DENNIS FLAMING

Sponsored by Cambridge Sunrise Rotary Club


Final Reports of GSE team from District 7080


1999.8.1.

Overview:
Participating in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) program in the Osaka area of Japan from March 18 to April 18, 1999 was full of rich and rewarding experiences - both from a personal and professional perspective. Our team from District 7080 (Ontario, Canada) enjoyed a very full schedule organized by various Rotary Clubs in the Osaka area.

Impact of the GSE Experience:
As our team was preparing to leave for the exchange, I remember being told that "this will be a life changing experience". I knew it would be a great opportunity and truly fascinating to visit another country, but I was really curious what these people meant when they said, "it will change you".

Now that I have experienced the many rich and rewarding aspects of the exchange, I can appreciate the significant impact the GSE can have on a person. Perhaps the best way to articulate the change I experienced and the value of the GSE is that my world seems a little bit bigger now!

The GSE experience opened my eyes, heart and mind in many ways. I have learned that regardless of our language, religion, hair colour or cultural background, people in Canada and Japan share common goals and struggles.
We all want the best for future generations as we strive to live in harmony with each other and with nature.

Being part of a dynamic team of young professionals also taught me a few things about group dynamics, teamwork and myself. The full schedule taught me to be flexible and patient and impressed upon me that each of the team members brought with them a unique set of skills. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of a team that worked so well together.

It was a real honour to meet approximately 600 Rotarians at nine different Rotary Club meetings during which we delivered our presentation, and many more when one considers our interaction outside of Rotary meetings. The singing of both national anthems at the meetings and seeing our flags in the meeting room were very moving experiences and made me very proud to be a Canadian in Japan. Each Rotary Club had their own way of making our team feel like very special guests.

Vocational Visits:
My vocational visits were very rewarding and relevant to my work. I work as a food industry consultant with the provincial government and thoroughly enjoyed a full day tour of rural Japan and visiting a total of eight agriculture and food organizations/companies.

I am very grateful to my host family of 3 weeks, Tsutae Yanai-san, President of A-1 Bakery for taking such an interest in me and being so committed to making the arrangements for me to visit agriculture and food companies and organizations within the Kansai region. My vocational program has given me numerous insights into the agriculture and food sector in Japan.

My vocational visits highlighted that agricultural activities are pursued at a much different scale than in Canada. With a land mass 26 times smaller than Canada and much of it covered with mountains, a typical rice farm is 3 hectares in size and many greenhouses and tea plantations are built on very steep slopes.

There seemed to be a strong commitment to food safety. I was impressed by the extent to which food company staff were covered with protective clothing as they packaged a variety of processed foods.

Concern for the environment also was a topic that surfaced during my interaction with business people. I observed efforts to ensure land development and the production and processing of food occurs in an environmentally sensitive manner. Contractors and food company executives talked about the need for physical construction and processing activities to occur in harmony with nature and with one's residential neighbours.

The development and maintenance of strong relationships between the customer and supplier was another important part of the business culture that I found enlightening.
Discussions highlighted the importance of food and non-food companies working very closely with all stakeholders within the chain, especially a company's suppliers (who undertake research), to ensure the sector as a whole grows and prospers.

I was told that Japanese "eat with their eyes". I came to realize the importance of the presentation and freshness of food products in Japan. This became evident as I witnessed the fine presentation of food such as sashimi, and cantaloupe. My experiences eating the Japanese cuisine were certainly a highlight for me and have been the subject of many stories upon my return to Canada. My friends and family still cannot believe I ate octopus (taco) that was so fresh it was still moving. What an experience!

Foodservice establishments and retailers take great pride in providing the freshest food products possible. It was fascinating to see cantaloupe ranging in price from $20 per piece to $140 per piece (Cdn.) depending on the packaging and whether a specific grower could be identified as growing the product.

Convenience for the consumer seemed to be a priority in Japan, just as more convenient food items is a growing trend in Canada. I saw many vending machines filled with hot and cold drinks, CD's, beer, liquor and ice cream and a variety of home meal replacement (HMR) items (packaged and ready to take home and eat) in the grocery stores.

Understanding the Culture Through Host Families:
I find it difficult to adequately express my gratitude and sincere appreciation to my two wonderful host families. Experiencing Japan through their eyes and being treated like a family member from the moment I met them was clearly one of the most rewarding and memorable aspects of my GSE trip to Osaka.

My Japanese host families welcomed me into their homes, shared personal stories and extended their hand to me in many ways - just as true friends do. I learned a great deal about Japan's history, culture and way of life through living with two caring and friendly host families.

I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to live with the Yanai family for three weeks and develop a special friendship with the entire family, especially Hiroshi Yanai, the son. Yanai-san, President of A-1 Bakery, has a strong connection with the food industry and was instrumental in making my vocational program very meaningful. The Yanai family went to great lengths to make sure I saw and experienced as much of Japan as I could. I visited their grandparents in rural Japan, tasted many traditional Japanese foods, saw wild monkeys and boars, and a Ninja house at Iga-Ueno.

I was also thrilled to live with a Buddhist priest, Nobuaki Kamei-san, and his family for one week. With only 1% of the Japanese population being Christian, the influence of Buddhism and Shinto was felt wherever I traveled. Living in a Buddhist temple, wearing a priest's kimono, and being given an introductory lesson on Buddhism by a priest was a real honour. I am very grateful to Kamei-san as he was instrumental in organizing a visit with the mayor of Neyagawa, the city sister of Oakville, Ontario.

Meeting a new bride with her "matchmaker" was another surprise that greeted me one day. The "matchmaker" was introducing the bride to her new neighbours in a small rural village in which I was visiting my hosts' grandparents.
I learned that the tradition of arranged marriages continues, however, young people also have a choice to date whomever they want.

The time with my host families also allowed me to expand my limited vocabulary of the Japanese language and taste and view many traditional and delicious (oishii) Japanese foods. I learned that slurping while eating udon is a real compliment to the host. I have fond memories using a dictionary over breakfast with my host families. I often referred to my small writing pad in which I added all the essential Japanese words I was learning (especially related to food, i.e. okonomiyaki, shabu-shabu, and taco-yaki).

Strongest Impressions of Japan
The most fascinating aspect of the GSE experience was the depth with which I experienced the culture and way of life of the Japanese people. Each day was full surprises. The days started with either being picked up at our host family by a Rotarian or most often, traveling by train to meet the rest of the team at one of the downtown hotels.

I have so many fond memories of the four weeks in Japan. Our visit to Hiroshima comes to mind as one of the highlights. Visiting Hiroshima left me with a sense that there is a strong respect and value of the past, and the anticipation of a bright future in Japan. The day in Hiroshima was a particularly moving experience - one that I will never forget. Viewing the Atomic Dome from across the river, walking through Peace Memorial Park, appreciating the thousands of origami cranes around the children's memorial, and then experiencing the exhibits at the Peace Memorial Museum were stark reminders of the devastation of war. It was ironic to be viewing the extent to which Hiroshima was destroyed (on August 6, 1945) shortly after the war broke out in Kosovo. Hearing about the Kosovo conflict and seeing the news coverage on TV all of a sudden made war seem much more real after spending a day in Hiroshima. As we left the Peace Memorial Museum, my good friend Hiroshi gave each of our team members a "No More Hiroshimas" bumper sticker. The reminder and encouragement of all countries to live peacefully with each other was a fine gift from a special Japanese friend at the end of an emotional day.

As each day unfolded, I was impressed over and over again with the level of politeness and formality within the Japanese culture. I observed a strong commitment to service in hotels, restaurants, retail stores and other businesses.
One isn't simply told where the elevator or washroom is located; an employee takes you directly to the item you are seeking.

Learning how deeply to bow when I was meeting or leaving someone was part of our cultural preparation prior to leaving Canada. I was grateful for those tips on the respectful action of bowing in Japan. More than once I found myself in a car with other business people continuing to bow to our host business colleagues until our car was out of sight.

I felt very lucky to have been able to see as much of rural Japan as I did.
Having grown up on a farm in Ontario, Canada and working in the agriculture and food industry, seeing rural villages and the agricultural land was a real treat for me. I realized that rural communities in Japan are as concerned as rural communities in Canada about preserving the rural and agricultural character of the countryside. A visit to the small rural community of Miyama-cho in Hyogo prefecture provided a good lesson in rural community development.

Our team was fortunate to spend time with the Japanese GSE team in Osaka.
This team was in the midst of planning their trip to our District which would occur a couple of weeks after our return to Canada. An evening at a karaoke bar with the Japanese team was full of fun and laughter. This karaoke evening, early during our stay, helped us bond as a team and laid a good foundation for the friendships that developed with the Japanese team. The karaoke experience made our Canadian team realize just how poor our team sang in comparison to our Japanese friends. Thanks to the Japanese team for helping us expand our knowledge of the Japanese language and culture.

Watching a live sumo wrestling match was certainly a great honour, privilege and a real thrill for our entire team. We were totally mesmerized watching the actions of each sumo as he would strive to force his opponent out of the inner circle or throw him in the dohyo. Thank you to the Osaka-Tsurumi Rotary Club for allowing our team to experience the rich tradition of sumo wrestling.

The strong work ethic, competition and company loyalty were clearly evident as we saw office buildings buzzing with activity at 8 p.m. and children going to tutoring classes or "juko" in the evening. It was interesting to learn that a six day work week is still quite common for Japanese people and people typically work from 8 am to 8 PM. I was fascinated to learn about the "cocoon" or "capsule" hotels. These hotels charge about $40 per night for people to sleep in a long narrow compartment, similar to a coffin, when they have missed the last train or just need a few hours of sleep before going back to work. However, attitudes of individuals in the 20-35 age group seem to be changing as some are interested in spending more time with their families and more time in leisure activities.

Within a couple of days of arriving in Japan, I realized the extent to which the Japanese depend on rail transportation. The extensive network of the "bullet trains" for long distance travel and the more regional rail network made it easy to understand how a country 26 times smaller than Canada can effectively service a population that is 4 times the size of Canada. I found myself overwhelmed many times as I navigated my way around one of seven major train stations in downtown Osaka. The highlight of the train travel experience was our trip from Osaka to Hiroshima as we traveled on the newest "bullet train" - series 700, that traveled at a speed of 270 km/hour.

The GSE experience has forced me to reflect on our own culture, history and geography in Canada. Quite simply, the experience has taught me to not take so much for granted, especially our open space and diversity in Canada. The large scale urban development, many people bustling about, creative use of "stacking" parking lots and multi-level golf driving ranges has made me truly appreciate the vast open spaces we have in Ontario, Canada.

Conclusion:
I feel very privileged to have been part of a team of Canadian goodwill ambassadors to Japan. Through our eagerness to learn and try new things (including many different kinds of fish that I had seen only in aquariums), I believe the program certainly met the objective of promoting goodwill and international understanding and greatly exceeded my expectations.

Because of this experience, I will now watch and read the news, and speak to others with an increased awareness of and interest in Japan and other Asian countries. The memories of many people in a small area, dense development, fascinating and oishii (delicious) food (a lot of fish), kimonos, leading edge technology, beautiful gardens, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, sumo wrestling, Hiroshima, rural Japan, and very warm and friendly people will have a special place in heart forever.

I am deeply honoured to have had this opportunity and sincerely thank the GSE Committee of District 2660 and many others in the District for all their dedication and commitment to ensure our GSE experience was such a success.

Thanks to the Rotary Foundation, and my sponsoring Rotary Club in Cambridge, the Sunrise Club, my world now seems a little bit bigger. Thank you very much, or as I said in Japan many times - Domo arigato goziamsu.