Office Worker at Keihan Electric Railway
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the Osaka Tsurumi Rotary Club which recommended me for the GSE program, to the GSE committee members who helped me in many ways before I left for Sweden, to everyone in the D-2400 Rotary Clubs in Sweden who prepared such a wonderful study program for us, and to each of my fellow GSE team members with whom I was allowed to spend those five great weeks!
The occupations of my different host families members were varied, but no matter where I stayed, the wife worked. I exchanged presents with my host families, giving ukiyoe-print coasters to the parents and ukiyoe-print Japanese paper wallets to the children as my first step in fostering cultural exchange. I talked to my host families about my own family and my work with the Keihan Electric Railway, and I showed pictures of the aftermath of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Also, while showing a video introducing the Keihan groups various activities, I was able to talk about traffic and transportation conditions, housing conditions and the business establishment in Osaka.
My host families were very surprised to see photos of the morning rush hour and the skyscrapers in Japan because the place I visited was nothing more than a small village compared to a large city like Osaka. They were also interested to learn that private railways in Japan are also in the real estate, department store and hotel business. Many people were particularly surprised to hear that a tourist boat replica of Columbus Santa Maria was used to carry passengers after the earthquake who were unable to use the damaged train lines.
Besides this, I had many opportunities to talk about my work in the personnel and labor section at my company and about working hours, vacations, wages and prices in Japan. People were very surprised to hear about the long working hours, the long commuting time many Japanese have and the comparatively high wages we earn (because of the value of the yen in relation to Swedish currency).
When I told people my hobbies are tennis and soccer, they were happy to hear it, and I had several opportunities to enjoy golf and tennis with my host families.
At the lunch and dinner Rotary Club meetings we attended, we were able to talk about Osaka using a slide presentation. I showed slides and talked about a variety of things, including Osaka Castle, tall skyscrapers, various inner-city sights, the emperor system, noh, kabuki, traffic and transportation conditions, Japanese food and the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Many people seemed to be interested in earthquake-related slides, looking very intently at the slides I had taken (or made from newspaper clippings) of the reopening of JR (West Japan Railway) Rokkomichi Station (April 1) and temporary housing units. We also showed them how to make origami cranes and helmets and sang some Japanese folks songs such as "Flowers," "Misty Moonlit Night" and "Carp Streamers."
One of the main aspects of our study tour is vocational study, and because I am working at a private railway company in Japan, I had the opportunity to visit the railway and bus systems in Halmstad, Sweden.
1) Railways
In Sweden, they have both the Swedish National Railway (SJ) and local train lines (owned and operated by municipalities). One thing I found interesting was the fact that in 1988, the Swedish National Railway's Technology Department broke away from the Transportation Department and formed a new, independent company called BANVERKET. In other words, the department which manages the train line and takes in all the money and the department which is responsible for constructing new train lines and tracks and maintaining the existing lines (a non-money making department) formed separate companies.
The station I visited, Halmstad Station, has a employee ratio of 3 males for every 5.5 females (part-time works converted to full-time. Part-time workers in the station!), with the women being in charge of ticket sales and related business. The station building entrance has inner and outer doors, as would be expected in a cold country such as Sweden, and inside there are large coin lockers which are very deep and, thus, very convenient.
At the ticket window, I saw something that is totally unthinkable to someone like me from an island nation such as Japan. In Sweden, you can buy train tickets not only for Sweden, but for any train line throughout Europe, and you can buy your tickets with a credit card. I had the impression that every train station in Sweden is a place where you can do business as if you were at a bank or travel agency.
After our study tour was over, we stayed in Stockholm, and while I was there I had the chance to see the Swedish subway. Compared to Osaka, the population is very small, but they still run 7-car trains. The subway trains are operated by just one person who not only drives the train but is also in charge of opening and closing the doors and making announcements. To prevent anyone from being caught in the closing doors, cameras have been set up on the platforms -- something unthinkable here in Osaka. Also, I noticed that there are many women "motormen." I was surprised to learn that many women ticket punchers work until late at night, and I assume this is possible because of the fact that Sweden is such a safe country. Stockholm's subway station walls are also very beautifully decorated.
At BANVERKET, the railway technology company, I was able to visit a site where a new track was being laid. They were preparing the track bed for the tracks with crushed stones which were larger than we use here in Japan. Also, the train tracks were being laid in a perfectly straight line owing to the fact that Sweden has an abundance of open land.
2) Buses
I was able to visit the SWEBUS Company (an affiliate of SJ), and there I met a large number of female bus drivers. One of the main characteristics of Swedish buses is the fact that they have very low floors. These "flat buses" have no steps, and I was surprised to see that when the bus stopped at the bus stop, the floor moved up and down using compressed air. Also, some buses are designed with an extendable ramp which reaches down and out to the bus stop level and provides a smooth slope so the elderly and disabled can enter and exit the bus easily. The cost of these buses is about 20,000,000 Yen per bus (US $200,000). At present, about one half of the buses in the Halmstad area are these flat buses, but SWEBUS plans to change over to this type completely in the future.
In Japan in recent years, the Keio-Teito transportation group in Tokyo and the Osaka Municipal Transportation System have purchased a few flat buses and lift buses to accommodate wheelchair-bound passengers, but there are relatively few of these buses in operation. At present, the situation is anything but convenient for such passengers.
3) Transport service
The government has instituted a 24-hour transport service to assist the severely disabled. Only those who are registered for the service may use it, and the fare is about the same as that of a regular bus. All they need to do is call the office, and the van will come and pick them up and take them wherever they wish to go. All of these vehicles are equipped with a driver-operated lift which raises the wheelchair up and into the van. The seats inside the van can all be removed if necessary.
Before I went to Sweden, I had never seen any of Japan's nursing homes for the disabled and elderly. My first impression as I visited Swedens homes was that "It isn't enough that those who are weak just go on living. They have the right to live and pursue happiness." In Sweden, their homes for the elderly and disabled are operated on just such a philosophy.
As far as the outward appearance is concerned, it was hard to tell that the buildings were not regular houses or apartments. The apparent goal of the government is to make these places as similar as possible to the homes the residents used to live in. Most of the people in the places live alone, and the homes are not far away from the center of town. This makes it relatively easy for children and grandchildren to visit often (of course, this depends upon the situation in each individual family). It seemed to me that the relationship which exists between parents and children at these facilities is quite unlike the relationship which would exist if they lived separately in their own homes or together in one house.
The rooms are very spacious, and the corridors are very wide so wheelchairs can move freely along them. Each room has its own bath and toilet, and I thought the rooms looked very much like those in luxury condominiums in Japan. The rooms were very similar to the homes I stayed in during my homestays, with family pictures and a large TV, and the bright atmosphere was very similar to what one would experience living in a private residence. Careful attention has been given to safety, with intercom switches for emergencies and other various safety devices placed around the room. Also, there are many nurses on duty so the elderly are able to live there free from worry.
Swedish houses are built on large, flat plots of land in the midst of beautiful scenery. The homes have many rooms and are often surrounded by forests and lakes. Also, every type of recreational facility, such as golf courses, is very inexpensive (for example, countryclub membership fees are about 20,000 Yen (US $200)per year, and you can play golf as often as you wish!). On top of this, Swedes are free to enjoy anyone's land as long as they do not damage it in anyway. This "right to common usage" means that they can enjoy eating or taking a walk almost anywhere they wish.
As in Japan, many of Sweden's companies have adopted a 5-day, 40-hour work week. Employees can take five weeks vacation per year, and many enjoy vacationing at their summer houses in the summer and going skiing in the winter. Sweden has double digit unemployment (10%-15%).
Most women work, and many of these are part-time workers. But unlike Japanese part-time workers, they receive wages which are directly proportional to those of full time employees (for example, a part-timer's wage = full-timer's wage x total working hours/40 hours) and there are many different types of jobs to choose from. In Japan, part-time workers receive low wages because of the problem of income tax deductions for spouses and the old-age pension plan which is based upon individual households, and the types of jobs part-timers can do is limited.
In Sweden, many people begin work between 7:00 and 8:30 in the morning, and they have a commute of only 10-20 minutes to their company. Needless to say, this is completely different than the situation here in Japan. And because they start work early, most people return home early too (there is very little overtime work in Sweden) and it is possible to enjoy a variety of leisure activities in the evening. I visited Sweden in May, and since it was light until 10:00 pm (it was daylight savings time), it was possible to play a round of golf after dinner. Such a life style allows the Swedish people to enjoy their leisure time.
In Sweden, women are allowed 450 days of child-care leave at 90% of their salary, and families receive a substantial benefit from the government if they have young children. The facilities for the elderly are not exceptional and can been seen everywhere. Also, most schools in Sweden are government schools and the tuition at these schools is free through the university level.
But there is a cost -- Swedish citizens have a 25% sales tax to help pay for all of these benefits. As Japan continues to become a predominantly elderly society with a relatively small number of young people, we will have to reform our tax system which is presently based upon income taxes. If the system is not reformed so that a larger ratio of the tax revenues come from property and sales taxes, the tax burden on the working class will continue to grow greater and greater.
It is said that taxes are high in Sweden, but it is not just individuals who are taxed highly; industry also bears a heavy tax burden. Of course, this is a strike against Swedish industry from the standpoint of making it harder to survive in todays fiercely competitive world markets. As a result, many in industrial circles are voicing their concerns about the need to "increase productivity."
Because Sweden's population is so small and because so many people travel in and out of Sweden from other European countries, English language education is essential. English is first taught in the third grade of elementary school and TV movies in Sweden are, for the most part, sub-titled instead of dubbed into Swedish. As a result, the whole country is becoming bilingual, and I was keenly aware of the need for Japan to make fundamental changes in its university examination-centered approach to English education.
The father in my host family in Jungby was a school principal and I had the opportunity to visit his school. For one hour, I was asked many questions about Japan and Osaka by 11- and 12-year-old students. I was very surprised by their good pronunciation and courage to speak up. They were not shy or timid in the least! At first, I was a bit concerned when I heard that I was going to have this time with the students, but after things got going, I began to feel like a teacher. What I was happiest about was the fact that the children had lots of questions for me.
On May 9, while I was still in Sweden, the Swedish GSE team members visited the Keihan Electric Railway's head office in Osaka. It was really big news in my office as the company's house organ had made sure everyone in the company knew about the visit. On April 29, our team had met the Swedish team in Sweden, and I was very happy that we could meet them again later after we returned to Japan.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude for being able to experience firsthand, through this study tour, the meaning of the Rotary motto -- Be a Friend!
