I am currently in Japan! My first impression when arriving was ?Wow, I can?t believe I?m finally here!? Tokyo is the largest city in the world so it didn?t feel real finally being able to go on the field trip and arrive in Japan. The beginning of the program was rough for many of the students since the flight to Taiwan was delayed for 3 hours, before finally leaving at 4 am. Then it was a 16-hour flight and a 6-hour layover in Taiwan, until finally the flight to Tokyo. Our program did not arrive until 10 pm so many students were really tired and annoyed at how long it took to arrive in Japan. However, upon arriving and resting, the program got better. We visited many interesting companies such as Panasonic, Amazon, and ANA, along with many more. My personal favorite was ANA just because I am passionate about the aviation industry. During our meetings, we would hear from the employees what their company does, how they operate, and what plans they have for the future.
Compared to the US, I noticed Japan has many differences in regard to culture: Japanese culture generally has a high regard for rules, conformity, and following established protocols. Some of the rules we had to follow were don?t talk loudly on public transport, stay on the left side of the escalators, and always keep your passport on you, whereas, in America, we usually have a more flexible approach, emphasizing individual freedoms, innovation, and questioning the status quo. I also noticed how clean, nice, and efficient everything is. Many of the locals are really nice to tourists despite the language barrier, and the public transports are always on time. There is still a week left of the trip and I hope to continue learning more about Japanese culture, make new connections from the business meetings, try new stuff and expand my horizons, and most importantly, have fun.
