TEAM LEADERVANESSA CATOMember of Rotary Club of Oakville
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this exchange would be a tremendous growth opportunity, to experience
a new culture and also to learn more about our own. What I didn't
realize was just how incredible the experience would be - from
the daily exposure to top decision makers in business, visits
to key cultural sights to appreciate Japanese heritage, the enriching
exposure of participating in Japanese home life, and the tremendous
friendships and bonds within our team and with our new Japanese
friends. The support of our district GSE Committee, our host
GSE Committee and all the Rotarians who planned and participated
in our exchange provided us with a whirlwind of activity from
start to finish, a once-in-a- lifetime experience with treasured
memories to last a lifetime. A very special mention needs to
be made of the incredible commitment made by our wonderful friend
Shigeo Matsuoka ("Gadget-san"), D-2660 GSE Chair for
1998/1999. Matsuoka-san created for us an experience that sets
a new standard for excellence. THE SELECTION PROCESS: It all started in the fall of 1998 when Mr. and Mrs. Graham called me to explain about the Rotary GSE Program and inquire of my interest. From my initial discussion with the Grahams on the objectives of Rotary, to outlining my career objectives and the value of GSE to my development, this began a tremendously enjoyable and truly valuable learning experience. Our full-day interview/group interaction exercise was exhausting and exhilarating. It was a unique opportunity to meet many interesting people from diverse vocations, and a reminder of how infrequent this opportunity arises. The 20-minute exercise whereby our group of five had to address four questions covering a controversial topic and present it back to the larger group -all within 20 minutes - was a very creative idea. While it would be a stretch to say it was an enjoyable exercise, it was one of the unique elements of the day, a real bonding experience, that made it a memorable day. It was also fabulous to have such timely feedback on team selection. A full day by all accounts! PRE-TRIP PREPARATION: It was very, very important that we learned as much about Japanese culture as we could prior to our exchange, to show respect to the Japanese. At each Rotary meeting when we completed our first sentences in Japanese, this was received with enthusiastic applause. My host families were very pleased to hear me speak their graces before and after meals, to use my chopsticks and to use the clean end when taking from community plates (though they all said it was not necessary at home). Every Japanese word spoken, no matter how illegible, was always received with smiling faces (and giggling children). I felt very proud to demonstrate our knowledge of their culture, and our efforts were very well received. THE EXCHANGE: Our Host Families: Staying with host families is what made this such a unique and memorable experience. My host families took wonderful care of me, shared their views of Japan and were very eager to learn about Canada. They each turned their lives upside down for an entire week to ensure I was taken and picked up at our meeting places on time (very important!!!!) and was exposed each night to delicious traditional Japanese dishes. They were even accommodating when I pushed to travel on my own as this gave me a true sense of the complexity of Osaka - a city constantly on the move. Most important, they made me feel truly welcome in their homes and we spent many hours chatting and chuckling as we compared and contrasted our lives. Japanese food - so different from our food and so healthy. We enjoyed tacoyaki, sukiyaki, tepanyaki, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, kushi katsu, Japanese curry, tempura, miso soup, sushi, sashimi (totemont oishi-kata)!!!! I loved to snack on nori and rice and enjoyed this many days for breakfast. And the fruit - Japanese strawberries are unbelievably juicy and delicious - a perfect way to end a meal or start the day. Vocational Days: Finance: Sumitomo Bank, Nomura Securities, Osaka Securities Exchange, Matsushita Electric, Osaka Chamber of Commerce, Business Design and Universal Studios. What an incredible line-up for the fairly closed industry of finance/financial services. The exposure I had to senior decision makers at these companies was exciting and tremendously valuable. It was an incredible mix of information, from speaking to the Risk Management and Analysis professionals at Sumitomo, to speaking with the President and CEO of the Osaka Securities Exchange to spending two hours with the Finance Director of Matsushita Electric discussing efficient cash management pooling structures. And then, the introduction to the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and a small business consultant firm of Business Design provided me with exposure to the industry support available to start up entities prior to achieving the status required for bank financing. Nomura Securities provided an excellent overview of the securities industry in Japan and the significant challenges they have faced over the past few years and Universal Studios Japan, currently under development, resulted in an interesting discussion on project financing from the prospective of the borrower. Cultural Days: Our exchange was a perfect mix of business, culture and Rotary meetings, and the cultural days were positioned just at the right time. Our day trips to Nara, Kyoto and Hiroshima provided a very educational overview of the history of Japan and the temples and castles were breathtaking. Each trip was a full day, and to manage Hiroshima in one day, we enjoyed a special treat of taking the Shinkansen train, traveling 270 km/h. Hiroshima was a very important experience, from the remaining frame of the Atomic Dome, to the crane monument, to the Peace Memorial Museum. Many of the displays at the Museum were very dramatic and have left a very striking image in my mind -especially the small tricycle with its melted frame. It was a very important experience, though one which left me feeling emotionally drained. Japanese Train Systems: I was amazed at the tremendous importance of punctuality in the Japanese culture which is never more evident than in their train systems. Being a regular commuter from Oakville to Toronto each day to work, I wish I could bring the Japanese train system to Ontario. Every single train I took over the entire month was unbelievably on time - and to the second!! It was fabulous! And not just the train systems - all of our meetings were scheduled such that we began and ended on the set schedule - and punctuality in Japan means arriving 10-15minutes early. It is amazing how much can be accomplished when everyone arrives on time! Technology: One cannot describe Japan without touching on its technological leadership. Through visits to the Sanyo R&D, Matsushita Electric and Den-Den Town, we saw exciting new technology that we likely will not see in Canada for a long time. >From cellular phones with view screens to MDs (smaller replacement to CDs) to DVD (Digital Versatile Disks) where one small disk, smaller than a CD, can hold several movies and can be played in a machine 1/5 the size of our VCRs. And while our electronic stores often prefer to be located away from competition, it was quite something to walk through Den-Den Town, an area spanning many blocks packed horizontally and vertically with only electronics stores. REFLECTIONS: This exchange was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the opportunities it provided to experience our vocation in a new country, a tremendous overview of business and government, and visits to historical sites for cultural enrichment. Our trip was perfectly timed as we were able to enjoy the beautiful Sakura trees in full bloom and miss the last snowfalls of our Canadian winter. We were also spoiled in that we took part in many enjoyable activities that we could never have done on our own, such as watching Sumo wrestling and golfing at a private club. It has also been a wonderful experience to participate in the Osaka GSE's exchange to District 7080. It was fabulous to see their team again and it was a very interesting experience to share with them their new experiences in our country and to imagine what we must have looked like in Japan!! Watching them take pictures of frozen concentrated orange juice and jumbo cheesies reminded me of our first day with them in Osaka, taking many pictures of tacoyaki and capturing all our wonderful new experiences on film. What did I learn about our culture? We often don't realize the things we take for granted until we see what life would be like without them. This exchange made me realize the tremendous opportunities available for women in our society and the availability of the required infrastructure to support career oriented women. In Japan, the family unit is very important and traditional roles are still very much the norm. There is a strong sense of esponsibility to care for one's elders and there is a limited, and not well accepted, infrastructure that would be comparable to our retirement homes. Thus, the responsibilities of the wife can encompass both elder care and child care, and without established and accepted infrastructure of retirement homes and day care (approximately $20/hour), it can be near impossible for a mother to consider a career outside the home. As a result, statistics show that Japanese people are waiting longer to get married and are also having children later in life. In contrast, in our society day care and elder care are accepted to a great extent, which provides the necessary infrastructure to allow women greater opportunity to make their own decisions regarding their desired career plans. What I enjoyed most about Japan: The language!!! This was my first opportunity to be exposed to a language derived from characters ? and three sets of them! It was an incredible experience to live in a country where signs are not legible ? at all. If one travels to France, one may not be able to understand the French signs, but one can still read them. With a character driven alphabet, we were not even able to read the signs. It was very exciting to learn of the three different alphabets: Kanji - the most complicated symbols, thousands of symbols, derived from China Hiragana - 51 character language, derived from kanji, used for Japanese words Katakana - 51 character language, used for non-Japanese words adapted into Japanese While I apologize for driving some teammates nuts, I had an incredible time trying to read the different signs and learn what they represented. This was sometimes quite impossible as within a single sign or sentence, all three types of characters can be used. Quite a difference from our 26 letter alphabet. As this is a tremendously complex language, it will be interesting to see how it adapts to an increasingly global society as it can take many years to master this language at a business level for non-Japanese people. In Summary: To end, I must share a very special moment that will always be with me. When visiting the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, we came across "Tsukubai", the stone-wash basin for the tea room with a unique inscription: "I learn only to be contented". This concept, very important to the Zen philosophy, is expanded to state that "... he who learns only to be contented is spiritually rich, while the one who does not learn to be contented is spiritually poor even if he is materially wealthy". What a better place than a Rotary GSE Exchange to Osaka, Japan to sit back and be truly overwhelmed with the appreciation for what we have and the opportunities we are experiencing. This thought has stayed with me, and in a world where we seem to be constantly pushing and pushing for more, more, better, better, it is a wonderful feeling to relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility of being content. Interesting Things to Remember About Japan Interesting Things to Remember About Japan Japanese Homes: ・ Most are not well insulated, mainly due to very hot, humid summers and desire to allow air flow through homes. In cooler weather, most rooms are heated individually with space heaters which means main rooms are often very warm and hallways are very cold. Important to have heated toilet seats!! In one home, the mat under the dining table was heated (like a thin electric blanket). In many homes, the TV room has a table in the centre with a lowered area underneath which is heated. There is also a blanket that comes out from the table to keep nice and warm. ・ Shoes are removed immediately upon entering the home and slippers are worn. Shoes are turned around in the front hall to slip on easily when leaving. ・ Almost all homes/apartments have lots of laundry hanging outside. Dryers are very expensive. ・ Traditional Japanese rooms have tatami mats on the floor − do not wear slippers on these. When defining a room size, this is often counted by the number of tatami mats. ・ TVs are ALWAYS on! Baseball is very popular with high school games televised. There are many game shows and talk show. ・ Japanese gardens are beautiful with many uniquely shaped evergreens and beautiful flowering plants that enjoy the humid temperatures. Bathrooms/washrooms: ・ Bathing area is in separate area to toilet. Many toilets have heated toiled seats and computer controls for bidet, spray and blow dryer. Some have water spray on back if bathroom is too small to also have sink. ・ Japanese baths: shower first, then enter bath which has temperature control and is usually set at 43 or 47 degrees. Baths/cleaning is done in the evening. Kitchen: ・ Fridges can often have 4 doors with separate areas for meat and vegetables which are kept at different temperatures ・ Some kitchens have dishwashers, some have dryers only Food: ・ Vending machines are everywhere - with both hot and cold items all in cans. Some even have beer, sake and whiskey!! ・ Many restaurants serve cold coffee or cold tea (especially green tea). For these drinks, sugar comes in a liquid form for better mixing. ・ Traditional Japanese meals involve many, many small plates with many different sizes and shapes. Often food is placed on centre of table and you take what you want. Proper style is to turn your chopsticks around when taking from centre plates but all host families I stayed with said not to as we were with "family". In the home, all members tend to have their own personal chopsticks (contrast - we do not have personal cutlery). ・ Japanese diet involves very little fat and many, many fish (close proximity to ocean). Meat can be extremely expensive and the fattier meat (Kobe beef) is the most expensive. ・ Enjoying melon after dinner may not seem like an out-of-the-ordinary thing to do - but I didn't see a melon in the food store for less than $50 (with the more expensive > $100). Business: ・ No tipping! ・ Business cards - present with two hands with card facing recipient. When receiving business card, receive with two hands and admire. Do not write on business cards. ・ For formal pictures, Japanese men do not smile Of Interest: ・ Saw several multi level parking lots with elevators to park cars on upper levels (limited space) ・ cloth face masks covering mouth and nose are worn in public by people with infectious colds. ・ Cars drive on the left side and most cars have drivers on the right side -except American cars ・ Presents: Japanese style is not to open in front of you, but to open later in private ・ Lower bow represents greater respect. ・ Gift giving is very prevalent. When buying food treats, an odd number should be purchased. ・ Department stores: all purchases are wrapped. Many departments are owned individually and rented to sellers with "rent" based on gross sales. More popular departments can negotiate a lower percentage rent ・ Similar to England, local calls are charged ・ Most streets do not have names! Directions are often based off a local map with the orientation to a train or subway stop ・ Taxis - drivers wear white gloves and with fancy taxis doors open and close on their own! ・ At one main intersection near large train station in Osaka (Umeda), above the walk/don't walk sign was a sign showing how many seconds until the next walk sign ・ Most streets are VERY narrow. Two way streets look wide enough for only one car but they manage to squeeze two in. Some cars have side mirrors that fold in for tight places and most tight corners have mirrors on corner to see if there is oncoming traffic. ・ To drive in Japan you must be fairly aggressive - lots of movement between lanes - you must know the four corners of your car. Ambulances/fire trucks are not allowed to speed ・ Sticker books are very popular with young girls and young couples. Many arcade type places have the picture booths - you select the frame, number of pictures and take several poses for a cost of about $3. Important for young girls to take lots of pictures with all their friends and then put in sticker books. Sticker books are designed so pictures can be put in and moved without sticking to pages. ・ Election time - election cars drive around with speakers requesting support. As homes are not well insulated, you can hear them in your homes ・ Tremendous importance of train/subway systems. ・ Schools. Exams written to enter top schools for kindergarten, high school and university. Very important. Special schools (juku) designed to provide extra study (including for kindergarten!!!!) are popular to ensure your exam score is good enough to get you into the good schools (i.e. private) ・ Homeless - well organized. Sometimes referred to as "Japanese campgrounds". Most have blue tarps with many boxes. Locations of "homes" seem fairly well established. ・ Japan is very safe - children in public school take trains alone! Safe to walk around at night (except for few areas). At Sumo wrestling, left purses and everything in seats when went walking around. ・ Golfing is extremely expensive - likely in the range of $300-$400. |
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