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.

Day 15 - Hiroshima

Today we left Tokyo to go to Hiroshima.  We just made it on to the first train, which was a little scary.  The first train ride was over two and a half hours then we got on another train for a little more than an hour.  When we got to the hotel we dropped off our luggage and headed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  We first saw the T bridge (the target) and the A-Bomb Dome.  We then walked around the Peace Park and to the actual museum.  Tiffany and I purchased the $3 audio guide tour.  At each picture, object, or display they had signs in multiple languages.  The audio tour gave more in-depth background to each display.  Hearing the audio tour was a more vivid experience with the incorporation of poems and detailed explanations.  The museum described what Hiroshima was like before the Atomic bomb was dropped, before and during war, the nuclear age, Hiroshima in ruins, and the path to peace.  It was really hard to hear about as well as see all the material possessions from the aftermath.  They had an exhibit of two children and a mother walking out of the ruins with their flesh melting off their body.  I had to stop listening to the audio for that exhibit.  Many of the people killed were children working in the city that day.  They shared stories of how some children made it home, their faces and bodies were unrecognizable, their parents could only recognize them by their voice, and all the parents could do was watch them pass.  It was heart breaking.  I almost lost my lunch hearing of all the effects of radiation and seeing some photos of what happened to people affected.  I hate politics and who knows what would have happened and what the world would be like today if we did not drop the bomb.  I hope everyone has learned from what happened and agree with Japan's path to peace way of thinking.  After the museum we ate dinner and explored the city of Hiroshima.  It was strange to think how everything was completely destroyed and now is back to being a thriving city.

Day 14 - Temples & Shrines

 The theme of today was “walking”.  We went to three temples (Buddhist) and one shrine (Shinto).  We took two trains to Kamakura.  The first temple was visited was The Great Buddha Kamakura.  It is an insanely big seated Buddha that is a Japanese national treasure.  We learned that as you walk into a shrine or temple many wash their hands.  Since temples and shrines are sacred places, they usually "clean" themselves before entering.  In front of each statue there would be a donation box one could toss a coin into which made a lot of noise as it fell.  After donating the people would bow and clap or just put their hands together.  I am still not clear exactly on the process, but they do this to make a wish to the gods.  In the places where there was incense, people burner it and fan the smoke towards themselves.  Smoke is believed to have healing power.

The second place we went to was the Hasedera Temple.  This was one of the most interesting Temples to me.  It has so many places to explore, I wish I had a guide to tell me what each statue and section meant.  I do know that they believe in many gods so I am assuming each section was for a different god.  The temple was built on a hill and we climbed all the way to the top.  There was an amazing view of the ocean, but I was surprised that there was no statue at the top.  The grounds were amazing.  There was all kinds of plants and small ponds.  We did enter a creepy little cave with multiple gods.  It was dark with only a few candles and the ceiling dropped half way in so you had to lean over and keep walking to get out.  It was funny to see our tallest guy (Ray) almost have to crawl out.  In the main hall there was the largest wooden sculpture in Japan (Kannon-Bosatsu).

Then we went our separate ways for lunch.  I again followed Dr. Laurence with five others and we found a small “restaurant” that only had room for eight people.  The “restaurant” was operated by one 90 year old lady and we all sit right at the bar (the only seating) and watched her cook.  The “menu” was spoken and we had two option; chicken onion and noodles or spicy noodles.  Everyone but Dr. Laurence ordered the chicken onion and noodles which was really good.  The meal came with all you can drink tea and seaweed.  The tea was way too hot and I did not care for the seaweed.  The old lady only spoke Japanese and was joking with us as Dr. Laurence translated.  She gave us all complements on our chopsticks skills.  It was a very unique experience.

Next we walked to our first shrine, which was open to the public.  Shinto is a way of thinking and not a religion.  A person can be Buddhist and practice Shinto.  The shrine was very open and had a large fleet of steps leading up to it.  At the center of the grounds we were able to watch a wedding taking place.  The women was dressed in a fancy black silk dress.  Back in Taiwan we were told that a bride would not wear white because it is the color they associate with death.  Many Taiwan brides wear blue, the color of purity.  We were told in Japan they will wear white, but the bride we saw was not.  I am still curious about this.

Then we walked for a while (up hill) to another temple which was a Zen training monastery (I think it is the oldest Japan).  The Kencho-Ji Temple had a few places to visit and grounds to walk around.  They had an amazing black gate (Karamon – Chinese Gate) that is currently not in operation, but really cool to see.  We also saw the Dharma Hall which is the largest wooden Buddhist structure in Eastern Japan.  In this hall was a Fasting Buddha statue and an elaborate painting of a dragon on the ceiling.  After seeing this we then took our longest walk to the train station and went back to the hotel.

At night we walked to one of the most busy crosswalks and got to experience the crowds on the train again.  After crossing the busiest intersection twice, Carol and I took the subway to the Tokyo Tower.  It looked a lot like the Eiffel Tower.  The top of the tower was closed, but we went up half way and saw all the lights of the city.  We even were able to stand on a glass floor and look down.  I liked Taipei 101 better.

Day 13

For our first full day in Japan we got to sleep in and have breakfast at the hotel.  We went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum to learn about the history of the city of Tokyo.  The museum was 6 stories tall but only the top two floors were the museum.  We learned how the city was originally called Edo and the history of the daily life of the people.  There were volunteer guides available but not when we started.  Tiffney saw that one English speaking guide was walking with one lady and asked if we could join.  The guide and lady both said yes.  So for about half the museum the guide told us a little more than we could have learned by reading all the signs.  The museum was made to be interactive.  There were many places where you could take photos lifting things or sitting in things.  We saw the effects of fires, earthquakes, volcanos, and war had on the town.  On the way out we traveled down a 3 or 4 story escalator.

 

For lunch we went to a hole in the wall restaurant and had really awesome fried chicken.  Our meal came with cabbage, meso soup, seaweed and rice.  Next we headed to the grand sumo tournament.  There are 15 days of this and each wrestler has a match each day.  Today was day 13 and two of the wrestlers were 12 and 0 (I know the last guy won and might have made history for being the first Mongolian to go 13-0).  We saw the Makuuchi Rikishi ceremonial entrance where each of the senior wrestlers step into the ring in their ceremonial aprons.  We also saw the Grand Champion entrance and Bow dance ceremony.  It was really exciting once we knew what was going on.  Each match only lasts about 20-30 seconds, but the preparation takes long.  The wrestlers are each announced then come on stage.  The face the opponents and stretch to get ready for a while, mostly doing the same moves.  When they dry their hands and face with a towel and throw salt into the ring you know they are going to start.  I have a handful of matches on video.  Some of the guys in our group actually got their picture taken as the sumo wrestlers exited the arena, but I did not have the opportunity. 

For dinner we went to the electronics district.  We got packed into the train because there were so many people leaving sumo.  It was very tight.  The electronics district had everything electronic from games to hardware.  Carol, Dr. Laurence and I went to a fancy restaurant where you had to remove your shoes before walking in and we ordered off a tablet at our table.  I tried burdock root, chicken knuckles, and sake.  I will not order burdock root again, but I was told it is really good for you.  I still have not figured out the trains here.  I think we have been on 3 different lines so far.  We have not been on the subway yet.

Day 12 - Travel Day to Japan

This morning we had to be out of the hotel by 5am and on a bus for a 2 hour ride to the airport.  I am going to miss the mountains.  They are so beautiful when it is not raining .  The group was split on four different planes throughout the day, but many were on my same Delta flight. that I was on.  I was never able to find a Taiwan shot glass.  Instead I got a little figurine guy that I thought was a cute souvenir.  I am used to having a variety of souvenir shops at most places I have traveled too.  Although many thing were cheap, Taiwan did not have things that I liked.  The flight was not bad.  We had to regroup to hop on a train to Shinagawa, right outside Tokyo.  A camera crew was interviewing all the foreigners as they left the airport to ask them why and what they came to Japan to see.  Dr. Laurence explained that we were here for study abroad and they asked to follow us around a little while when we are here.  It should be interesting.  We all had to do a quick interview.

The train ride was hour then the escalator at the station was broken.  I was really regretting packing so much.  After we checked in at the hotel they let us have a free evening on our own.  A bunch of us went to get pizza and pasta.  We sat outside at a nice restaurant and people watched.  I have never seen so many people in suits.  There was a business group next to us that were getting drunk, even drinking out of the pitcher.  After dinner we walked around.  We walked through a pachinko parlor.  It was the loudest thing ever!  You can not actual gamble in Japan so you win prizes and take them down the street/ally to be traded for cash.  It is really weird.  The biggest difference between the two countries so far is that they drive on the wrong side of the road and there seems to be a little less English prevalent here in Japan.

Day 11 - Last day in Taiwan

For our last full day in Taiwan we had two company visits.  We started out our day at Bottlemate Inc, a cosmetics bottling manufacture.  We had a strange start to the presentation.  The slides were all in English, but the presenter spoke no English and just went about saying the presentation in Chinese.  After a few minutes Professor Peng had to stand up and translated for us.  The company originally started as strictly a bottle making manufacturer and now they can bottle liquids and creams for other companies.  They had a variety of products on display for us to try and examine.  Then we took a tour of their plant starting with their history area, showing how they started and advancing to the products they sell now.  We each had to put little blue booties over our shoes before entering the plant.  It is very humid here.  I was a little shocked to see mold growing on the ceiling of in the conference room we were in, but I did not see much in the plant.  As we walked through the plant was saw the stations where they printed on the bottles, colored the caps, and formed different types of bottles.  One bottle we saw throughout the process was a Hello Kitty shaped one.  I was surprised to see how much human interaction was needed during the whole process.

Next we went to a “department store” for lunch.  It turned out to be a high fashioned mall where everything was at least $100 US.  I really wanted to find souvenirs, but this was not the place.  I was able to eat at Din Tai Fung again which was nice.  I tried a pork and pork/crab soup dumpling, but I still like the chicken ones the best.  One thing I have not mentioned is that my camera has been acting up for the past 3 days.  It works when it wants to.  I am guessing it might be because of the humidity.

After lunch we went to the saxophone museum.  While there it poured outside.  It has rained at least once every day we have been in Taiwan.  We learned a little about the four generation of sax manufacturing and how they put quality above everything.  We each had the opportunity to play one.  I tried and could make noise, but not for a long period of time.  The instrument was extremely heavy and hard to hold.  It was fun to watch the people who tried to play.  At the conclusion of the museum tour we each we able to make a key chain as a souvenir.

Our last group activities for the day were a group discussion, learning a little Japanese, and dinner.  About every three days we have a group discussion and reflect back on the last few days.  It is interesting to hear everyone’s different impressions and thoughts of our experience.  Japanese seems to be a little bit easier to learn, however the sentence structure is backwards.  Dinner was crazy!!  We had a typical Taiwanese feast.  Every course seemed to get worse until we had ice cream and watermelon for dessert.  Ryan tried to eat a whole shrimp and almost lost his whole dinner.  I guess most people do not eat the head and central nervous system, but Carol did.  We were served all different seafood dishes and even a whole fish.  I really was not into anything we ate except the pork.  When we got back to the hotel I ran to 7 eleven and bought a bag of made in the USA popcorn, which they popped right there and even stapled a napkin to it to make a carrying bag.  It was so good!!  Other than that I packed, since we had to be up at 4:30 to head to the airport.

Day 10

I got to sleep in today.  Our first company visit was to Yung Shin Group.  They are the largest pharmaceutical manufacture in Taiwan.  The general manager of the plant only spoke Chinese so he had an interpreter the whole time.  He explained that the manufacturing site, we were visiting, uses the SAP and ERP system.  We toured the plant and were able to see the automated warehouse.  As we walk past each of the stations, we could see all the quality control measures they have in place.  Quality control and sterilization is very high throughout the plant.  The production is basically free of human interaction.  We were able to see a self-guided robot pick up and drop off a package of pills.  We were able to take pictures during the whole tour.

Next, we went to lunch at McDonalds since we were out in the rural area.  Then we took a short ride to Giant Bicycles.  We were taught about the company and learned a lot about their corporate culture.  I was not aware that about 90% of Trek bikes are actually manufactured by Giant, but the two companies have completely different R&D.  We were given a tour of their manufacturing operation and were able to see how just in time really works.  Each worker had to perform about 3 to 7 tasks before the piece could move on to the next part of assembly.  There are so many small details that go into making one bike.  I was a little surprised to learn that they use the same paint that car manufactures use, but it makes sense.  At the entrance they had 6 different bikes on display.  I was able to pick up a $7,000 carbon fiber women’s aerodynamic bike. 

Then we went to the rest stop to kill time before going to a new night market.  This rest stop was nothing like our rest areas in the states.  It was 3 stories tall.  They had at least 15 different restaurants and a small mall to shop at as well as fun actives to do and see.  I tried a sample of caramel squid which was nothing like it sounded like; it was actually spicy fried squid.  Then we headed to the night market and wandered around.  This night market had more high fashion clothing and still the same strange foods.  I tired an almost whole shrimp on a stick.  It was different to eat the shell but not that bad.  I would say it tasted fishier then I am used to.

Day 9

For our first full day in Taichung we spent the day at Tunghai University.  Tunghai University is a private university.  Most designs were by I.M Pei, a world renowned architect.  We first had a course on the financial markets of Taiwan for 2 hours. We focused on GDP, exchange rates, purchasing power parity, labor markets, and monetary policy.  Of the 23 million people in Taiwan only 10 million are considered the working population.  The number of those willing to work is decreasing because more and more students are choosing to not work while they are in school.  I found it interesting that they consider the current school age population “generation strawberry” because they are less willing to study abroad than previous generations also they avoid manufacturing and manual labor.  Also, the birth rate is one of the lowest in the world here and divorce rate is rising (1 out of 3 couples).

 

After our class we at lunch and took a tour of the campus.  We saw Luce Memorial Chapel, which was designed by I. M. Pei.  The trees and landscaping are very nice.  The building are all very well kept and different in design.

Next we had our class discussion about the last few days then meet up with students from the finance department for the rest of the afternoon.  We told them about our campus experience in the states and they told us about theirs.  Here and at most colleges they have a “Student Labor Program.”  This is a course most freshmen must take.  They clean the campus.  It fosters volunteerism and helps develop social responsibility.  We at with the students and were free to talk about anything.  The three girls I was talking to were freshman.  They liked to talk about movies and enjoyed practicing their English.

After we got back to our hotel on campus a group of us walked to the Tunghai Night Market.  This market was actually on an active street with cars and scooters.  There were still places where it reeked of stinky tofu.  I never want to smell stinky tofu ever again!  I can’t even describe how bad it smells, maybe like 20 stinky diapers and the smell stays with you for a while.  I did have one squid ball with fish flakes.  It was kind of like a corndog breading with squid inside and dried fish shavings on top.  It was not bad.

Day 8

Today was our last day in Taipei.  We had most of the day free to do whatever we wanted.  I really wanted to go to the beach but unfortunately we woke up to rain.  The group split up and went separate ways.  I went to see a movie, go to the largest book store (eslite) and the plan was to stop at SMS memorial hall on the way back.  I wanted to see a movie for a few reasons - the popcorn, rest my legs and feet from all the walking we have been doing and to see how they experience English movies with subtitles.  Theresa and I went to see “The Great Gatsby.”  The popcorn was just like you would eat at a fair.  It did not have movie theater butter but it was still good.  The sizes were smaller than in the US and I did find it strange that they offered fresh caramel corn as well.  After the movie (the sun actually came out) we went to the eslite bookstore, which was basically a mall/bookstore.  There were 6 levels of books/shops and the lower level was a food court. 

We ate dinner at the food court and headed to the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, but the museum was closing.  We did get to walk around the grounds then headed back to the hotel to get our luggage.  I forgot that we didn’t get to go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall on the first day to see the changing of the guards, but we did pass it on at least two of our bus rides. 

 

We took the bullet train from Taipei to Taichung.  The ride lasted 50 minutes and the top speed I saw displayed was 265 km/hour.  We all took taxies to the TungHai University Alumni House, the hotel we will be at until Thursday.  This university is were Professor Peng went to school.  I cannot wait to see the campus tomorrow because I have heard repeatedly it is the most beautiful campus.