Closing thoughts...

I thought our second and final journal prompt from Dr. Borgman was very appropriate for my last entry in this blog:

A quote from artist Susan Groce, UMaine: "Travel involves a change in perspective, perception and sense of time. Removing myself from my own routines and experiencing different viewpoints are essential to seeing things in different ways. In fact, reorientation of perspective is a major factor in my work." Have you experienced this? Comment.

Most certainly the answer to this question is a resounding "yes". No matter what people tell you about a new place, you just can't understand it until you visit. Obviously in only 8 days I'm still not even close to understanding Japan or its people, but I have begun to and would now be comfortable traveling there without a guide in the future.

The most obvious benefit and change in perspective I have received from this trip is my better understanding of business in a foreign country. Throughout my 6 years of business schooling it has been repeatedly emphasized how important it is to understand those you are getting into business with, whether local or international. However, nothing could have hit that point home better than this trip. As you have been reading, we visited many companies while in Japan, both Japanese and American, and there were both differences and similarities that are important to be aware of; none of which I would have understood without a visit to a foreign country. Most importantly, just because the internal rules and regulations of American foreign companies are the same in Japan, doesn't mean that Japanese employees don't still follow their own code of conduct. So it is important to understand that whether you are doing business with a Japanese company, or bringing your foreign company to Japan, you still need to fully understand what Japanese employees are willing to change, and what you must do to be accepted. For the most part, the Japanese people are very forgiving of foreigners making little mistakes. They understand that their culture is complicated, but they also expect you to make an effort.

Though Japan may have one of the most complicated cultures in the world, I think this lesson transfers to most other cultures too. The sincere effort is the most important part of traveling and doing business abroad. Don't make ANY assumptions, and don't be afraid to ask questions. BUT, also don't be afraid to imitate if you can't ask a question. I did that a lot with bowing, and I think it works in many situations. If you make a mistake, the best case is that people will get a chuckle. In the worst case you may offend, but a show of embarrassment and excessive apologies seems to have worked out well for our group (like when many people stepped in places they shouldn't have with shoes on).

In conclusion, this trip was one of the most enlightening events of my life, and I hope to take many more. I have a much better perspective on many lessons taught in all the classes I have taken, and will certainly remember them better. This being my first trip out of North America, I can also very sincerely say that I have caught the travel bug, and hope I will eventually find work that will allow me to travel more.

Thank you all for reading and please feel free to leave comments on any of my postings. I'll continue to check up on the blog for a while after. And I won't say "sayonara" because I hope to see you all again, so I will say "ja ne" (see you)!

One last picture: our table at the shabu-shabu restaurant. In the center is Orono, Tom's (one of UMaine's esteemed alumni) daughter. This was one of the best nights of our trip, and Tom was kind enough to email us these pictures. Thank you Tom!

Day 8: Saturday

Our last day in Japan! How sad! I've posted a lot of pictures of this day so I'm not going to write too much. I'll write one more post after this to wrap-up my experience.

This first picture is in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. We are on our way to the Gekkeikan Sake brewery, and I just thought this was a nice view of the narrow streets in this area (and many of the streets in Japan that aren't main thoroughfairs).

We toured the brewery's museum because they don't brew sake at this location in the winter (I believe that is correct. I know they didn't used to and we didn't get to see the actual tanks so I'm making an assumption here).

We were able to try samples of different sakes, including plum sake, which i bought a bottle of.
Mmmmmm...

After the brewery we stopped back at the hotel. I took this picture because I just think the walkway between the street and the hotel entrance is so beautiful and dream-like.

Once we all dropped off our sake purchases Mike, Meagan and I took off to check out more of the sites. This is a picture I took from the "Philosopher's Trail". It's a trail in the woods along the edge of the town we stayed in. There were temples, shrines, vendors, and some shops all along the trail. It was a great last day.

Mike and Meagan in front of a small shrine.

A Japanese woman praying at another shrine.

While walking back to the hotel, I snapped this picture of a gas station pump because I just think it is a great idea to show the cars where to park by the pump. :) We need that here!

Just another beautiful picture. Japan is FULL of beautiful pictures.

Paul leading us to our final group dinner. Another very nice area.

Dinner was all tofu. I did try everything but I have to say that I did not enjoy it. A small group of us visited a local McDonald's after to supplement our dinner, but I'm glad I got to experience it.

After dinner Rick presented Keiko with a gift from the group to thank her for all of her help. We really could not have had such a wonderful time on this trip without Keiko. She knew many of the best places to go and provided translations when needed. Her family also gave everyone in the group Japanese sweets as gifts which was really sweet of them. Thank you Keiko and Keiko's family!

Day 7: Friday

We did so many things today it is hard to keep track. Megan and I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't fall back asleep so we took a walk to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. It was about a half hour walk or so. This is a picture I took along the way that I thought came out well. We didn't actually get to see the palace because it is behind a big wall and you have to schedule a tour, so we just walked around the gardens for a bit then headed back to the hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast the group headed to the bus stop for our first event of the day. This is a leaf off of a ginko tree. Ginko trees line the sidewalks in Kyoto and I felt a certain attachment to them because we used to have one on the playground when I was in elementary school and I alwayed loved how unique the leaves were.

Our first event of the day was a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. This is an amazing tradition that takes a lot of time to prepare for and execute, but is very beautiful to observe and be a part of. We had to come through the doors on our hands and knees, learned to prepare the tea and serve it properly, and also how to properly appreciate its history. Joe and Megan volunteered to experience the ceremony first and show us all how it was done. Keiko translated much of what to do and we were able to watch how our hosts stirred the green tea powder into the hot water with a whisk, and place the "cup" just so on the mat. Then Joe used his hands to pull himself over to cup and carefully bring it back to his place. The cup then needs to be rotated and drank from 3 times, then carefully examined (to properly enjoy the nice artwork on the cup) before returning it to the server. There was actually much more to it than that, with every motion being deliberate and necessary. It was really mesmerizing to watch, especially the women serving because they were so graceful.

Here is part of the group attempting to recreate the beauty and gracefulness of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I can't speak for everyone but I don't think Kenneth and I's attempt could be classified as "beautiful" or "mesmerizing". :) We spent a lot of time looking around trying to figure out what was next. I served first, then got to try my hand at being the guest. The only negative to the experience was the pain in our legs from trying to sit the proper way. I don't think any of us were really prepared for that. The entire experience though was definitely something I will always remember. It is amazing how the traditions in Japan have lasted for so many hundreds of years and their willingness to share them with others.

The entire group. The artwork in the back was actually done by a tea master 200 years ago (I believe I have that right), and when we arrived and before we departed we bowed to it to represent bowing to the tea master.

After the tea ceremony we visited the Golden Temple. Kyoto is full of temples and shrines to visit. This one was surrounded by gardens and other historical buildings. We couldn't get up close to it, but it was beautiful. I think I took over 100 pictures just of temples today.

A few of us split up to do some shopping after the visit to the Golden Temple. To save some yen, we ate at a Lawson's (chain convenience store). I had a sandwich and a banana, which was actually quite delicious :)

A zen garden at the Ryoanji Temple. In Japan, the number 15 stands for something like completeness, so this traditional rock garden has 15 rocks, but only 14 can be seen at a time from any angle. This represents the fact that life is never complete. The story stuck with me because I think it is very true and am amazed at how much time it must take to make these gardens so perfect.

Just another nice picture in the gardens of one of the temples.

Sarah took this in the evening. It is in case anyone wanted to see what the traditional Japanese toilets looked like. :)

So tomorrow is our last day in Japan. We have a sake brewery tour in the morning, then lots of shopping and walking around to see more sites in the afternoon. I can't believe the trip is almost over!

Day 6: Thursday

Here are Tom, Megan, Ben and I on the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) to Kyoto. Most of day 6 was travel, as we made our way to the cultural capital of Japan. While on the train we were able to see the top of Mt. Fuji and some of the Japanese countryside. The rice paddies are amazing in Japan and many of the housing structures are beautiful. Of course a lot of the areas we passed looked very congested as well.

After the two hour train ride we stopped at the Toyota plant in Toyota City, Osaka. The tour of Toyota was incredibly interesting and it is amazing how efficient they are at building quality cars. After the tour we saw this sign in their showroom area welcoming us.

Since we couldn't take pictures on the tour, this is a model they have in the showroom which does look similar to how the work was actually done. Everything is on conveyor belts, including all the tools and parts the employees need for their step in the process. People and machines load these carts based on specifications and the wire running across the top of the picture is what an employee pulls on if they find a problem. We were on walkways above the employees and got to see them in action. We also got to see the welding area where they put together the stamped-out frames of the vehicles. This part is all done by machines, and is amazing to watch. Sparks fly everywhere. What is really interesting is that they make three different cars at that Toyota plant but they all run on the same assembly line and are mixed in together.

This is Concerto, the trumpet-playing robot. Nothing much to stay about it but it was pretty cool.

After the Toyota plant we had a two hour-ish bus ride to Kyoto. This was a beautiful bride we saw on the way.

This picture of a road sign I just found highly amusing. The Japanese are HIGHLY visual people, but this just made it look like their was disaster at the end of this road. We did however make it to our destination safely.

The gateway to the area of Kyoto we stayed in. I'm sure their is a story behind it but I honestly can't say what it is, I just liked the gate. I took this picture from the bus :)


Our hotel, The Three Sisters Inn Annex is beautiful. This entryway is practically hidden and the walkway to get to the entrance is long and winding and lined with beautiful plants and places to sit. When you get to the door you have to leave your shoes in the entry. All the room floors have tatami mats, and we sleep on thin mattresses laid directly on the mats. It is a little firm but fairly comfortable. Fortunately the toilets are all western style.

Megan, Sarah and I's room (106) is on the first floor and has two screen doors the open into a Japanese garden. This was the only picture I took on the first day. Where I'm sitting is my bed, then their is a separate room where Megan and Sarah slept. Our bathroom is the door on the right and the dark area on the left is one of the screen doors. The bathroom has its own slippers that you wear while in it.

For Friday we went to a traditional tea ceremony then saw some temples and shopped, and for today (Saturday), we visited a sake brewery and did a lot more walking around historical sites. I did take a ton of pictures and will finish updating when I return from the trip. Since we fly out tomorrow morning and it is currently 9:50pm JST, I won't have time to wrap it all up tonight. Hope you have enjoyed the blog thus far and continue to read in the next few days! Kyoto is absolutely wonderful!

Day 5: Wednesday

Our first company visit on Wednesday was to State Street Bank, based out of Boston. Here are Sarah and I sitting on a rather unusual bench in front of a waterfall by the building where the company's offices are. The process to get up to the offices was unique for me in that we had to get a special card that needed to be read by a security gate to get in and out of certain floors. This is probably standard procedure for many high profile buildings around the world, but I had never experienced it.

Just a picture of the structure outside of State Street's building that I liked.

State Street is not a typical bank like you would normally think of. They are actually a custodial bank, meaning deal directly with other institutions and prime brokers, and their biggest business is in securities finance, lending securities for others to short sell. I won't get into the gory details here though. After the presentation I was able to talk to the gentleman in charge of the Tokyo branch of securities finance and we discussed women in the workplace. He mentioned that they do indeed have women on management track jobs and that some women look for foreign companies to work for because they are more progressive in this area. Another interesting insight. The other new cultural aspect I learned about here was the concept of elevator and seating hierarchy. In an elevator, the most junior person stands near the buttons so that they can run the elevator, and the most senior person stands near the middle (I believe). In a business meeting the most senior person sits farthest from the door and the most junior closest.


On our way to Itochu we stopped in Ioyama and the Harajuku area, which is a wealthy residential and high-fashion shopping area of Japan. Along with your typical high-fashion stores such as Louis Vuitton and Guicchi, there was also a street where the teenage school children hang out and shop. It is like an alley-way and the stores are full of eccentric and off-the-wall fashions. We were told that many fashion designers come to this street to take pictures of what Japanese school girls are wearing for ideas. This was one of the girls on the street. Though not as extreme as some, I still thought her outfit was interesting.

It is difficult to explain what Itochu does because they are involved in so many industries. The two gentlemen who presented to us were both in the tuna industry however, so that is what we learned about. Japan has strict rules on fishing for tuna that is used for sashimi, but not for tuna used in tuna fish cans, because apparently there is so much of that kind in the sea.

Nine of our group went to Disney in the evening. I spent my time at Disney running around with Tom, trying to hit as many attractions as possible. I was amazed at how similar the park is to Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Many of the rides like Star Tours and Pirates of the Caribbean were almost exactly the same, with the exception of dubbing in Japanese. Luckily Tom didn't mind my spouting off random Disney trivia all evening and translating the story-lines of many of the rides since I've been on the english versions so many times. There were also a few rides we don't have in the US, and a few that were closed, but we had a great time anyway.

Instead of "Spectromagic", Tokyo Disney has the "Tokyo Disney Electrical Parade" which I actually think is much better. They even had Elliot from Pete's Dragon! (Which is based in Maine for those who don't know)

Most will recognize this castle since it looks to be an exact replica of the one in Florida. I just thought this was a pretty picture. Tom and I also enjoyed delicious burgers at the Tomorrowland Terrace; very similar to the Starlight Cafe in Disneyworld but I think it only had burgers and fries.

Here is a pictures of Main Street in Tokyo Disneyland. You'll notice it covered. I've heard that's because of the rainy season in Tokyo. Another difference is that it has side streets that actually lead out into the park, unlike in the Magic Kingdom. Very cool. The shops sell different souvenirs as well, such as cell phone danglies (very popular here since it is the only thing identifying all the similar-looking cell phones in Japan), chop sticks, and fans. I couldn't resist picking up a small Wall-E poster in Japanese. :)

Leaving the park. Got onto a packed train and made our way home on our last night in Tokyo. A great way to end this leg of the tour.

Dentsu & First Journal Prompt

Because I didn't have my camera at the first meeting of day 4, I didn't mention anything about it, so I”ll add it here. Dentsu visited our hotel Tuesday morning. We weren't able to go inside their building because of swine flu fears so we met in the Presso Inn conference room. Dentsu is the largest marketing company in all of Japan and also a top marketing company in the world. When foreign companies enter Japan, they often approach Dentsu to help with their marketing campaigns. The most interesting thing I got from this presentation was the difference between what Japanese consumers prefer in a commercial versus western consumers. In the west, consumers identify more with the intrinsic benefit of a product. For example with Coca-Cola, our commercials center on the refreshing taste and flavor of the product. In Japan, consumers will be more interested in a commercial that focuses on the extrinsic benefit of the product and want an emotional bond.

Dr. Borgman also gave us a journal prompt for day 4: “If we could bring anything from Japan what would it be, and if we could suggest anything for Japan from our home country what would it be?” Well the first thing I wish we had in the US is of course the Japanese toilet. Seat warming, bidet, and “flushing sound” all built in make for a very nice restroom experience. I also very much enjoy the culture here. This may not be something you can "bring back" but I am amazed that there are still women who dress in traditional komonos walking around the subways, and the festivals, traditional inns, and shrines are prevalent.

Here in Japan, some of the things I've found lacking that I truly miss are:

• Trash cans on the streets. It is very difficult to find a trash can in public. It makes you wonder how they keep things so clean.
• Toilet paper and a place to wipe your hands. Many public toilets in Japan have no way to dry your hands. One was even completely without toilet paper, and I don't mean it was just out; there was no place for it at all. Thankfully we had tissues on hand.
• Cereal. On man am I every craving a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It's very possible it does exist but we haven't visited any grocery stores so I have had no cereal or milk for 5 days.

Day 4: Tuesday

Running a bit late this morning to type about yesterday's experience. Please enjoy the pictures and I will add more information later if I have a chance.

Even the sewer covers in Japan are detailed and pretty.

An image above a shop on our way to the fish market. Once again, just something I liked the look of.

This is a lobster at the fish market. If you click on it you can see the detail. Nothing like Maine lobster right?

Experts cutting up the tuna to be sold for sushi, etc. They use huge sword-looking knives, cleavers, and other scary-looking instruments. Very interesting to watch.

My first round of sushi. We had sushi for breakfast. I think it was around 7:30am when we ate but it was still delicious. This style of sushi is called nagiri and the tuna was most delicious. Although I did like the squid legs (bottom left).

Enjoying my vegetable wrap.

Keiko and Yoshi. He helped lead us around the area.

These men were sitting at an intersection watching the street and hitting all those different buttons on their lap. Don't know why but I thought it was interesting (observing traffic patterns?)

In the elevator of Tomoegawa. This is what it often feels like in Japan.

Once again I left the camera home in the evening but for day 4 we're headed to State Street bank, based in Boston, Itochu, then in the evening we're visiting DisneyLand!