Japan & Taiwan

Day 4-5: Hikone city tour; Hikone Castle

2009-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

On our last day we visited the most famous historical site in Hikone- Hikone Castle. Hikone Castle is an original castle, meaning that it survived the post feudal era without undergoing destruction and reconstruction. Most of the castle's inner moats, walls, guard houses and gates also remain intact, giving visitors a good impression of a relatively complete castle. Hikone Castle's three storied castle tower was uniquely constructed, using various architecture styles. This is one reason why Hikone Castle has been designated a national treasure. Out tour guide told us that the steps leading up to the castle were uneven and of different heights to help stop the enemy from making it all the way up to the castle; and if the enemy actually made it there, they were surrounded by walls from which they were attacked. After our visit to the castle we went to downtown Hikone for lunch where we received the certificate about completing the program at JCMU. We also shared our most memorable moments from the trip. Of course, I had to share my water rafting experience…beautiful sites and painful, ugly sunburn…I will remember that for the rest of my life…

In the evening Monzer, Mee, Suyash, Bob, and I were taken to the sushi place by 2 current JCMU students (our new friends). I totally forgot to mention that Mee and I spent a lot of money for taxi because of my inability to ride a bike and her “inwantability” to ride a bike :) That sushi place was amazing! I eat sushi every week in the US, but this was different. It was a Conveyor belt sushi and the fish was very fresh despite the fact that the place is far from the ocean. Then we went bowling and it was soooo much fun!

Going home is always upsetting, but for some reason I was glad that we were going back. It was sad to say good bye to your new friends, but everything else in Japan seemed very boring to me. I really wanted to go back to Taipei or to a big city in Japan. Unfortunately, due to H1Na virus outbreak, we couldn’t go to Osaka. Instead, we went to the Hikone Chamber where we were able to learn more about the industries in the Shiga Prefecture. Hikone developed a marketing campaign with this little Hello kitty Samurai. Every shop sells things that have this Kitty picture on it and even stuffed toys. That was funny to me because I’m not a big fan of these characters and it didn’t seem very attractive to me. I’m glad it worked for the marketing purpose though.

I will always remember every moment of this wonderful trip. I am glad I had an opportunity to meet all of the participants on this study abroad course. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Day 4: Toyota plant

2009-06-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

We took a bus to Nagoya to visit a Toyota vehicle assembly plant. It took an hour to get there and we stopped at the rest area on the way there. For some reason we had 2 hours to waste around truck drivers who were eating and resting there. The food wasn’t great, but the whole idea of ordering using the vending machine was pretty exciting. You put the money inside the vending machine and then select the meal number and get a ticket which you give to the lady over the counter so they can make your food. I think it’s a smart idea that saves everyone’s time. If that machine could accept credit cards that would be even better for some people. But I guess people in Japan still prefer carrying cash.

The tour to the Toyota plant itself was interesting. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn anything new because we’ve discussed most of it in my Operations Management class with Dr. Taghabony. The presentation was quite short and it was just the basics that most business students are already familiar with. However, I was still very interesting because now we could actually to see it all. What I didn’t like was that you guide could not properly answer my question that has been bothering me ever since we came to Japan. One of their Toyota models (Toyota Harrier) looks exactly like Lexus RX in the US. The only difference is that it has a Toyota badge. The answer I got was that some people can buy a different badge and replace the original one. Why would anyone in the world would want to replace Lexus sign with the Toyota one??? She also said that Lexus is very popular in Japan…So it didn’t make any sense which greatly disappointed me. I think she just didn’t have enough knowledge about the difference between two, even though I showed her exactly what I was talking about. That evening I had to do my own research.

In Japan, the SLV concept appeared in first-generation Toyota Harrier form. The first-generation Harrier was a sales success, and many went to other right hand drive markets in Asia as grey imports. The Harrier continued largely unchanged until November 2000, when the 2.2 L 5S-FE engine was replaced by the 2.4 L 2AZ-FE 4-cylinder engine, producing 159 hp (119 kW) JIS (117 kW) and 221 Nm (163 ft·lbf). As before, the engine was offered with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The change in engine also meant a change in model code, which was now ACU10 for the front-wheel drive version and ACU15 for the all-wheel drive version. A small facelift was also performed on the Harrier.

In February 2003, the second generation Toyota Harrier (codename ACU30 and MCU30 for the front-wheel drive models, and ACU35 and MCU35 for the all-wheel drive models) was launched in Japan. Mechanical specification was largely similar to the first-generation Harrier, with the same engine and drive train combinations (2.4 L and 3.0 L V6 with or without all-wheel drive). The main difference was a new 5-speed automatic transmission with +/- shift replacing the 4-speed item in the 3.0 L V6, and the availability of "AIRS" air-suspension on the 3.0 L V6 models. Toyota added a new optional safety feature known as the Pre-Collision System (PCS)[

The second generation Lexus RX was launched for European and Asian markets in early 2003 (including Singapore, where it succeeded the previously sold Harrier, South Korea, and Taiwan), it continued to be called the RX 300 and was made in Japan. Mechanical specifications were more or less identical to the 3.0 L V6 Harrier, with only the all-wheel drive version available, once again the air-suspension could be specified.

From what I can tell, Lexus brand only came to Japan in 2005. Toyota brand is well established in Asia. Most of the Toyota-badged Lexus cars in Japan don't even have a Toyota badge in the front 9just on the back), they have their own badge - Soarer, Windom, Aristo, Celsior, Harrier, Altezza. Toyota does not really need Lexus to help out high end image. That’s why we have Lexus in the US, just because it’s considered luxurious and Toyota can sell it for a lot more. However, I was very mad that the Toyota tour guide didn’t even know the answer to this simple question.

Day 3: JCMU 20th Anniversary Celebration

2009-06-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

In the morning we all gathered in the main hall where we could participate in Japanese traditional activities. The first thing I decided to try was tea ceremony. The tea ceremony is a very special event in Japanese culture. The host spends days going over every detail to make sure that the ceremony will be perfect. There are various styles of tea ceremonies and it is recognized that every human encounter is a singular occasion that will never recur again in exactly the same way, and so every aspect of the tea ceremony is savored. The ceremony takes place in a room called the chashitsu. This room is designed and designated only for this ceremony. The steps to the ceremony seemed quite simple: clean the serving bowls, boil a pot of water, serve a sweet treat to guests before the tea, mix powdered bitter green tea (Matcha) and water to make a frothy tea, serve the tea to guests. However, those steps are not easy to perform when I decided to gave it a try. Some of the things to keep in mind as a guest are:

-Bow when you receive the cup of tea which is called a chawan

-Take the chawan with your right hand and place it in the palm of your left hand

- Turn the chawan clockwise three times before you take a drink

- When the tea is gone, make a loud slurp to tell the host that the tea was truly enjoyed

- Wipe the part of the chawan your lips touched with your right hand

-Turn the chawan counterclockwise and return to the host.

Then I practiced flower arrangement and I didn’t like the fact that we had to imitate the sample on the main table. What if I want to create my own piece? But it was still very interesting and a good cultural representation where we could actually participate.

After the culture classes we had a sushi box lunch provided by the program, which was pretty tasty. We were told that it’s hard to find a good sushi place in Hikone because it’s far from the ocean and the fish is not that fresh. Then there was presentation in honor of JCMU followed by a reception with great Japanese cuisine.

Day 2: Kyoto field trip - Nijojo (Nijo Castle), Kinkaguji (Golden Pavillion), Kyoto JR station, Gion Corner

2009-06-04T20:28:00.001-07:00

On the second day we took a train to Kyoto to visit some sights. We had a pretty rough schedule in terms of places we had to visit and time. We had to get a lunch at the Kyoto station. Mee had to get a sweater because she lost her jacket, so instead of going to eat, we went to the mall. Then we had 30 minutes to eat and surprisingly we found a place and made it back on time. After lunch we took a bus and headed to the Kyoto castle. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take any pictures inside the museums because they try to keep the painting on the walls safe from the light (or flash). The next temple was Kinkakuji, which was built in 1393 as a retirement villa for Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga. He intended to cover the exterior with gold, but only managed to coat the ceiling of the third floor with gold leaf before his death. After seeing these beautiful sights, we went back to the train station for dinner. We had an hour before our bus, so we decided to take a walk. Most of us were pretty upset with the place we were staying at (Hikone). It’s a very small town where you can’t really go anywhere and it felt like we were in Michigan… However, it’s good for people who learn the language there because the majority of locals do not speak English. It’s a good opportunity to practice and try to communicate in Japanese. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for us…Anyways, after we took a walk we had to eat… It was absolutely hilarious how we tried to eat at a restaurant in 15 minutes and still being able to make it on the bus. But we did it!

We attended a performance at the theatre in Gion Corner that brings the essence of Japanese traditional arts and entertainment. There was a demonstration of tea ceremony, Japanese Hart, Traditional comic play, court music, Kyoto style dance, and Puppet play. It was all very entertaining. Then we headed back to Hikone where Mee and I had to take a cab, because of my sunburns that made it impossible for me to ride a bike, while everyone else was riding a bike back to JCMU.

Day 1 in Japan: Welcome ceremony at JCMU (Japan Center for Michigan Universities), welcome concert, and welcome reception

2009-06-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hate to say this, but this day was very boring. Everyone was getting ready for the Anniversary of JCMU and there were many guests for whom the ceremony and welcoming concert were made. My favorite part of all of this was “Surviving Japanese Class”. We leaned a few common phrases of everyday Japanese language. During the reception I’ve also met a sculptor who wanted to make a sculpture of me hehe Unfortunately, it usually takes a year to make it and we were there just for one week, so I had to disappoint him a bit… He’s got my picture though :)

Day 8-9 Good bye Taiwan, hello Japan….

2009-06-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

On the our last day in Taiwan, before we went to the airport, we went over to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Plaza and watched changing of the guards at the C.K.S Memorial Hall.

Day 7 Free Day in Taipei

2009-06-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! Back to Taipei!! Love the city and I would definitely come back here again. It was our free day. Monzer, Mee and I went shopping! We didn’t really buy anything because all the designer stores were the same and because of the unfavorable exchange rates, it wasn’t financially beneficial for us to buy anything. So went out to eat! It was a very nice Chinese restaurant where we were invited by 2 former UofM-Flint international students. I have to say that was the best food I ate while in Taiwan. After a wonderful meal we went to the Salon…and I had a haircut. I loved the massage they give you while washing the hair. I would come back there again just for that! I got of the best haircuts too. After that we were just exploring the sights by Taipei 101. Despite all the pain after the sunburn, I was very happy I went out that day.

Day 5 in Taiwan: Team-building activities, Kuanshan Par

2009-06-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Dr.Peng called this day a “Team-building activities” -how to work as a team and survive the rapids. It turned out to be the worst day of my life… Wait; don’t think that it has anything to do with falling into the water, paddling, and having tons of fun. It was fun until half of the group ended up with pretty bad sunburns! As it turned out later, mine was THE WORST. It’s called second degree sunburn which causes blistering… So now imagine a sunburn above your knees…Yep, I could barely walk next day…So I’m gonna have to skip Day 6 because while everyone went to the tribe, I had to stay on the bus because whenever I tried to walk, I was starting to pass out because of the pain. Not fun. I wish I knew we were going to ride for 3 hours. I though it was supposed to be 30 minutes and no one warned us about what kind of clothes we were supposed to wear. Everything had to be long…The sunscreen didn’t help much…and I didn’t even put it on my arms or legs because I didn’t expect the ride to be THAT LONG. However, I’ve learned a lot from this painful experience.

Day 4 in Taiwan: Taroko National Park, Seven Star Lake, Hualien city

2009-06-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

After all the business meetings and presentations we could finally escape from the city and go visit Toroko National Park, about 20-30 minutes from Hualien City. Many people consider it a Wonderland of Taiwan. It was one beautiful scenery followed by another. I was amazed by the beauty of nature. The grand canyons and spectacular mountains create the most compelling landscape on the island. Taroko National Park is well known for its narrow road with distinct nature views. We walk right along the edge of canyons that goes on for miles. This took pretty much the rest of our day and we all got very tired. However, that was worth it.

In the evening we checked into the best hotel we have stayed in because it was not only fancy, but the mattress was very comfortable and soft, and it didn’t feel as I was sleeping on the wooden floor, compare to the other hotel’s bed. Then we had an adventure trying to find some place to eat. Mee and I came with the group, but they left us at the store near hotel... I guess they didn’t realize we were still in there and left without us. We decided to go back to the hotel and see if we could get a map of the city. On the way there we bumped into Suyash and out journey began... We were passing a place that looked like a bar to us…So we decided to come in and check it out…I saw a few girls sitting by and another girl getting out of a man’s car. I said that it’s not the place we would wanna go…But Suyash and Mee didn’t get it until we walked in…We asked about the bar, but the lady said that Mee and I cannot be in there, and Suyash could pay 8,000 Taiwanese Dollars, pick a girl for an hour, and then he would have free drinks. Of course, because Mee and I were not allowed to this brothel, Suyash had to leave with us. He also thought it was too expensive for the girl haha Then we were trying to find McDonalds. I wish I could describe those streets…I’m surprised we’re still alive and didn’t get in trouble… Even at the hotel we were told not to go far because it’s not safe beyond the cycled area on the map we were given. We walked about 4 miles and couldn’t figure out why McDonalds wasn’t there! Since we were in Eastern Taiwan where almost no one could speak nor understand English, we kept going until one young Taiwanese guy who could speak English told us that we’re walking down the parallel street. I don’t even know why we had a map because we never even looked at the street signs. Finally we found it! But we were not really hungry by the time we got there. We were really mad and just wanted to go back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I haven’t mentioned earlier, I had my laundry with me and I loaded it into the Laundromat machine on the way to McDonalds. Now we had to find that place so I could get my clothes back. We decided to find the hotel first and then figure out where the Laundry place is. By that time I had blisters, even though I wore flip flops, and I wish I wore tunic and wrap hijab so nobody could look at me. Local people, especially men, were staring at me like I was from a different planet. Some men even made a weird noise when he saw me walking by…Pretty scary, especially when you don’t speak the language and have no idea what they are saying about you. Later I was told that they just think I’m very pretty and that was the reason why I got that much attention. However, it makes me very uncomfortable when people stare at me that I want to disappear. That was an awkward evening. But we had lots of fun and it was a wonderful cultural experience, even though it was very strange and even scary…

Day 3 in Taiwan: Lecture in National Taipei University, Visit American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, Visit Tamkang University

2009-05-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

In the morning we visited National Taipei University where we had a lecture on Taiwan’s economy. Taiwan is one of the high performance Asian economies with high growth rate, low inflation and low unemployment rates. As for 2007, the GDP rate equals to 5.7%, 1.8% inflation, and 3.9% unemployment. Economists in Taiwan care about GDP per capita because it’s the best single indicator for welfare measure. People in the countries with high GDP per capita enjoy a better life. Unlike the US, Taiwan is relatively small economy and thus the domestic demand is less important as it is in the US. Taiwan sells more to foreigners than it buys from them. Taiwan relies more on foreign demand. Trade is important to small open economy like Taiwan.

Then we visited American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. ACC is a non-profit, non-partisan business organization. It’s dedicated to promoting the interests of international business in the Republic of China. ACC has become the largest, most effective business organization in Taiwan. They provide an opportunity for participation in industry-specific committee meetings, chamber-wide monthly luncheons, executive educational programs and information-packed conferences and symposiums. However, their annual fees are high and due to the current state of the economy, their business is struggling.

Visiting Tamkang University was probably one of the best moments in Taiwan. We actually had to participate in one of the classes. It was the first time when I actually got a chance to meet Taiwanese students, who were very friendly and welcoming. It was a management science class where we had a case and five questions. The answers had to be to be presented in class. Even though we talked about everything but the assignment, I was very happy to meet them and share my first impressions of Taiwan. When it was time to present…….Yes, I was the one in front of about a hundred people, presenting… Surprisingly, after I got up there after other two people, the class got quite and they actually listened to what I was saying. Also, after four people presented, there was a vote…and I WON! It was a very memorable experience.

Then we had a TKU campus tour and Tansui tour. We were broken down into groups of 3-4 people and 4 TKU students that were with us. Mee, Monzir, and I got the best group ever! I was very impressed with their English language and how approachable they were. We spent the whole evening together, going around campus, going to the night market and just having a lot of fun. People in Taiwan are very friendly and I never really felt as an outsider. Even though I cannot speak Mandarin, they could still understand what I wanted…Unlike in the US, most people in Taiwan are not only friendly, but also helpful and they actually try to understand, even if it takes time and patience. That was the day when I fell in love with Taipei and its people…I would definitely come back to visit, or even consider being an expatriate there…

I almost forgot: we tried a lot of weird food at the night market. That was a great experience and I think in order to learn and respect different culture, trying its food is one of the best ways to learn, especially while interacting with locals who make you try stuff. I have to say I would never do it on my own.

Day 2 in Taiwan: National Taipei University, Hsinchu Science Park, and Elite Semiconductor Company

2009-05-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

We had a campus tour at the National Taipei University. TPU is regarded as one of the best universities in Taiwan, particularly in the education of law, business, public administration and social science. We had a class where students and Master of Marshal arts showed us some of the self-defense moves.

After the entertainment, we got an insight of Chinese calligraphy. I even learned how to write my name:

After all the fun stuff, we had a lecture on Taiwan's high tech industry. Taiwan is a major cog in the worldwide supply chain: In total, it is the world's largest supplier of electronic devices. Taiwan is good at Contracts equipment manufacturing, electronics manufacture service, original equipment manufacture, and original design manufacturing. Taiwan is also good at providing integrated services, turnkey solution of cellular phone, and Atom System-on-Chip Microprocessors for Intel. When it comes to holding inventory, companies have a short product lifecycle, long production time, fluctuated demand, uncertain supply, rush orders, and proliferation of products.

Nominal GDP grew by 127.2 % between 1990 and 2006. The value of inventory increased by 78.4% during the same time period. Inventory costs as a percent of GDP declined from 17.9% in 1990 to 14.1% in 2006. The absolute value of inventory increased during this time period, but it decreased as a percentage of GDP.

In electronic industry some of the inventory is being kept. The reason is that batching economies or cycle stocks arises from three sources: procurement, production, and transportation. Scale economies are often associated with all three, which can result in the accumulation of inventory that will not be used or sold immediately. There is also a safely stock due to uncertainly which all organizations are facing. On the demand side, there’s usually uncertainty in how many customers will buy and when. On the supply side, there might ne uncertainty in obtaining what is needed from suppliers and how long it will take for the fulfillment of the order. Another reason to keep stock is the time/in-transit and work-in-process stocks. There are also seasonal stocks. Seasonality can occur in the supply of raw materials, in the demand for finished goods, or in both. Seasonality can greatly impact transportation.

After the lecture we visited Hsinchu Science Park. Science parks are established to introduce high-tech industries and attract talent to Taiwan, promote the upgrading of Taiwanese industries, balance regional development and drive national economic development. One of three science parks existing in northern, central and southern Taiwan, the Hsinchu Science Park(HSP) is primarily focused on semiconductors; meanwhile, the Central Taiwan Science Park is focused on aviation, precision machinery, and optoelectronics, while the Southern Taiwan Science Park is focused on optoelectronics. Consequently, each of these science parks possesses its own respective core technological advantages.

Regarding the overall performance of the Park in 2004, 335 of the 384 Park companies were domestic companies while 49 were foreign. The total revenue of the six main industries reached US$32.5 billion, representing a growth rate of 27% in 2004. Accumulated paid-in capital was US$32.2 billion.

Regarding new investment, 48 applications from new companies were approved in 2004, representing total capital of US$1,290 million. Meanwhile, regarding applications for increased investment, 55 companies applied for investment, totaling US$2,159 million.

Additionally, 97 Park companies were listed on the TAIEX and OTC markets at the end of 2004. Furthermore, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), and Macronix International Co., Ltd., were also listed on the American Depository Receipts (ADR) Market. (2)

The next activity was a Visit to Elite Semiconductor (ESMT) where we had a lecture about the products and overall performance of electronic companies doing business in Taiwan.

Day 1 in Taiwan - Taipei city tour

2009-05-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Our first experience in Taipei was the MRT. The Taipei MRT is one of Taipei's most significant achievements. The subway provides a safe, convenient, comfortable and appealing transportation to the most populated areas of

Taipei. With an MRT route map, foreign visitors can travel anywhere in Taipei.

All the stations are translated in English, as well as announcements. The MRT makes Taipei one of the modern cities in the world.

In the morning we first went to Taipei 101. Taipei 101 is currently the world's tallest building - if you count its massive 60-foot spire. The design of Taipei 101 represents Chinese culture. Both the building's interior and exterior incorporate the Chinese pagoda form and the shape of bamboo flowers.

Next we went to the food court located in the building. I think that was the best food court we’ve been to. I have also tried a popular pearl milk tea, which is commonly known as bubble tea. This drink is popular in many parts of the world, but I never had a chance to try I until now.

After our wonderful meal, we went to the National Palace Museum. It has a collection of over 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. One of the main treasures in the museum was the Jadeite Cabbage, which I didn’t find very appealing. The unique part was when looking closely, you can see a large and a small grasshopper will appear camouflaged in the leaves. The ruffled semi-translucent of attached leaves is due to the masterful combination of various natural color of the jade to recreate the color variations of a real cabbage. (1)

In the evening we all went to one of the most crowded night markets in Taipei - Shilin night market, which had the nastiest bathroom I’ve ever been to :) I wish I didn’t go to the bathroom first, because I couldn’t really eat anything afterwards. The only food I tried was stinky tofu. No wonder they call it stinky, it has a very odor which might make you puke at first. The odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or manure. Surprisingly, the taste is kind of mild. There are many variations of tofu and I have to say I kind of like it with other food. Stinky tofu can be eaten cold, steamed, stewed, or most commonly, fried. People here say the more it stink, the grater it tastes…

Getting ready...

2009-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was making a list of things I need to take with me. I travel overseas every summer, but this is the first time I’m writing an actual list! I’ve never been to Japan or Taiwan, so I’m not sure what I’m going to take with me. All I know is that I should make it less weighty so I can carry it without any problems. I actually ended up buying a different suit case! I’ve already had six of them at home, but none of them worked- it was either too big/small, or too heavy. So now I have seven of them! Also, due to the current H1N1 pandemic, I got a few surgical masks, just in case… :) I was reading some international news and almost everyone wears a mask at the airports, especially at the international once; and China is using an infrared scanning process to check for passengers with a fever. Regardless of that, I’m still very excited about this trip. This should be a wonderful learning opportunity.