japan summer trip report

Nagoya University of Commerce and Business Prince Sultan University ‐ College for Women Community Services, Continuing Education and International Relations Office

Japan Summer Trip‐June 2012

[ C S C E C & I R O ] 2 0 1 2

Japan Summer Trip – June

2

Japan Summer Trip – June 2012

PSU‐College for Women CSCEC & IRO

Table of Content

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. 3

PSU-CW Team ……………………………………………………………………... 4

Orientation …………………………………………………………………………. 5

Trip Schedule ……………………………………………………………………… 6

Daily Reports ……………………………………………………………………… 7

Visual Documentation …………………………………………………………….. 30

Conclusion and Recommendations ……………………………………………… 48


3



Introduction

Japan Summer Trip 2012 was arranged by Community Service, Continuing Education, and International Relations Office at the College for Women to visit one of the prominent institutes in Japan, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business. The two-week visit to NUCB aimed to enrich students with an educational and a cultural experience.

Criteria for application included the following:

• Student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and above • Student should at the Sophomore and/or Junior level. (Senior students were allowed to

apply as members of the backup list) • Student must have an Active Status on her academic record. • Student must submit a thorough CV. • Students from all majors are allowed to apply.

Announcement and Selection Process

The IRO advertised the trip for PSU-CW students on the College’s website, campus’s plasma screens, through banners and posters. Over 35 students applied in hopes to be selected as one of the twelve PSU-CW student ambassadors to NUCB.

Applicants, who fit the criteria, were scheduled for an interview with the Japan Summer Trip 2012 Selection Committee. The Selection Committee included the following members:

• Dr. Mariam Al-Oraifi Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Scientific Research • Dr. Dina El-Dakhs Assistant Professor, English Department • Ms. Fatin Al-Kahtani Director, Community Service& International Affairs Office • Ms. Alaa Al-Meshaan Coordinator, Community Service& International Affairs Office • Ms. Wafa Al-Nasrullah Chairperson, Business Administration Department • Ms. MiznahAlomair Director, Student Affairs Office

The Selection Committee met with each applicant for approximately 10 minutes and asked various questions that assess areas of communications skills, leadership skills, conflict-resolution, etc.

A backup list of 6 senior students, who impressed the selection committee, were announced in case a member of the selected 12 students dropped out.


4



PSU-CW Team

3 supervisors and 12 students were selected to represent PSU-CW at NUCB and to be enriched with an educational and cultural experience.

Supervisors:(in alphabetical order)

1. Ms. Alaa Al-Meshaan Coordinator, Community Service and International Relations Office

2. Ms. Fatin Al-Mobarak Faculty Member, Computer and Information Sciences Department

3. Ms. MiznahAlomair Director, Student Affairs Office

College for Women Students: 1. Fatimah Al-Babtain Finance Major, Business Administration Department 2. Haneen Al-Ghamdi Architecture Major, Engineering Department 3. HatunAlkathiri Finance Major, Business Administration Department 4. Lama Shareef Interior Design &Engineering Major, Engineering Department 5. LamisAbuSaleh Information Systems Major, CIS Department 6. Nouf Al-Babtain Marketing Major, Business Administration Department 7. RanaFeda Finance Major, Business Administration Department 8. Razan Alfuraih Law Major, Law Department 9. Reem Albakr Law Major, Law Department 10. ReemaFeda Marketing Major, Business Administration Department 11. Sarah Alkathiri Finance Major, Business Administration Department 12. ShowgSahab Law Major, Law Department


5



Orientation

A Parent-Student Orientation was arranged to:

• Orient all those selected and their parents with the aim, objective, and expected outcome of the trip.

• Emphasize on the importance of this trip. • Introduce supervisors, who will accompany the students, to the parents. • Provide an initial activity agenda for the trip. • Announce the intensive orientation phase prior to the trip, which included: Japanese cultural

session, Japanese language session, and prepare a comprehensive presentation to conduct at NUCB.

• Provide the selected students with the following deadlines of submission: o Valid Passport- Monday March 12th, 2012 (location: Community Service and

International RelationsOffice). o Risk Form o Health Form o Regulation/Parent Consent Form o Contact Sheet


6



Trip Schedule

Date Time Activity Date Time Activity 5/6 Breakfast 11/6 8:30 Leave NUCB

10:00 Check out Tokyo-Inn Airport Hotel 9:30 Toyota Factory Tour – Museum Cell phone Rental at soft Bank Centrair 11:40 Leave Toyota Museum Money Exchange 13:00 Arrive at Nagoya Castle, Lunch, Free time 10:30 Leave Centrair 15:00 Leave Nagoya Castle to Sakae Area 11:30 Arrive at NUCB Guesthouse Free Time in Sakae Lunch 18:00 Dinner in Sakae (Sushi & Western) 14:00 NUCB Campus Tour 20:00 Leave Sakae Subway 20:18 Sakae

Komenoki Bus 21:15 18:00 Reception- welcoming dinner 20:00 Orientation about Activity Schedule 21:30 Arrive at NUCB

6/6 9:20 Lecture: Japanese language 12/6 6:30 Leave NUCB 11:30 Orientation about Activity Schedule 8:00 Nagoya – Shinkansen - Tokyo 13:00 Lunch 10:00 Tokyo half-Day Bis Tour (Tokyo Station-

Imperial house, Asakusa, Tokyo Tower) 15:40 Exchange Activity with NUCB Students 14:00 18:00 Dinner 15:30 Shinjuku – Gyoen (Garden)

7/6 9:20 Lecture: Modern Japanese History 16:30 Free Time in Shinjuku 11:30 Leave NUCB 17:30 Shinjuku - Shinagawa 12:30 Arrive at Fushimi- MBA Campus 18:21 Shingawa – Shinkansen – Nagoya 12:40 Audit: Energy Business & Geopolitics 20:00 Leave Nagoya station 13:30 Lunch 21:00 Arrive NUCB

14:30 Fushimi Campus Tour, Exchange with Grad Students

13/6 9:30 Leave NUCB 10:30 Arrive at Noritake-no-Mori

15:30 Leave Fushimi 14:00 Leave Noritake-no-Mori Higashiyama Global Center 15:40 Lecture: Kado 18:00 Dinner at Takenoyama Area 18:00 Dinner 19:00 Leave Takenoyama Area 14/6 9:30 Leave NUCB 19:30 Arrive at NUCB 12:00 Arrive at Ise-Jingu, Linch, Sightseeing

8/6 9:20 Lecture: Modern Japanese Culture 16:00 Leave Ise 11:30 Leave NUCB 18:30 Arrive at NUCB, Dinner 12:30 Arrive at Nagashima Spa land 19:30 Yosakei Dance Exchange 20:00 Leave Nagashima Spa land 15/6 11:20 PSU Presentation 21:00 Arrive at NUCB 13:30 Lunch

9/6 10:00 Leave NUCB 15:40 Lecture: Sado 13:00 Arrive at Shirakawa-go, Lunch, Free Time 18:00 Farewell Party Check-in Magoemon 16/6 8:00 Leave NUCB Dinner 10:30 Visit Arashiyama, Kaleidoscope making

10/6 Breakfast 12:00 Lunch 10:00 Leave Magoemon 13:10 Kinkaku-ji 11:00 Arrive at Takayama, Jinya, Lunch, Free

Time 14:30 Kiyomizu-dera 16:15 Dinner on the way back

14:00 Leave Takayama 17:00 Arrive NUCB 21:00 Arrive at NUCB 18:00 Dinner 17/6 7:00 Leave NUCB to Centrair


7



Daily Reports

PSU-CW Japan Summer Trip-June 2012

Date: Tuesday June 5th 2012

Written By: Razan Alfuraih

On our first day in Nagoya city, we were picked up at 10 a.m. by Mr. Kohei Takagi (coordinator of undergraduate international programs at NUCB). We arrived to NUCB’s guest house at around 11:00am, where additional friendly staff members of NUCB were there to greet us. Their warm welcoming made us feel right at home in which they showed us around the beautiful and cozy guest house that we will be staying at for the next couple of weeks.

After settling into our assigned rooms, we had lunch and; thereafter, prepared ourselves for the first activity planned for the day. Dr. Mike Hugh (Assistant Director of International Affairs took us on a tour around the campus of NUCB.The campus was beautiful not only that, but we got benefit from learning about the services offer to students and staff. First, we visited the library which is located next to the guest house. It's a nice building of 3 floors containing thousands of books, DVDs and different seating areas. What attracted my attention in the library is the use of Mac Computers and iPads with a fast WI-FI service all over the building. The private study rooms also provided students with additional educational advancedtools. NUCB’s library staff was extremely kind to provide us with library cards in which we can utilize its resources during our 2-week stay.

Our next stop during the campus tour was to the Language Center Building, which provides spacious classrooms for teaching different languages. Dr. Hugh knew how to continually impress us by showing additional buildings on campus such as a beautiful glass building overlooking a fabulous view of a lake. I immediately assumed that they are foradministrative staff use, until Dr. Hugh stated that numerous classes are held there for students.


8



Our next stops were to the Student Lounge Building that has some restaurants and a mini market located on it, and to the Sports Building. It was really nice to watch students enjoying a friendly game of Volleyball. The in-door court is also utilized for events such as graduation ceremonies and rallies. To have such at PSU will be useful, since the weather in Riyadh is mostly hot and dusty. The sports Building is also adjacent to a building that hosts more than 60 student clubs. The beautiful design of the campus’s landscape was breathtaking. We each had our cameras and took numerous photos of the serene and beautiful campus.

The day’s activities ended with a welcoming dinner party for us hosted by NUCB’s President, Dr. Hiroshi Kurimoto. Along with Dr. Kurimoto, over 40 guests of NUCB staff, faculty, and students greeted us with cheers and applause. The host, Dr. Kurimoto, started the party with a speech in which he welcomed us with kind words. During his speech, it showed how proud he is of NUCB by stating facts about it such as: that next year will be the 60th Anniversary of NUCB in which the number of undergraduate students will be 2,600 graduates, and the number of postgraduate students will reach 400. Not only that, but informing us that the campus is one of the biggest campuses in Japan. He also emphasized that NUCB is specialized only in Business and Economics.

In his speech, he expressed how honored he was to have us as guests and he wished us an enjoyable and successful stay in Japan. He also mentioned that he visited PSU in 2008 and signed an agreement with our university, in which PSU students are welcomed at NUCB as


9



exchange students for an entire year. His admiration to Dr. Yamani and our esteemed university was humbling. In addition to his warm welcoming, he kindly asked us to send his warm regards to our Rector, Dr. Ahmad Yamani.

During the dinner party, PSU-CW students networked with NUCB students and staff. We exchanged several topics but mostly about education and culture. Many Japanese students showed their interest in studying at PSU as an exchange student. They were very interested in the Saudi Culture and asked us many questions about it. They also expressed how surprised they are of us as Saudi females.

We were happy to know that a few female students from NUCB will be staying with us every night at the guesthouse. This will definitely enrich our educational and cultural experience in Japan.

Date: Wednesday June 6th 2012

Written By: Sarah Al-Kethiri

Our day started with a Japanese language lecture for two hours with Prof. Ishihara. With our brief Japanese language lectures we took at PSU during the past semester, we were able to introduce ourselves accurately. During the lecture, we learned how to communicate with others in different situations such as social gatherings, shops, and emergency situations. At around noon and right before lunch time, we had an orientation session with Mr. Takagi to revise and reorganize our trip schedule in order to incorporate as much educational and cultural experience in Japan as possible. After lunch, we went to the library with Mr. Takagi and used our library cards. We met Mr. Saito, in which he gave us another brief tour of the library sections. We were astonished to know that the NUCB library contains around 230,000 books. He informed us that we can borrow some books for two weeks, and provided us with the rules and regulations of the library. After that we had a conversation with Mr.Takagi and he told us that Japanese young people are interested in reading. He also stated that nowadays, Japanese students prefer to start with simple books and read books using their iPads. He also reported that there are some movies and documentaries that only faculty members can borrow, in which they can incorporate it into their curriculum if they find it useful. The last activity for the day started at 3:40 p.m. NUCB students arrange a joyous activity for us. We learned how to write our names in Japanese and on traditional Japanese fans. We also taught them how to write their names in Arabic. They also ended their activity by serving us


10



Japanese Green Tea and teaching us how to prepare it. PSU-CW students decided to show gratitude to NUCB students by preparing and serving Arabic coffee and dates for them. At 6:00 pm we had dinner with Ms. Yoko Kato and a couple of NUCB students. We enjoyed their company and asked them to watch a movie with us in the guesthouse’s living room.

Date: Thursday June 7th 2012

Written By: Fatimah Al-Babtain

We woke up early in the morning very excited for this long day since all of our previous days ended shortly. First, we had breakfast in the guesthouse of NUCB then attended a lecture about Japan’s modern history presented by Prof. Yumi Murayama. The lecture was held in a big classroom that seems like an auditorium. It had two big screens attached to a laptop, in which everyone in the class is able to see whatever the professor is presenting. The classroom was surrounded with large glass windows; a smart way to save energy by using natural light during daytime classes. As a student, I really liked the electronic clock placed in each classroom. This clock automatically makes a bell-like sound to start the class and then when the time of the class is up it rings again.

During the lecture, Prof. Murayama grabbed our attention with all of the pictures she presented and amazing stories just like what some of Prince Sultan University lecturers do. She talked about Japanese history and showed us a video about Samurai. She shared with us information about the Rulers of Japan, social groups, religious development, and technologies. They were very interesting topics to discuss and taught us more about the Japanese history, culture, and tradition.


11



At 11:30 am.we went for a ride in the bus to NUCB MBA building that was located in the Fushimi area of Nagoya city. The design was amazing and the staff members welcomed us with open arms. During the graduate campus tour, we were informed that they currently have 200 students, where 50 of them are International students (four of them are Saudis). We had the privilege in attending Dr. Tatsuo Masoda’s graduate course on Energy Business and Geopolitics. I really enjoyed his style of teaching in which he encouraged interactive learning and motivated students to participate throughout his lecture. He mostly talked about geopolitics of energy and oil and had mentioned Saudi Arabia many times. As students representing PSU-CW and our country, we seized the moment in participating during his lecture by discussing related matters he inquired about.

We took a lunch break after the lecture, then headed back to the MBA campus again where were introduced to two graduates students who happened to be Saudi females. Both Duha and Zainab have been studying in Japan for the past two years. They obtained their B.A. in Taif University and King Faisal University in Dammam. Respectively both young ladies were delightful in which they shared their experience living in Japan for the past two years. We asked them to join us for the next couple of hours so we can learn more of their experience.

Admission and registration office staff member took us on a tour of the MBA campus. What I liked the most about this campus was the Group Study Rooms. They were extremely organized and isolated so the students can work effectively. There were indication lights that show if the rooms are occupied or not. I came to think about how useful and effective it can be for PSU students so that they don’t bother the groups by opening the doors to look for an empty room.

The last part of the activity was to visit NUCB’s student housing building for international students. It was extremely beautiful where it looked like a Japanese traditional house with amodern interior. It accommodated residents with mini kitchen in each room, study lounges, a service kitchen, and a theater room.


12



On our way to have dinner, we requested to visit a grocery store in which we all shopped for some light snacks and tasteful fruits. Then we concluded our eventful day with a great meal at coffee and café restaurant.

Date: Friday, June 8th 2012

Written By: RanaFeda

On the fourth day of our trip, we woke up at 7:00am. We were so excited and eager to try something new. Starting our day with enough fuel and energy, we had our breakfast at 8:30am sharing our table with a couple of Japanese students who spent the night at the guesthouse.

We continued our 2nd Japanese modern History Lecture with Prof. Murayama. The lecture focused on modern Japan and Japanese fiction. We also engaged in an interactive discussion about World War II, the Emperor, Japanese constitution, and other major historical events. Professor Murayama shared us some Japanese fictitious stories such as The Tale Genjo and The Tale of Heiki. We also started discussing Higuchi Ichiyon as the most famous author. After that, the discussion took another turn; we started talking about Japanese woman throughout Japanese history.

Though we were listening to Prof. Murayama’s lecture, I could not ignore the attractiveness of the classroom. The electronic clock hanging over the door kept the lecturer on a prompt and precise schedule. The stationery chairs helped keep everything organized and neat, and added an advantage to the classroom that could improve the look of any classroom. I believe that the auditorium style seating is vital in allowing students seated at the last row of an auditorium to view the lecturer and presentation clearly.

Afterthe class ended, we set out to enjoy the rest of our day atNagishimaSpaland, a well-known theme park. The journey was short and quick, only an hour away. At the theme park, we noticed that there was a children’s museum, making it educational and fun at the same time for children going to the park for fun.The day was spent in mayhem of rides, screams, and laughter. Our excitement is noticeable, in which we all agreed that spending the day at such a theme park was a nice break and breather after the stress of final exams, and exuded us with a feeling of euphoria.


13



The day ended with us having dinner at a nearby restaurant. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds for us.

Date: Saturday, June 9th 2012

Written By: Reem Al-Bakr

Beginning our 5th day with a variety of food set for us to enjoy and to fulfill our hunger; a breakfast that kept us energized for an extra couple of hours. As our breakfast time has ended we were required to be fully ready with our packed clothes and needs for the one night sleepover at Shirakawa-go’s Farm House. The bus started moving on the exact written time that the Nagoya’s University has set in our schedule, which was 10:00am. The sharpness of the time that Japanese people follow is magnificently honorable and the excitement of the girls. I have made the time pass by quicker than we thought it would take. The view of the humongous mountains fully covered with beautiful green grass and large trees have sparkled our eyes and made it shine.

At 1:30pm,we reached Shirakawa-gō, which is an area where the Farm House waslocated. The weather and sky were as marvelous as it can ever be, with splashes of rain and the girl’s smiles made it perfect to enjoy. The village is well known in Japan for its constructed houses with a unique architectural style known as gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り), which means “Prayer hand construction”. This type of style is symbolized by a thatched and steeply slanting


14



roof resembling two hands joined in prayer. Although this type of houses seem weak but they are more practical than other modern houses. The material used for building these type of houses is thatches which is traditionally passed down from generation to generation, that allows to with stand and shed the weight of the region's heavy snowfalls in winter; not to mention the low cost of this material which benefits the Japanese people financially.

The village was as a typical tourists’ village, which concludes many souvenir shops and traditional restaurants to serve the tourists. Since we are females, shopping is a must, so we have bought a couple of souvenirs if not more from the most respectful and sincere sellers that anyone has ever met. As we know Japanese people are well mannered and respectful but none of us have thought that they would be as sweet and kind as they were with us, keeping in mind that they were open to our weak language in terms of communication.

As soon as we finished discovering the shops and the village we were obligated to check in the Farm House. A farm house that contained five bed rooms, dining room, four restrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small temple. The entire house was so traditional to a level that we got excited to wear Japanese kimonos in order to grasp into their culture and to experience living in it. Later on the girls and I went hiking in one of the surrounded mountains of the village, and took plenty of pictures of the amazingly structured environment that Allah has created for his people. As we went back from hiking I have noticed than my mobile was missing and went all crazy about it, which led me to go all the way back to the peak of the mountain to look for it with of course one of our supervisors. Unfortunately I did not find it, but I was promised by Mr. Kohei to look for it in the morning.

Traditional Japanese dinner was served with low Japanese tables at 7:00pm containing a tray that included raw beef which was required to be cooked with the fire under it, steamed white rice, delicious vegetables, and grilled fish. The good looking of the dinner was not only in the food itself but also the atmosphere of the place and display of everything else. Our night has ended peacefully with the sound of the running river water, and the quietness of the surroundings.


15



Date: Sunday, June 10th 2012

Written By: ReemaFeda

On Sunday, 10th of June, we woke up at the farmhouse around 8:00am.Waking up while watching this amazing view was spectacular; being surrounded by trees and small houses with the voice of the river. Our joy was completed with a traditional Japanese breakfast.

After that, we went to “TAKAYAMA JINYA”,atraditional style museum,which is the only existing building of its kind in Japan. TakayamaJinyawas a branch office of the Edo Bakufu (government) from 1692 to 1868. It is designated as a National historic site, since the area was administered by the Takayama prefectural government office and other governmental offices, it has been well preserved and historians were able to restore it and use it for future generations. It focuses on the period when Hida province (Takayama) became Tenryo for 176 years. The warrior government actually exerted supreme power over the nation during the Edo era (1603-1868) for 15 generations of the Tokugawa Shogun for 265 years in ancient Edo (Tokyo). In 1867, the Bakufu lost all political power due to the return of power to Emperor Meiji. 1

1TakayamaJinya:”The National Historic Site” – Site pamphlet


16



Outsidethe museum contained:

• The main entrance that has Tokugawa Shogun sample. • The Site of Temporary Jail, which was originallystorage place for stone charcoal, but

later it convertedto jail. (1830 – 1844) • Asecurity building which is located beside the main gate. • The Japanese Style Garden. It’s the garden of the residence that

remains the image of the Edo period. • Guesthouse.

Insidethe museum contained:

• Genkannoma: that only head officer and special guests used this hall. • Onyakush:that the head officer and his chief vassals performed their administrative

activities in this room. • Oshirasu: this place was used to grant people’s petition and officially commend people

for their good deeds. • Goyouba: The feudal lords lower vassals performed their duties. • Choutsuzuriba: this was a special room where officials made good copies of documents

to be handed to the Shogun. • Kakiyakubeya: A room used by secretaries to prepare documents. • Zashiki: The reception room. • Youninbeya: the secretaries’ room. • On-oku: the head officer wife’s room. • Go-ima: the head officer’s living room. • Ima: the head officer took a rest at this room in duty. • Shishanoma: the reception room for messengers from the Shogun. • Oshirasu: the torture room, where prisoners were severely punished. The place contained

several instruments to torture people who were against the law and religion. • Tenryodawara: “Straw rice sacks for tax” used for tax collection for the shogun.

And the museum also contains other rooms for maids, kitchen, bathroom, tea room, andthe entrance for officials.

GenkannomaTenryodawaraOshirasu


17



The thing that was really impressing is that they used to differentiate between the classes of the people by the lines in the floor inside the rooms. A sliver line was set for the Shogun, his wife, and special officials; whereasa black line was set for the servants, maids, and other office workers. Moreover, another interesting thing was the roof of the buildings, which were made by wood. To make the roof stable they put some rocks that were heavy enough to hold the roof.

After walking around this beautiful and inspiring museum, we had some free time and decided to explore this unique town. Therefore, we checkedout small traditional shops around the museum where they sold beautiful souvenirs. The time passed really quickly without notice. Finally the bus arrived at 2:00 pm to pick us up and take us back to the university’s guesthouse. We ended the day by having a delicious dinner at 6:00 pm.

Date: Monday, June 11th 2012

Written By: Nouf Al-Babtain

Today is a breezy spring day, birds are beautifully chirping in a rhythmic sound. We woke up early and rushed to get to the bus at 8:30am. We started the journey of the day with visiting the astonishing Toyota Motor Corporation. The place is literally breath taking. Toyota has50 companies worldwide and has twelve plants in Japan. Moreover, Toyota has three major plants in Japan: Motomachi plant, Takaoka plant, and Tsutsumi plant.

Our visit was particularly to Motomachi plant. In 1959, Motomachi plant started production (the first passenger car in Asia). Toyota plants are known for being environmental and people friendly by making an all-out effort to reduce consumption of energy and other resources. The plant has 260 cars, 3600 workers that have been trained for six to nine weeks.

The process of production in the plant has four major steps. It starts with stamping steel sheets to form the body parts. The next step is welding, which is done by robotic machines that are not made by Toyota. Those robotic machines weld 400 body parts to form a car and produces


18



finished car bodies. The workers only check on the robotic machines every two hours. After that, the body is washed and undercoated. The intermediate and top coats are applied to create a high quality surface. This step is called “painting” and finally, the last step is assembly.This is where workers test the installed finished parts, engines, and assembly line before they are being shipped.

“Just in time” is Toyota production system’s slogan. They have strong time management as workers, including the robotic machines, have a ten-minute break every two hours to save time during production. Workers install the doors while cars are moving. Nevertheless, the interesting part is that the workers work with the sound of music to make them enjoy what they are doing. The plant also has a digital picking system, where every worker picks up parts from the shelves with flashing lights. Then, the flashing lights turn to green, and red lights means stop.

While we were walking in the plant, we stopped at a station called “The Motomatchi Champion”. The station has several games on how to work with screws and other interesting games related to their production and they time you so that you see how fast you can go.

The plant was organized, neat, and clean. Around 11:00 a.m. we went back to the bus and went to Toyota Museum Showroom where it had so many Toyota cars models including environmentally friendly cars, family cars, sport cars, and luxury cars. After that we went out for lunch and discussed how amazing our experience was at Toyota motors.

After lunch, we took off to Nagoya Castle, one of the most important castles in Japan. The castle was the home of the Shogun family and then it became a museum. In May 1945, during the air raids on Nagoya in World War II, most of the buildings including the main and small donjons and the hommaru palace where burned down. Fortunately, three corners towers, three gates, and most of the paintings on the sliding doors and walls in the hommaru palace survived the fire and have been handed down as important cultural assets.

There are 2 gold plated dolphins on the top of Nagoya castle, one male and one female. Although Nagoya golden dolphins shared the fate of the donjons being consumed by flames in World War II, they reappeared along with a rebuilt donjon in 1959 to the delight people of


19



Nagoya. The place was very cultural and definitely a must see. After the enjoyable time we spent in Nagoya castle, we explored the area of Sakae then headed back home.

Date: Tuesday, June 12th 2012

Written By: Lamis AbuSaleh

On the 8th day, our journey took us to Tokyo. The trip was not previously planned; however, my colleagues and I felt such remorse for going all the way to Japan and not visit one of the most famous capitals of the world. After several attempts to convince our supervisors, they discussed the matter with our guides in Nagoya University. Eventually, the day was planned and everybody was excited to go. As for me, I was quiet worried. It takes three hours to go to Tokyo and three hours to get back. This left us with approximately five hours to explore the city.

Waking up at 5:30 in the morning was not the easiest task, but we managed to ride the bus and arrive at the station just on time. I was looking forward to my first Bullet Train ride, as were many of my friends. Our tickets indicated that we could take any free seat on the 13th cabin. Eagerly holding our tickets, we lined up and waited for the music to play announcing the train’s approach. Shortly after we were in cabin 13 hunting for seats. Everyone in the group turned out to be such a good seat hunter, except for three girls. To no one’s surprise, I was one of them. Left with no other choice, my friends and I stood in a small space between cabin 13 and cabin 12. The room was less than half a meter in width and a meter in height, but considering that it was a two-hour trip, we sat there anyway. Crammed up in that tiny space, we most definitely scared some Japanese people.

After the torturous train ride, I was especially glad when we arrived at Tokyo station. I could see the worried looks on my supervisors’ faces. It was clear that they were hoping that no one gets lost in the city that harbors 8.9 million people. We arrived at Tokyo station at 9:40 a.m. and at 9:45, the inevitable happened. Two members of our group vanished in the crowed.


20



Thankfully, the situation was handled wisely by our supervisors and the ladies were found. Few minutes later we were on our way but walking much closely and carefully this time.

To get to the train on time, most of us missed breakfast; therefore, we stopped at bakery to get some pastries. At 10:40, we took a tour around the city on a tour bus. Unfortunately, the tour guide was speaking in Japanese, which meant that none of us understood what she was explaining. It was also quiet difficult to ask Mr. Takagi who was accompanying us from NUCB to translate.

Our first stop was at KokyoGaien or the imperial palace park. It was a wide area in front of the imperial palace with beautiful black pine trees spread across the lawns. In the middle of the park, a lake rests peacefully and in the center lays the imperial palace. The two bridges that connect the palace with the park form the palace entrance. We were told by the guide that the imperial family has lived there since they moved from Kyoto in 1868. Unfortunately, the palace is only open to the public on special occasions and thus we could not enter the building. In the East Garden of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, we saw the statue of the great Samurai KusunokiMasashige. The samurai fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the 14th century and is remembered today as the ideal of samurai loyalty.

Our second stop was at Senso-ji that is also known as AsakusaKannon Temple. It is one of Tokyo’s famous Buddhist temples. The architecture of the building was simply spectacular. The Japanese believe that the temple is dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Kanon. The entrance is guarded by two statues of what they believe is the wind god, Fujin and the thunder god, Raijin. Inside, we observed the visitors who came to pray. They throw a five Yen coin in a certain spot in the temple, join the palms of their hands together, close their eyes and pray. Our guide later explained that the five Yen coin means “Goen” in Japanese. Its pronunciation is similar to the word that means “good fortune” that is the reason they use it in their prayer.

In front of the temple building was Hozomon Gate the leads to the shopping streets of Nakamise. It is filled with local shops that sell various folk crafts and traditional food. It was


21



rather enjoyable spending some time in that shopping area and observing the locals in their everyday life. Shortly after, we went back to the bus and onwards to our next stop.

The third stop turned out to be the Tokyo Tower. The tower is located in Shiba Park and is considered the second tallest structure in Japan. It is quite obvious that it was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and is painted in white and orange. The tower was built in 1958 and has two main sources of revenue. Naturally, the first is antenna leasing and the second aretourists like us. From the top of the tower, Tokyo seemed endless. Buildings, parks, cemeteries and the rivers were all visible from the main observatory at 150 meters. The tower was our last stop. Afterwards we headed back to the bus’s main station. I cannot deny that I was glad the tour was over, as much as I have enjoyed it, five hours in a bus was quite tiring.

Nonetheless, our day in Tokyo was not yet over and the next part is my personal favorite, a walk in the rain. Taking out my umbrella and zipping my jacket, I was enjoying the rain, perhaps a little too much. Walking in the streets of Tokyo, watching the people pass, and the cars driving by gave me a tremendous feeling of being alive. After nearly an hour of walking in the rain, the girls and I were getting cold, so we headed to the nearest shopping mall. There, I realized exactly why they say Tokyo is the second most expensive city in the world.


22



A day in Tokyo is not nearly enough to know the real city, but sadly, a night is all we got. Therefore, we headed back to the train station to buy our tickets. This time, however, we reserved our seats to avoid the tragedy that happened that morning. Three hours later, we were on our way home with an adventure that shall never be forgotten.

Date: Wednesday, June 13th 2012

Written By: ShowgSahab

The breakfast table was scarce for students this morning; most of us opted to rest a little longer in the wake of the rush of Tokyo. After munching on the selection provided, we rode the bus to Noritake-no-Mori, a ceramics museum, for our morning excursion. Along with Ms. Yoko Kato, Dr. Mike Hugh joined us today for our ceramic journey.

The bus ride was a swift and smooth one. We started by compiling a grocery list; we had promised the Japanese students and some of the faculty to feed them Kabsa for dinner tonight, and will give them a taste of our culture as they did to us. But above all, we also wanted to thank them for their generous hospitality. Then the bus conversation started dancing on the tongues of those who were energized with Ms. Yoko and Dr. Mike, we discussed and exchanged various topics from football and the scores of the European Championship to Saudi culture and customs. Eerie enough, that brought up the topics of cemeteries and death. We learned that in Japan, by law, bodies must be cremated. This was quite a shock for us as Muslims, since the diseased person's dignity is in his/her burial. Arriving at the museum ‘Noritake Garden’ was pure joy; the grass was scattered with glistening ceramic art. The shapes were so beautiful; it brightened the way to the door of the museum, it was like a museum within a museum. Even though these were gorgeous, the real treat was this little old Japanese lady sitting by a bench painting the view. The watercolors she was using gave a rustic feeling to her painting. She was kind enough to let us take a picture of her drawing. "Kerei" was all we could say (Japanese for: Beautiful) Cool air hit us as we pooled into the museum entrance. We were greeted with a swipe card, a brochure, and a magnifying glass. The card was to be used at various stations around the museum, the magnifier to enlarge whatever was needed and the brochure held all the information available about the history and operation of this museum.

Since this museum used to be a ceramics factory we got to experience the production process first hand and walk through the process. It was split into 2 parts: the first part was almost scientific. You would swipe your card against orange panels where the machine would spring into life and start explaining; it was either how ceramics were used in everyday activities or how


23



they were inserted into dinosaur fossil sculls and teeth in reparation or many of the other many uses of ceramics. They had a point system: For every station you stop at, you receive a point; each point is a part of a jigsaw puzzle, so that after you collect all the pieces, at the end you would have a complete picture. They had “Point Check” stations where you could see your picture so far and, since each ‘station’ is numbered, you could see which stations you missed. The second part was the ‘Craft Center’. We got to walk by and watch as the workers devised the most beautiful sculptures and works of art. The route then took us up, where we saw floor after floor of beautiful ceramic tea sets, plate sets and other sculptures and beautiful artifacts. The oohs and aahs filling the rooms kept rising the more artwork we were exposed to. Leaving the gallery, we went to a little shop, which was, as everything is in this museum, a gallery of its own. Decorated with its beautiful ceramic souvenirs and lovely little gifts-to-be, it was very hard to contain our excitement. Moreover, it was more difficult to try and chose what to get. We stopped at the Square Café, a cozy little counter at the souvenir shop where we had our lunch.

With the excursions of the day done, we had a grocery list of items burning to get them scratched off. Some of us left the bus to get the groceries while others stayed on. Because the Japanese were so precise about their timing, we could only spare 15 minutes out of our schedule to get the things done. Divide and concur was our mantra as we walked in. We got our stuff for the Kabsa and walked out with our heads high and our smiles wide; today the Japanese will enjoy a taste of our home for a change. After arriving to the guesthouse and before we could jump into the kitchen, we had a flower arrangement class (Ikabana). Like everything in the Japanese culture; Ikabana is serene, harmonic, and congruous. We were told that the arrangement was ‘art’ and not a ‘painting’. The main idea was to have it in 3D. We each had a go at designing our own little masterpieces. The room quickly buzzed with excitement as we got a chance to create our little works of art. The Japanese are very precise; we were to not make a sound when laying down our instruments, and


24



we were given a specific way to dispose of our unused flowers. Negative space and 3d-ness of the arrangement was very important. These two were the most emphasized on when pointers were handed to us.

After the class, we all headed to the kitchen to cook the dinner for the night. The work was split between us, to quicken the pace of things. As the guests arrived, we greeted them with joyous smiles and flavorful conversation. Arabic coffee and dates were served as the dinner table was set, projecting to them our Arabic hospitality. We knew it was a success when the Japanese students and faculty ended up cleaning out the plate. When interviewed here is what they said about the dish:“My favorite”, “Mmmm.”, “Lazeez!”.We were glad we got a chance to provide them with this little piece of home, and it was an even better experience knowing they enjoyed it.


25



Date: Thursday, June 14th 2012

Written By: HatunAlkathiri

On Thursday 14thof June, we started our 10thday in Japan with a trip to the Ise Grand Shrine, which is 3-hour drive from the campus. The Ise Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-omikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as Jingu, IseJingu is in fact a Shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naiku and Geku.

We visited the main shrine, Shogu, and it was interesting to learn about the rituals of other religions in how they pray, act, and wear when communicating with their god. We were told that they have a special way to pray for this Shrine, and what grabbed our attention there that this shrine is not open for the public, only those who hold a high position. As we were exploring this religious landmark, we compared our Islamic religion with Shintouism. In Islam, everyone is equal when they enter any mosque. I only wished that all our mosques to be clean and taken care of as the Japanese people do with their shrines and temples.The walk up to the shrine and back to the bus took an hour; however, the beautiful weather, amazing landscape, and breathtaking view made the tour more enjoyable. After we were done with this interesting place we had some free time so we decided to go to spend the remaining hours of our day at a nearby outlet to enjoy a light lunch before our return to NUCB.

After arriving to the guesthouse and at around 7:00 p.m. we were scheduled to watch a Japanese dance performance dedicated to us as guests of NUCB. The Yosakoi Dance exchange was performed by a professional and well-known group called Yume-Hotaru which means "Dreaming Fire-Flies". The band was an all female group from different ages. We were greeted by them warmly with the Arabic language by saying "Al-Salam Alaikom". Their enthusiasm and excitement to meet us and share their talents were noted. After their 2-dance performance, they invited us to join them in their traditional dances using the Naruku, a wooden-clapping instrument. We really had fun and enjoyed our time with them.

Before the dance exchange ended, they surprised us with snacks and then presented us with custom-made T-shirts and Narukus as gifts. We were all excited and happy to have our own Naruku to remember this joyous and fun night. The night was still young and PSU-CW students decided to prepare for tomorrow’s presentation.


26



Date: Friday, June 15th 2012

Written By: Haneen A. AlGhamdi

This is the day PSU-CW Japan Group has been preparing for the past two months prior to the trip has finally come, and it exceeded everyone’s expectations! We arose early and headed to the auditorium around 10:00 am. At 11:25 the 30 guests were present and the presentation took place. Amongst the guests were: Dean Kobaji, Dr. Hugh, faculty members, administrators, and around 30 students.

Starting with a warm welcoming in Japanese, the first group began their talk by playing the National Anthem of Saudi Arabia. Then, their presentation began, as each student talked about a sub-topic, stating general information on Saudi Arabia; talking about the language, religion, and major cities. In addition, they brought up examples of Saudi female pioneers. The second group smoothly glided in talking about the culture and religion as “a Way of Life” in Saudi Arabia. They demonstrated how prayer takes place and played the Athan. Showg Sahab explained the sacredness of Mecca, Medina, and the water of Zamzam. The group further talked about the famous customs, food, and clothing.

After introducing Saudi Arabia as a country and elaborating on its religion and customs, the third group was yet to talk about the only aspect left: Education. This group flashed time graphs and statistic on the growth of education and its quality in the last 60 years, starting with primary education, and ending with higher education and its sectors. The last speaker ended the presentation by presenting PSU-CW’s educational environment, life, and activities to the guests. She talked about the national and international events that PSU hosted and participated in, and the major opportunities PSU holds for its students.

After finishing, the crowd roared with applause. It is fair to say that their faces spoke of amazement and astonishment. We were all ready to answer their questions and fulfill their curiosity in our country and culture. We distributed gift bags containing Arabic Oud and Dates to all students attending.


27



Fortunately, I was able to Approach Dean Kobaji to ask for his view on the presentations, and he said: “Everything was interesting; I did not know anything about KSA before this.” While Dr. Mike Hugh applauded us with excitement saying: “you amazed us in every aspect, from your information coverage of economics, development, women, future perspectives, to your confidence, which outshined us.” He also added: “I learned a lot about Islam and Mecca, one is never seized to be amazed.” Mr. Kevin Watson, a lecturer in NUCB, shared his view saying: “I really enjoyed it, it was fantastic! And I liked that you used Prezi for the visuals. I’m glad my students were able to attend this.” Mr. Saito and Mr. Takagi both were impressed by the fast development of education in Saudi Arabia, and particularly by the government’s generous funds and scholarships dedicated to education.

Both our instructors and we went back to our residence radiating with pride and triumph, overjoyed that we were able to collaborate excel in portraying the image of our country and university positively.

Later on, we were scheduled to have a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony with NUCB President’s wife, Mrs. Kurimoto at 3:40 afternoon. The entire setting of the place was breathtaking: Japanese ornamented partitions stood on the reed and thatched floor sheets, little pots and cups were elegantly oriented on trays, and a royal red rug was ready for us to sit on it. Mrs. Kurimoto was very modest to greet us so warmly and begin her lecture with a brief history of the birthplace of Japanese Tea, the different types, the customs and traditions associated with this cultural manner. We were able to try out all three exotic types of tea: The Powdered Tea, The Yakoru Tea, and the Sencha Tea. The motto to the traditional tea is “Purity and Elegance”. For that, Mrs. Kurimoto and her assistants displayed highly sophisticated manners of serving Traditional Japanese Tea.

Getting to know a lot about Japan in the last two weeks have only made us grow to admire the country and its people more. We were immersed in the Japanese culture due to the great schedule of events we had, and as our journey was almost coming to an end, the Farewell Party was just the perfect way to say good-bye.

It was at 6:00 pm when everyone was present in the party; we were surprised by the huge number of attendees who came to bid us farewell. Amongst those who came was NUCB President’s wife, Mrs. Kurimoto, faculty members, administrators, and students. We were very touched by NUCB’s farewell speech; in return, one student amongst us was assigned impromptu to give a brief “thank you” speech. The various mouth-watering dinner dishes were set on the table and people began socializing and dining.

The entire atmosphere and energy that filled the place was just exhilarating. We were kindly flattered by the lot that came, as they shared their warmhearted views on us as visiting international students. Professor Murayama shared her view by saying: “when I knew that you


28



are Saudi females students visiting, I didn’t think that you would speak English very well. But I was wrong, you turned out to be excellent English speakers, very bright, very articulate, and you ask smart questions, you are the type of students I would wish to have in a class”.

The amount of mingling amongst us and the Japanese students was, to everyone’s surprise, very smooth. The language was not in the least a barrier; we developed a friendship among most of them. The cultural information was being continually exchanged between the two sides, the curiosity, and interests were being fed. The Japanese were very respectful of our identities as Muslims and as Saudis, and so were we to them. One student, Erica, said as I was conversing with her: “I thought that you would be rough and terrorist-like, but this is just not true, the media is wrong. You are very friendly, kind, and we have a lot in common with your customs and traditions”.

The party ended by a moving speech given by Ms. Alaa on behalf of PSU, and everyone was left with tears in their eyes. We as students were very grateful to have given this opportunity of exchanging cultural knowledge between the Japanese, and us; and each one of us has broadened her education, social knowledge, and expertise.

Date: Saturday, June 16th 2012

Written By: Lama Shareef

The day started out with a long bus trip to the city of Kyoto. The weather didn’t help our outdoor adventure to explore the historic and religious sites; as it was rainy and gloomy all day. Our first stop in Kyoto was at a center that teaches us the art of making Kaleidoscopes. It was joyous activity in which we all felt like children in an art class eager to start the activity.

After that, we discovered the local shopping area where we indulged ourselves in exploring antique and souvenir shops that are distinctive of the famous city of Kyoto; in addition to snaking on something to eat. An hour later, we found ourselves back on the bus heading to famous Golden Shrine. What makes this shrine special is the amount of gold plates mounted on


29



the exterior. With billions of dollars that are spent on the exterior, the golden plates shine and have a natural reflection on the Koi bond it overlooks.

Not only was this shrine a landmark that is filled with tourists, we decided to visit another historic and religious monument that hosts thousands of tourists. After a fifteen-minute drive, we arrived to an area where the Kiyomizu temple is only a walkup the hill. We managed to shield ourselves from the rain and avoid losing each other amongst the crowd. The walk up the hill included antique and souvenir shops right and left. With all the temptations of exploring shops, we managed to arrive to the entrance of the temple.

The temple was crowded with tourists and locals. However, we were only able to explore the first part of the landmark due to our short time schedule. After taking pictures of the breath-taking view, the tour guide asked us to walk down to the bus in order to have lunch prior to our long drive back to Nagoya.

It was an exciting day, but yet exhausting. We were all eager to get back to the guesthouse and finish up packing for tomorrow’s trip to Riyadh via Hong Kong. It was a bittersweet experience that we all endured throughout the past 2 weeks. We couldn’t believe it has come to an end; however we are extremely lucky and grateful to have been provided with an opportunity to enjoy such an experience.


30



Visual Documentation

King Khaled Airport, Riyadh- ready to leave

Prior to Nagoya Airport Arrival


31



Arrival at Nagoya Airport (Centrair)

NUCB- Guesthouse Entrance


32



Lounge Area at NUCB Guesthouse

Bedrooms at NUCB Guesthouse


33



NUCB Founders- Framed Pictures at NUCB Guesthouse

NUCB Library- the Use of iPads dominates the Use of Computers


34



NUCB Campus- View of an Academic Buidling

NUCB Campus- Inside the Student Union Building


35



NUCB Campus- Lecture Hall

NUCB- Language Center Building (Saudi Arabia marked indicating PSU-NUCB Affiliation)


36



Activity with NUCB students- Fans and Tea ceremony

NUCB- MBA Campus


37



Nagashima Spa Land


38



Shirakawa-go Village and Farm House


39




40




41



Takayama Area- A Visit to a Historic Museum


42



Toyota Museum

Nagoya Castle


43



Entrance to the Emperor’s Palace- Tokyo


44



Asakusa Temple- Tokyo

View from Tokyo Tower- Tokyo


45



Ikebana Session


46



PSU-CW Presentation

Farewell Party at NUCB


47



Golden Shrine and Kiyomizu Temple- Kyoto


48



Conclusion and Recommendations

The 14-day trip was a complete success. PSU-CW team accomplished the goals set out for this trip and more. As an outcome of this trip, 12 PSU-CW students were able to achieve the following:

• Represent Prince Sultan University as ambassadors with high standards of professional behavior and integrity that reflected well upon PSU’s prominent reputation of academic and managerial excellence.

• Represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with high standards of Islamic behavior and values, Saudi cultural principles, morality, and social integrity that reflected well upon KSA’s acknowledged growth and rapid development.

• Gain educational, cultural, social, and personal experience. • Acquire high level awareness of academic systems and procedures within International

Universities. • Gain appreciation and gratitude for Prince Sultan University’s administration in

providing them with such a unique experience.

The accompanying supervisors have achieved the above outcomes as well, in addition to the following:

• Gain work experience since the beginning of the selection process and throughout the entire project, by taking responsibility for additional assigned tasks and duties that pertain to the trip.

• Obtain higher levels of leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Recommendations according to the successful outcomes:

• To provide PSU-CW students with similar, if not more, additional opportunities that can enhance and benefit their educational experience.

• To continuously support PSU-CW in representing their university; and above all the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to numerous Ivy-league universities around the world.

• For future projects, to continue implementing the identical application and selection process of students and supervisors that aided immensely in the success of the trip.