In Japan smoking was more prevalent and was allowed in restaurants, which was not pleasant.  McDonalds was better in Taiwan then in Japan, but not as good as what I am used to.  I was surprised how much we ate at McDonalds and went to 7-eleven.  I was surprised that I was able to find food that I liked in both countries.  Chicken was usually a safe choice.

In only 21 days we went on about 15 site tours, visited 4 universities, went to 11 business visits, and had about 15 class sessions. We traveled in planes, buses, trains, taxis, and subways.  I truly appreciate Professor Peng and Professor Laurence for organizing this study abroad.  I know they put a lot of thought, planning, and preparation into this trip. It is truly an experience we will never forget.  

Japan Reflection

After being in Taiwan I figured Japan would be similar, but with more people.  I was wrong.  They drive on the wrong side of the road.  I am not sure why this was a big difference for me since it was not my first time in a country that drives on the other side.  I was not familiar with many of the car brands.  There was a lot more cars on the road than we saw in Taiwan.  We did not see many scooters at all, only motorcycles.  Taxis had automatic doors which was new to me.  All most all of our travel was by train and subway.  The amount of people was crazy at rush hour.  We were stuck on crowded trains and even were separated once.

Worker were typically dressed in suits and were more conservative than in Taiwan. Bowing, everyone bows when entering and leaving places even the train.  We saw many initial meeting and saw how younger people or people with lower status bowed lower than the other person.  I even found myself nodding unconsciously by the end of the trip when thanking people.

I thought that Japanese would be a little easier to learn, but I still only learned simple phrases.  There was a lot less English spoken and written in Japan.  The number of people who could speak a little English was low.  Ordering food and asking for directions was not easy.

Again I found a lot food that I liked.  There was a lot less menus with pictures or in English.  Dr. Laurence had to let us know what things were often.  I did not try as many different foods in Japan, but we did have a lot of dinners with set multi-course menu.  There were course that had odd dishes.  I did not like the Ramen that we had at the museum because it was very salty and a little fishy.  I liked the Ramen I had at the spicy noodle place.  It was like chop suey soup.  The hotel we stayed at the most served hotdogs for breakfast every morning which I really liked, but it was weird.  

Overall Japan was really cool to see.  I was a little disappointed in some of the company visits.  The presenters were scripted and could not answer our questions.  Many visits were public tours and they did not go into detail about how the business operates.  My favorite company visit was the Buddhist alter making shop.  My favorite cultural activities were sumo and the Atomic Bomb Museum.  I also enjoyed learned about the religion and seeing the shrines/temples.  The university visit was nice, but it was a lot easier to talk with the students in Taiwan.

Taiwan Reflection

Taiwan was the first Asian country I have visited.  It was similar to what I expected in many ways.  A few things that I was surprised about were I thought there would be more religious buildings and the cleanliness of the city of Taipei.  I thought I would see and learn more about the different religions.  I was not sure if talking about religion was taboo.  Li was the only person to explain how they used the incense and bowed to make a wish to the gods.  There was little to no trash on the streets and not a lot of vandalism.  Everyone simply takes their trash with them.  There is also no eating or drinking on the trains or you will get a fine.  This was sometimes hard to remember.  You could not even chew gum.

The big companies we visited were very clean and newer.  People were dressed in mostly fashionable clothing, but I was shocked that the younger women wore extremely short skirts and many wore high heels.  The corporate culture for most was to give back to the community and always putting quality first.  Quality control was key in every company we visited.  Visiting the companies really made me understand the importance of being bilingual.  I wish I would have paid more attention in Spanish class and may consider trying to learn a new language now that I am done with school.  It will be a challenge seeing that I had over a week to try and learn Chinese and I still only know a few short phrases.  It does not help that Chinese is a tonal language.  Japanese maybe a little easier.  A lot of the street signs were also in multiple languages.  The number of people who could speak a little English was very high.  It is almost required in school to learn English now. 

I was happily surprised that I was able to find food that I liked.  Many places had pictures to pick from or English menus.  A few of the nights we went out with Dr. Peng and Dr. Laurence to the night markets.  They would order random things for us to try and not be stuck having to eat the whole thing if we didn’t like it.  I did not try stinky tofu based on everyone’s expressions.  I will be happy to never smell stinky tofu ever again.  I did try many oyster and squid things.  Squid balls were my favorite odd food so far.  Most of the noodle dishes and dumplings were good.  The desserts were not very sweet, but the ice cream and frappes were delicious.  Another weird thing was that at the hotel we were served salad for breakfast every morning which I liked. 

My first two days using public bathrooms were not fun.  The first time I was not aware that they usually had one normal (western) toilet at the end of the row and had to squat.  The second time the only normal stall did not have a door.  It is not easy.

I only saw a handful of GM cars the whole time.  I did see a GM dealership directly across from HTC which looked nice and new.  Most dealerships in the city were small store fronts with no lot and only a few cars on display.  Taxies were about 80% Toyota and the other 20% either Nissan or Mitsubishi.

An interesting things were that any time you buy something your receipt has a lottery ticket number on it.  If your number is called during the national drawing you could win.  At most places you could donate your receipt to a charity.  It is all a strange concept.  I was also surprised not to see a ton of orchids.  I only saw potted ones, not any wild ones. 

During one of the tours I got a mosquito bite.  Many others had multiple bites.  The bite did not hurt or itch the first day, it was only a small bump.  As the days pasted it grew in size and became red, but still did not itch but was a little painful.  The mosquitoes here are black and white and a little larger then back home.

Overall I really liked Taiwan, the people and all the experiences we had.  My favorite company visit was a tie between Giant and HTC.  Learning about both companies was very enjoyable.  The presenters really loved their work and could answer all of our questions.  My favorite cultural activity was the lantern experience.  It is something everyone should experience.  I enjoyed all of the university visits.  The people here were fun and easy to talk with.

Day 21

Today we had to check out of the hotel by 10 and take the shuttle to the airport.  My flight did not leave till 3.  Five of us were on the same flight and two more had a 3:50 flight.  We all did souvenir shopping and had lunch.  Eleven and a half hours on a plane is a long time.  I tried to sleep, worked on my blog and watched movies.

Day 20 - Last full day in Japan

Today we had to pack up our things and be ready to leave by 8:50.  I was happy to be back at the place with hot dogs for breakfast.  We went to JICA.  They are like the Peace Core.  JICA is funded by the government, but operates independently.  The lady who spoke had spent two years in Madagascar.  It was interesting to learn about all the good things JICA makes happen in developing countries.  The volunteers, grants and loans help improve our world.  It reminded me of my mission trips to Bolivia, but I could not imagine staying in a developing country for two years.  Next we had our last group discussion and had a free afternoon.  I went with the group who went to the Ramen Museum.  Chris has been obsessed with Ramen the whole trip and was really looking forward to this.  I think ramen is just ok.  The Museum itself was really not a museum.  We didn’t see any exhibits.  It basically was a gift shop, a toy racecar track, and then about 10 different Ramen vendors.  I picked the ramen that had thicker noodles and slightly thicker soup because it did not say it had seafood in it.  The paper was wrong, it did have some kind of fish in it so it was not that great, but I ate it.  Then we were off to see Mt. Fuji at the train stop closest to it.  We took the bullet train and had to make a transfer to another bullet train.  It was a good thing we did because when we transferred we could see the whole mountain from the platform.  By the time we got to the close station the clouds had rolled in and we could only see the bottom of it.  It really would have been an awesome view (S).  Then it was back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and go to the hotel at the airport.  It is sad that the trip is over.  The three weeks flew by.  I have made some good friends and had some awesome experiences.  I have a ton of pictures to remember everything. 
  

Day 19

We left Gifu this morning and took our luggage right to the Yamaha’s Toyooka Plant.  Again I was regretting packing so much.  The Yamaha Toyooka Plant is one of the largest wind instrument plants.  This facility produces flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones.  We were told how the company started, the locations used today, and then were given a tour of the production facility.  The tour guide was scripted and had to ask others when we asked her questions about the process and the company.  I was surprised to see how much physical work goes into making each instrument.  Technology has made some improvements on the process, but still expert craftsman are needed to assemble each instrument.  I was surprised to see the artists engraving each saxophone, by hand, one at a time.  I thought that they would have a machine to do that.  We saw almost all the different stages of production of the brass instruments, many parts of the woodwind production process and the quality testing.  We even witnessed the 10 minuet afternoon break.  Some workers stayed a few minutes to finish up the part they were working on, but everyone was back to their station by the time the 10 minutes were up.  Some of the men were doing stretches to help fight the physical stress of some of the jobs.  After the tour we were allowed to play all the different instruments on display in the show room.  Most of us liked the supersized xylophone and the electronic drums set the best.  The xylophone was so much fun, every note sounded good.  When I played with the electronic drum set, I hit the beat button and the beat was extremely loud in the head phones.  Carol caught that moment on video.  From there we headed to the Shinagawa hotel that we stayed in the first few nights in Japan.  We were free to eat dinner and explore on our own.

Day 18

We were able to sleep in today and started the day with a group discussion.  Most of our group discussions are about what we have enjoyed most, how we apply what we learn, and observations about the culture.  It rained again today; good thing we all had our umbrellas from Taiwan.  The camera crew did come like they said they would and handpicked Ryan, Matt T, and I to follow for the day.  I really didn’t want to be filmed and they ended up interviewing multiple people in the group throughout the day.  It was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I am not sure what they will actually use.  I just hope they pick the good parts. 

 

After lunch, the whole group was split into two.  My group took a bus to the Buddhist alter making shop (Fujii Butsudan).  The company is over 150 years old and the owner is the 7^th generation.  We have seen multiple Temples and know how elaborate they are.  Seeing the miniature alters was very much like the big Temples, but new and more elaborate.  The details were amazing as well as all the gold that adorned them.  We were told that people purchase these type of alters when a love one has passed away.  They then place the name of the dead person, given to them by the priest, in the alter on a special piece (the piece was about $300).  Each alter is hand crafted.  The cost and sizes of these alters varied greatly.  The Zen Buddhism ones were a lot of money even though they did not have much detail.  The shop not only sells new alters, they also refurbish old ones.  Alters should be cleaned at least every 30 years.  They are also now making more modern looking alters that look like pieces of furniture when they are closed.  At the end of our tour we all made gold “plated” bowls by using “gold” leaf and lacquer.  It was not that easy to do, but mine came out good.

The two groups joined up at the Shrine near by for a little Zen Meditation (Gifu Zenko-ji Temple).  One of the monks was our guide for a short explanation of what rituals people do at Temples or Shrines.  I wish we were taught this before all of the Temple and Shrine tours.  It gave me a better understanding.  Zen meditation was not easy.  All you have to do is 1 – sit Indian stylish 2 – keep your back straight 3– half open your eyes 4 – breath in through your nose and out your mouth 5 – make and “O” with your hands and place it by your belly button 6 - think about nothing.  Ha!!  When the monk hits the gong the meditation period began.  The second gong ends the mediation.  He said we sat there for 15 minutes, but I don’t think we did since it only felt like 8 at the most.  It was hard to hold that position, do all the things you needed to and think about nothing.  If the first time was not bad enough he made us all do it again facing the walls of the Shrine for about 7 more minutes.  I will not be doing that again.  I could see how some people might use this as a way to distress, it is just not for me.  I am happy that I was on the other side of the room then the camera crew for the meditation.  The boys were filmed up close and personal during the whole thing.  I was only interviewed about the meditation after we were done.

From there we went to a traditional Japanese confectionery.  Wagashi reflects Japan’s seasonal beauty and culture using azuki bean paste, flour, and fruits.  We were given a very brief description about the history of the company and their current product offerings.  The owner is the 6^th generation to carry on the 140 year old business.  He was very skilled at his craft and his wife was extremely nice and talkative.  They both translate and teach English.  They have partnered with other Gifu companies to promote tourism to their area (experiencegifu.com).  We each were tasked with making three kinds of Wagashi.  It was not easy, but a lot of fun.  They really did not taste like a sweet.  We all tried one piece with tea, like it is made to be eaten.  I think I am just used to sweet candy and it was too healthy for me.  Plus the tea was a little bitter which did not help the taste.  The candy shop was also the only place in Japan that I had to use a squat bathroom, which I was not happy about.

We then had our last group dinner at the restaurant directly under Dr. Laurence’s old apartment.  It was all kinds of sea food.  We started out with a plate of sushi.  I tried every piece.  There was tuna, salmon, squid and octopus.  I ate more than my share of tuna and salmon cause Kelsey and a few others were not eating there’s.  I knew I didn’t like octopus, but tried it again and still do not like it.  Next they brought out some kind of fish balls which I tried but didn’t not like because they tasted a lot like fish.  Next, was fish steak (yellow tail) and it had the same result as the fish balls.  Ray at the rest of mine.  Then they brought out battered and fried whole fish (sardines).  I wasn’t going to try it but Ray was giving me a hard time so I bit the head of one and spit it back out.  It was gross.  The boys really liked them.  Next was amazing steak and the boys let me eat more since I wasn’t eating all the fishy stuff.  Then they brought out a fish and crab stew that was just ok.  We ended the meal with lichie.  For the rest of the night my group just meet to talk about our summary for our group discussion that day.

Day 17

This morning we took a train with our luggage to get to the next hotel.  I was happy the train was not packed.  Then we took multiple trains and the subway to get to Nagoya University and experienced the crammed train cars.  It was a long morning.  A professor from Nagoya told us about the school and we were able to meet some of the students and eat lunch with them.  I spent most of the day talking to a grad student named Kotoka.  She is studying education and focusing on researching entrance exams and processes for college.  The Nagoya school of education is more of a research school then a school to prepare students for a teaching career.  Only about 8% of students from the school of education actually go on to teach.  Many of the students did have part time jobs substituting or tutoring.  We spent the afternoon talking with the students and touring their campus.  Unlike in Taiwan, they do not have a lot of English speaking international students because all of the courses are taught in Japanese.  They stressed that they are making an effort to increase the number of classes taught in English to attract more international students.  The students here did not speak as much English as in Taiwan and were fairly shy.  We stayed at the University for dinner which was similar to the bbq meat I had the night before, but many more courses.  Most of the students could not join us.  At the restaurant everyone had to remove their shoes before entering.  I find this custom very gross.  I don’t want to smell other peoples feet when I eat.  We sat in the lower seating which was different.  They used to kneel.  Now it is like you are sitting on the floor and there is a hole under the table for everyone legs and feet.  It was a good experience even though it was a long meal.  We took the subway and train back to the hotel.  Out of all the places we have stayed, everyone has been able to get a decent room, but this time three of us were stuck in smoking rooms.  I happen to be one of them and slept with the window open.



Day 16

I had a rough start this morning.  Breakfast was mystery rice balls.  I tried two, one was seaweed and the other was actually good.  Then I am not sure how I thought we were meeting 10 minutes later then we were, so I ended up being late and everyone was waiting on me.  To make it worse I packed my rail pass in my luggage that was staying at the hotel so I had to quickly run back and get it.  I made it to the train just fine.  Later we did leave Ryan at another train station and Ray and Tiffany lost their rail pass on the last train of the day.  It was not our best rail day and hopefully our last bad one.  Our first visit was the public tour of Mazda.  It was not as exciting as I was hoping for.  They took us to their museum, which was like our Heritage Center for GM.  We saw some old cars and a new concept car (shown at a 2008 auto show).  They are focused heavily on hydrogen power.  Part of the tour was then to observe the assembly plant.  We saw them installing flooring, dashboards, windshields, and a few other parts on a mixed model line.  I would think the potential for error would be higher going from building a sports car to a sedan, but their process seemed very structured.  Many parts move in a basket along with the vehicle and there were digital displays at every station for workers to rely on.  The plant is huge.  They store and ship cars right from their own port on site.

Next we had lunch.  I tried a traditional dish only made in Hiroshima called, Okonomiyaki (fry what you like).  It was strange, but I ate most of it.  Basically they start with a pancake batter then add bean sprouts, cabbage, noodles, meat (mystery, maybe chicken), shrimp, an egg and some kind of soy/bbq sauce.  

Then we took a train to the ferry over to the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima.  The ferry ride was very short, but beautiful.  When we stepped of the ferry there were live deer hanging out.  Even though there was a sign that said clearly do not touch or feed the animals, some of our group did (silly undergrads).  The tide was out so we didn’t get to see the reflection of the torii gate.  It was still really cool to see and walk around.  I also think it was be amazing to see at night because there were many lights lining the pathways.  After viewing the shrine we walked up to the Goju-no-to (five-story pagoda) which is a blend of Chinese and Japanese architectural style.  Right next to the five story pagoda was the Senjokaku (Toyokuni Shrine) which we entered.  It was never completed because Toyotomi Hideyoshi died.  There was art lining ceilings and we were told it is all original.  Then it was back to the hotel to gather our luggage and hop on a train to the next hotel.  I was still hunger when we got in and Dr. Laurence, Theresa, Ray, Chris and I walked down the street to eat “bbq”.  We had 5 different types of meat on the stick.  The only thing I could not eat was the chicken skin.  I had pork belly, some fancy chicken and plum, chicken knees, and meat balls.