Days 13 & 14 (十三 - 十四 ) 5/28-5/29

きのうアメリカに帰りました。日本はとても楽しかった。だから、さびしい。日本がとてもすきですからしょうらい日本に帰ったいです。
I have truly enjoyed my stay in Japan. The sashimi, the green tea, the company tours, the subway and train systems… I am fond of a lot of things here. But mostly, if anything, I enjoyed the tourist aspect of it the least. What I did enjoy was watching the people as they went about their daily routines (not to sound like a creeper). I enjoyed watching and experiencing the metropolis of a country that is much denser and more bustling than mine is. Seeing people living so differently on a day to day basis from myself simply intrigues me. From religion, to diet, to infrastructure, to the educational system, at one level, Japan is very much different from America. At another level, Japan is very similar. Sure, Americans and Japanese haven’t always been at peace. It has been less than a century since our countries were at war. But once you did past the first layer, you will find that Japanese people are very much like us. From meeting Sera-san, to getting help from strangers in the subway, one will find that Japan really isn’t that foreign after all.
My roommate Kevin and I woke up pretty early Thursday morning and had to figure out how to get to Kansai Airport, Osaka by ourselves. We didn’t have the slightest idea as to how we were to accomplish that without a taxi, given the rest of our group flew out of Nagoya and took taxis to the airport. After packing, I got a ton of Yen out of an ATM just in case we got lost or needed to take a taxi. (For future participants, take as much American cash with you and exchange it in Japan. The MSUFCU credit charges via ATM are massive)
We headed to the subway, and proceeded to get on a train headed for Kansai. Confusingly for us, the trains in Japan are constructed so that during the course of a trip, the back set of cars on the train will split apart from the forward cars and go a different direction (this probably happens in America too, but we never take the train in our home country). Cars 1-4 were going to Kansai, while cars 5-8 were going to some other city. Kevin asked me, “Which car are we on?” I said, “2.” Then why does that sign up there say “7”, he states. Apparently I counted wrong when I put us on the train, or the sign at the station was switched around. Either way, staying in that car would have been bad for our purposes. We got off and made our way to train 4, and subsequently made our way to Kansai.
We got to the airport and waited for an eternity. Another one of the participants, Will, met us at the airport. Upon sitting down together, a woman sitting next to us asked if we were from Michigan. Her name was Prof. Kilsby of the Clinical Medical Laboratories Dept. of Andrew’s College. Apparently she had been in North Korea on a medical humanitarian project the past two weeks, and proceeded to show us pictures of the inside. We didn’t see any N. Korean people in her slideshow, but we did see a billboard with a North Korean soldier on it. Creepy. She told us of the deplorable condition of North Korea’s medical infrastructure, and this really hit home for us. Having seen the Japanese medical system supplying the Japanese with medicine and adequate healthcare, the contrast could only make us shudder.
Our plane was delayed in Kansai by 1 ½ hours. Our layover in San Francisco was only 2 hours, and customs would take 30-45 minutes. If they didn’t hold our flight, we were going to get stuck in San Francisco. Upon getting on the plane, I knew it would be a long one. After I got seated, a Japanese woman sat down next to me and I proceeded to use what little Japanese I had to start a conversation. It was a little difficult, I must say, given she kept asking me questions with words that I had never studied before. Her name was Megumi Ogino and lives in Shiga, where my group stayed for a day. I was able to make a few jokes in Japanese, like, “Are you having fun? (たのしい？)”, when she looked a little freaked out during turbulence. I swiftly told her I thought it was scary too (こわいい). Even though she had to use an electronic dictionary so she could show me big words she couldn’t say in English nor I could understand in Japanese, we still laughed at each other’s little childlike comments. At the end of the flight, she gave me an origami.
Upon reaching San Francisco, I re-entered English speaking mode. I enjoyed speaking Japanese, so I will miss it. Kevin, Will, and myself all missed our flight to Chicago. Kevin and I got another flight for later on that evening. Will took a flight for later on that night. Upon arriving in Chicago, I found my way to the United office and got a meal and hotel voucher. Kevin lives in Chicago, so his folks picked him up. Upon reaching the hotel, the receptionist asked me when I wanted my wake-up call. It was 12:30am. “4:30am” I said. He looked at me as if saying, “You’re only sleeping for 4 hours? After getting some shut eye in the hotel, I proceeded back to the airport and met Will, who was on the same flight with me from Chicago to Detroit that morning. Upon arriving in Detroit, I met up with my parents; a total of 36 hours after Kevin and I left our hotel is Osaka. My study abroad was over.
On study abroad advertisements around campus, a student is quoted as saying, “The beginning of the rest of my life started on my study abroad.” I will say that I share his sentiment. I took a year of Japanese back at school, and wasn’t going to continue. I decided against not taking it after going to Japan. Being able to communicate with so many more people, even if only at a basic level, was so too beneficial not to continue honing in the future. I can see the utility in knowing Japanese and both the professional and personal advantages of knowing it. From getting directions in Toyko, to talking to Saitou and Megumi, to getting lost in Osaka, to buying stuff in an all Japanese dept. store, to seeing Dr. Londo translate Japanese at our business meetings, I realize that I need to continue my study of Japanese. Going to JCMU for a day really excited me. I would like to go there someday, hopefully as a language student. For now, I will take as much Japanese as possible and see if I can arrange for another study abroad there.

I give my greatest thanks to Dr. Ross and and Dr. Londo. Both of them made this exhilarating trip happen; Dr. Londo’s cultural knowledge was invaluable, and Dr. Ross’s supply chain expertise helped me truly appreciate the intricacies of international business. I thank Higuchi-san and his brother Yoshii-san for arranging so many of our travel arrangements. I also thank Sera-san for his heartwarming interest in my group’s experiences in Hiroshima and at Kikkoman. I should also thank my Japanese sensei’s’ back at MSU, Okuno-sensei, Nakano-sensei, Matsui-sensei, and Ioroi-sensei for their hard work at putting together an exciting Japanese program. For the rest of the summer, I am off to New York for five days of work training, and then I start my accounting internship with Camp Winaukee in New Hampshire, USA for the entire summer. I don’t get back until a week or two before school starts up again.
Japan is the land of the rising sun, and coincidentally, the sun never sets on MSU.
さようなら！

Day 12 (十二) The Hiatus in Osaka

Today was our last full day in Japan. Upon waking early, my group got together with Dr. Ross to discuss some last minute traveling details and summarize all of the material that we’ve covered on our plant tours. In all honesty, we’ve covered a lot of ground in the academic side on this trip. I don’t go into rigorously explicit detail when I describe our plant tours, but that is because the details are beyond the scope of my blogs. In summation, I have gotten my first taste of the entire plant touring process that I am going to have to utilize in the accounting profession. In the future, the presence of non-manufacturing assets in a plant will make the plant touring process much more complicated, which makes it essential to understand how to judge a plant based on its physical asset base first.
After our meeting, we were free to explore Osaka! Dr. Londo had left several days earlier for a trip to Korea, but he was thoughtful enough to send us all an email with a list of his favorite sites and attractions in the city. One of these, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, was close to the hotel in his description.
After waiting several hours for everyone to get some last minute leaving preparations done, Taylor and I went out to the Oriental Ceramics Museum to check out the ancient oriental artwork imbedded in the bowls and dishes. I was actually quite impressed upon entering the “snuff jar” gallery. Snuff jars are these miniature jars used for holding personal sized amounts of tobacco for small periods of time. I’m not sure what the “potency” of the tobacco that went into these ancient Chinese jars was, but the outside beauty of the jars was psychedelic enough for me.
After getting a thorough dose of ancient Chinese ceramic artwork, Taylor and I headed back to the hotel to round up people for lunch. Everyone else’s lunch destinations- McDonald’s. My lunch destination – the local Japanese deli. I picked up some Japanese onigiri and Americanized fried chicken, and sat down at McDonald’s with my fellow students and the locals and basked in the glory of Japanese deli. I was looking for some okonomiyaki during this entire trip, but failed to find some.
Upon leaving McDonald’s and getting back to our hotel, Shavondalyn and myself both realized all too late that we needed to get presents for our families. I had bought only my mother’s yukata at his point in the trip, and urgently needed to get to a shopping district.
I knew that I had to get this done tonight, and given that we were leaving dangerously close to our dinner with Dr. Ross and the rest of the group, we made the decision to stick to our gift-giving and venture into the urban wilderness of Osaka and buy gifts in massive Japanese dept. stores and back alleys where one will not see English. We hopped on the subway and headed for two massive shopping districts, only to realize that the stores we were looking to buy from were closed. Hopelessness…
…well, not for Shavondalyn and me. We both decided it was in our interests to get our shopping done tonight, so we got out our map, set our course, and hopped on the subway once again. This time, we hit up some bigger, more Japanese dept. stores. All of them had Japanese names, thereby forcing us to accept the reality that we would have to get by without English.
After succeeding in buying some fans and a tea set for my family, we both headed out of the dept. stores. It was after this that we decided to walk around downtown Osaka for a while and look for a few more items for Shavondalyn’s family. We passed this awesome looking crepe shop and decided to indulge in the delectable delights of strawberry and custard crepes. As we walked out of the crepe shop, we saw a girl playing music on the street. She was really good. Given that I don’t understand the lyrics that well, I could only judge the singing by the quality of the sound coming out. Given this criterion, this girl was really good in person, and what little I could gather from the lyrics sounded really good too.
After strolling through the back alleys of Osaka, we made our way to the subway station.

Disclaimer-I tried to translate for Shavondalyn during the song, so ignore my comments during the video. I probably got the translation wrong anyway, hehe.

As we stood at a map, an older gentleman walked up to us and offered to give us directions. We knew the way, but he insisted on showing us where to go on the map. He then stopped a young woman in her twenties and had her help us too. She looked a little concerned that he would be so abrupt, but proceeded to help us anyway. Upon getting directions, the gentleman took us to our train and we proceeded to get on, leaving him behind at the station, or so we thought…
… At the next station he pops out of nowhere and offers to help us again. This time, we are a little confused. He then says, “Let’s go find your hotel.” At this point, both of our suspicions are fulfilled- this guy is a little tipsy. We smelled it on him, but this tipped the iceberg. He proceeded to offer us a taxi ride, which we refused…
…given this guy was relentlessly beyond leaving us alone, we proceeded to get away from him while he wasn’t looking. This was bad for our purposes though, because we ran away from him in a random direction; luckily, we got onto the train station that took us back to the station we came from. Upon figuring out where to go, we headed to our train, only to find the same woman the man had stopped at the station. Though she couldn’t speak English and I can’t speak Japanese that good, we understood each other. I proceeded to tell her that we needed to get to Umeda station, and she led Shavondalyn and me onto the train. She was nice enough to take us off and take us upstairs to the top after we got to our station (getting out of the subway station is impossible).
Upon getting to the top, a Korean man overhead us talking about our hotel and said he knew where it was (even though we did too, we let him help us anyway). He walked us to our hotel, telling us all the cool attractions of Osaka that he recommends… by the time we got back, I was exhausted and needed to pack. Quite a hiatus in Osaka…
tomorrow… Destination Kansai…

Day 11 (十一) 5/26/09

Ports… international sea-faring shipping is the blood system of the international economy. Cities like San Francisco, London, Shanghai, and Kobe are supplied by a steady stream of massive, sea-faring vessels that, unbeknownst to us, keep our societies well fed and clothed. Our first destination for today was Kobe’s Custom’s Port Authority. After globalization and international treaties lowered tariff barriers, government bureaucracies wanted to ensure that exporting would still be difficult for international companies by requiring a stringent amount of paperwork. This also keeps weaker, financially riskier firms from shipping goods into Japan because only strong companies will be able to handle the complex exportation process into Japan.
The custom’s authority is divided into four divisions: the administrative division, the enforcement division, the custom’s division, and the post-custom’s division. The first handles the accounting and HR work, the second handles security issues and the criminal investigative measures the port authority must undertake to ensure the safety of Kobe’s citizens, the third handles the international paperwork, and the fourth compiles economic data and statistics from the port for the Japanese government’s use. Our Japanese guides were from the enforcement division, and gave us an interesting perspective on how Japanese regulates and implements its importation policies.
Interestingly, we meet some U.S. custom’s officials working in Japan on security enforcement. As explained by them, the U.S.’s only security importation security measures prior to 9/11 involved goods after they had arrived in the U.S. In lieu of 9/11, the U.S. decided to place Custom’s officials in other countries to check imported goods prior to them being shipped to the U.S. This allows Custom’s officials in the U.S. to know which goods are clear prior to arrival in the U.S., which ones require additional checking, and this also allows Customs to keep certain goods from being shipped to the U.S. if they are considered a security threat.
After a nice lunch in the park, we boarded the Ohwada 2 and took a tour of the port of Kobe. The first thing one is bound to notice about the port is the massive cargo cranes that pick up containers off the cargo freighters. Most of the wharfs the ships dock with are man-made, given that Kobe, and Japan itself, has undergone swift expansion since the 1970s. One could look out at a ship docked in one of the ports sitting still and without cargo containers on it or by it. The tour guide remarked that the economy of Japan has downsized so much that cargo containers that where once fully utilized are now sitting in the docks without cargo to carry.

After sailing back into port, we traveled to a Nissin warehouse being rented by Toy’s R Us Japan. Toys, toys, toys… all of the Toy’s R Us goods that are being shipped to the Western half of Japan are first processed at the distribution center in Kobe and then shipped to over 74 different stores. The goal of the warehouse was two-fold: quickly remix goods for immediate shipment to stores throughout Japan, or store goods for long-periods of time, as with Christmas goods. The remixing process and the equipment base of the warehouse were simple, but effective. I was thoroughly impressed with the efficiency of the warehouse’s supply chain process and inventory forecast system. Though the warehouse was being used at 60% capacity during our visit, this percentage approaches 100% during Christmas and other holidays.

Ever since I was a little kid, I bought toys, books, and games at Toy’s R Us. Seeing the distribution process of a company most American children are so fond of was incredibly fascinating. The speed with which toys and diaper packages flew through the warehouse only makes me ponder the efficiency with which toys must have arrived at my own hometown Toy’s R Us.
Tomorrow, downtown…

Day 10 (十) 5/25/09 Healing in Hiroshima

Yesterday we moved to Osaka, Japan, the country's second largest city and the last stop on our trip. This whole weekend has been a collection of cultural tours, and the most enlightening of them was today. For 65 years, Americans and Japanese have been living in the wake of World War II. Certainly it was several generations ago that the peace between our countries was torn in two, and many wounds still seep in the minds and memories of those who lost loved ones in not only the fighting but the bombings of Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Pearl Harbor.
We visited Hiroshima, Japan today. Hiroshima is infamous in modern history for being the first place an atomic bomb was deployed. (Before I begin, let me say that I find discussing this topic to be slightly ironic, given I am an American, and America was the country that dropped the bomb) We visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Our guide for the day was a man named Sera-san. Sera-san is a 66 year old Japanese man from a company called Affymetrix, which specializes in making highly advanced biomedical equipment. He came to MSU for a supply chain seminar and made some contacts in the school, which explains his involvement with us.
Without being told it, one could not tell that Sera-san is a walking testament of the pain and suffering associated with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Several days prior to the bombing of Hiroshima, where he lived, Sera-san was sent away with his mother to another city. On Aug. 6th, 1945, the bomb was detonated over Hiroshima, killing Sera-san’s father and several other family members. In the museum was a map diagram of the center of the city with each house labeled with the last name of the family that resided there. In the dead center, one could see the Japanese characters for the name “Sera.”
As Americans, we are unable to grasp the personal significance the bombings had on the lives of Japanese citizens. We aren’t told the personal stories of the victims, we don’t interact with Japanese citizens that often, and we certainly don’t know every atrocity that was committed during the war. But, like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum, I think the time to point fingers has ended. The museum and park’s emphases were not to nationalistically point fingers at western powers. Rather, the park and museum attempted to accurately explain history while discussing the progress of disarmament campaigns across the world. The emphasis is on healing and restoration for all nations and peoples that have been the subject to nuclear exposure and the international efforts designed to eradicate the existence of atomic weapons.

We were shown through the park by a guide, and he took us to multiple monuments donated to the park by various countries. He showed us “phoenix trees”, or trees that survived the atomic bombing and were inside the park. The museum itself was somewhat underneath the detonation zone, so the presence of trees left standing at all is quite impressive. We were taken to the Children’s Memorial, where a group of 6th graders played “Amazing Grace” on their flutes. It was spectacularly inspiring. A western, Christian song being played by Japanese students only reminds one that peace and healing can be dispensed to the next generation. Next we were shown the A-bomb dome. This was the Industrial Promotion Hall of Hiroshima and is the only building still standing to this day that survived the bomb blast, though without the help of supports it would not be standing today.
Our day ended with a dinner at a Japanese buffet with Sera-san and several of his friends. I was able to once again get out the ole’ Japanese and wet my whistle. I am so happy that I can speak to the Japanese people I've been so fortunate to meet along the way. Many Japanese people do not know English, so knowing their language is good for both of us. One of Sera-san’s friends was once a TV voice-actress and voice-over for the Japanese equivalent of “Sesame Street.” After a long, emotionally draining day, I think I can say that I believe healing is possible, though it won’t be easy. The progress of the Japanese government in its disarmament efforts has been minimal, and a museum memorial showed copies of all the pleas from the Japanese government to other heads of state asking them to halt their nuclear testing. There were at least 150 pleas. Fortunately, it has been 950 days since the last nuclear testing, which was in North Korea. One cannot help but tear up at the reality of healing in Hiroshima...

Day 9 (九) 5-24-09

On schedule for today was an official meeting with the local provincial warlord and his wife… or at least a visit to what was once their castle. Himeji Castle was our destination today and is currently the largest castle still standing in Japan that has not undergone massive modern renovations since its construction. It was built in 1346. It is located in Himeji in the Hyogo Prefecture and is composed of 83 wooden buildings.
Unfortunately, upon exiting the train station in Himeji, we were greeted by rain clouds. My group scurried to the nearest Yen store to get ponchos, and proceeded to finally get a glimpse of one of Japan’s finest castles. Even from the train station, one could see Himeji castle beaming in the distance. Whenever one see’s an ancient Japanese castle on a postcard, on TV, or in a James Bond movie, it is probably Himeji. Himeji played a big part in the lives of the citizens of not only Himeji but the entire surrounding territories. When one wanted protection, one looked to Himeji. When one needed to resolve a dispute, one looked to Himeji. When one wanted to see Japanese civilization preserving itself throughout the centuries, one looked to Himeji. Himeji was built with the ever-present threat of attack in mind, but it was never attacked.
Upon entering the castle grounds, one is greeted by the massive outer walls and a moat. After walking through a typical Japanese garden, one encounters the main gate of the castle. It was at this point that the “warlord” and his “wife” met my group. After paying our respects, my group headed up through the intricate maze of passages leading up to the castle entrance. The outer road leading to the castle is in a spiral shape, which was designed to keep approaching enemies preoccupied while tower archers shot them all down. For us, the greatest danger wasn’t archers, but slipping on the path. We only had one casualty-some girl’s flip flop broke. Upon reaching the castle, we were required to honor the house rules and wear slippers.
Upon walking up to the 2nd or 3rd floor, we entered the war room, where the warlord kept his swords, armor, and later on in history, muskets. By the time one reaches the 5th floor, one is convinced that ancient Japanese people were shorter than 4’ 6”. There was no possible way to get up and down the steep, STEEP stairs without hitting your head on the wooden ceiling beams. While most of us college students were complaining, there were Japanese grandmothers walking leaps and bounds faster than us up and down the stairs in an attempt to see the top of Himeji and perhaps observe one of the main attractions at the top-the shrine.
The top gave us a magnificent view of the city. It was here that I could put myself in the place of the warlord and envision a massive city sprawled out below me. The shrine at the top was pretty; there was a bottle of sake in the middle of it; apparently that is the shrine deity’s favorite. Upon discussing the logistics of transportation in and out of the castle with Dr. Londo, we headed back down the castle and exited the castle courtyard.
Upon returning to Kyoto, a group of us headed out for dinner. We found some Italian place (lame, I know), but I mixed it up by getting salmon spaghetti. When someone sitting next to us was given a birthday dessert by the restaurant, my group naturally started singing the “Happy Birthday” song, only to realize all too late that it was not the restaurant’s intention to sing any song, especially one in English. We made the birthday table really happy nonetheless.

Day 8 (八) 5-23-09

Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto’s, all mixed together to form the country known as Japan. Most Americans have many preconceptions about religion that the Japanese do not share. One of these is preconceptions is that a person cannot hold one religion at a time. In Japan, at least for most Japanese, the mixing of Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto into one unit of religious or cultural observance is common. One destination on our tour is Nara, which is about an hour away from Kyoto and in the Kansai region of Japan. I probably should have said this yesterday, but both Kyoto and Nara are in a region of Japan known as the Kansai region. This region was where Japanese civilization developed its traditions, practices, language, and heritage that it keeps today.
Given this, Nara was the ideal place for an in depth look at the religious aspect of Japan. We took a train early this morning and headed for Nara. Nara was the capital of Japan for about half a century prior to the establishment of Kyoto as the capital. One thing that should be pointed out about Nara is that it is a very popular historical destination for the Japanese people. People, and on this day my group, come to this place by the thousands every day to visit two sites in particular- the Kasuga Shrine, and the Todai-ji.
The Kasuga Shrine is a Shinto shrine of the Fujiwara family. Many Japanese people come here to visit the shrine and ask for good fortune. There was even a wedding going on in the middle of the shrine itself. The most interesting aspect of this shrine is the freely roaming, tame deer that wander the park. When we first entered, we witnessed a man being viciously chased by a pack of them. Apparently you are allowed to feed them, and they will get feisty with you if you do not capitulate to their demands and give them some of your food. Hilariously, Japanese parents bring their children to the shrine, only to permanently scar them psychologically as massive, antlered deer attempt to surround them if they are holding food. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the tranquility of the shrine. Shinto shrines are designed to encompass nature, as part of the shrine experience itself is the nature surrounding the shrine buildings.
Next to the shrine is the Todai-ji, a massive temple dedicated to Buddha. Unlike the Shinto shrine, the Todai-ji itself was elaborate and did not harmonize with nature well. It was pretty, but did not encompass barren nature as part of the temple experience. Upon entering the temple, one was greeted by a massive statue of Buddha and several smaller statues flanking him. As in the shrine, people would walk up to designated areas within the temple and clap and bow. This was for paying respect.
Dr. Londo gave us a brief overview of how the majority of Japanese people approach religion. As stated before, many Japanese people mix Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto practices into the everyday discourse of their lives. He stated that it can be generalized that Japanese people are born with Shinto traditions in mind, as Shinto ceremonies and fortunes are involved in the birthing process, married Christian, as many of them have Christian-style weddings, and die Buddhist, as Buddhist temples and priests facilitate many funerals. This is a mentality that is very foreign to many Americans and Europeans, as we are used to the strict lines dividing state, church, and religions themselves. The three also have personal meaning for Japanese people, as it is not just rituals. Many Japanese people go to shrines and temples for good fortune, and usually these fortunes are dispensed thru the selling of fortunes inside and outside the temples and shrines.
Upon leaving Nara, we headed back to our hotel. My roommates, some of the girls, and I decided to go karaoke that night. I became of fan of Queen upon realizing just how much better Freddy Mercury sounds than I do while singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” And I just have to get this off my shoulders, but I actually enjoyed singing the Ken part in “Barbie Girl”…
…Tomorrow, my group is visiting the local provincial warlord and his wife…

Day 7 (七)

Today we traveled back in time to ancient Japan. When I say ancient, I mean 794 A.D. to 1868 A.D. My group got on the train and moved to Kyoto, Japan this morning. Whenever one thinks of samurai, sweet looking Japanese castles, geisha's, or Tom Cruise with a katana, one should think of Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan from 794-1868 A.D., and therefore it was the city that played the most key role in shaping Japanese culture and business practices, aside from Edo (Tokyo).
One of the coolest things about Kyoto is that you could call it the complete opposite of Tokyo. Tokyo is an international city. Sure, Kyoto has a McDonald’s at the train terminal, but any amount of venturing away from any connection with the outside world will only convince you that the city still clings to the culture it has held for 1000 years-all Japanese. Mind you, this is what excites me the most about this city. Like Dr. Londo and my good friend Dave (I haven’t found plum wine here), I have an appreciation for Japan’s ancient culture and the connection that modern Japan has with its roots. All societies have this connection, and even America in one sense can be considered a conglomerate of microcosmic connections with many different cultures.
In essence, today was to be our day off. We got off the train, headed for our hotel, the Rhiga Royal (more like the Rhiga Spoil-this place didn’t have free internet), and got a pork lunch. After this, we were on our own. Most of us opted for shopping downtown. I, however, preferred something a little more adventurous (plus I hate shopping). I wanted to go see the Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist temple that dates back to the beginning of Kyoto’s rise as the capital of Japan in the 8th century. Unfortunately, this place was too far by bus and about to close, so my bud Kevin and I opted for some touring of the sites around our hotel.
Before I start, let me tell you that there are 16 historic sites in all of Kyoto, which is a lot of ancient real estate. Therefore, it makes sense that there are like 5 in downtown Kyoto. Our first destination was Nishi Hongan-ji, a Buddhist temple and the world headquarters for the Jodo Shinshu sect. This place was elaborate, and in the moat on the outside were bamboo shoots that volunteers and temple workers were putting candles in; apparently this was all for a festival of some kind.
The second temple we visited was the Higashi Hongan-ji temple. We were a little disappointed when we all we saw was a massive warehouse contraption over the top of it. Apparently the temple is under construction until 2011, which means my boys and I from back home are gonna skip the Canada road trip and book ourselves a flight to Kyoto. Not really, but I do like Japan and want to come back. The gardens we walked to were closed as well, which meant that Kevin and I felt like getting on the subway to SOMEWHERE. We hopped on and went down two stations. This is the point in my journey when I realized just how Japanese Kyoto is. We were the only non-Japanese people for miles. Funny thing is, I heard a Japanese flute, called a Shakuhachi, being played by someone underneath a bridge. Ironically, he was some European guy, and the last person we expected to see playing a Shakuhachi By this time, my camera battery died, so I have no pictures of our trip downtown…
…tomorrow, Nara…

Day 6 (六) 5/21/09

I must admit that I had a mishap last night. I accidentally spilled my green tea (this green tea substance flows throughout Japan like Coca-Cola flows throughout the U.S.) all over my desk. I thought my phone was fine despite the water, but upon walking up to my room in the morning after breakfast I found that my phone wasn’t working at all. I fidgeted around with it before realizing that I may have fidgeted too much and missed the bus to Narita International Airport (without a phone, one cannot tell the time and is hopelessly lost in the world). Luckily, my sprinting abilities got me to the bus on time.

The Narita International Air Cargo Terminal was our destination this fine morning. Like Tsukiji is with fish, Narita is Tokyo’s main port for all goods shipped via air. Much like ships that ship our goods, air cargo is essential to the survival of the human species. Our economies are contingent upon air transportation, and today, my group got the chance to tour the air terminal that supplies Tokyo and other major Japanese cities with the goods essential to the survival of civilization.

The custom’s terminal wasn’t much to see, as it was just a giant warehouse. What was interesting though was the pace of the government workers in the building. Essentially, the warehouse is not big enough to contain all of the goods shipped to it in any particular day. What allows it to fulfill its duty is the speed with which goods are shipped in and out on a daily basis. Good’s only stay in the warehouse for a few hours before being cleared by customs and shipped off to various destinations within Japan.

One of these destinations is DHL. DHL is a third party transportation company. In this case, the DHL warehouse we visited acts as a storage facility for air cargo coming in from Narita and as the final tier for products or other items needed by companies DHL serves. For example, a certain company uses DHL as a center for processing advertisements. DHL is used by another company as a storage facility for spare parts for cell phones. DHL’s job in both cases is to be the final tier in the production line; as an advertisement processor, it constructs the final add-ons to the advertisements and adds software to computers used in showroom floor demonstrations. As a storage facility for spare parts, its job is to obtain the addresses of the persons in need of spare parts and ship them the parts. DHL has specialized in the final tier production of goods, and this leads us to the final segment of our company tours for today…
Higuchi-san is the president of a company called Kawasaki Rikuso Transportation Co. Ltd. The company specializes in transporting the goods of foreign food and beverage manufacturers around Japan. His clients include Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Hershey’s, and a whole host of small and large food and beverage manufacturers from around the globe. We were given a tour of his warehousing facility in Tokyo, which was the largest of its kind. Interestingly, as a warehousing unit, his business is designed to act as a consignment shop for his client’s goods. Similar to DHL, the business also acts as a third party final tier in the production process of goods. In particular, his warehouse gives his clients the ability to take products that are sold everywhere and tailor them to the Japanese market. For example, every Cadbury candy bars come with English on the wrapper. As a Japanese warehousing unit, it is his businesses top priority to place stickers with the Japanese ingredients and health values on the back of the bars on behald of Cadbury. This adds value to his client’s products, thereby allowing goods to get shipped to Japan with the needs of the Japanese market easily handled in Japan before being sold to the end consumer.




This was our last night in Tokyo, and as such some of us guys went down to Shibuya to check out the Shibuya crossing. If you’ve ever seen a movie involving Tokyo, you have probably seen the Shibuya crossing. It is this massive 5 way intersection where everyone is allowed to walk in whatever direction they want to when the walk sign turns on. When the walk sign turns off, the crossing, which is full of people, almost magically clears and traffic proceeds as normal.
Tomorrow, we’re off to the ancient capital of Japan…

Day 5 (五) 5/20/09

(I must apologize for having not posted in several days. We traveled to Kyoto, Japan over the weekend and our hotel did not have an internet connection)

Speed… no, not the substance… I mean the Shinkansen (新幹線), the bullet train. We awoke quite early once again to catch the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Hikone, Shiga, Japan. It was 120 mph the whole way there. Despite the early rise, I stayed awake while on the train to catch a glimpse of my good friend Fuji-san (富士山). Fuji-san is not a person, and he is hardly a friend in the traditional sense. Fuji-san is Mount Fuji, the beaming pinnacle of Japan’s geographic beauty, and quite a sight it was. Since I knew one could see Mt. Fuji along the route we were taking, I stayed up to catch a glimpse of him that morning, and I even took a video of us passing it at 120 mph. Usually Mt. Fuji is wearing a hat (has a cloud hovering around the top, covering the peak), but this time he took his hat off in honor of my group passing…

We arrived in Hikone, Shiga, Japan prior to having breakfast. For those of you who don’t know about Shiga prefecture, Michigan and Shiga are sister states of each other. Government officials from Shiga regularly meet with Michigan government officials to discuss economic and cultural cooperation initiatives between the two states. Michigan even gave Shiga a Michigan ferry for use on Lake Biwa, Japan’s biggest lake and the on lake which the city of Hikone was founded. Another way in which Shiga and Michigan make ties is through the exchange of students. Our destination that day, and the reason we traveled to Hikone via the Shinkansen, was the Japan Center for Michigan Universities 25th Anniversary Gala.

Upon arriving at JCMU that morning, the members of my group could attend a Japanese tea ceremony, a calligraphy session, or a flower setting session. I decided to go all out and try the Japanese tea ceremony. We sat on our knees, with Japanese hostesses in Kimonos boiling tea in the corner. We were first presented with a desert made of some kind of sweet Japanese bean, which is designed to balance out the bitterness of the tea. Upon being presented the tea, we had to sit on our knees and bow, all the while carefully scanning the outside of the bowl the tea was served in. Tea ceremonies are sacred in Japan for many reasons. Samurai used to hold tea ceremonies to prove their civility, as proper conduct at these ceremonies was considered high class. It was also somewhat spiritual and reflective for them as well. I don’t know the extent to which you could call it spiritual, but the tea brewing process was designed to help a samurai see who they are on the inside; and the way I am holding the serving ladle in the picture is how a samurai would look into "the mirror" and see himself...

Scarily, half-way during the day one of our comrades reported that he felt feverish, which meant that not only was a trip to the hospital necessary for him, but mask wearing was required of the rest of us in case he had the swine flu. When people in Japan get sick, they wear a mask so they don’t cough their germs on everyone else. It people want to avoid everyone else’s breath and germs, they wear a mask. Everyone wears them. Young women, older men, children, the whole society collectively wears masks in hopes of preventing the spread of germs. Luckily, our fellow comrade did not have the swine flu, and returned to us later on that night.

The JCMU gala that night was designed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of JCMU. Many heads of state (at least the heads of Shiga and Michigan), academic officials (like our Vice Provost Kim Wilcox), and business leaders (Japanese speaking lawyers, Japanese CEOs in Michigan) met together to celebrate and give speeches regarding the progress of JCMU, plans for future expansion, and a new scholarship fund for future JCMU students. Sitting in the conference room of the gala felt like a United Nation’s meeting. We were given hand-held radio receivers and headphones; the two frequencies: 1) Japanese translation 2) English Translation. After moving to the dinner room, another set of speakers came to the podium. One was the governor of Shiga… his speech was quite prolific in nature, and he seemed proud of the fact that JCMU was located in his prefecture.
If I took anything from this day, it is that things are not always what they seem to be under the surface. Despite the presence of big name Japanese companies like Toyota, Hitachi, and Panasonic in the U.S. and big name American companies like Proctor and Gamble and Coca-Cola in Japan, the leaders of Shiga and Hikone were willing to admit that there are still challenges to establishing healthy economic relations between the U.S. and Japan. One is the cultural and language barrier. Japan’s culture is entrenched in thousands of years of history. The U.S. has only been around for 225 years, and therefore we have less of a cultural foundation to fall back on. Japanese are willing to learn English, while Americans are not willing to reciprocate this courtesy. Despite the differences, the potential for economic success between the two countries is outstanding, given both are the two largest economies in the world; and one can only hope that it is because of, rather than in spite of, students like us who are willing to break cultural and linguistic boundaries that the economic prosperity of Japan and the U.S. can be obtained.

This say's, "The Japan Center for Michigan Universities."

Day 4 (四-Disclaimer-this is a long post, given the day went from 3:30am-11:59pm Tokyo Time)

Sushi… mmmm… so good. I am really fond of sushi. It is really, really expensive in the U.S., given that the price of all fish but what little can be extracted from the Great Lakes is sky high. The inland states of the U.S. are not good fish markets. Japan in contrast is surrounded by the ocean and the Sea of Japan, which means there is A LOT of fish here; more so than livestock. In fact, Japan’s fish industry is so big and advanced that Japan’s fish markets have become the main exchanges for setting the price of fish throughout the rest of the world. One of these markets, the Tsukiji (築地) Fish Market, is where the price of tuna is set. The tuna and other fish are transported from Boston, The Netherlands, India, and various other locations throughout the world season to the Tsukiji market for price and quality determination.
Prior to entering the market, which is implanted between the Sumida River and the National Cancer Center of Japan, one must put on boots and have an authorization pass, as the auction areas of the market are off limits to anyone not directly involved in selling or buying. Our tour was given by the Toichi Company, one of the 5 companies in Tsukiji tasked with managing the selling of fish on consignment for fishermen, which is the standard industry method for selling fish. Imagine hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of fish, octopi, crabs, and other sea creatures in transit for purchasing or shipping, some of which are shipped half-way across the world.

The auction area for the tuna was fascinating. Imagine fish either as long as or longer than a tall human being sampled and bid on by scores of restaurants and fish distributors. After exiting Tsukiji, my group walked around the local area looking for lunch. While my group ate at a world famous ramen stall (apparently this miniature stall which the size of an ice cream truck and sells only one kind of ramen has been on CNN), I ate some salmon onigiri (おにぎり). Onigiri is a square ball of rice with some kind of meat or vegetable on the inside.
While eating at a sidewalk table, a Japanese man named Saitou asked me where I was from. I proceeded to answer him in Japanese, which made talking with him all the more fluid and easy. When I told him that I live in Detroit, he proceeded to tell me about his friends who own a restaurant called Cherry Blossom in a town called Novi and the trip he made to see them about six months ago. The funny thing is, I basically live in Novi, and I pass by the Cherry Blossom several times a week and my family has eaten there before. I find it so coincidental that out of 35 million people I just so happened to meet a man who’s been to my hometown. We were both pretty ecstatic about it.
Later on in the day we toured a fish storage plant in Yokohama, Japan, which is to the south of Tokyo. The plant is essentially a long term storage facility for fish, particularly tuna. They also process and package a small amount of the tuna. We entered the freezing chamber, which was way below zero, and were shown their biggest tuna. This creature could potentially feed 5000 people, we were told.
The day was not done though… oh no my good ladies and gentlemen... despite having gotten up at 3:30 am in the morning, a group of guys and I decided to go to the Imperial Palace’s East Gardens. We were mesmerized by the beauty of the gardens. Unlike American and British gardens, which are usually colorful, Japanese gardens are much more serene. On top of the dark, tranquil nature of the garden, the entrenched gates of the ancient Edo period were left implanted in the hill leading up to the top of the gardens. Without hesitation, my group of guys decided that a trip to the Tokyo Tower was also in order. We maneuvered our way through the subway lines once again to Tokyo Tower, where we rode the elevators all the way to the top. Quite a panoramic sight it was…

But wait…the day was still not done… Professor Ross and Higuchi-san decided to throw us a dinner at a small restaurant that night, and on the menu - fresh sushi that Higuchi-san and Prof. Ross bought at the market that morning. I ate at least 22 pieces of that delicious sushi. Virtually everyone claimed it was the best dinner we've had up to this point, and we are ever the more grateful to Higuchi-san for arranging everything. Once again, the group’s festivities ended with our traditional MSU fight song… glory once again.

Day 3 (三)

Since the beginning of the 1900s, Americans have been enjoying the delicacies of Japanese cuisine. An essential ingredient in many Japanese dishes, and Asian dishes in general, is soy sauce. Today we were privileged to visit the world’s most popular soy sauce manufacturer- the Kikkoman Co. Ltd. Kikkoman was founded in the 17th century in Tokyo. Even then the city of Tokyo, then known as Edo, was the economic capital of Japan and the center for innovations of all kinds, including the use of soy sauce by many of the city's restaurants. 400 years later, my group is touring Kikkoman’s Tokyo factory, where they make soy sauce.

The soy sauce making process is rigorous; very similar to the brewing of beer or the processing of vinegar. The only ingredients are wheat, soybeans, salt, and water. The wheat, soybeans, and salt are mixed together to make a mixture, and then fermented over the course of several months. The tricky part comes when you ferment the soy-wheat-salt mixture. The fermentation process can be easily spoiled by wayward bacteria, thereby creating a substance called natto, which the Japanese themselves eat but tastes nasty if derived from the mixture. After several days of processing, the mixture is fermented to the point of perfection. The mixture is placed into filtration sheets, and then hundreds of these sheets are placed on top of each other and pressed, allowing the liquid soy to drip into a container. The liquid soy is none other than soy sauce. At this point, the soy is subsequently bottled and packaged for distribution.

We were taken to another location in Tokyo for a corporate supply chain management presentation by Hisashi Yokoyama, Kikkoman’s Vice President of Supply Chain . His presentation focused on the distribution of Kikkoman products around Japan, describing the history of Kikkoman’s evolving supply chain management techniques. Even though the presentation was translated into English, one could capture the sophistication of Kikkoman’s corporate mindset by their swift responses to our questions and their use of a 120 slide PowerPoint presentation to explain their intricate supply chain structure. Along the tour we were given delicious soy ice cream, which is to be distinguished from soy sauce ice cream, which as far as I can tell neither exists nor should exist…
All I have to say about tomorrow is that it will start early, be very loud, and be very STINKY……