IATSS Forum

Transcription

IATSS Forum

Contents
Preface··········································································································································································· 2
IATSS Forum Program················································································································································ 5
Lecturers ······································································································································································· 6
Participants··································································································································································· 7
Report & Essay
<Seminar Essay>
Photo Page ··································································································· 14
Enterprise StrategiesⅠ ················································································ 16
Political System ··························································································· 19
Japanese CultureⅠ~Japanese Aesthetics~··················································· 24
International Cooperation ············································································ 26
OVOP: One Village One Product Movement ·············································· 30
Environment and Sustainable Asia ······························································ 35
Education····································································································· 39
Japanese CultureⅡ~Budo-The Martial Way of Japan~ ······························· 43
R&D ~TOTO: Sanitary Ware Manufacture~ ··············································· 45
Enterprise StrategiesⅡ ················································································ 47
<Visit Report>
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Suzuka Factory ·······················································
Traffic Education Centre··············································································
Toyota Commemorative Museum································································
Tokyo Traffic Control Centre·······································································
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<Group Study Report >
Photo Page ···································································································
Population IssuesⅠ ·····················································································
Population IssuesⅡ ·····················································································
Facilitation Skills·························································································
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70
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A. Ageing Population in Japan: Issues, Implication, and Initiatives ············ 76
B. Sustainable Improvement Program for Child Malnutrition in Waikanabu,
East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia ······························································ 102
C. Project Runaway: Arresting Child Prostitution in Cambodia ················ 131
<Observation Report>
Japanese Spirit of Volunteerism ·································································
Onsen: My Fear and Adaptation Experience in My Life····························
Ladies Fashion in Japan Trough my Modest Eyes ·····································
Where to aim your camera lenses in Japan ················································
Royalty of Honda·······················································································
10 Tips to be Japanese best buddies···························································
Japanese Cars·····························································································
Participation (Participative Management ···················································
Geishas: Stealing a Precious Moment························································
He’s more than Dragon Ball Z ···································································
Time is of the Essence ···············································································
Modern Women in Japanese Society ·························································
Japanese kids ·····························································································
Japanese Home ··························································································
Japanese female with cosmetics·································································
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<Accomplishment Report>
Photo Page ··································································································· 194
Ms. Ly Leakhena, (Cambodia)··································································· 196
Ms. Vung Wathana (Cambodia) ································································· 207
Ms. Djalinda (Indonesia) ··········································································· 216
Ms. Manuh Pitasari (Indonesia) ································································· 226
Ms. Vongchandy Malayvieng (Laos) ························································· 235
Mr. Vongmany Thanouvan (Laos) ····························································· 246
Mr. Hu Chi-Min (Malaysia)······································································· 255
Ms. Nur Shazwani Binti Muhammad (Malaysia) ······································ 263
Mr. Aung Zaw Oo (Myanmar) ··································································· 274
Ms. Lwin Lwin Mya (Myanmar) ······························································· 285
Mr. Penaso Anthony Makinano (Philippines) ············································ 297
Ms. Polita Janet Rosalie Anne Hernandez (Philippines) ···························· 309
Mr. Keng Wei Terk (Singapore)································································· 319
Ms. Toh Lay Hoon (Singapore) ································································· 329
Ms. Chatakanonda Panitee (Thailand) ······················································· 339
Mr. Thirayoot Limanond (Thailand) ·························································· 350
Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh (Vietnam)································································ 360
Mr. Koyata Goto (Japan) ··········································································· 372
Mr. Shinpei Yoshida (Japan) ······································································ 375
Preface
Akira Haga
General Manager
IATSS Forum
The 44th IATSS Forum was successfully completed on November 8th, 2008. These are the
Reviews and Reports from the 44th batch.
Regarding the participants; they had very distinctive personalities as usual. Compared with the
43rd batch of participants, who were quite sedate as many were employed in education, the
participants from the 44th batch were bright and cheerful as they had a variety of occupations.
Other impression of the 44th batch; they were happy, frank, passive but spicy. From the point of
view of a forum administration, the participants were very cooperative as in prior batches. I felt
that all of the participants understood that many of the staff were not-experienced; nevertheless,
they tried to enjoy and succeed in the forum together.
As for the new activities during the 44th forum, we had as follows;
1)
We invited local committees to observe this batch’s program. Mr. Hang Chan Thon from
Cambodia and Ms. Vanhpheng Khounbollay from Laos stayed in Suzuka and observed
the program for 3 days, including a visit to Nara. I believe they were able to deepen their
understanding of the current training by actually observing the program at IATSS Forum.
I also hope they will make use of the experience they had here in Suzuka in their work.
2)
To get more opportunity to interact with Japanese people (volunteers), we created a new
event called “Koryu-time.” The participants introduced their lifestyles in their countries by
having presentations and Q&A sessions. We had this event three times during the forum,
each one had three countries and was about 1 hour long. There were more than 20
volunteers each time, and they seemed to enjoy interacting with the participants; therefore,
I would like to continue holding this event from now on.
During the last forum, I think my mind was full just implementing the forum, at least in form,
because it was my first experience administrating a forum. My second experience at IATSS
Forum, I think I had room to breathe and learn about the forum itself.
The more I learned about the forum, however, the harder it was not to feel lots of pressure from
the people who have always been cooperative, passionate and have deep thoughts about the
IATSS Forum. They have been involved with the IATSS Forum for a long time. I also felt
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pressure from the long history of IATSS Forum as well.
I am sure that the things I have written below are something that you must already know,
however, they are something I thought and realized again through this forum, you may kindly
let them go in one ear and out the other.
I think as human beings we think in words and our conceived images come from words. When
we have a conversation with someone or get some information through the media, we try to
imagine first, then think, understand, and remember the contents of the information through the
words and phrases which were used.
Although we try to understand the same thing through words, the contents of the image may be
different depending on the person’s level of understanding of the words and the way he or she
interprets them. The level of understanding and the way we interpret is different due to our
knowledge, wisdom, and experiences. The depth of understanding can also be different due to
the level of one’s interest and curiosity.
I would like to offer the following as an example:
“Power lines in the little northern village of the freezing area have broken down due to a
traffic accident. It is said that it will take about a week to reestablish power.
When people listen to this news, some people might think;
“Well, that’s none of my business.”
Others might think;
“They cannot use heaters if there’s no electricity there. Perhaps there will be some people who
will freeze to death if freezing conditions continue for another week! It must be very tough for
the elderly who live by themselves and single parent families…”
On the other hand, some might think;
“What kind of rurality takes a whole week to repair power lines! Are there not people from
the electricity company? What is the government doing? I wonder if my town is okay…”
Yet others might think;
“They can not watch TV if there is no electricity, can they? I would be really bored if I was in
that situation for a week!”
As mentioned above, we tend to get our impressions and thoughts based on our daily lives, jobs,
sensitivity, and our way of thinking. Even though we are in the same country using the same
language, we would still find ourselves in such a situation, therefore, it might be unimaginably
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difficult to share information by using words between people from different countries, religions,
lifestyles, customs, cultures, and social systems. This particular thing is normal and ordinary in
my country, but for other people it may be something they find really interesting, or even
taboo.
I have realized again how difficult and unsafe it can be to communicate with people, deliver
information, and form common awareness. IATSS Forum is in that situation everyday. At
IATSS Forum, all the participants from 10 different countries, including Japan, do group
research and live together by using English, which is not their mother tongue.
Of course, business, conversations and interactions with people on your journey, as well as all
sorts of cultural exchange events and reading books can help in the discovery of new
knowledge; however, I think to accumulate such opportunities through living together for 55
days at IATSS Forum, becomes a dynamic experience which cannot be described in words.
I have moreover realized that it is very rare to be able to have such experiences, so I cannot
help but show my deepest respect and reverence to the foresight of my predecessors, including
the people who have originally established this forum and have been hosting it for over 20
years.
I believe that each experience, like the participants, cannot be digested on one occasion and in
one instance. It is important to discuss things enough to understand each other through listening
and seeing lots of things, but I think it is also important to take time to be alone and look back
on our experiences, one by one. To do so, we may need more time to understand and memorize
our own words.
In recent surveys, there have been many comments from prior participants that they wished
there was more time and space during the program. One of the reasons why they felt that way
may be due to the aforementioned.
I deeply hope that all participants were able to understand and absorb what they experienced in
Japan, as much as they could, in their own words, so that they were able to bring them back
home with them.
Thank you very much.
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The 44th IATSS Forum Program
Date
9
10
11
Day
Time
Program
Lecturer
15
月
Arrival / Orientation
16
火
Orientation / Gasshuku - Team Building Training
17
水
Gasshuku - Team Building Training
T.Seki
18
木
Gasshuku - Team Building Training
T.Seki
19
金
20
土
13:30-16:00
21
日
13:30-19:30
Japanese Cultural Introduction Day
22
月
9:00-16:00
Group Study: Theme Lecture I
K.Ikegami
23
火
9:00-16:00
Group Study: Theme Lecture Ⅱ
K.Ikegami
24
水
9:00-16:00
Introductory Training ①: Facilitation Skills Ⅰ
K.Tsubaki
25
木
Group Study ①
26
金
Group Study ②
27
土
Home Stay
28
日
Home Stay
Gasshuku - Team Building Training / Preparation for Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony
I
s
e
29
月
30
火
1
水
9:00-16:00
Seminar ① Enterprise Strategies I
2
木
9:00-16:00
Seminar ② Political System
3
金
Visit to Traffic Education Center
4
土
Individual-Plan Day
5
日
Individual-Plan Day
6
月
7
火
9:00-16:00
Seminar ③ Japanese CultureⅠ- Japanese Aesthetics
8
水
9:00-16:00
Seminar ④ International Cooperation
9:00-16:00
Visit to Suzuka City Hall / Suzuka Police Station/ Honda Suzuka Factory
Introductory Training ②: Facilitation Skills Ⅱ
K.Tsubaki
M.Harada / T.Yoneya
Y.Tsuboi
Visit to Kyoto Gosho and Shijou Kyomachiya
9
木
10
金
9:00-18:00
Group Study- Intermediate Presentation
11
土
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑤ Japanese Citizens' Voluntary organizations active in ASEAN countries
12
日
K
y
o
t
o
P.Fister
T.Mizota
Group Study ③
M.Ito
Self-Development Activity
13
月
14
火
Group Study ④
15
水
Visit to Nara
16
木
Group Study ⑤
17
金
Preparation for Cultural Exchange Day
18
土
Cultural Exchange Day
19
日
20
月
21
火
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑥ OVOP : One Village One Product Movement
F.Adachi
N
a
r
a
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑦ Environment and Sustainable Asia
K.Matsushita
Visit to Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
22
水
23
木
24
金
25
土
26
日
27
月
28
火
29
水
30
木
Visit to Tokyo Traffic Control Center / Waseda University
31
金
Visit to Respective Embassies
1
土
Individual-Plan Day
2
日
Individual-Plan Day
3
月
Report Preparation Day
4
火
Group Study ⑦
5
水
Group Study ⑧
6
木
Group Study - Rehearsal
7
金
8
土
9
日
10
月
Departure
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑧ Education
Y.Kitamura
Group Study ⑥
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑨ Japanese Culture・ -Japanese Budo: The Martial Ways of Japan
A.Bennett
10:00-17:00
Seminar ⑩ Reserch and Development ～TOTO～ Sanitary ware Manufacture
Group Study - Final Check
9:00-16:00
Seminar ⑪ Enterprise StrategiesⅡ
Evaluation
10:00-16:00
Group Study Presentation & Completion Ceremony
5
M.Harada / T.Yoneya
T
o
k
y
o
M.Harada / T.Yoneya
M.Harada / T.Yoneya
/ Y.Tsuboi
Lectures
Tomoko Seki
Trainer, Project Adventure Japan
Kiyoko Ikegami
Director, United Nations Population Fund, Tokyo Office
Keiko Tsubaki
Managing Director, Global Network of Facilitators
Mitsuyoshi Harada
General Manager, Overseas Business Department, Area Franchising
Division, FamilyMart Co., Ltd.
Yoshiharu Tsuboi
Professor, School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University
Patricia Fister
Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies
Tsutomu Mizota
Professor and Chair, Institute of Tropical Medicine/
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, National University of Nagasaki
Michio Ito
President, Asia Community Center 21
Professor, Graduate School of Social Design Studies and Faculty of
Sociology, Rikkyo University
Fumihiko Adachi
Professor, College of Contemporary Society and Culture,
Kinjo Gakuin University
Kazuo Matsushita
Professor, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies,
Kyoto University
Yuto Kitamura
Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Development,
Nagoya University
Alexander Bennett
Lecturer, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University
Minoru Matsui
Group Leader, Washlet Seat Development sec, TOTO WASHLET
TECHNO CO.,LTD
Mikihiro Inoue
Group Leader, Management Planning sec, TOTO WASHLET
TECHNO CO.,LTD
6
(INPO)
Participants
Cambodia
Ly Leakhena
(Leak)
Young People for Development
Exective Director
Cambodia
Vung Wathana
(Wathana)
Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center
Human Resorce Development Course Department
Clerk
Indonesia
Djalinda
(Djal)
World Vision Indonesia
HR Section
Capacity Building and Orientation Coordinator
Indonesia
Manuh Pitasari
(Pipit)
PT. Ferron Par Pharmaceutical
Factory Department
Sterile and Semisolid Supervisor
Laos
Vongchandy Malayvieng
(Malay)
Lao National Television
Foreign Languages News Department
English News Editor and English News Program Producer
Laos
Vongmany Thanouvan
(Fish)
Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union
President of New Pen Club and Editor of A Little Birth Magazine
Malaysia
Hu Chi Min
(Chimin)
Markas Angkatan Tentera Malaysia
Malaysian Armed Forces HQ Legal Office
Legal Officer
7
Malaysia
Nur Shazwani Binti Muhammad
(Wani)
National University of Malaysia
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Lecturer
Myanmar
Aung Zaw Oo
(John)
Aung Naing Thitsar Co., Ltd
Managing Director
Myanmar
Lwin Lwin Mya
(Emeral)
TMW Enterprise Limited
Marketing Department
Deputy Manager
Philippines
Penaso Anthony Makinano
(Tonton)
Central Mindanao University
Reserch and Extension
Vice President
Philippines
Polita Janet Rosalie Anne Hernandez
(Janet)
Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology
Reserch Information and Utilization Division
Science Reserch SpecialistⅡ
Singapore
Keng Wei Terk
(Terk)
Army Logistics Training Institute
Curriculum Design Section
Staff Officer
Singapore
Toh Lay Hoon
(Lay)
People's Association
CDC Planning and Development Division
Deputy General Manager
8
Thailand
Chatakanonda Panitee
(Yui)
The Secretariat of the House of Representative
Special Affairs Group
Foreign Relation Officer
Thailand
Limanond Thirayoot
(Pong)
Suranaree University of Technology
School of Transportation Engineering
Lecturer
Vietnam
Nguyen Lan Anh
(Anh)
Minhtam Global Investment Joint Stock Company
Manager
Japan
Koyata Goto
(Koyata)
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
IT Division Information Systems Office No.1
Gloal Support Center
Japan
Shinpei Yoshida
(Shinpei)
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Customer Service Operations
Parts Sales and Service Division
9
IATSS Forum Staff Members
Akira
Charlie
Mikio
Akira Haga
General Maganer Noriyoshi Kikuchi Mikio Koganei
Yumi
Masumi
Chie
Yumiko Tanaka
Masumi Saka
Chie Yonezu
Toshi
Meg
Chakky
Yumi Yamashita
Toshiaki Konishi Megumi Umeda
Midori Kishi (Midori)
Maiko Tsuneki (Mai Mai)
10
Report & Essay
14
Seminar Essay
Enterprise Strategies
Mr. Mitsuyoshi Harada/ Ms. Naoko Yoneya
October1st, 2008
Malaysia
I grew up in Peringgit, a small town in Melaka, Malaysia. The nearest convenience store to
my house was an old-fashioned, wooden shop – where the salespeople, shirtless and
shoeless, used old-fashioned scales, calculated sums using abacus and stored money in
recycled-food cans, which were placed near the ceiling. I do not remember whether there
was a shop sign, or what the name of the store was, but we refer to it as ‘Kedai Cina,’ as
the owner and salesperson were Chinese. The layout of the store was disorganised.
However, I remember that there were still many customers who came into the store, as it
offered reasonable prices and a wide range of daily necessities.
The operation seemed simple. Every time I had to go there and buy something for my
mother, I just told the man what I needed or gave him the list that my mother had provided.
One of the salespeople would get all the items we needed, as he was the only one who
knew where the items were. He would pack the items for me and, later, I would pay for
everything. End of story.
When I received the third travel package from the IATSS Forum Committee, I was
surprised to see that one of the seminar topics to be discussed during the forum was
Enterprise Strategies of FamilyMart, a chain of convenience stores based in Japan. At that
time, I did not know what FamilyMart was. As ignorant as I was, I did not search for any
information about the company on the internet. In my mind, I asked myself why the
enterprise strategies of a convenience store were to be discussed during the forum. Why
should we talk about it? Weren’t there more important issues to be discussed in the 55-day
Forum?
I volunteered to be the seminar coordinator for this session, and I was told by Masumi-san
to divide the participants into three groups. The seminar began with the introduction of
items bought in by each participant from convenience stores in Suzuka. Most of the
participants bought chocolate related items and instant noodles. They chose the item
because they were easy to eat, any place - any time. Another popular reason was because
the items were placed at eye level, i.e. the items were easy to see. Later, Mr. Mitsuyoshi
Harada and Ms. Naoko Yoneya introduced the company and gave us five short quizzes, to
be answered by each group. I was placed in Group A, and I was really disappointed
16
because my group collected the lowest score, with only 2 points. Group C managed to get
all the answers correct and they collected 5 points. During the introduction and quiz
session, I realised that managing a convenience store was not as easy as I had imagined.
FamilyMart opened its first store in Japan on 1 September, 1981 and the business has
expended successfully since then. After 27 years in operation, there are over 7000
FamilyMart stores in Japan. The company has also managed to expand its business
overseas. Family Mart has established its concept store in the United States of America,
South Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand. In the introduction session the participants
were told that, currently, FamilyMart is considering opening stores in one of the ASEAN
countries, but Mr Harada did not specifically mention which country. Any guesses?
Later, the seminar moved on to the daily operations of Family Mart convenience stores. I
was overwhelmed by the lecture, as I had never thought that opening and operating a
convenience store had so many factors that needed to be considered. I was impressed by
the operation and management system that FamilyMart has established since being
incorporated, over 20 years ago. Forgetting about the overseas stores for the moment, and
just concentrating on the stores in Japan, the system that FamilyMart currently has is
simply amazing!
The participants learned that the most saleable item in FamilyMart is the Deli foods, which
make up for 32.7% of sales, followed by processed foods (30.5%). It has become a culture
for the Japanese to rely on convenience stores to get their meals. Convenience stores
function as ‘refrigerators’ for Japanese households. The Japanese dependence on
convenience stores has grown rapidly for the past few years in response to significant
changes in their daily routines and eating habits. Many women presently work to help
stabilise the family income; therefore, the need for instant and cooked food is high.
In response to the high demand for such foods, FamilyMart offers a wide range of
nakashoku items. In order to ensure high quality products and delivery, FamilyMart has
established quality control and logistical systems which are continuously reviewed and
improved. Ordering from FamilyMart headquarters is done by store supervisors through
store computers and handy terminals. Once the orders are received by headquarters,
vendors and manufactures around the area where the orders originated are notified. When
the items are ready, delivery is made in large quantities to distribution centres and, later,
the items are distributed to respective stores. The nakashoku operation starts from ordering
to delivery and may look simple, but according to Mr. Mitsuyoshi Harada it takes a lot of
time, money and effort to establish an effective and reliable system.
To ensure customers loyalty, FamilyMart introduced the Famima T Card for the customers
to collect points each time they shop. Customers enjoy several benefits offered by
FamilyMart. Other than that, electronic banking and commercial transactions also attract
customers to FamilyMart.
The afternoon session was followed by a Question and Answer session, which drew a lot
of questions from the enthusiastic participants. Later, the groups were given quizzes on the
factors and strategies related to establishing the location of a convenience store. The
17
participants had fun, in groups, discussing the
topic and indirectly strengthening their
relationships.
The winning prize for the assignment was very
attractive – a ¥1000 FamilyMart gift card for each
group member. There was very steep competition
between the groups. Each group tried very hard to
convince Mr Harada to accept their arguments as
answers. In the end, my group won the battle and
we were very happy about it. The winning keywords for our team were driving, cycling
and walking.
Overall, I can conclude that this session has opened my eyes on the operation of
convenience stores, which was something I had never thought would be so complicated
before. Other than that, the participants had fun learning and discovering new things about
the daily life of Japanese. I hope, in the future, this lecture will continue and more
information about FamilyMart’s overseas business and franchising opportunities in
ASEAN countries will be included. In my opinion, this lecture may open and widen
opportunities for a continued relationship between Japan and ASEAN countries, through
the exchange of ideas in enterprise strategy and culture. I will use the knowledge I have
gained in this lecture for my future career development, and I hope to share it with my
family, friends and students in Malaysia.
18
POLITICAL SYSTEM –Politics and our Lives
Prof. Yoshiharu Tsuboi
Oct 2 nd, 2008
Nguyen Lan Anh
Viet Nam
Seminar with theme of Political System-Politics and our Lives has opened my
understanding about the effect of political system operation on our lives. I do not have rich
knowledge about all political systems in all Asian countries but I highly appreciate the
important role of stable political system to daily lives of every citizen in every country and
a great influence of stable politics in Asian to the world. Thus, I am eager to deepen
understanding about general overview of politics of Asian members in general and Japan
in particular. In my report below, I have based much on political system information,
presented by the professor, participants and my information collection from media and
summarize all according to my understanding. In my research writing, I would like to
focus on two points.
1. Some Overview of Current Political System of Asian countries
2. The people’s attitude toward politics and the national administration (Personal opinion
and SWOT Analysis).
First of all, please find below the overview basic table of current political system in Asian
countries and Japan which I summarize from my understanding and from some public
information resources.
19
20
A multi-party system
(CPP, FUNCINPEC,
Sam Rainsy Party,and
Others)
(DPJ, LDP, NKP, JCP,
SDP,PNP, NPN & other)
A parliamentary
representative
democratic
monarchy
A parliamentary
representative
democratic
monarchy
Malaysia
Cambodia
Japan
Head of a multi party
system
-Taro Aso
system
- Hun Sen
Head of State
- Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi
A federal
parliamentary
monarchy
system
- Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi
Thailand
Head of State
-The King
Bhumipol
system
- Somchai Wongsawat
A constitutional
monarchy
President
- Gloria
MacapagalArroyo
Head of a pruliform
multi party system
- Gloria MacapagalArroyo
Philippine
Indonesia
( SARRO, BO-PK,
PROMDI, KDT, Padajon
Surigao, 1-CEBU,
BALANE, UNA, and PTM
Head of State
-Susilo
Bambang
Yudhoyono
system
-Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono
A presidential
representative
democratic republic
Laos
A presidential,
representative, and
democratic republic
President
-Choummaly
Sayasone
Secretary-general
(leader) of the LPRP
-Choummaly
Sayasone
A single-party socialist
republic
(Lao People's
Revolutionary Party LPRP)
A single-party
socialist republic
Head of State
- Hun Sen
President
-Nguyen Minh
Triet
Party General
Secretary
-Nong Duc Manh
A single-party socialist
republic
(Communist Party of
Vietnam)
A single-party
socialist republic
Vietnam
Head of State
Head of The Party
system
Party System
Political
System
Framework
Country
Prime Minister Taro Aso
Prime Minister
-Hun Sen
Prime Minister
- Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi
Prime Minister
-Somchai
Wongsawat
Head of the
government
-Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo
Head of
governement
Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono
Prime Minister
-Bouasone
Bouphavanh
Prime Minister
-Nguyen Tien Dung
Head of the
Government-
the government
and the two
chambers of
parliament
the government
and the two
chambers of
parliament
the government
and the two
chambers of
parliament
National Assembly
481 members-The House of
Representatives (Shugi-in)
242 members- The House of Councilors
(Sangi-in)
123 members-The National Assembly
of Cambodia
61 members-The Senate (Sénat)
Opposition parties had won 82 seats
(out of 222 seats in parliament) or
36.9% of parliamentary seats, while BN
only managing to secure the remaining
140 seats or 63.1%
total 480 seats - House of
Representatives of Thailand
233 seats of People's Power Party
165 seats of Democratic Party, the rest
of other party
550-member People's Representative
Council
128-seat- Regional Representatives
Council
the government
and the two
People's
Representative
Councils
the government
and the twochamber congress
113 seats (LPRP)
2 seats (Non-partisans)
492 seats (CPV)
1 seats( self nominated candidate)
The last election
National Assembly
National Assembly
The legislative
power
SOME OVERVIEW BASIC ABOUT CURRENT POLITICAL SYSTEM
IN ASIAN COUNTRIES AND JAPAN
From the overview basic table about
political system in some Asian countries
above, I have found that among Asian
countries, the politics of some countries are
in a similar framework; for instance
Vietnam and Lao takes place in a
framework of a single-party socialist
republic.
However, in Vietnam, head of the
Communist Party is held by Party General
Secretary Nong Duc Manh and head of the
stage is held by President Nguyen Minh
Triet, meanwhile in Lao the head of state is both president and Secretary General (leader)
of Lao people’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Choummaly Sayasone.
I sometimes wonder what difference between capitalism and communism is? And is it
good if one country is led by one single communist party for a long time. I think that both
capitalism or communism have the common aim, bringing better life for all citizens in
such society but it seems that capitalism can push up faster the development of sciences.
Having a look at China, North of Korea, Vietnam, and Lao with politics in the similar
framework, we can see their long lasting stable political system here. Vietnam has
experienced more than 70 years under the leadership of Communist Party. Vietnamese can
have better living standard in peace, as also a result why so far most of Vietnamese highly
appreciate the leadership role of Communist Party.
The political system in the Philippine and Indonesia takes place in a similar frame work of
a presidential representative, democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of
stage and head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised
by the government. During the seminar, I have got much confusing and a bit complicated
information from participants’ presentations about election strategies of multi parties
sometimes it costs much and takes time and unrealistic some how some areas in two
countries.
The politics of Japan, Malaysia and Cambodia takes place in a similar framework of a
parliament representative democratic monarchy, where the Prime Minister is the head of
the government, and of a multi-party system. Federal legislative power is vested in both
the government and the two chambers of parliament.
The politics of Thailand currently take place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy,
whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of
state. The National Assembly of Thailand is the current legislative branch of the
government of Thailand. It is organized as a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers:
the Senate and the House of Representatives. Members of House of Representatives serve
four-year terms, while Senators serve six-year terms.
21
The people’s attitude toward politics and the national administration (Personal opinion and
SWOT Analysis)
During the seminar, I am very surprised when professor answers us open about some
issues that Japan is facing like challenges of social human being, social problems, aging
population, so far more than 40.000 Japanese is over 100 years old that leads to so many
social human issues. One big question is raised that who cares the old persons and their
health care? Commit suicide in Japan is the highest rate in the world. Mental diseases of
the Japanese young generation increase due to lack of self motivation; Many Japanese do
not know how to contact directly effectively. Many of them can not easily find a good job.
Some young persons tend to only focus on what they like, they do not care other things,
some young Japanese do not want to love or to do, or have no motivation to live.
In seminar, we have a chance to discuss open on the future direction of Japan and
Southeast Asian politics. We wonder why and how to turn Asian into strong union like
European Union. We together think about the difference of history, geography, economy
development, language, religion, or simply only restriction in media or public opinion of
political system among one of Asian countries like Myanmar that may be difficult for
Asian to have a consensus or develop strongly together. Sometimes, I wonder what ideal
political system is and how to maintain such a system and which factor makes the final
decision or strong influence on building up an ideal political system in each Asian country.
For me, if considering the economy development of Japan, it is worth learning for all
Asian countries but when considering about current political system in Japan, we maybe
look into the status and withdraw some experience.
Seminar is also the chance for me to deepen understanding about the political system in
my country. In my thinking, Communist Party of Vietnam has formed the consensus that
leads to some successful achievements like diplomatic relations establishment with most
nations, highest economic growth in the world in the past decade, becoming World Trade
Organization member in 2007 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council in 2008 etc. Beside strength, Vietnam is facing some issues like society
gap between the big and the poor people and inequality in society, corruption, unsafe
traffic or polluted environment etc. However, If being asked my attitude to political system
in Vietnam so far, I can confirm that I respect to the role of leadership of the Communist
Party of Vietnam, very proud to be Vietnamese Citizen and hope that Vietnam will
continue finding, thinking and learning the useful lessons from experience of other country
like Japan, maintaining a current stable political system in combination with economy
development focusing.
22
In summary, via seminar and our finding, we can understand better about current political
system in Asian countries in general and in Japan in particular. From taking examples of
cases in Japan and Southeast Asia, we together consider and discuss the future, direction of
Japan and Southeast Asian politics. We understand more the will of people in politics and
together think of the ideal politics system for the future Asian. With the purpose of IATSS
forum that encouraging the young participants from nine Asian countries with potential of
leadership capability, as well as with the importance of political role, seminar of political
system is very useful to us. Seminar is one of chance and also one task, pushing us to think,
understand what is the most important factor, affecting society? That is political system
quality in such a society.
23
Japanese Culture 1 – Japanese Aesthetics
Professor Patricia Fister
October 7th, 2008
Toh Lay Hoon
Singapore
Professor Patricia Fister came across as someone who has an immense
knowledge of Japanese culture, despite her American roots. It was insightful to listen to a
non-Japanese about how she views Japanese art and culture.
Professor Fister elaborated that the four characteristics of Japanese art
include: 1) irregularity (out of the ordinary and norm), 2) suggestion (the art piece should
entail a hint and cue on what to expect), 3) simplicity (neat and succinct) and 4)
perishability (e.g. the transient nature of cherry blossoms in spring). In my opinion, art is
subjective. How one interprets a piece of art depends on a person’s background, experience
and perspective. What appears irregular to one person could be taken as regular by another.
In fact, therein lay the beauty of art. It can be interpreted in many ways in the appreciation
and comprehension of the receiver.
I chose to speak about Japanese gardens when we were all told to bring one
item which was aesthetically appealing to us. Of all things, the immaculate Japanese
garden caught my attention most. Despite being bestowed with lots of greenery, the
Japanese take special, individualized care of it all. The specially pruned Matsu trees in
many Japanese gardens are a case in point. To me this reflects the rigor and discipline of
the Japanese, since many hours of labor and careful deliberations are needed for the
upkeep of these gardens.
It is evident that Japanese culture
including art, religion and daily customs is
closely linked to a respect for nature. Each art
piece has motifs taken from the natural
environment and local surroundings. Take for
instance an art piece containing a Japanese poem.
Accompanying the poem would be motifs of
cheery blossoms. In addition, the Japanese take a
24
keen interest in leveraging the raw materials to make their art showcases.
The Raku (tea bowl) which is made of clay is a case in point. However, this is consistent
with practices from many Asian countries. Take for instance how art pieces originate in
central Myanmar, where raw materials are in abundance.
Speaking of Raku; there is an appreciation among the Japanese for “imperfect
perfection” in art and culture. Some of the samples which were passed around during the
seminars possessed cracks and were non-symmetrical in shape. Professor Fister explained
that this signified the perishability of the object concerned; in fact, this increases the value
of the given piece. This defies the logic of functionality which one would usually associate
with a household item, albeit an artistic item.
The extent of effort the Japanese undertake to preserve their traditional
culture and values is what left me with the deepest impression. In the seminar, I shared my
experience of how my host family (a young couple) took out almost all of their fine
chinaware (Japanese plates/bowls/cutlery, etc.) in preparing dinner for me during my home
stay. The efforts they took to make dinner expanded the idea of “looks good” beyond
imagination. In contrast, most young couples in Singapore would opt for a convenient and
hassle free method to prepare meals, even when hosting a dinner for close friends and
relatives.
The Japanese have also included art and culture in their everyday life. Besides
going through great lengths in the internal furnishing of homes, Japanese also make sure
that their yard is aesthetically appealing. The small and zen-like Japanese gardens found in
front of many ancient and modern homes are a testament to this aesthetic. I thought the
idea of going around the Arashiyama area was good since we could better appreciate
Japanese aesthetics by being outdoors, rather than confine our knowledge to just books.
All in all, the seminar on Japanese aesthetics, for me, was an further step
toward knowing Japan as a country. When I started to piece together what I have observed
about this country thus far, it made sense to me that Japan thrives on discipline and
structural planning. While pursuing economic growth, Japan has not forsaken its traditional
identity, i.e. its rich culture and heritage. This was one of the reasons why I had wanted to
study Japan; to witness for myself how it is able to uphold most of its culture whilst
keeping itself economically strong. Few countries in the world could do this so remarkably
as Japan. Good stuff!
25
International Cooperation
Mr. Tsutomo Mizota
October 8th, 2008
Lwin Lwin Mya
Myanmar
Official Development Assistant (ODA), also known as overseas development assistance, is
simply said to be the funds and technology that governments and other voluntary
organizations provide, especially to developing countries. The professor presented his
lecture from general to specific. He started from world trends to Southeast Asia, and then
zoomed in on Japanese ODA disbursement to recipient Asian countries. The future
direction of international cooperation has something to do with the promotion of human
security services without gender discrimination. Hand in hand relations among nations is
the ultimate goal of ODA.
ODA is important because it can develop human resources through technical cooperation;
training and dispatching volunteers to the area where ODA is necessary, etc. ODA is also
helping construct buildings such as schools and hospitals, education training, medical care
and post–disaster reconstruction. Long term low interest loans to impoverished people is
also a part of ODA and the UN is also actively taking part in humanitarian assistance in
developing countries through ODA. Here is a question! Why are International
Corporations concerned with the development of other countries? The answer I got through
the concepts from all the lectures was; if someone wants to go fast, it may be better to go it
alone; however, if we want to go far, we have to go together.
Impressive points of lectures & the country presentations
The participants from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar were assigned to present the Official
Development Assistance situation in their respective countries. Through the presentations,
I understood that all of us can enjoy ODA disbursed from Japanese organizations. The
most impressive point I felt in the lecture was the pathos of the Japanese, its sentimental
value regarding the well-being of Asian countries. Through the professor’s lecture, I
understood that Japanese policy for international cooperation currently emphasizes to the
Asia countries. The basic factors are the historical and cultural backgrounds centered in
Asia. On the other hand, economic cooperation through ODA leads towards people social
welfare and well-being.
Cambodia came up with a presentation of the effective utilization of ODA throughout
ASEAN countries. Cambodia presented the records of developed country ODA offered to
developing countries as part their gross national income. Japan has one of the highest
figures for ODA disbursement compared to other countries.
26
The Laotian participant, who was currently taking part in the development of peoples’
associations, utilized ODA and expressed the effectiveness and efficiency of the program
at the grass roots level in Laos.
Myanmar, myself as the presenter, talked about current ODA recipients in Myanmar. Then,
I talked about the benefits to human society, followed by problematic issues related to
ODA in Myanmar, not to mention solutions and recommendations from my personal point
of view.
Personal Opinion of ODA
I understand that ODA can help achieve economic growth and employment and a rising
standard of living, while maintaining financial stability and thus contributing to the
development of the world economy. In other ways, ODA support basic human needs and
urgent assistance (such as medical services, public health, water supply and rural and
agricultural development etc). Because of technical transfer, the agricultural industry has
increased its efficiency through self-help efforts due in part to the developing countries
themselves.
All the countries admit that technical cooperation helps one characteristic that is absent in
their own country: women’s empowerment programs alleviate burdens and connect women
while increasing opportunities to stand up against violence and discrimination, and thereby
enhancing women’s decision-making power. Health Outreach Programs reach underserved
communities by opening up access to health education, medication and continuous care.
The programs also provide training in early childhood development to parents. Career
opportunities have increased as NGOs are able to offer career opportunities to the public.
Differences and Similarities compared to Myanmar
Compared to Myanmar regarding ODA, there were similarities and differences among the
countries. Unlike other countries, Myanmar has a very complex legal system. Many laws
which were enacted years ago are still applicable. The limitations sometimes pose a barrier
to the independent decisions of administrators.
On the other hand, the differences I found are in the recipient countries, particularly in the
way they adjust their sails. By analogy, there are difficulties at sea in getting to a place of
well-being. One may take a way,
bypassing rocks and adjusting the
sails. Another may think that
going straight by moving around
the sharks is better. The rest may
think keeping their position is best.
The different perceptions of
people result in the different
successes of ODA, which may
also be interpreted differently;
they paddle their own canoes in
many ways to reach the different
goals they want.
27
The following picture illustrates the similarities between ODA
recipient countries. We share the same sentiments in trying to
enlarge our circle of control to be nearer to the circle of concern. If
the circle of concern and circle of control are congruent with each
other, we can say our efforts will have been meaningful, perfect
and the best gains will have been reached. For example, our
ultimate goal is to increase the earnings per person (economic
point of view) and upgrade nature and the natural abilities of each
and everyone to the benefit of society. We are able to control only in matters of letting
people see real change in society (understanding the real situation). We are likewise able to
show the areas of improvement to those who contribute better ideas.
Group Discussion Part
The second part of the lecture consisted of group discussions. We were divided into three
groups. The main idea for the group discussion had something to do with our proposed
ideas to address current matters. Our results may or may not have been correct, but it was
by expressing our understanding of the lecture that we discussed issues the whole morning.
We were intent to answer the following questions:
“What kind of project can you propose as a bilateral ODA scheme with Japan in
connection with Human security content? (Group A)”
“What are the major problems for not utilizing ODA for peoples needs in each recipient
ASEAN country? Is there any solution? (Group B)”
“How can we deepen the mode of globalization of Japanese society for mutual
understanding and cooperation, particularly through ASEAN /Japan linkage? (Group C)”
The discussion result from group A came up with the support of basic education in
developing countries in terms of bilateral relationships with Japan ODA. The group
reached a consensus on training capabilities for teachers, school leadership training for
administrators, infrastructure, instruction materials and curriculum development. In order
to enhance educational quality, they suggested improving access and equity used in
education. The effectiveness and efficiency of the education system is achieved through
intensive capacity building training, thus contributing to the all around development and
improvement of the system. Group A came up with a fast result that took less than the
allotted time frame, but the result they got was acceptable within their feasibility study.
The group work was really effective, even setting up a time frame within the range of
control of 5 years. What I got from them was that organizers persuade groups effectively. I
was greatly impressed by the group members who were able – good Job!
Group B emphasized the major problems of unutilized ODA by recipients because there
was too much red tape for the officials concerned; likewise
misinterpretation of human needs, improper distribution of funds and
communication barriers were all factors. From the implementer’s point of
view, there may be lacks regarding the feasibility study. The solution
group B proposed was a one stop information centre that has and
understands the basic statistics, and garners the participation of various
28
sectors and various sector representatives and the publication of their activities. My
personal opinion on this point is that problems may arise in any area of implementation.
We have to engage the PDCA cycle for the projects, which may be on going, so that the
project can aim for continuous improvement at the same time as implementation.
I was personally involved in group C, and we offered a solution based on an analysis of the
current situation. As we all know, Japan is the most developed country in Asia.
No other country in south-east Asia is able to compare to Japan. Japanese people are adept
enough in their own language to communicate in their field of operation. However, in
order to change mindsets, which they deeply adhere to in terms of their wellbeing, it will
take time to improve links with the country’s surroundings. If there was some
modification of the Japanese Education system, to focus more on other Asian countries, the
problem would be settled in another way. To improve cultural understanding, it is possible
to send exchange students to other Asian countries, rather than sending them to western
countries, as these are already developed. From the economic point of view, Japan is a big
market and all software is translated into Japanese versions for comprehension, and it is
widely available in the Japan market. Unlike other Asian countries, users are forced to
learn English because they cannot find versions in their own language. Here, the lesson I
learned is that they now realize that
Stability at the
to change the perception of Asian
Point of change
Anger Bargaining
countries cannot happen all at once.
InabilityDenial
Acceptance
to act
It will take a certain time to improve Active
mutual understanding. Referring to
Emotional response
this, the lesson learned would be
Testing
like expressing the following
process: the illustration shows that
Depression
any change takes time and that it is
important that each and everybody
Passive
get involved in the process.
Time
Conclusion
A meaningful society is a society that understands itself. Helping each other and going
ahead together toward social wellbeing is appreciated and we can achieve synergy. I
appreciate the countries who actively took part in ODA disbursement to the other
developing countries. Through this lecture I have come to understand a sense of unity
among Asian Countries who share and love each other while driving toward the goal of all
around development of the area.
29
Seminar 6 : OVOP : One Village One Product Movement
Mr. Fumihiko Adachi
October 13rd, 2008
Thailand
Professor Fumihiko Adachi from Kinjo Gakuin University was the lecturer on this
interesting topic. At the beginning of the seminar, he gave the floor to participants from
Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand for them to present the OVOP movement in the
countries. In Malaysia, One Village, One Product was first introduced in 1992 and
innovated into One District, One Industry (SDSI) to cover areas of Malaysia. The
Implementation-Coordination Unit (ICU) acts as Secretary and Coordinator of the program.
The SDSI has two major principles similar to the Thai government’s policy: first, one must
act as an instrument to enhance real industries to meet local and international market
demand; second, one must close the gap between rural and urban regions by addressing the
imbalance in development while retaining certain, traditional values. The objectives are to
create higher incomes, district identity and to shore up the local community by developing
one or two high value added products/services, manufactured with local raw materials.
I was really surprised that Malaysia, like Thailand, also has durian as one of its
OVOP products. The Great Durian Festival in Bukit Gantang, Taiping, the home stay
program in George Town, and handicrafts called songket are examples of products and
services that function according to the SDSI policy. Malaysian participants also showed us
how to wear beautiful songket that were really interesting, but I just wondered if it was
difficult to walk or sit?? If you looked at the overall background of the Malaysian project, I
think everything appears to be perfect; therefore, I was really surprised that Malaysia still
faces some challenges in its implementation of SDSI. Malaysia is still concerned about the
sustainability of entrepreneurs, redundancy of SDSI products, distribution of funds,
development-of-cluster approach, management and skills, promotion and marketing, as
well as product design and innovation.
The participants from The Philippines presented their products next. The program
is called One Town One Product (OTOP) and was initiated by President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs. The local government has a leading
role in identifying, developing and promoting specific products or services, which has the
competitive advantage of supporting micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs)
30
through the use of indigenous raw materials and talent. The objectives are almost the same
as Malaysia’s and Thailand’s; to develop products and provide credit, through the SME
Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth (SULONG); likewise, the ultimate
goal is to support 3 million entrepreneurs and to generate 6 to 10 million jobs.
Notwithstanding, the most interesting thing is the close cooperation between local
government units (LGUs), national government agencies (NGAs), and the private sector in
offering their services, including business counseling, skills and entrepreneurial training,
product design and development, appropriate technologies and marketing. An example of
OTOP is PAETE, which is recognized as the handicrafts center of The Philippines. Carved
products, for example, include religious and collectable items as well as sash and furniture.
Most products are exported to European countries, the United States and Japan.
After that, it was Thailand’s turn, that is Pong and I. The OTOP (One Tambon One
Product) program is the policy of the former government (2001). Tambon means subdistrict in Thai. The policy focuses on reducing poverty problems, especially in rural areas,
as well as promoting local products, which are made from local wisdom, in the domestic
and international markets. The government also wants to provide technical assistance, such
as new technology and product management, to local people. They can combine local
expertise and knowledge with new management methods. Potential products can be
divided into 6 groups; that is, food, drink, clothing, tools and jewelry, souvenirs and
decorations and traditional medicines. Actually, in Thailand, any given product should be
unique, easily recognized and have the potential to sell in both local and international
markets.
As for OTOP promotion, products are ranked by a star rating from 1 – 5 stars. In
some areas, people can promote their products along with places of interest to attract
tourists. In addition, we organized OTOP fairs in Thailand and Thai Embassies overseas
help to promote OTOP by holding fairs and exhibitions abroad. Although the Thai
government’s success in promoting OTOP at certain levels still faces some difficulties;
namely, repetitive products, insufficient quality control, lack of standardization, packaging
and part-time labor issues. During the seminar, we passed out an OTOP product, Catfish
cakes from Singburi, to Professor Adachi and our friends to taste. At first, some were
scared to try it, but after trying it, I think they really enjoyed the cakes.
Following that, we had a good chance to learn about Japan’s experience with
OVOP. It was really interesting for me, because Japan is the first country to have
developed the program and is the role model for other countries. OVOP in Japan was
initiated by Morihiko Hiramatsu, the former governor of Oita Prefecture in 1979. All of
Oita's 58 cities, towns and villages have managed to create their own products. The
objectives of OVOP are to prevent the depopulation and loss of local energy, to find
products/industries that can benefit each region so as to not rely on the government. The
principles of OVOP are composed of the concept “Think globally, act locally,” as well as
self-reliance, creativity and human resources development. The government assisted in
product development by establishing institutions to offer guidance, opening distribution
routes and organizing fairs in major cities and abroad, including setting up regional
markets and giving out awards for outstanding achievements in OVOP.
31
There is no doubt that Japan has definitely been successful in developing its
products, due to some key factors such as marketing and mass media. Governor Hiramatsu
tried to be a salesperson by buying local products in Tokyo on the occasion of a political
petition while visiting wholesale markets in Tokyo to promote the sales of his prefectural
products. In addition, in the early stages of the movement, local government offered free
public relations TV programs to introduce local OVOP activities. Until now, Oita is very
famous for OVOP, especially its hot-springs in Beppu and Yufuin town.
During the afternoon session, we were all divided into 3 groups to choose 1 item
from members in the group and to create our own business plan to promote our products.
Professor Adachi gave us some critical points in order for us to check whether we could
succeed in promoting our product. The former included the implementation steps to meet
customer demand; namely, land, labor, capital, technology, marketing, networking, local
government, mass media, the natural environment, international exchange and local
diplomacy.
Group A: Djal as facilitator
Group A presented a bronze pumpkin box from Cambodia. The box was made of copper
with local designs and raw resources (copper and clay). It cost around $3.00 – $45.00 USD.
It required molding, carving, painting and drying skills, which could be supported by
developed countries. The project would be financed by SME bank and families and
entrepreneurs would pay back the loans quarterly. The target market would be local,
national and overseas (Japan, EU and U.S.A.). Our strategy would focus on the promotion
of a decorative container and eco tourism, including organizations for international
exhibitions, trade fairs, airports, and outlet stores. Standardization, quality control and
customer surveys would also be set up.
Group B : Wani as facilitator
Group B chose hand-made embroidery table cloths and 5 sets of napkins from Vietnam to
promote in ASEAN in TOGO’s online shop. They would focus on production at home and
marketing strategies, which include promotion through Facebook, IATSS Forum Alumni,
Japanese volunteers and e-mail. Multimedia technology, online designs upon request and
IT could be used to promote the product. They would also require suppliers, logistics and
online custom feedback to set up a network. Regarding the natural environment; the table
cloths would be environmentally friendly because of their organic material, and the fact
that they are handmade.
Group C: Yui as facilitator
Our group first voted for one of three possible products: porcelain from Thailand, bracelets
from Singapore and handmade paintings from Myanmar. We chose handmade paintings of
Fuji Mountain made of red rubies, which can be found in abundance in Myanmar.
According to our business plan, red rubies and other raw materials can be found nearby,
that are comparatively advantageous in an economy of scale. The labor is also very cheap
with knowledge and skills working with experts from other countries who can provide a
transfer of knowledge later. Moreover, transportation and infrastructure are available at
reasonable prices for the rental of land as well as capital. Marketing would target
32
foreigners by establishing factories as a one stop visit to show the production process and
the finished products would be exported to overseas market.
During the seminar, Professor Adachi made some useful recommendations to improve the
creativity of our OVOP business plan in our respective countries, as follows;
1.
The cost of OVOP products should not be expensive for them to be easily promoted in
both domestic and international markets, which is one of the comparative advantages
in marketing to niches.
2.
The stages of OVOP production should include considerations of land, labor, capital,
technology, marketing, networking, local government, mass media, natural
environment, international exchange and local diplomacy.
3.
Products should be made of local, natural resources with high value-added. However,
the principles of “act locally, think globally” is also key to the success of OVOP
products.
4.
Products should emphasize close cooperation and collaboration between central
government agencies and local government bodies in the production process, as well
as in the expansion of national and international market.
5.
Products can be the similar in different areas, but they should not compete with each
other; on the other hand, they can cooperate to compete in marketing their businesses.
In Thailand, although we have been successful in developing OVOP products at
some level, we still have more to learn to improve products that can be exported to
international markets. As I learned from the experiences of Japan and other ASEAN
countries, I have much knowledge I can apply to develop the OTOP program in Thailand.
1.
According to Japan’s experience, OVOP products can be goods and tourist attractions,
such as hot-springs in Beppu and Yufuin town. In Thailand, however, most OTOP
products are food and drink. It would therefore be a good idea for the Thai
government to focus more on tourism, as Thailand has many natural sites and beaches
that could definitely attract many tourists from around the world.
2.
In Thailand, although the central government acts as the focal point for the
implementation of OTOP, inconsistencies in policy still exist. The Implementation
Coordination Unit (ICU) of Malaysia could be a good example of how to set up a
secretariat and coordinator for the program in order to continuously monitor and
follow up on the project.
3.
Unlike The Philippines, the Thai government began its OTOP policy in 2001. Even
now, clear objective goals have not been set, such as increasing the number of
entrepreneurs and jobs for villagers, especially in rural areas. The Thai government
33
should classify those who are benefitting from the policy and those who are not in
order to ensure that poor people really do benefit from OTOP; not only certain groups
of people.
4.
Regarding OTOP marketing strategy, most Thai people in rural areas don’t know how
to market their own products; that is, they don’t know how to set a reasonable price,
develop, package and find a market for their products. Japanese marketing, such as
mass media and free public relations TV programs, could be the role model for
promoting OTOP.
In conclusion, the lessons I learned from this seminar could be useful for the Thai
government to improve quality control and standardization, including creating a
comparative advantage in the global market.
34
The Environment and a Sustainable Asia
Professor Kazuo Matsushita
October 20th, 2008
Limanond Thirayoot
Thailand
The title of the seminar was “Environment and Sustainable Asia – How to balance
economic growth and environmental conversation.” We began the seminar with country
presentations from our Indonesian, Filipino and Singaporean colleagues.
Pipit and Djal presented the traffic problems of Indonesia, primarily focusing on the
Jakarta area. The existing traffic problems in Jakarta include the insufficiency of the
transport infrastructure, the mono-centric structure of urban land use, unofficial public
transportation terminals, frequent flooding during the rainy season, the lack of discipline
and law enforcement, and the lack of alternative, public-transport infrastructure. We were
very surprised to learn that the economic fallout due to traffic congestion is considerable,
approximately US$1.4 billion per year. We also realized that Indonesia’s government has
issued a number of transport policies in response to traffic problems, such as the TransJakarta Bus route, the 3 in 1 main traffic artery, a Monorail system, car free day events,
and the bicycle to work program, etc. Nevertheless, traffic problems continue to grow year
after year.
The presentation by Tonton and Janet also made us realize that continued migration into
urban areas generates a distinct challenge for solid waste management in urban areas in
the Philippines. The given problems include excessive waste generation, lack of disposal
facilities, improper waste disposal and poor compliance with sanitation laws. In cities,
where the standard of living is higher, there is usually a higher waste output compared to
rural areas. This reflects the Philippine case where its capital, Manila, generates almost a
quarter of the country’s total waste. From Tonton and Janet’s presentation, we learned that
the Filipino government has established a number of waste management programs, for
example, the provision of the material recovery facilities, as well as the segregation and the
recycling of recyclable garbage.
Singapore seems to be advanced among ASEAN countries in terms of economic growth,
yet it balances this well with the preservation of its environment. The government has
issued a number of domestic policies/measures that attempt to achieve clean air, clean land,
clean water and better public health. Notwithstanding, Singapore also engages in
international efforts, for example, bilateral initiatives with Indonesia [the so called
“Indonesia Singapore Environment Partnership (ISEP)], which jointly developed a haze
35
prevention master plan to tackle cross-border haze arising from land and forest fires. One
interesting project that has recently been inaugurated by the Singaporean government is the
Newater program. Newater recycles drinkable water, some of which Lay brought for us to
try. This is rather new, as the water was, in fact, produced through the purification of all
liquid waste from sewage. Moreover, we also learned that the Singaporean government is
currently attempting to further strengthen its sustainable development goals by using a
‘bottom up’ approach, promoting Singaporean awareness of every day life, including the
way we live, work, play and commute.”
Professor Matsushita: An overview of Environment issues in ASEAN countries
Professor Matsushita gave a brief overview of the environment and sustainable
development in South-East Asia. As we all know, ASEAN is composed of countries in
diverse stages of economic and social development, as the spectrum of GDPs within the
region varies widely. As for population, Singapore has over 4 million people, while
Indonesia has approximately 250 million. The overall environment and sustainable
development conditions and trends, however, share similar characteristics.
The
expectation that more people will live in urban rather than in rural areas by 2020 will
further generate numerous challenges for urban areas, including air, waste, solid waste,
noise, traffic and slums.
In the region, the rate of deforestation was approximately 1.04% per year between 19902000, for an annual forest area decrease of 23,000 km2. Illegal logging is still an issue in
some countries; 73% of logging in Indonesia was illegal. Similarly, Thailand and the
Philippines also experienced a 20% and 25% loss in their respective natural forests. There
are still on-going trends of coastal and marine resource problems, which include coastal
erosion, aquaculture, using mangrove for fuel, soil desalinization, poison-fishing, blastfishing and overfishing in the region. Moreover, the region experienced the impact of a
number of natural disasters.
To conclude, ASEAN countries are facing the highest level of environmental pressure.
Due to growing concerns for the environment, policies and measures should be issued in
an equitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Furthermore, institutionalization of
incentives for environmental protection and eco-efficient consumption within carry
capacities should be further realized in the near future, in order to combat environmental
problems.
In the afternoon, we broke the class down into 3 groups for group discussions on the given
topics. Through the discussions, we learned with the exchange of ideas, comments and
suggestions from the different perspectives of our IATSS group members. Group 1
discussed traffic problems in Indonesia. The group first identified the root causes of traffic
congestion, including highly industrialized and overpopulated urban areas. In the business
district, congestion, too many motorcycles and older cars, and the lack of public transport
relative to population, there is a delay in the construction of infrastructure due to
corruption, for example, lax social attitudes and a lack of law enforcement and bribery.
Flooding is likewise a problem. Then, the group explored and identified solutions, which
we categorized into 5 main groups: legislation, regulation, financial resources, technology
and education. The proposed solutions include: a green competition campaign, fuel-tax
36
increase schemes, public transport improvements, a road pricing scheme, detailed planning
of road use, the improvement of drainage systems, the strengthening and
integration/coordination of relevant ministries, as well as tax incentives for socially
responsible companies, to name but a few.
Group 2 discussed urban waste management in the Philippines. The overarching goal of
this project was to effectively manage waste management through the 3Rs concept; that is,
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The specific measures that the group arrived at include:
- 20% reduction in waste generation for households, and 5% for industries through
quantity-based collection fees, as well as the promotion of green production.
- The establishment of disposal/recycling facilities through government investment
or international loans.
- Increase in legal compliance through various fees/penalties/incentives/exemption
schemes.
- Strengthening of law enforcement through intensives, evaluation and monitoring.
- Raising public awareness by improving education system, and establishing
strategic advocacy campaigns
Group 3 discussed counter-measures against the development of farming and mountain
villages. Focusing on legislation, the group came up with policies for dedicated farming
areas and a ban on logging activities. The proposed regulations include the promotion of
public participation in policy application, as well as in the processes of the
formulation/implementation and evaluation. Likewise, the extension of micro-finance to
farmers to adopt environmentally-friendly measures, the promotion of technology transfer
and the external education in GAP – good agricultural practice – and working with
NGO/NPO to share best practices are among the policies suggested by Group 3.
In conclusion, we were exposed to various outstanding environmental issues through the
country presentations from Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore as well as the overview
lecture by Professor Matsushita. From this seminar, we all realized that each of our
countries, not only from ASEAN, but throughout Asia and the world, is now facing serious
environmental issues, one way or another. There are some countries that are further
advanced in policy in dealing with environmental issues while sustaining economic growth
in the long run; for example, Singapore is now utilizing a ‘bottom-up’ approach to
effectively manage the environment. In my opinion, Thailand should seriously adopt
current Singaporean policies in order to deal with its environmental issues. Most of the
current policies utilized in Thailand are based on the incentive/penalty approach. These
are based on ‘top-down’ policy, in which the government attempts to control people and
private companies to limit their burden on the environment. There are always loopholes or
gaps in policies, however, that people and companies can use to escape. A ‘bottom-up’
approach, like Singapore’s, however, would greatly raise public awareness of
environmental issues. People have to be cautious about the things they do in their every
day life, whether it harms the environment or not. This, if implemented well, would truly
sustain the environment in the long run for future generations. Perhaps, the first and
foremost thing is that Thailand’s top officials have to be sincere and considerate regarding
environmental issues, similar to the Singaporean government’s approach.
37
Also, through group discussion, we intensively shared input, ideas, and commentary to
develop proposals in response to given issues. We are now much more aware of the large
scale environmental problems that have been occurring and which have grown fast; thus, it
requires immediate, creative action by the various stakeholders to overcome these
problems, so that one nation can enjoy its development in a sustainable fashion.
38
Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity
Prof. Yuto Kitamura
Date 22.10.2008
Aung Zaw Oo
Myanmar
Introduction
Nowadays, everyone accepts education is a very important aspect of our life, and it is an
important tool for international networking. Education is based on four pillars: learning to
know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. It has a big role to play in
formulating national identity among people and promoting national unity and especially
morality, values and citizenship. From my personal point of view, the effectiveness of a
country’s education system only relies on the process of management by responsible
personnel, the infrastructure of the given country and the way people accept it.
Seminar Overall Impression
The seminar began with three country presentations, Malaysia,
Myanmar and Singapore reported on the current conditions of the
education systems in their respective countries. As education is
necessary for everybody around the world, people paid a lot of
attention in the seminar, and we never lost track throughout the
lecture. I was impressed with Professor Yuto Kitamura’s lecture,
“Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity (Oct
22, 2008),” because I got to learn more about the Japanese
education system. Mr. Kitamura explained the concept of
“Education For All (EFA),” which promotes basic education
across the world; historically, international conventions have
reaffirmed the rights-based approach to education from 1948 to 1989. A world conference
and a world education forum were organized by UNESCO, UNICEF and UNDP.
Following an explanation of the EFA concept, we got to learn about Japanese education
reform policies and experiences from the postwar period to the current education system.
Impressive points of the country presentation
Malaysia came up with a presentation based on Malaysia’s education system history and
its transformation process till now. The most interesting point here was that Malaysia has
two main, but different, kinds of system for primary education; in the first case, National
39
Schools offer students a chance to directly continue on to secondary school. In the second
case, National Chinese-type schools and Tami schools cannot offer a direct track to
secondary school; rather, students have to spend one extra year regardless of their
individual ability.
Currently, the Myanmar education system emphasizes a
system of continuous assessment rather than relying only
on final examinations. Prior to this, we had a year end test,
and it was the one definitive examination regardless of the
academic year. During our presentation, we had a chance
to inform the participants about the literacy rate of
Myanmar. Being a developing country, nobody could have
imagined that Myanmar might achieve a literacy rate of
more than 90%. It is the greatest achievement of socialist
nation. At that time, the project to eliminate the country’s
illiteracy rate was dynamically joined by university students and, so, it became a success
story.
The education system of Singapore, of the three countries, is realistic from my personal
point of view. They emphasize the assessment methods rather than focusing on one
checking point. They establish fair competition among potential candidates.
Group Discussion
After the seminar in the afternoon, we were assigned group study to discuss the challenges
and how to further promote the current education systems of Singapore, Malaysia and
Myanmar that we had learned about in the morning. Unlike other group studies, we were
assigned to discuss and chose a case based on the three country presentations. It was really
effective and we understood more about the presentations. Each participant played an
assigned role in the discussion regarding challenges and promotion in order to come up
with solutions in the group.
The members of each group discussed the issues by taking the roles of the Ministry of
education, a teacher, a student, a CEO of a private organization, a Parent and a Community.
We discussed our own opinions from the point of view of the assigned roles.
I was in group (A). We were assigned to support the education system in my country
(Myanmar). I acted as the facilitator and seminar coordinator for the discussion. Before
the discussion, our group decided to focus on the quality of education; the quality of
40
teachers, school infrastructure and professional incentives to help support teaching at the
basic education level. Theere is a problem of inferiority in the rural areas in my country.
There are not enough incentives for teachers. So they hire unqualified teachers who cannot
adapt to modified curriculums and extracurricular activities. Therefore, our group
discussed solutions for education quality problems, as part of basic compulsory education;
especially related to the quality and competence of teachers.
Group B discussed Malaysia’s education system. The members of the group discussed
current practices and found a consensus on the area of necessary improvement in postprimary education. I express this with the blue circle in the diagram above. That is an extra
stage for those who have studied in other types of school, apart from National schools.
That additional year was meant to be used to teach the Malay Language; however, they are
good at language already. The discussion point of group B revolved around every student
having an equal opportunity to continue on to secondary school. Though language is the
medium of instruction, students attend university to acquire concepts rather than language.
On the other hand, the medium of instruction in secondary school is not Malay; rather, it
may be different according to specialized subjects. Group B reached a consensus that it
was not necessary to attend an additional year to study Malay.
Group C: The education system of Singapore is comparatively better in South-East Asia.
Fair competition, regardless of the nationality, and access to equal opportunity are the
obvious characteristics of the Singapore system, which has led to the betterment of basic
education. The medium of instruction, even in primary education, is in English so that
students are well adapted to the international environment.
Desired Outcome – Common Multi-Stakeholders’ Perspective of the consensus of the
groups
1. (Minister) to improve literacy rate, beyond reading and writing
2. (Parents) to improve family economics through better education
3. (Teacher) to improve performance of students, with more financial and resources from
Government (e.g. “hazard allowance” and educational/instructional materials)
4. (Student) Equal treatment, as compared with urban students)
5. (CEO, Company) Qualified labour / workforce (foundational education)
6. (Community) Sufficient infrastructure (e.g. bursaries/scholarships)
Many Helping Hands Reform – Enhancing education quality by upgrading teachers’
skills sets
In our group, we decided to promote the
revitalization of professional development
for teachers, providing targeted preservice and refresher training to new and
in-service teachers. On the other hand, the
government should be responsible to
provide a training curriculum; meanwhile,
the community should provide a training
venue. Socially responsible companies
have to provide financial resources and
41
factor in the private sector, while the local government would
submit a post-funding, evaluative report to the Ministry of
Education. The local community could provide internship for
teachers and NGOs by sharing best practices for peer to peer
coaching. The education committees, at the village level, are
the liaison for a stronger representation of villagers, the
government and other community stakeholders to revitalize
education. Moreover, the local community would provide
logistical support to teachers, such as transportation: for
example, a motorcycle. The motorcycles would become an
asset and property of the rural village.
Conclusion
To sum up, the “Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity” seminar
taught us much about how education systems shape society and what educational concepts
have been developed to promote peace and social development in the world, with reference
to Japan. I was strongly impressed by Professor Yuto Kitamura and also by the IATSS
Forum staff, who shared their knowledge of education and contributed their knowledge.
42
JAPANESE BUDO – THE MARTIAL WAYS OF JAPAN
Mr. Alexander Bennett / Mr. Bruce Flanagan
October 24th, 2008
Hu Chi-Min
Malaysia
It has been many days since the 44th batch gathered here in Japan. During these days, we
have been faced with many obstacles and challenges. Each of us dealt with it in our own
different way; sometimes we laughed about it, we were mad about it and there were times
we just hid our feelings. Today, we had the opportunity to see and learn about Japan’s
ancient warriors, the Samurai; and how they trained themselves physically and mentally to
accept challenges and to face obstacles.
Alex and his trusted assistant Bruce briefed the 44th batch on the
historical aspect of martial arts and in particular ‘Kendo’; how the art
became what it is today. From the day where martial arts were used in
warfare and violence during the pre-Tokugawa period, it became a
symbol of high status. Eventually, the art of sword fighting became a
kind of entertainment and sport during the Meiji period.
The martial arts, or Budo, throughout history have been developed to enhance ones
physical health through constantly training of the body, whilst the development of its
technical skills allows one the capabilities and knowledge to stand out as a role model.
However, the greatest teaching of the martial arts is neither just the physical training, nor
the highly developed technical skills, but of Bushido, the spiritual side of the arts.
Someone trained in the physical aspects of any martial art and able to execute those actions
is nothing but a violent hooligan. It is only those who have the art and the teachings
regarded as fit for the “perfect” human being; a role model. In a modern society, due to
many reasons, our younger generation seems to concentrate their daily lives with either the
physical aspects of their lives or in the pursuit of academic/ technical knowledge; or both.
Yet, it is commonly agreed that many of these youngsters lack discipline and are generally
fragile. Such a phenomenon does not just occur in Japan but throughout ASEAN and,
probably, the world.
We know that many of our younger generation, and this may include ourselves, sometimes
succumb to stress. We demonstrate negative behavior due to stress, and this may include
suicidal behavior, anger, sadness and, all in all, minor or a major psychological disorders.
This is indicative of our weaknesses and fragilities.
43
In Kendo, and much of martial arts teaching, the art
does not concentrate in the physical or technical aspects
of the arts but delve deeper into an understanding and
development of the “perfect” human being. It teaches
control and discipline; it teaches mental preparedness
and constant alertness. In achieving higher mental
control, to control one’s’ feelings through meditation
and by practicing it through martial training even in our
daily lives, we are able to strengthen our body and mind. When one’s body and mind
becomes one, we are able to heighten our alertness and preparedness. When one’s body
and mind become one, we are able to focus our response and react with precision. This is
called “zanshin” in Kendo.
The daily application of martial teaching strengthens our spirit and enables us to be
focused and dedicated to our tasks at hand. Armed with the “Samurai spirit” and
“zanshin,” we develop ourselves to achieve the next level of human achievement. In time,
we may become the “perfect” role model. Bushido is an effective cure for mental and
psychological illness; it takes away the fragilities that we impose upon ourselves, and
enables us to work toward a better future together.
In the afternoon, we were able to put the theoretical aspects of what we had learned, from
the morning sessions, into practice. It’s was a tiring afternoon and most of us had sore
arms after the sessions, but it was a great way to practice Bushido and Budo. It is through
constant training of the body that we are able to execute the skills we’ve learned, and it is
through the constant training of the mind that one achieves the height of mental capability.
With both skill and discipline, we will achieve a sense of alertness, and this is “zanshin”.
Achieving “zanshin” in every aspect of our lives enables us to realize our weaknesses and
strengths; likewise, it enables us to focus and “see” the strengths and weaknesses of the
other. This state of constant alertness allows us to open our mind and open heart. With an
open mind and heart, we are able to “see” more and learn more. “Zanshin” is not just a
concept in Kendo, however; if we are able to utilize it in our daily life we will build
character and eventually it makes us a better “human being.” The martial way teaches
humility and respect, and to be in control, respectful to both our seniors and juniors. The
martial way teaches control and focus, which means taking control of our negative
emotions and behavior and focusing on achieving our given task. It is our hope that what
we learned on this day will inspire the 44th batch to further develop its physical, technical
and, most importantly, the spiritual aspect of our lives. In due course it is our hope that we
will be able to achieve our
dreams of living and
sharing:
Respect
Individuality,
Embrace
Diversity. With “zanshin”
in mind, body and soul; we
keep ourselves in constant
alertness and are able to
learn and live more.
44
R&D ~TOTO: Sanitary Ware Manufacture
Mr. Minoru Matsui/ Mr. Mikihiro Inoue,
October 27th, 2008
Philippines
Living life in Japan would never be complete without TOTO. Practically as soon as you
stepped onto the grounds of Japan, you will experience TOTO as soon as you hit the toilets
of airport for comfort and beauty check. And as Lay (Singapore) shared to the class, when
visiting Japan, one should automatically hit the toilet and see its wondrous equipment.
TOTO, is a company based in Kitakyushu, Japan. The company is considered to be he
largest toilet manufacturer in Japan and the fourth largest toilet manufacturer in the world.
The name is actually an abbreviation of the two Japanese words ---TOYO TOKI, which in
English terms is Oriental Porcelain. I thought TOTO was a good name --- simple and
sounds very cute ---(in the Philippines it actually means little boy).
According to them, TOTO has already plants outside Japan namely, China, Taiwan,
Thailand, USA, Indonesia and Vietnam. TOTO is very famous for its promotion of modern
toilet or super toilet commonly known as Washlet or warm-water cleaning toilet seat. The
most basic feature is the integrated bidet, a nozzle the size of a pencil that comes out from
underneath the toilet seat and squirts water.
My first encounter with TOTO was when I arrived here in Japan last September 14, 2008
As soon as we checked in at Toyota Inn just outside Nagoya Airport, I was deeply
impressed with the toilet of said inn.
The remote control mechanism of the toilet was
just superb. The mechanism of cleaning up your
private parts after you have used the equipment
was very efficient. I just thought that Japan really
tops it when it comes to innovation and
technology.
I was deeply impressed with TOTO when we had
the seminar in one of TOTO’s factory.
45
Based on the seminar, TOTO very much values
the hygiene and sanitation of its customers. They
also conduct survey among their customers who
visited their showroom to know what their needs,
wants with regard to sanitary ware as well as
improvement for said equipment. Such mechanism
helps TOTO innovate the toilet equipment suited
for the equipment.
I was also awed when I learned that at least 40
design engineers are working in just one toilet!
Wow! With that kind of brain you really would
expect just superb toilet fit for a king! Although
the amount of each toilet is only seems to fit the
pocket of Hollywood stars or 5 –star hotels, it was
just simply amazing. They also have great toilets
suited for “commoners.”
In said factory, the group was toured to the model
facilities and some “laboratory” where the toilet is
actually made.
The facilities showcased also simulation system to
better appreciate how the system (toilet) will be
appreciated by Customers specifically by elders
and kids.
We also had the opportunity to visit their showroom where it showcased the latest and
state-of-the art sanitary ware and kitchen equipment. Indeed, TOTO
Defines sanitary ware in a new perspective --- totally classy, comfortable and unique!
In conclusion, technology and innovation in Japan as epitomized by TOTO company
speaks the heart of its customers/people --- convenience, class and comfort.
46
2nd Seminar on Enterprise Strategies
Mr. Mitsuyoshi Harada/ Ms. Naoko Yoneya
October 29th, 2008
LY Leakhena
Cambodia
Sunshine City is one of the places I visited during my Tokyo individual-plan day. By
sheer coincidence, Family Mart headquarters is in the Sunshine building and located on the
18th floor where we had our 2nd seminar on enterprise strategies. Their atmosphere in the
room was very nice, equipped with modern and clean facilities to comfort us. We started
the lecture at 10am and were divided into three teams.
The three groups were asked to visit three different Family Mart convenience stores and to
rank them according to which one had the most sales volume. In order to find the answer,
we had to check the locations based on Family Mart’s set criteria:
1. Condition of store
- No obstacles
- Ease of access and exit
- Parking space
- Size of store
- Shape of store
- Condition of store operation
2. Condition of location
- Frontal traffic
- Type of people passing by
- Locations between facilities
- Condition of competitors
3. Condition of catch area
- Market volume
- Quality of market
- Suitability in the catch area
47
The visit assignment lasted from 10:30-1:30pm. When we were informed about this
schedule, one of our participants asked Mr. Mitsuyoshi where we would be having lunch
that day. Surprisingly, each of us were given a ¥1000 prepaid card to buy lunch at
FamilyMart! “Chottomatte!,” he added; “it has to be a different store from the three
convenience stores of today’s assignment!” Because our roles dictated that we couldn’t
enter the store being studied!!!
Store # 1
Store # 2
Store # 3
Each team used different analytical skills to find answers. Group A focused on the strength
and weakness of each store. Meanwhile, group B did a detailed check up based on the
environmental criteria to get answers. Moreover, the team conducted an interview with
some customers to get a better understanding of sales volume. The last group, C, used a
scoring method to grade stores. Likewise, all the teams took pictures of the stores and the
surrounding environment. We also double checked on the customers buying times and the
flow of customers.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Finally, all the teams had a common answer; that store number 1 was the best in terms of
sales among the three locations. After our group presentations, Mr. Mitsuyoshi explained
that Family Mart always localized their business strategy based on the customer behaviour
and national culture of the counties which Family Mart is entering.
48
In fact, this has been the key to the successful strategy of Family Mart for over 20 years.
There are several factors to consider when opening a new store, such as: the convenience
for customer access, time efficiency, safety, ease to locate, parking space and so on. For
example, if Family Mart decided to put a new store on an upper floor of a building, the key
element is to have an elevator that stops on that particular floor.
Operations
Manageme
Marketing
Management
Customers
No wonder Family Mart is one of the most
successful convenience stores in the world.
Following that, we learned about Family
Mart’s service management cycle- Operations
Management, Marketing Management and
Human Resource Management. The most
important concern is to satisfy the needs of
customers.
Human
Resources
Well, this is probably long enough to state an answer for Mitsuyoshi-san about which of
the three stores had the most sales. Following the map below, we can see that store # 3 is
so close to a subway station that there are people always walking by, every minute, from
morning until approximately 10:00 pm. The store is also very convenient for office
workers and junior/senior high school students to get their lunches. There are also no
competitors nearby; therefore, which made this store one of the best selling in terms of
volume.
49
Were we disappointed with the result? Well of course NOT! We were here to think and
learn together while accepting all the mistakes that we as human beings make. The lesson
learned from the seminar was to remember that customer behaviour is no different from
our behaviour. To get to know customers, we need to understand and judge based on our
own demands and needs.
At 5:00 pm, it was time to wrap up the seminar, but guess what?! That was not the end of
our day with FamilyMart yet; we still had very delicious Italian food for our farewell
dinner with Mitsuyoshi-san, Naoko-san, Kong-san, Akira-san, Masumi- san and all the
participants.
We really wished that in the future, Family Mart will open locations in our countries and,
of course, we would be there to support them!
50
Visit Report
Honda Suzuka Factory Visit
September 29, 2008
Philippines
Hyper-excited to visit the Honda factory in Suzuka, the participants were pretty eager to
see the actual car assembly process for the first time. But before the actual tour, we
attended a short presentation on Quality Control (QC) Circles by Mr. Mori, Manager of the
Business Administrative Division.
The lecturer stressed the significance of QC circle activities. In QC circles, associates from
small groups utilize statistical methods to analyze problems and to sort out challenges for
solving various problems and achieving higher goals, and they identify appropriate
problem-solving methods through these processes. QC Circles which started in Japan 46
years ago has contributed to the development of Japanese industry.
Mr. Mori also highlighted the effects of QC Circle activities. Firstly, QC can create a fun
and happy atmosphere in the workplace, whereby workers think from the point of view of
others and can improve human relationships and better communication. Secondly, QC
activities can foster every worker’s broadened perspective, improve their abilities as well
as help them to acquire know-how at work. Finally, QC activities enable the company to
stably supply good quality products at lower prices and make profits, thereby ensuring a
stable life for every member of the company.
An outstanding production system characterizes the Suzuka Factory; this we learned from
an overview of Honda’s production presented by the lecturer himself. From the city of
racing to users all over the world, Suzuka factory is supplying high-performance Honda
products. We learned that Suzuka factory was founded as the third domestic factory in
Japan in 1960. It does not only produce the world’s best-selling car, the Honda Civic, but it
also produces other vehicles ranging from light utility to sports cars, for example the
S2000. The factory also supplies parts to factories in 32 other countries and is taking a
major role in overseas production in combination with local parts producers. In addition,
Suzuka factory also functions as the mother factory providing technical support to overseas
factories. To produce high-quality automobiles, Suzuka factory has introduced cuttingedge, highly-accurate machinery. With its efficient production line, the factory is equipped
with a consistent production system through engines to completed vehicles.
Along with the fundamental principle of Honda: “Respect for Human Dignity,” the
handling of heavy objects and operation in difficult positions by workers has been replaced
by robots. In each process, this factory is realizing ideal work conditions.
Moreover, in the production line, which is called “Global Standard Line,” parts are
unitized to ensure flexibility in the mixed production of multiple models.
52
With a total land area of 890,000 sq. m, Honda Suzuka Factory has 8,900 employees,
7,000 of whom are permanent. The factory is currently producing nine models; 2,160 units
a day.
Novel ideas and dreams are extremely precious to Honda. On our way to the welding and
assembly lines, we passed by a fountain with three statues of women. It is called the
“Fountain of Ideas” which symbolizes Honda’s creativity and innovativeness in producing
high-performance vehicles. Honda, on the other hand, is guided by innovation, safety and
environmental philosophy. The mandate of the company’s founder, Soichiro Honda, to
create new and original technology for his customers echoes in the minds and hearts of
everyone at Honda.
As a result, the company constantly challenges itself to seek out new initiatives and
technologies that keep Honda at the forefront of innovation. As an organization dedicated
to the advancement of mobility, it has always targeted leading-edge technologies. From its
racing spirit and commitment to safety, to its dedication to environmental leadership and
the advanced potential of the HondaJet and ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative
Mobility) humanoid robot, it is its mission to develop forward-thinking technologies that
bring new value to the lives of people. Honda’s most innovative dreams have infinite
possibilities.
Through technology and innovation, Honda has developed enhanced levels of protection. It
is committed to providing safety for everyone – not only for drivers and passengers, but
also in the mitigation of injuries to occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians.
Furthermore, Honda has an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability. It
develops environmentally responsible technology characterized by low emissions and fuel
efficiency. Indeed, Honda dreams of a greener and more environmentally sustainable
world. Honda believes in the power of dreams.
Truly, dreams are the foundation of a brighter future. The power of dreams can never be
underestimated. As the saying goes, “Only as much as we can see can we ever go. Only as
much as we can dream can we ever be.” Through this visit, we deeply realized the power
of dreams. As promising leaders of Asia, we ought to dream big for a better and prosperous
world.
Discipline and hard work characterize the Japanese people, both in business and ordinary
life. These values are evident in the Honda workplace. Dressed in appropriate uniforms,
the workers were very conscientious and dedicated to their jobs. Quality workmanship has
been the key to Honda’s success. High motivation and innovation are well recognized and
rewarded by the company. Through its Improvement Proposal System (Honda’s Employee
Suggestion System), outstanding employees who are able to design models or improve
systems and processes are given awards. Arranged according to prestige, these awards
include the Honda Prize, New Record Prize, Challenge Prize, Gold Prize, Silver Prize and
Bronze Prize. Accordingly, 95% of the proposals made by the engineers and workers are
used in practice.
We were amazed by the unbelievable job of welding and assembling vehicles the robots
did; we were speechless. All we said was “Ah!” and “Oh!” Some tasks are left to the
robots, while others are done by the workers themselves. We were impressed by the speed
and efficiency of production. As regards robotic technology, Honda has created an
53
unparalleled bipedal walking robot which stemmed from their prototype models, P2 and P3.
Honda has been struggling through Research and Development (R&D) to develop new
technology for practical uses of robotics, capitalizing on expertise cultivated through the
development of prototype models.
ASIMO was born as the future of robotic technology. This world’s most advanced
humanoid robot was developed under the assumption that it would be used practically in
the lives of humans in the near future.
54
Suzuka Circuit Traffic Education Center (STEC)
October 03, 2008
Vung Wathana
Cambodia
On October 03, 2008, the IATSS Forum participants and I visited the Suzuka Circuit
Traffic Education Center (STEC), Japan’s first full-fledged racing course established in
1962.
During our visit there, we were introduced to the history of STEC, the basic principles of
Honda’s philosophy: respect for the individual,” (because safety begins with respect for the
individual), the Three Joys ( the joy of buying, the joy of selling, and the joy of creating),
and STEC’s management policies (such as, always think from the customer’s viewpoint;
be creative with dreams as power and take on challenges; encourage theory, originality,
timing and open communication; enjoy your work; improve skills and create a working
atmosphere full of smiling faces; be sincere and take social responsibility; give up priority
to safety, and be in harmony with the global environment.
As a facility specializing in providing traffic education services, the Traffic Education
Center provides “safety software” for the mindset and the operation skills of each driver
and rider.
Moreover, in order to provide the best to their customer, the Traffic Education center also
provides new course outlines, such as;
Avoid night-time accidents
Driving habit check program
Safety device experience program
Frequent accident response program
From 1964 to 2006, there were 972,000 people who received service from the center.
Besides this, over 25,000 people and 800 organizations receive services each year.
There are 75,000 annual course participants.
When we looked at the traffic accident data from 1997 to 2008, the number of deaths from
car accidents was stable.
55
I was also surprised and had a deeper knowledge after watching the video about the nighttime accident program.
It taught us a lot about how to protect ourselves by using reflective items, which colors are
best seen during the night, and which points we have to be careful about during cycling or
driving.
56
The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
21st October, 2008
Laos
After visiting various places in Nagoya as part of the study visit, October 21st 2008, I was
particularly inspired after visiting the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry &
Technology
I was not disappointed at all but rather amazed by the history of Toyota Company and its
innovations. The museum was housed in an attractive brick building dating from the
Taisho Period (1912-25). Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
was founded by 13 companies of the Toyota Group with the objective of showing people
how things get made in the prestigious textile and automobile industries of Toyota Group.
According to Prof. Adachi, the museum has as many as 4000 exhibits and there are
demonstrations by the operators followed by informative videos. The museum also
displays approximately 80 looms and textile machinery, from wooden hand looms to air-jet
looms that utilize computer graphics.
I was particularly surprised by the automobile pavilion that provides a historic chronology
of automobile production, beginning with a replica of the first Toyota car (1936), early
assembly lines using manpower, and automated assembly lines using industrial robots for
everything from engine mounting to painting.
There's also a display of both old and new Toyota cars and a film about how Toyota makes
its cars. Frequent demonstrations of looms and auto-making equipment (including
robotics) make this a fun destination for visitors, both adults and kids alike. There's also a
hands-on discovery room for kids. Expect to spend 90 minutes there.
In my opinion, it would have been easy to spend half a day
at the museum, which had a number of fun activities for
visitors and also included a restaurant, "Brick Age," and a
cafe.
In addition, The Toyota Company traces its roots back to
when Sakichi Toyoda invented an automated power loom
in 1897 and went about setting up a weaving company in
Nagoya. It was there on the same spot where the weaving
business eventually developed into one of the world’s
largest car manufacturers
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In summary, the location of the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and
Technology is where Sakichi Toyoda set up his Toyoda Automated Loom works in 1911.
The restored building that the museum resides in was first constructed in 1925 and that was
also the venue where Sakichi's son Kiichiro Toyoda started the automobile offshoot of the
company, now known as Toyota. The museum is located not far from central Nagoya
58
Tokyo Traffic Control Centre & Waseda University
30th October, 2008
Keng Wei Terk
Singapore
Tokyo Traffic Control Centre
I have always been fascinated and amazed at how Tokyo, one of the largest and busiest
cities in the world, can keep its traffic in such optimal control. Sometimes, however, when
I think deeper about it, maybe it’s not much of a surprise. Being the masters of
professionalism, efficiency and technology, it is no wonder that Japanese have achieved
highly difficult objectives.
When I reached the Tokyo Traffic Control Centre, I was very impressed by the
magnificent control system. It almost felt like something from a dream or from the movie
Matrix IV. Unfortunately, due to security reasons, photography is banned inside the centre.
It was interesting to learn about the following objectives from the director of the centre:
1) Traffic management is important as it reduces the risk of injury to pedestrians and
civilians.
2) Traffic management helps to keep road and traffic flow smooth so that Japanese
can maintain the spirit of punctuality. It also allows them to drive more safely and
at a slower pace.
3) Traffic management helps to make driving easier and safer on roads. In this way,
drivers can have a more pleasant journey and their level of anger and frustration is
reduced. It therefore leads to a lesser chance of accidents occurring.
4) Traffic jams lead to cars emitting more carbon dioxide, which leads to the serious
problem of air pollution and global warming.
It was impressive how their one-stop control centre links and consolidates traffic data from
the whole of Tokyo and its neighboring areas. The information is processed on a timely
basis and analyzed and displayed on the bulletin boards to ensure smooth and timely
control of traffic in Tokyo.
There are various means by which the centre collects traffic information:
1) Roadside Traffic Detector - a high-technology radar-like device that tracks the
number of vehicles passing through a quantum height measurement operation.
2) Emergency Phone Call - from any drivers or road users. They have a manned call
hotline system for quick processing and reaction.
3) Police (on patrol cars, motor-cycles and helicopters)
4) Camera devices - through mass media such as television and radio
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Their Central Display Board shows the entire road network of Tokyo, flanked by the
specific Expressway Display Board and Information Display Board. The information
collected is processed through the following means:
1) Controlling the time intervals of the traffic lights (in relation to traffic situations)
2) Updating information on traffic jams on the Central Display Board
3) Updating and displaying where traffic accidents happen and which streets need to
be opened/closed
4) Communicating and exchanging traffic information with the neighboring Control
Centers
The traffic landscape is broadcast on a towering bank of integrated monitors and is staffed
by several officials working in 24-hour shifts. From left to right, the Expressway Display
Board, Central Display Board, and Information Display Board paint a picture of the
immediate traffic situation by compiling information from cameras, helicopters, police,
and citizen reports and over 17,000 vehicle detectors all around the city.
The Central Display Board highlights 1,000 intersections, and has 15,154 traffic signals in
the system. When traffic jams are detected or reported, the affected area turns from green
to red. It also displays traffic accidents and closed streets. Information is passed on to road
users through radio reports and 300 traffic information boards on the roadways. To directly
influence traffic, it’s possible to manually adjust the signal intervals for 7,000 of the traffic
lights, and communicate directly with traffic officers in the field. I think this unique
methodology of controlling traffic lights is an excellent idea that many countries could do
with it, such as Indonesia, Thailand and the U.S.A. It certainly helps to control and spread
out the traffic burden.
However, what is most commendable is not only how the Centre collects and processes
information, but how it relays it to their most important customers: the commuters
themselves. They provide information through the following means:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Traffic Information Boards
Traffic Signals (and changes)
Roadside radios
Traffic Control Centre
Radio broadcasts
Information Display Vehicles
Other aims of the centre are to ensure nobody gets hurt or killed on the road. Every
individual who uses the road needs to follow all the rules, practice good manners and never
lose the desire and motivation to care about others. Public awareness and education on this
issue is fervently promoted and spread by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers
through various activities.
Meanwhile, law enforcement and education activities focus on flagrant violations that
trigger serious accidents, such as driving without a license, drinking and driving, speeding,
ignoring red lights, and obstructing pedestrians. Another target of strict control is illegal
parking, as it is the major cause of not only traffic jams but accidents as well. Tremendous
60
emphasis is placed on the investigation of hit-and-run cases as well as accidents caused by
business-related offences, such as over-loading and fatigued driving (especially at night) in
order to find out who the guilty parties are. Gathering material evidence on the accident
scene is also crucial to their investigations.
In conclusion, I would say that while Tokyo may not be the most traffic-friendly place in
the world, it’s certainly much better than the situation in many other countries. I feel that
much effort has gone into the planning, preparation, integration and streamlining of the
entire traffic centre operation, from the engineers and system developers to the ground
operators. Many technology-savvy methods, such as vehicle detectors to monitor flow and
the traffic light interval control system, are paramount to the high reliability and
effectiveness of the system. The director also shared with us potential future developments,
such as integrating the detectors with car global positioning navigational systems to inform
drivers on a more timely basis.
Waseda University
The moment I walked into Waseda University, I
could feel that this was a prestigious university with
huge traditions and acclaim. It may have something to
do with the hallowed walls and large, open
environment. I learned from Professor Tsuboi that this
was the top private university in Japan, meaning only
students with excellent results can enter it.
We started off with a tour of the place, and discovered
that Waseda University has many top facilities that other universities do not have, such as
a library with no less than 3 million books, an open field for students to study or relax in,
and a nice pond stocked with fish. We also toured its museum which had a great history
and artifacts from Waseda’s early years.
We then had a discussion with some of the students from the university on political
systems and issues. It was a good discussion, although the students were a little shy and
did not speak up much. I was thinking over this aspect, and it struck me that the reason for
this was probably that in Japanese culture, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on
respect and hierarchy. As such, in schools, perhaps the students are also influenced by the
system and tend to just keep quiet and listen to the lecturers, and not question or speak up
much for fear of being corrected. I guess it is the other extreme to the American system,
which has a very open, unrestricted society, and where students in schools are very active
and responsive in class. In a way, there are both positives and negatives that can be derived
from this. In the positive sense for Japan, they have developed into a very organized,
effective and disciplined society, where everything works like clockwork and the crime
rate is extremely low. However, the downside is that there may not be enough creativity,
courage and willingness to truly globalize the Japanese dream. As the youth feel more and
more shy and less inclined to speak up, they may have problems integrating with society
and building relationships for family life. As for the U.S.A, the positive side is that there is
constant innovation and creativity in people, and they have no problems with interpersonal
61
relationships or communication skills. The downside, however, is that with such an open
and globalised society, there is also a lot of temptation and areas for people to exploit.
Naturally, the level of discipline in people will drop and, therefore, the crime rate is much
higher. As such, I believe there is no good or bad system in a sense. Whatever good the
system has, it is bound to bring about some flaws; it’s just the natural cycle of things on
this planet.
For the discussion itself, we had a very open and frank discussion. During the discussion,
we covered the following issues:
1) The role of government in determining the success of any country. The government
plays a critical role as the focus and direction it takes will influence and trickle down
throughout the whole country. As such, the top person, or people in the government,
is extremely critical to determining the fate of the entire country.
2) Citizens are the only ones who can control or influence their own fates at times. This
is because it is sometimes difficult for other nations or the United Nations to
influence the government of a country, due to rights issues.
3) ASEAN should work as a united body to create stronger collective bargaining power
with other nations, similar to the case of the European Union (EU). However, it is
extremely difficult because of the disparate cultures, traditions and status of the
various countries. Compromises will have to be accepted by all the ASEAN
countries if the dream of a united ASEAN body is to become a reality.
4) There is often a cyclical nature to the successes/failures and health/state of a nation.
For example, a country may grow economically and politically for a number of
years; however, there comes a point whereby the great environment of success will
lead to inevitable negatives coming along. Like a force of nature, the pendulum will
swing the other way, leading the country on a downward slope. Years later, when
positives come up again, they overpower the negatives, thus leading to that repeated
cycle of things.
All in all, it was a very good visit to one of the most prestigious universities in Japan
loaded with international students and diverse cultures. It was indeed an eye-opening
experience for us to see a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing university, one that is
different from many of the universities that we IATSS participants have graduated from.
We ended off the day with a wonderful sushi/sashimi dinner at a Japanese restaurant with
the Waseda students, interacting with them in a more casual way.
62
Group Study Report
65
THEME LECTURE: POPULATION ISSUES
Ms. KIYOKO IKEGAMI
September 22nd, 2008
Djalinda
Indonesia
Though Ms. Ikegami did a very good job in her lecture, I felt a bit depressed when talking
about population issues. We had so much homework to do.
Theme I topic, part 1, mainly discussed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ms.
Ikegami opened her lecture with the question whether we already knew about MDGs or
not. Not all of us knew about MDGs and why the programme is being implemented,
especially in developing countries. I know about MDGs because I work in an NGO related
to community development. But that doesn’t mean that I already understood everything
about MDGs. I learned that the 8 Millenium Development goals were set because we are
now facing phenomena related to those goals. When we talked about issues in our
respective countries, it seemed that we could not stop talking. Almost 3 hours we talked
about issues related to MDGs in our countries. It was really interesting to learn about
issues in other countries.
Singapore, for example, has a very
stable economy compared to other ASEAN
countries. However, they will be struggling
a lot in 30-50 years, because they will face
the problem of and aging population.
Young men and women in Singapore,
nowadays, prefer to pursue careers rather
than get married. Young married couples
have no interest in having children or only
have one child in the family. As for other
ASEAN countries, they mainly struggle
with the MDG issues related to poverty.
I will briefly give an explanation of Indonesia’s issues. Based on the data from
2007 MDG Results, 16.6 percent of the population are still living below the national
poverty line. Almost half of the population does not have access to safe drinking water
and more than a third lack adequate sanitation. It is predicted that maternal mortality rate
66
has dropped. Also, HIV/AIDS is spreading fast among some vulnerable groups and in
remote regions. I believe these kinds of problems also happen in other ASEAN countries
as well.
The Government of Indonesia is committed to increasing funding for poverty
alleviation, education, and health. For example, it has launched the National Community
Empowerment Programme (PNPM), which seeks to create short-term employment for
thousands of Indonesians. There is a Conditional Cash Transfer program being piloted
which will provide cash support for the poorest of the poor to access health and education
services (frankly, I do not agree with this program ;p). It seems that we have more
problems than solutions ; however, I was really happy to hear one thing that was
highlighted by Ms. Ikegami on Indonesia’s efforts to achieve MDGs. In terms of achieving
goal 5 (improve maternal health), the Indonesian government already has a policy of
providing one midwife in each village. There are also many actions which have been
undertaken in order to achieve the MDGs. Though unfulfilled as of yet, it shows the
government is concerned about developing our country.
Talking about goals, this means we also have to understand the current situation
and what resources we have to achieve the goals. Ms. Ikegami reminded us of the
importance of baseline data. Baseline data helps us understand what our major issues are
and what priorities we should have. She said something that made me remember how
important data is. She said, “rapid population growth can eat the fruits of development.” In
term of development, there is no chance that government can make any difference if it
does not know the circumstances before drafting a plan for development. Uninformed
governments may implement many plans, but they will end up with nothing.
Besides data, it is also important to work in terms of advocacy. Advocacy can be
implemented through variety of types. Advocacy is not just about demonstrating on the
street. Advocacy can be conducted through media or enlightened activities in the
community. This is important because it will promote awareness at many levels.
Development cannot be solely implemented on the government’s side. Besides the effects
on the community itself, it will hopefully bring awareness to the private sector so that they
will invest their money in development programs.
Theme I topic, part 2, discussed proposal
writing. To give us a better understanding, we
were divided into 3 groups and worked on a case
study in a mythical Village called X, Champon
Meng Province, Aseandia. Ms Ikegami helped
us to understand the important things in drafting
a proposal, which are:
1. use logical thinking; that is, always ask
‘why’ and synergize macro and micro
issues
2. always involve the community in order to sustain a program
3. the results are measurable
67
As for my group, which contained Janet, Fish, John, and Koyata, we came up with this
result
To increase the overall educational level
of Aseandian people
To increase the percentage of students reaching 5th grade
To improve the function of community-based
school management system
Identify training needs of
committee members
Determine training needs of
committee members
Determine socio-economic and
demographic background of
community
What follows is an example of a good proposal:
To increase overall educational level
of Aseandian people
To increase the percentage of students reaching 5th grade
To improve function of community-based
school management system
↑number of skilled
committee members
t ra i n i n g
c o u rs e s
encourage
mutual support
↑participation of
community
leaders and women
organize trial
participation
persuade
community
members
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↑support from
local government
f u n di n g
requests
meeting
w/government
officials
Even though we felt that our proposal was already good, it turned out that we were
not that effective. Ms. Ikegami reminded us again of the importance of synergizing the
macro and micro issues. We have to think globally and act locally, otherwise, development
programs cannot solve main problems at the grass-roots level. Likewise, it is important not
to lose focus when drafting a proposal. Sometimes we intend to gain more money and the
effect of our proposal may result in doing too many activities at once.
69
THEME LECTURE: POPULATION ISSUES
Ms. KIYOKO IKEGUMI
September 22nd, 2008
Vongmany Thanouvan
Laos
On the second day of Ms. Ikegami’s lecture, I was very interested when we talked about
population issues, especially when we talked about Gender equality, gender equity and
equality between women and men.
I. A brief summary of lecture theme :
1. Gender Equity
Gender equality, gender equity, equality between women and
men, as well as issues, like the empowerment of women, quotas
and the election of women to political office, are now widespread
in the vocabulary of many countries.
However, and for all the frequent use of such words, the
meaning of ‘gender’ and ‘women’ is often a cause of confusion.
Most often, ‘gender’ is used interchangeably with ‘women.’ And
‘gender’ is also confused with ‘sex.’ Because gender seems to be
a central organizing principle in society, we cannot fully understand human society and its
cultures if we do not understand gender. Gender refers to the social interpretations and
values assigned to being a woman, a man, a boy or a girl. Gender is about social
relationships. Gender is an analytical concept. It is socially determined and not based on
the biological differences between women and men. The sex of the individual is
determined by biology (we are born with it and usually do not change it.
In most societies, however, the female gender is defined as having less power and
fewer privileges and rights than the male gender. Gender equality means that women and
men have equal conditions, in the protection of their full human rights and the realization
of their full potential, to engage in and contribute to their political, economic, social and
cultural development.
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2. Reproductive Health and the MDGs
Reproductive health components, family planning, skilled birth
attendance and emergency obstetric care save lives. Family
planning can reduce maternal mortality by 20 to 35 per cent.
Improved quality of care and access to maternal health services, improves women’s
health and quality of life, for them and their families.
There are 8 Millenium Development goals:
1.
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2.
Achieve universal primary education
3.
Promote gender equality and empower women
4.
Reduce child mortality
5.
Improve maternal health
6.
Combat HIV/AIDS malaria and other diseases
7.
Ensure environmental sustainability
8.
Develop a global partnership for development
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3. Financing the ICPD programme of Action
4. Programme of Action of the “International Conference on
Population and Development”
The International Conference on Population and Development met in
Cairo from 5 to 13 of September, 1994.
II. Another topic: There was discussion about proposal writing which continued from the
previous day (September 21st, 2008). To give us a better understanding, we were divided
into 3 groups again and worked on a case study case; Bartola. Through the topic, Ms
Ikegumi helped us understand the most important things in writing a proposal, which are:
1. How the proposal works ….
2. How the proposal will get funding.....
3. Any organization can get funds; it is relative to their situation. The proposal is very
important as well.
The second lecture day mainly discussed Gender equality, gender equity,
equality between women and men, Reproductive Health, the MDGs and financing
the ICPD programme of Action. This helped the participants understand and set
priorities.
72
Facilitation skills
Ms. Keiko TSUBAKI
24 and 30 Sept. 2008
Manuh Pitasari
Indonesia
Facilitations skill were something new to me. I didn’t even know that they were needed in
a discussion. Thus, I was curious about the subject and how the lecturer would teach us the
skills, not just the theoretical knowledge.
She started with an “Ice Breaker or Melting” technique, which is a way to start an activity
or discussion to help people start communicating with each other. She divided the
classroom into 4 corners; Sunny, Cloudy, Rainy and Stormy. Then, she asked us to choose
the corner which best represented our feeling towards the training. Almost everyone chose
the Sunny or Cloudy corners. Almost all of us were excited and eager to learn about this
topic, but some of us had chosen the Cloudy corner because we didn’t know what to expect
from the training.
My curiosity about how we were going to learn facilitation skills was satisfied when the
prfessor divided the class into 3 groups and asked each member of the group to take turns
as a facilitator of the group in a discussion; meanwhile, she introduced some skills or
techniques in facilitation. The group members offered feedback to the given team
facilitator, so that we could know our strengths and weaknesses as facilitators. This was
important to help improve our facilitation skills. I realized that by doing this, we not only
learned the theories but actually practiced the skills. Furthermore, we also learned to see
from both the group member’s and the facilitator’s point of view, having experienced both.
Some of the discussion topics were:
- Visiting Kyoto
We were introduced to Mind Mapping techniques during the discussion. We were asked to
come up with anything related to our visit to Kyoto. This was fun because all of us were
very excited about the visit.
- Dream Car
We used Brainstorming and Categorizing techniques in the discussion. We were asked to
define the characteristic and name of our group’s Dream Car.
Brainstorming is good to gather as many ideas as possible
without putting any restrictions or rejecting anything. Another
thing we learned from the session was that all of us had good
imaginations.
73
- Trouble Maker
During this session, we identified the characteristics of a group discussion trouble-maker,
which was categorized as People, Environment and Others.
- Blind game
This session was a bit different, because we began by playing an
outdoor game in pairs. We took turns being blindfolded (we
covered our eyes with a piece of cloth) and guided. The
blindfolded person had to follow the instructions/directions of the
guide. After the game, we had a discussion as a group to define
the lessons we had learned from the game. We saw the blindfolded
as group members and the guide as facilitator. Again, from this
session, we learned that both the group members and the
facilitator have to contribute for a good discussion.
We also learned about the 5 basic attitudes of good communication: Smile, make eye
contact, respond, nod and question. We learned about the effectiveness of these attitudes
by having conversations in pairs about the happiest moments in our lives. First, we had
conversations without employing the attitudes; then, we practiced using the attitudes in
conversation. I was quite surprised to discover that 5 simple attitudes, which we normally
never pay attention to, have a great impact on creating an enjoyable conversation.
During the whole session, Ms. Tsubaki always encouraged us to practice, be open-minded
and learn. She also said that it was normal to have difficulties practicing Facilitation skills
during the training, because we were discussing in English, which for most of us was not
our mother tongue. Another good point was that the professor gave us a 10 minute break
after each discussion session. By doing this, we had more time to refresh our minds and
maintain our spirits for the whole day
Because all of us enjoyed the training, we were actually looking forward for the 2nd day of
the Facilitation skills training.
On the 2nd day, Ms. Tsubaki pointed out the importance of Self-Confidence and
Experience in being a good Facilitator. Then we practiced Facilitation skills in different
groups by doing several activities:
- The Builder
Each group was asked to set-up a Lego block building
based on one design. The challenge was that only one
group member could be the builder and touch the Lego
blocks. The other group members had 3 x 10” chances to
see the Lego building. Each group member had to take
turns doing this. My group was actually the only group
which succeeded in building the exact copy of the
blueprint. We were very proud of this achievement,
because we achieved our goal and also enjoyed the
process. Some key points we learned from this session
was to specify the goal from the start, maintain calmness,
the importance of having the same perspective and
language, and how to manage information flow.
74
NASA game
The main purpose of this game was to develop a consensus. We had to use facilitation
skills to come up with a group consensus. As a group, we were asked to decide on
priorities for several items, as astronauts to survive and return to our mother ship. At first,
we had difficulties in understanding the function of some of the items, such as the
Astronomical table from the moon and Solar Energy FM transceiver. Then, our group also
had difficulties deciding on the priorities. Following that, our facilitator (Koyata-san,
Japanese participant), pointed out an important thing; which was to be our first priority on
this mission: to reach the mother ship OR to survive? Once we had decided that survival
was our priority, it was easier for us to reach consensus. Later on, Ms. Tsubaki also said
that this was a good point.
- Observation of group discussion.
This was the last group session and it was divided into 2 parts. First we had to decide on
the topic we wanted to discuss as a group, and then we had to carry out the discussion with
other groups as observers. The other group would then give us feedback on each group
member and the facilitator as well as the group dynamic. The topics chosen were:
1. What is love?
2. Why Japanese like onsen?
3. What activities we would like to do as group in “Self-Development Activity” day?
4.
During this last group session, I noticed that all of us tried to use facilitation skills in group
discussion. We gave constructive feedback to each other to help improve the facilitator and
group members.
Finally, Ms. Tsubaki ended the training by asking us individually to think of one keyword
related to Facilitation, and then we had to explain it to another participant. By doing this,
we summarized what we had learned in Facilitation skills training.
The Facilitation Training was very useful for us. We could directly practice the skills in
this forum during the Group Study and Seminar Group discussions.
Personally, the training was a mind-opening experience for me. I learned that discussion
can be made enjoyable for all members and goals can still be achieved, so that every
members’ ideas and involvement are important, as well as the importance of facilitation
and the facilitator in a discussion. I believe I can use these skills in my daily life and I
would even like to share this with my colleagues to improve our discussions.
75
The 44th IATSS FORUM
AGEING POPULATION IN JAPAN:
ISSUES, IMPLICATIONS, AND INITIATIVES
(The Case of Suzuka City)
By Group A (Genki Team)
LY Leakhana (Cambodia)
SINUHAJI Djalinda (Indonesia)
AUNG Zaw Oo (Myanmar)
PENASO Anthony Makinano (Philippines)
TOH Lay Hoon (Singapore)
NGUYEN Lan Anh (Vietnam)
Suzuka City, Japan
November 2008
76
Executive Summary
The twenty-first century is considered to be the century of aging populations. An
ageing population means that the proportion of younger people in a populace decreases
while the proportion of the aged increases. In an aging population, the birth rate is low, the
death rate is low, the population growth rate is low and life expectancy is high. This
phenomenon is very evident in Japan.
This study endeavors to identify issues and trends related to Suzuka City’s aging
population in Mie Prefecture, Japan. We also sought to draw out the implications of the
issue and formulate a community-based initiative to promote active ageing.
Using the triangulation approach, this study employed both quantitative and
qualitative techniques. A demographic profile and trends were obtained from the
population and census department of Suzuka City. Key-informant interview with the city’s
mayor and population and census officer would be undertaken to gather more information
on local programs and initiatives for the elderly population. Meantime, two group
interviews, with participants aged below 35 and over 35 respectively, were utilized to
gather more information on issues and challenges as well as perceived factors associated
with population ageing. An intensive document review was utilized to obtain information
on community associations (Jichikai), specifically with regards to programs and activities.
Our findings showed that the age structure of Suzuka’s population has been shifting
to a marked degree. From 2000-2006, there was a continuous increase in the proportion of
over 65 year olds. On the contrary, there was a continuous decrease in the proportion of
under15 year olds. The proportion of older to younger people in the elderly population
appears to be continuously increasing. This substantial upward shift in Suzuka implies
governmental attention is necessary in terms of addressing the demands of the elderly.
In view of its limited resources, society cannot and should not rely on the
Government alone to solve all societal issues; particularly such issues as ageing
populations. For greater sustainability, most approaches should be bottom-up (where
feasible). Recommending a Gin-Cooperative as an extension of the local Jichikai is a case
in point. As the Silver Human Resource Center has been successful in helping the elderly
become more employable and in acquiring part-time jobs, it has already confirmed that the
elderly can work and want to work; albeit the number of elderly who are employed
remains low. Hence, the value proposition would be to localize the employment function to
the Jichikai and professionalize the sector. The participation rate of the elderly is
postulated as being higher and there would be lower barriers to entry in the employment
sector for the elderly, since they could earn supplementary incomes while making new
friends.
77
CONTENTS
Executive Summary
1. Background
1.1 Rationale
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Conceptual-Analytic Framework
2. Methodology
3. Research Findings
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
Ageing Population Trend in Suzuka
Issues and Challenges
Factors Associated with Ageing Populations
Community-Based Association
4. Conclusion
5. Recommendation
5.1 Definition of Co-operative
5.2 Today’s Employment Landscape for the Elderly
5.3 Our Theory of Change
5.4 Gin-Cooperative–Its Business Model–A Multi Stakeholders Approach
5.5 Professional Assistance
5.6 Budget Requirement
5.7 Implementation Process
5.8 Challenges
5.9 Performance Indicators
5.10 Time Frame for Implementation
6. Group Dynamics
7. Appendix
78
1. Background
1.1 Rationale
There has been a notable slowing down of world population growth in both
developed and developing countries. This is attributed to the reduction in fertility in the
majority of these countries. Today, about 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in
countries with below replacement fertility. Thirteen percent live in countries with very low
fertility rates.
Because of these demographic changes, population-age distributions are changing
markedly as the number of older persons increases and the number of youth is relatively
decreasing. Based on the projection of Lutz, Sanderson, and Scherbov (2004) and the
United Nations (2005), the twenty-first century is the century of ageing populations.
Furthermore, over the coming decades the size of some populations is expected to decrease
considerably in a number of countries. An ageing population means that the proportion of
youths in a population decreases while the proportion of elderly increases. In ageing
populations, birth rates are low, death rates are low, population growth rates are low and
life expectancy is high.
Undeniably, Japan is fast becoming the oldest population in the world (Ogawa,
2005). Japan was the first non-Western country to experience a decline in fertility after the
Second World War and that decline was more rapid than in any other industrialized nation
at the time (Ogawa and Matsukura, 2005). Table 1 shows population change in Japan from
1950 with projections up to 2025.
As shown in table 1, the age structure of the Japanese population has shifted to a
substantial degree. Table 1 also shows the projected values for total population size and
indices relative to the age structure, computed from a population projection produced from
the most recent version of the population, economic and social security models constructed
by Nihon University Population Research Institute (NUPRI).
“As can be gleaned from the table, the proportion of those 65 and over increased
from 4.9 per cent in 1950 to 17.3 per cent in 2000, and it is expected to exceed 20 per cent
in 2005. This implies that the Japanese population will become the oldest population in the
world during 2005, surpassing that of Italy (Ogawa, 2005). Moreover, the proportion of
those 65 or over is projected to be higher than 31 per cent in 2025. This suggests that
Japan’s population will continue to be the oldest in the world. More importantly, Japan will
reach the world’s highest level of aging at an unprecedented rate (Ogawa and Retherford,
1997; Ogawa, et. al., 2003). Japan’s older population constituted 10 per cent of the
population only by 1985, long after other industrialized countries had reached that level.
Yet, the proportion of older persons then doubled in just 21 years. Compared with such
European countries as Norway or Sweden, Japan’s population is aging three times as fast
(Ogawa & Matsukura, 2005).”
79
TABLE 1. POPULATION CHANGE IN JAPAN, 1950-2025
Year
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
Total
population
(1000
persons)
0-14
(per
cent)
15-64
(per
cent)
83 200
89 276
93 419
98 275
103 720
111 940
117 060
121 049
123 611
125 570
126 926
127 449
127 013
125 603
123 235
120 094
35.4
33.4
33.0
25.6
23.9
24.3
23.5
21.5
18.2
16.0
14.6
13.8
13.0
12.1
11.0
10.2
59.7
61.3
64.2
68.2
69.0
67.8
67.4
68.2
69.7
60.5
68.1
66.2
64.0
61.0
59.5
58.8
65 or
over
(per
cent)
4.9
5.3
5.7
6.3
7.1
7.9
9.1
10.3
12.1
14.6
17.4
20.0
23.0
26.9
29.5
31.0
Total
dependency
ratio a
67.5
63.1
60.4
46.8
44.9
47.6
48.4
46.7
43.5
50.4
46.9
50.6
55.6
63.2
67.6
70.0
75 or
over/65
or
over
(per cent)
25.7
29.2
30.4
30.3
30.2
32.0
34.4
37.8
40.1
39.3
40.9
45.1
48.0
48.4
52.1
60.0
Familial
support
ratio b
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
On the other hand, among the elderly the proportion of those aged 75 or over has
been increasing almost continuously, going from 24 per cent in 1950 to 41 per cent in 2000.
From 2000 to 2025, the pace of growth of that proportion is expected to accelerate so that
it will reach 60 per cent by 2025. In comparison to the projections for other countries, in
2025 Japan will still be the country having the highest proportion of aged people (75 or
over), followed by Sweden with 52 per cent and Italy with 50 per cent (United Nations,
2005). This pronounced upward shift in the age distribution of Japan is prone to generate a
substantial increase in the demand for medical and long-term care services, both formal
and informal.
The rapid decline in the child dependency ratio (generating an important
demographic dividend) and the rise in old age dependency have created significant new
policy challenges. This study, therefore, attempts to determine issues and implications
relative to ageing in Japan, particularly in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture. A key question
posed in this study is about how these policies and initiatives should be carried out to
improve the health of older people and the contributions they can make to economic
dynamism. As an output of the study, a community-based initiative would be formulated to
promote dynamism in aging in Suzuka City.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This study endeavored to identify age issues and trends in Suzuka City, Mie
Prefecture, Japan, as well as drawing out implications and formulating a community-based
initiative to promote active aging.
80
Specifically, answers to the following questions were sought:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is Suzuka’s aging population trend?
What are the issues and challenges regarding the aging population?
What are the perceived factors associated with population aging?
What community-based initiative can be formulated to promote active aging?
1.3 Conceptual-Analytic Framework
This research and development (R&D) project focused on three major aspects,
namely: issues, implications and initiatives. The flow of analysis is shown in Figure 1.
ISSUES
IMPLICATIONS
INITIATIVES
Figure 1. Conceptual-Analytic Framework of the Study
2. Methodology
Using the triangulation approach, this study employed both quantitative and
qualitative techniques. Demographic profile and trends were obtained from the population
and census department of Suzuka City. Key-informant interview with the city mayor and
population and census officer will be undertaken to gather more information on local
programs and initiatives for the elderly population. Meantime, two group interviews with
participants aged 35-below and above 35, respectively was utilized to gather more
information on issues and challenges as well as perceived factors associated with
population ageing. Intensive documents review was utilized to obtain information on
community associations (Jichikai), specifically their programs and activities. The different
research methods and techniques are diagrammed in Figure 2.
81
Research
Methodology
Quantitative
Techniques
Qualitative
Techniques
Percentages/Ratios
Intensive Documents
Review
Trend Analysis
Key-Informant/Group
Interviews
Figure 2. The Research Methodology
3. Research Findings
3.1 Aging Population Trend in Suzuka
The data gathered from the population and census office of Suzuka revealed a
trend consistent with Japan at the macro level. Figure 3 shows the population change in
Suzuka from 2000-2006.
As reflected in figure 3, age structure of the Suzuka population has been shifting to
a marked degree. The proportion of those 65 or over continuously increased from 14.35 per
cent in 2000 to 16.48 per cent in 2006. Meantime, the proportion of those below 15 years
of age continuously decreased from 16.57 in 2000 to 15.87 in 2006. This implies that the
Suzuka population will become older and older. This finding is consistent with the finding
of various studies taking Japan as a whole. Suzuka also will reach a high level of ageing at
an unprecedented.
82
Population change in Suzuka (2000-2006)
100%
14.35%
14.92%
14.94%
15.32%
15.54%
16.00%
16.48%
69.08%
68.78%
68.86%
68.58%
68.44%
68.10%
67.65%
16.57%
16.30%
16.21%
16.10%
16.02%
15.90%
15.87%
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2000
(0-14)
(15-64)
65 or over
Figure 3. Population Change in Suzuka (2000-2005)
Likewise, as shown in Figure 4, the proportion of those aged 75 or over among
those aged 65 or over has been continuously increasing, passing from 66.68 per cent in
2000 to 78.26 per cent in 2006. From 2000 to 2006, there a little more than 10 percent
increase in the said proportion. This finding reveals that the proportion of older people
over younger ones among the elderly population is increasing continuously. This
substantial upward shift in the old age distribution of Japan implies governmental attention
in terms of addressing the demands of the elderly for medical and long-term care services.
Ratio of older over younger people among the elderly
( 75 or over/65 or over)
80.00%
78.00%
77.86%
76.00%
78.26%
75.99%
74.00%
72.68%
72.00%
70.46%
70.00%
68.56%
68.00%
66.00%
66.68%
64.00%
62.00%
60.00%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
75 or over/65 or over
Figure 4. Proportion of Older People (75 or over) over Younger Ones (65-74)
83
3.2 Issues and Challenges
Issue: Institutionalization of programs and initiatives for the elderly
Suzuka City is not exempt from the alarming population aging issues of Japan.
Information on what the local government has done to address these issues was obtained
through a key-informant interview with the city mayor. The results of the interview
revealed that the local government of Suzuka has set up a Silver Human Resource Center
(SHRC) and has institutionalized free facilities and other services for older people.
(a) Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC)
SHRC is an initiative by the Japan government to offer opportunities for people,
generally aged 60 or over, who desire to participate in society through work that suits them.
SHRC contracts work from corporations, households, public organizations and others and
then it allots the work to its registered members based on the work content, frequency, and
volume. SHRC provides easy, temporary, and short term jobs for the elderly.
The work that SHRC undertakes can be roughly divided into seven
categories, including indoor and outdoor general work (park clean-up, weeding, building
janitorial work, poster hanging, etc.), facility administration (administration of car parking
lots, bicycle parking lots, schools, community centers, buildings, etc.), office work (general
office work, reception work, etc.). The members need not have to worry about their
knowledge and skills limitation, since SHRC provides skills upgrading classes. Members
are also encouraged to share their knowledge and skills with others through the “helping
each other” group. The salary depends on the kind of job to be accomplished. Members
can earn more for highly-skilled jobs. The members are required to pay ¥ 1200 as an
annual administration fee, and also ¥ 1000 as a fee for the ‘helping each other’ group. For
the month of September 2008 only, 776 people applied to Suzuka SHRC, and 558 people
got jobs. This is roughly 72 percent.
When asked why the government came up with this initiative, the mayor
responded that his office had received quite a number of requests from people above 60
years old to have part-time jobs. Some of them did not want to burden their children with
their daily expenses. Some wanted to have incomes for their life insurance, while others
wanted to have activities during their spare time.
(b) Free facilities and other services for elderly
a free facilities program for older people is available, not only in Suzuka, but also
in other cities in Japan. The government addresses the needs of these elderly people
through the provision of these facilities. Before having access to the facilities, the family
has to apply to City Hall on behalf of the elderly under their responsibility, such as parents,
grandparents and parents-in-law. The following is the screening procedure for applicants:
1. Home visit by a designated person
2. Assessment of physical and mental capacities (e.g. walking, standing, memory,
ability to work, etc.)
3. Medical check-up
84
If the elderly person passes the screening, he or she can partake in the following
facilities and services:
1. Free futon, 2 times a year;
2. Free diapers;
3. Free electric stove for cooking;
4. Emergency system for old people who live alone (press a button and the
emergency call goes straight to the family or a friend);
5. Hair cut at home ( 2000 for all, including the transportation and fee for the
stylist or barber).
If an elderly person is found to have other disabilities, he or she may receive
additional facilities and financial assistance, and can have access to a care giver. The
concerned family pays only 10 percent of the salary of the caregiver, while the remaining
90 percent is subsidized by the government.
A group interview was utilized to gather pertinent information on issues and
challenges of population aging. Two separate interviews were conducted with two age
groups categorically identified, namely: 35 years old and above (Group 1), and below 35
years old (Group 2).
Group Interview Question: What are the existing government programs for the elderly?
(Can you share with us what the Government has done to address aging population
issues?)
As revealed by the Group 1 interview participants, the elderly receive a subsidy
from the government for a medical check-up. This program is implemented nationwide.
Policies and programs affecting the elderly vary between and among local governments.
Examples of these programs are compensation for hospital expenses during birth delivery
and a subsidy for an annual medical check-up for citizens who are 35 years old or above.
The latter is a nationwide program which started in 2007.
Group 2 participants disclosed that the government provides social insurance
payment options. One option is a one-time payment (full amount) and the other option is
monthly installments (contribution). This program is essential for an insured retirement.
They also revealed that the government is doing its best to provide better and more
convenient elderly-friendly infrastructure such as pedestrian lanes, roads, buildings,
bathrooms, and other amenities. In addition, the government also provides tax reduction to
car salespeople; that is, a special price is given to customers who are 60 years old or above.
Issue: Care for the elderly by the younger generations
Group Interview Question: Does the younger generation today tend to take care of the
elderly as a natural way of caring or as a part of tradition and custom?
85
Both groups provided the same response. Both believed that elderly people in
Japan tend to live independently when they reach retirement age. This is so because they
believe that dependence on their children creates a physical and financial burden on the
latter. They opined that today’s younger generation does not tend to take care of their
parents when they get old. Thus, the parents prepare and condition themselves to live
independently when the time comes.
One possible reason identified by the participants of the group interview for the
deterioration of the value of caring for the elderly is that there is less emphasis on moral
education in the curriculum. As far as the older groups can remember, during the previous
era (1868 – 1912), Japan’s education system included a Moral Education program. Respect
and taking care of parents were taught in schools; however, it is excluded in the presentday curriculum. Surprisingly, one participant shared a myth, from the past, that people over
50 years old are placed in a basket and their children took them into the forest and they
were left uncared for. This may somehow influence the mindset of the younger generation
The care giving issue seems to be a challenge for families with more than one
elderly person. As revealed in the interview, usually during weekdays younger persons try
to provide the best care for the elderly while they also have to work for their incomes.
During weekends, however, they put the elderly in care centers.
3.3 Factors Associated with Population Aging
Group Interview Question: Why is life expectancy in Japan so high?
Results of both group interviews revealed the following factors, namely: genetics,
environment, healthy eating habits, security, lifestyle, and public health care and welfare
services. As perceived by the respondents, life expectancy in Japan is high because of a
genetic make up which has been transferred from one generation to the next. They
have the belief that Japanese people enjoy longer life.
Good water quality, less pollution and better sanitation are some environmentrelated reasons perceived, by the respondents, to have influenced longevity. They believe
that Japan is a clean country, which provides a good living environment.
There is no doubt that aside from hygiene, healthy eating habits are important for
most Japanese.
The respondents pointed out that Japan has enjoyed peace and stability since
World War II, which is essential for mental health, safety and security and can add to
longevity. Moreover, safety driving programs are provided to educate people on road
safety, thereby minimizing deaths arising from road accidents. Good road conditions and a
well-equipped infrastructure are also contributing factors to increasing mobility.
As regards lifestyle as a factor for longer life; the respondents disclosed that, not
only the young generation, but also the old are engaged in a sporting lifestyle. The elderly
86
prefer to engage in cycling, jogging, swimming, climbing, hiking and ball games. Singing
karaoke remains one of the favorite past-times among the Japanese. Also, taking an onsen
is considered part of a beauty and health care regime.
The respondents also reiterated that high quality health care services available in Japan,
which are accessible to many, contribute to the health standard of the Japanese. The
average income of a Japanese household also contributes to quality of life.
Group Interview Question: What more can be done at the community level?
The respondents from the above 35 years old group alluded that Jichikai, which are
community associations, should be strengthened. They should network with other similar
organizations in other Prefectures to share best practices. Jichikai should reduce
membership fees or even eliminate membership fees all together.
3.4 Community-Based Association
Based on findings from Group Interviews, we did more research on communitybased association known as Jichikai. Jichikai is a resident’s independent community
organization, where residents cooperate with each other to make their neighborhood
pleasant. Communities try to make local improvements by making reference to the
opinions and desires of local residents. By promoting communication among residents,
Jichikai can be a bridge between residents and government; in other words, Jichikai are
grassroots organizations.
The funding to conduct these activities is managed by collecting an annual
membership fee from all members. The Jichikai membership fee is around ¥2000-3000 per
year. The members of Jichikai are entitled to the following benefits:
Have the opportunity to read various notices related to the
city office and community that are circulated in a
Newsletter.
Members or Family of Members who are older than 65
years will be entitled to receive various benefits applicable
to the elderly.
With advance booking, members can take advantage of
the visitor car parking facilities at a cheaper rate for their
guests.
At the end of the accounting period the members will get
some money back due to the recycling of waste.
In some shops inside the city, you may be entitled to
additional discounts by showing a membership card.
When the children of the members join primary school,
junior high school or reach 20 years old, they may be
entitled to receive Gift Money.
87
The following lists several examples of activities organized by Jichikai:
Voluntary disaster-prevention activities
Traffic safety activities
Anti-crime patrols
To establish and manage security lights
Beautification campaign
Resource recovery
Management of garbage stations
To promote reforestation projects
To hold traditional events and festivals for the community
Recreation activities
Activities for the elderly
Activities for neighborhood children
In Suzuka City, there are 379 Jichikai. But based on City Hall Information and also
the research we have done, no specific Jichikai focus on programs for the elderly.
For the purposes of comparison, information about Jichikai in other cities, for
example Nomazu City (Shizuoka Prefecture) was researched. Besides its social activities,
this Jichikai already conducted business activities; for example, making handmade paste,
making buns with jam filling, making paper string crafts, as well as other domestic goods.
After that, they actively sell the goods in booths at local festivals or hold concerts at their
community’s events. This seemingly income generating activity, however, serves a socializing
role and formal business per se.
4.
Conclusion
The age structure of the Suzuka population has been shifting to a marked degree.
From 2000-2006, there has been a continuous increase in the proportion of those 65 or over,
while, on the contrary, there has been a continuous decrease in the proportion of those
below 15 years old. Also, the proportion of older to younger persons is increasing
continuously. This substantial upward shift in Suzuka’s old age distribution implies
governmental attention in terms of addressing the demands of the elderly.
The local government has set up a Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC) and has
institutionalized free facilities and other services for the elderly. SHRC is an initiative by
Japan’s government to give opportunities to people 60 years old or over who desire to
participate in society through a work that suits them.
The care giving issue appears to be a challenge for families with more than one
elderly person. Today’s younger generation does not tend to take care of their parents
when they get old; thus, the parents prepare and condition themselves to live independently
when the time comes.
88
The perceived factors associated with aging include genetics, environment, healthy
eating habits, safety and security, lifestyles, public health care and welfare services.
In view of limited resources, a society cannot and should not rely on the Government
alone to solve all its societal issues. One such issue is that of aging. For greater
sustainability, most approaches, where feasible, should be bottom-up. The recommended
Gin-Cooperative, as an extension of the local Jichikai, is a case in point. Since the Silver
Human Resource Center has shown some success in getting the elderly to seek
employment in part time jobs, it has already confirmed that they can work and want to
work; albeit the number of elderly employed remains low. Hence, the value proposition is
to localize the employment function to the Jichikai and professionalize the sector. The
participation rate of the elderly is postulated to be higher and there would be lower barriers
to entry for the elderly since they could earn a supplementary income, while making
friends.
5.
Recommendation
5.1 Definition of a Co-operative
A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet
their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned
and democratically controlled enterprise. Cooperatives are people-centre business
enterprises, which operate in all areas of economic activity and in almost all countries of
the world. Cooperatives can be large enterprises with millions of members or small
community enterprises. Common to all are the cooperative values of self-help, selfresponsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity (Copac: Committee for the
Promotion and Advancement of Co-operatives).
The cooperative way of organizing a business enterprise assures any group of
individuals an effective means to combine their resources, however small. It permits a
larger resource mobilization than that within the capacity of most individuals and small
enterprises. It is a catalyst for local entrepreneurial growth; cooperatives retain within the
communities in which they operate the capital that they mobilize there, as well as the
surplus derived from outside transactions, both accumulated for further entrepreneurial
development. As direct beneficiaries, cooperative members have a strong incentive for
efficient operation and continuous innovation in response to changing business
environments, thereby achieving high rates of both initial success and long-term viability.
They favor long-term development of their enterprise compatible with the interests of the
communities in which they operate. The stability they assure within local communities
themselves induces further entrepreneurial expansion (The Secretary-General of the United
Nations in his report, Status and role of cooperatives in the light of new economic and
social trends. (A/51/267). 1996).
89
Given that cooperatives are organizations of people, they respond to the social
challenges of their communities. For instance, child-care and elderly-care cooperatives,
cooperatives of the disabled, and other social service cooperatives are flourishing
throughout the world. In Malaysia, cooperative day-care centres are being promoted by
school cooperatives to benefit teachers and staff. In Myanmar, day-care cooperatives were
set up to care for both children and the elderly.
5.2 Today’s Employment Landscape for the Elderly
Today it remains a fact that older workers find it more difficult to get a job. Of the
job seekers who approached the non-profit organization in Suzuka, the Mayor of Suzuka
alluded that few companies would like to employ these older people (Mayor’s Interview).
One of the key reasons is that it is not cost effective for employers to redesign jobs to suit
the elderly. The other reason often tends to be the mindset of elderly; they think they are
unable to do certain jobs either because of their physique, language barriers or fear of
technology. There are also many elderly people who are unsuited for conventional
employment mainly because of health barriers.
The aging population poses deep challenges for Japanese society as a whole, from
questions about who will support this aging population, competition for limited resources,
to how we will address the need for workers in the future. One thing has become clear: we
need to ensure that older people become part of the solution to the aging challenge, rather
than remaining the focal point of the problem.
5.3 Our Theory of Change
Our theory of change is this: by having older persons be actively engaged in
productive activities, we can change the way society, employers and even the elderly
themselves, view the elderly as useful contributors to society. The emphasis for this report
is then on the role of the elderly themselves in creating sustainable active and vibrant
lifestyles for themselves, through a cooperative, known as the Gin-Cooperative. The report
centers on promoting active aging among the elderly.
Since the Silver Human Resource Center is already doing well at the local
government level, the value proposition in this report is to localize this initiative and
strengthen the working environment, by extending this concept with community
organizations such as Jichikai.
Hence, the proposed Gin-Cooperative would be an extension of the Jichikai in a
Japanese community.
While recognizing the implications of an aging population in Japan creates the
impetus for business and industry to redesign jobs to make them elderly-friendly, the
reality is that there remains a core group of elderly who are currently unsuited for
conventional employment. Hence, Gin-Cooperative is complementary by creating some
employment opportunities for these people.
90
The objectives of the proposed Gin-Cooperative are then:
To give the elderly something “worthwhile and desirable to do”: provide
employment opportunities and supplement incomes in a safe and sheltered
environment;
Because they have something worthwhile to do, they have a greater will to come to
the association and interact in the course of work. Such regular interaction should
reduce their social isolation;
To impart more abilities/resources for such elderly persons to meet perceived
challenges and improve their general quality of life through social, health and
mental activities;
Change public perception of older people.
Gin-Cooperative would thus be positioned as a centre for social interaction, as well
as a place where the elderly can earn some supplementary income. Gin
Cooperative would become a therapy for the elderly in Suzuka, through
socialization and work.
5.4 Gin-Cooperative – A Business Model – A Multi Stakeholder Approach
Gin-Cooperative shall work with various community stakeholders to concentrate
on a two-pronged business strategy:
Undertaking light and labour intensive work processes outsourced by companies;
and
Selling in-house products aimed at raising brand awareness of the association.
Undertaking Outsourced Jobs
Gin-Cooperative would negotiate and work with companies looking to outsource
light but labour-intensive parts of their production process. These include pasting labels on
products, tying string onto paper carriers, folding envelopes, etc. These processes, when
undertaken by the companies, might be unprofitable and unfeasible given their limited
resources.
Selling in-house Gin-Cooperative Products
This would be the main income generating activity of Gin-Cooperative, since
undertaking light and labour intensive jobs would generate little income. A longer-term
plan of selling its own in-house products could also ensure greater sustainability for the
Cooperative. The other intent is also to use these products to increase the awareness of
aging in the community and generate community involvement around the issue. The line of
products, which would target the local community and foreign visitors, would be sold in
retails outlets and would include such items as Tshirts, coasters and key chains, etc.
The elderly would be compensated on a piecemeal basis. This would become a
supplementary income for the elderly.
91
5.5 Professional Assistance
Older people themselves would not solely operate the Gin Cooperative. GinCooperative would hire 2 staff members: a Manager and an Assistant to render
administrative support to the business set-up. To ensure that the co-operatives become
viable, its full-time staff would sass out avenues to market the products. Sales proceeds
would be split between the elderly and the cooperative. A permanent staff establishment
would also ensure the smooth flow of business such as marketing, quality control and
timely delivery of products. This would build goodwill for the business so it would be
sustainable, not because of purchases made out of charity, but out of appreciation for the
quality of the products.
5.6 Budget Requirement
Health cooperatives are nationally significant in Japan. Those with a strong social
mission, like providing jobs in the case of Gin-Cooperative, can claim up to 80 per cent of
the start up costs and operating expenses for the first three years.
It has been proposed that the municipal government in Suzuka City would provide the seed
funding for the initial set-up of a Gin-Cooperative and its recurrent funding for the first 3
years, or when the Cooperatives reaches its breakeven point, whichever is earliest. Since
the Cooperative would be an extension of the Jichikai, where facilities already exist, there
would already be a cost-saving in terms of infrastructure.
After the first three years, the recurrent funding should be financed by the given
business. The membership fees from Jichikai would be the main source of funds to provide
for the socializing activities among the elderly.
5.7 Implementation Process
Board of Directors
Gin-Cooperative would be inviting established individuals in Suzuka to form its
first Board of Directors (BOD). They would be people who take a special interest in the
issue of aging and they would share the perspective that the elderly themselves should be
part of the solution. They would share their respective fields of expertise and play an
advisory role for the Cooperative. A staff from the municipality would also be a member of
the BOD to act as a liaison between the municipal government and the cooperative
Training for the Elderly
The elderly would be trained in skills related to their crafts, as well as the basics of
running a business. This strategy of continuing education secures the commitment of the
elderly and lends a greater credibility to the project on a long-term basis.
92
Marketing and Communications Strategy
This is paramount in any business strategy. There must be a market of customers
who are interested in the items produced by Gin-Cooperative. To do this, the Cooperative
would have to create awareness of its movement and thereby its products.
Gin Co-operative would work with a local Non-Government Organization on
elderly issues to promote its existence. An official opening of the Gin-Cooperative would
be organized. With the help of the mass media, it is hoped that more people would be
attuned to the movement and become potential customers of the cooperative.
5.8 Challenges
Business Sustainability Plan
While it is easy to set up a cooperative, the greater challenge is establishing a
sound business model and ensuring long-term sustainability. Unlike companies that seek to
maximize profits, the co-operative has to grapple with two bottom lines – its financial
viability and its social mission. This could be quite daunting; however, one way to solve
this problem is to “professionalize” the sector. Instead of existing members running them,
the co-operative should attract new members who have track records in running businesses.
Smaller co-operatives could tap into bright business minds by inviting successful
entrepreneurs to join their boards.
Mindset of Elderly
The elderly are the cornerstone of success for Gin-Cooperatives. Some elderly
persons are less willing to be engaged in any form of employment, albeit informal
employment, so that they do not appear less productive and relevant than their younger
counterparts. This psychological barrier prevents many of the elderly from being
productive contributors to any economy.
Competition
In actuality, there is competition from similar businesses for the same market share
as Gin-Cooperative. Gin-Cooperative should not fall into complacency at its initial stage of
business formation since the business generation could arise from do-gooders rather than
genuine customers who pay attention to costing and quality.
5.9 Performance Indicators
The impact of Gin-Cooperative on promoting active aging would be measured
through output and outcome indicators.
93
1) Output Indicators
These are end results, which could be quantified.
These indicators include:
a) Total Elderly Participation;
b) Total Number of Active Elderly (this is measured by elderly who come to the
Cooperative at least three full days in a week);
c) Revenue Generated;
d) Number of New Customers (measuring market penetration); and
e) Number of New Friends made by the Elderly
2) Outcome Indicators
These are less quantifiable and measure quality for the elderly as a result of their
involvement in the Gin-Cooperative.
These indicators include:
a) Happiness Index (whether the elderly feel more fulfilled by their involvement); and
b) Customers Satisfaction (towards the quality of products and service rendered at GinCooperative
A performance review on the Gin-Cooperative would be conducted bi-annually
and a review of actions would ensue, where necessary.
94
5.10 Time Frame for Implementation
This project proposal would be piloted with one Jichikai in Suzuka City, with labor,
financial and expertise support from City Hall. What follows is the proposed time line for
implementation:
Date
6 November 2008
Action
Submit project proposal to Suzuka City Hall
December 2008
Suzuka City Hall to identify one suitable Jichikai for
pilot project
December – March 2009
Suzuka City Hall to hold discussion with selected
Jichikai
February 2009
Suzuka City Hall to source established individuals in
the community to form the Board of Directors
March 2009
Jichikai to recruit
Cooperative
March 2009
Jichikai to identify 50 interested elderly persons
March 2009
Professional staff to source business deals
March 2009
Professional staff to conduct market research for
suitable markets
March – April 2009
Jichikai to finalize constitution of the Gin Cooperative
April – May 2009
Gin Cooperative to buy office equipment for business
June 2009
Gin Cooperative 1st meeting with its members (50
elderly) to announce constitution and discuss business
strategy
July 2008
Elderly to make in-house products
August 2009
Official Opening of Gin Cooperative
95
professional
staff
for
Gin
6. GROUP DYNAMIC
Group
Participation
B
E
A
D
E)
Accomplishment Stage
D)
Reality Check Stage
C)
Self Over Group Stage
B)
Brainstorming Stage
A)
Celebratory Stage
C
Time
0
The group dynamic of Genki group could be divided into 5 distinct stages, namely
the Celebratory Stage, Brainstorming Stage, overcoming self- Group Stage, Reality Stage
and finally the Accomplishment Stage. In the first stage, all six members expressed
happiness that we would all be working as a group. In the initial stage of discussion, in
which the group tried to brainstorm on proposed areas of interest, the enthusiasm and
participation level was high (Brainstorming Stage). As time passed, other commitments,
such as completing other reports on time seemed to take a toll on some of the group
members. This was when the priority of self was placed before the group’s task
(Overcoming self- Group Stage). Somewhere near the middle of the time line, a reality
check was conducted and it was no surprise that sub tasks which needed to be
accomplished were not done. This was when the members felt that the group situation had
turned bad and when everyone agreed to pull up their socks (Reality Check Stage). With
the new mindset, everyone chipped in to see to the completion of the group project
(Accomplishment Stage).
In retrospect, the abovementioned journey to learn was inevitable since all of us
came from unique work-culture environments, different educations, qualifications and
personalities. Although it was indeed challenging in the beginning, the members finally
united after understanding that the group project could be completed without the group
coming together.
In any case, Group study was one experience that helped us to discover ourselves;
our weaknesses and the strengths, drawing from the experience and learning from other
members. We had to overcome our differences in culture and finally aimed for consensus
among the group members.
96
In summary, the following were four essential learning points which the Genki
Group raised together from our group study experience:
1) Group study is like running a team marathon
1) Respect the opinions of others, even if they differ from yours.
1) Recognizing each others’ strengths and limitations is critical
1) Consensus over conflict
_______________________________________
97
APPENDIX
1. Website
Aging issues in Japan
http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/or/81537.htm#over
http://sg.geocities.com/vchanpl/population
http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Chapple.html
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/waa/
Jichikai
http:// www.geocities.jp/numazunewsletter
http://www.6-dan.com/sosiki/jitikaieg.html
Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC)
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=NS9PLS15U69H9JH
8CDCB3CH5SDV64VB0&ID=26095
http://longevity.ilcjapan.org/t_stories/0702.html
2. Documentation of the group interview
2.1 Below 35 years old
Group interview and the registration list
98
2.2 Above 35 years old
Group interview and the registration list
99
100
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Sub-total
Grand-total
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Sub-total
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Sub-total
Year
5238
5192
5424
5398
5355
5229
5151
38671
36987
6204
6016
6527
6783
6999
7257
7895
47681
3390
3493
3652
3839
3839
3926
4095
26234
1,361,181
3897
3926
3984
4148
4244
4280
4472
28951
(70-74)
Male
Female
6590
6487
7085
7246
7551
7817
8647
51423
(35-39)
Male
Female
5511
5475
5598
5592
5582
5463
5450
(0-4)
Male
Female
4630
4652
4947
5026
5161
5357
5453
35226
5441
5292
5669
5852
6051
6389
6393
41087
1908
2166
2421
2573
2749
2900
2985
17702
3050
3252
3350
3448
3541
3655
3678
23974
(75-79)
Male Female
5695
5673
6053
6323
6585
6925
6985
44239
(40-44)
Male Female
5207
5154
5445
5491
5516
5588
5701
38102
(5-9)
Male Female
3.1 Population Profile in Suzuka City
3. Statistic from Suzuka City Hall
4958
4790
4821
4739
4718
4718
4820
33564
6415
6032
5880
5701
5664
5558
5504
40754
1032
1037
1076
1175
1313
1477
1644
8754
2092
2151
2285
2374
2513
2638
2795
16848
(80-84)
Male Female
6165
5824
5831
5760
5849
5918
5936
41283
(45-49)
Male
Female
5308
5187
5232
5238
5338
5333
5385
37021
(10-14)
Male
Female
5282
5240
5336
5239
5218
5113
5120
36548
7644
8133
7863
7455
6876
6468
6185
50624
536
555
562
590
589
595
644
4071
1251
1307
1358
1392
1430
1535
1613
9886
(85-89)
Male
Female
7552
7922
7701
7097
6590
6272
6039
49173
(50-54)
Male Female
5837
5816
5958
5869
5746
5691
5678
40595
(15-19)
Male Female
6319
5936
6127
6010
5862
5757
5669
41680
6142
5897
6406
6822
7193
7735
8199
48394
181
186
178
198
208
235
244
1430
509
552
587
658
706
710
724
4446
(90-94)
Male Female
6591
6485
6852
7225
7428
7696
7966
50243
(55-59)
Male Female
6198
6190
6282
6198
6231
6217
6223
43539
(20-24)
Male
Female
8089
7801
8006
7590
7310
7028
6744
52568
4959
5099
5461
5799
6228
6175
5886
39607
25
28
39
39
36
34
39
240
87
94
122
143
166
171
187
970
(95-99)
Male
Female
5061
5247
5619
6000
6486
6505
6333
41251
(60-64)
Male
Female
8301
8165
8285
7897
7630
7399
7212
54889
(25-29)
Male Female
6896
7334
8029
8284
8586
8641
8549
56319
Male
4421
4621
4740
4715
4708
4893
5077
33175
4
4
4
5
5
3
2
27
9
8
8
9
13
14
20
81
>100
Female
4315
4501
4641
4640
4671
4839
4981
32588
(65-69)
Male Female
7210
7924
8732
8939
9253
9201
9077
60336
(30-34)
Male Female
3.2 Documentation of the Statistics Profile
101
Sustainable Improvement Program for Child Malnutrition
in Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Submitted by:
SOLIDARITAS
(Group B)
Manuh Pitasari (Indonesia)
Thanouvan Vongmany (Laos)
Nur Shazwani Muhammad (Malaysia)
Lwin Lwin Mya (Myanmar)
Janet Rosalie Anne Polita (Philippines)
Thirayoot Limanond (Thailand)
November 2008
44th IATSS Forum
102
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Introduction
Rationale
Objectives
Chapter II
Project Framework
Logical Framework
Chapter III
Project Site
Chapter IV
Methods and Processes
Chapter V
Project Activities
Project Team Structure
Member Responsibilities
Budgetary Requirements
Timeframe
Monitoring and Evaluation
Project Sustainability
Conclusion
POSTSCRIPT
Lessons Learned
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
103
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Nations around the world are facing the challenge of rising fuel and food costs. While
some countries have remained unscathed, developing countries have suffered the biggest
blow. Unemployment rate surges and increases in the prices of goods have left
impoverished families grappling to survive everyday.
In this scenario, poor families, particularly women and children, greatly suffer with limited
access to food and appropriate nutrition, thus resulting in child malnutrition.
With this scenario in mind, the project would focus on providing a sustainable
improvement program for child malnutrition in Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
The overall project would aim to increase community awareness of child malnutrition,
increase economic income/improve living standards, and to develop a food self-sufficient
community.
In this particular project, the group used the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF,
2008) Causes of Malnutrition Diagram as a guide in identifying appropriate plans and
activities to implement in realizing the goals of the project.
Furthermore, to help effectively carry out the project, the group came up with a project
framework which reflects the super goal – which is to contribute in the improvement of the
child mortality rate by decreasing malnutrition in Indonesia through a sustainable
improvement program on child malnutrition, particularly in the area of Waikanabu, East
Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
Implementation of the program would be carried out in three stages: the first stage focuses
on advocacy for child micronutrient and caring practices. In particular, the first stage of
implementation of the project is aimed at improving the nutrition status of children under 5
years old in the project area, increasing awareness of the importance of nutritious food
intake, encouraging the community, particularly parents, to be active participants in the
promotion of nutrition and to promote the idea that a solution is within reach while
promoting breastfeeding as one of the most important sources of nutrition.
The second stage focuses on fostering a food self-sufficient community. This stage is
aimed at encouraging sustainable farming and poultry practices to ensure a continuous
food supply in the community and to improve the economic status of families in
Waikanabu. Moreover, the project will provide training and workshops on crop
diversification, productivity, fertilizers, pesticides, organic farming, crop calendars &
poultry practices. A collaborative study team from 3 universities in Indonesia, Malaysia
and Thailand will be set up to review the current situation of the site and recommend
optimum farming and poultry practices for the area.
Finally, the last stage of the project will focus on ensuring economic freedom. The activity
centers would focus on programs to strengthen the neighborhood association and One
Village, One Product (OVOP) through cooperatives to ensure that the community has the
economic means to provide for their families. These programs are also intended to
empower the community to run their own enterprises and ensure the sustainability of the
programs
identified.
104
"Why is it that a child's death amounts to a tragedy, but the death of millions is
merely a statistic?"
Patrick McDonald
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Nations around the world are facing the challenge of rising fuel and food prices. While
some countries have remained unscathed, developing countries have received the biggest
blow and find themselves hitting a wall. Unemployment rate surges and price increases of
public goods have left impoverished families grappling to survive everyday.
In this scenario, poor families, particularly women and children, greatly suffer due to
limited access to food and appropriate nutrition. Based on the 2008 Global Hunger Index
released by the International Food Policy Research Institute,
“33 countries around the globe are experiencing alarming or extremely
alarming” levels of child mortality, child malnutrition and other hungerrelated problems.”
Further, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that "850 million people
worldwide were undernourished in 1999 to 2005, the most recent years for which figures
are available" and the number of malnourished people has recently been increasing.
Wikipedia defines malnutrition as “a medical condition caused by an improper or
insufficient diet. Furthermore, it is the lack of sufficient nutrients to maintain healthy
bodily functions and is typically associated with extreme poverty in economically
developed countries.”
The problem of malnutrition predominantly hits most ASEAN countries, as briefly
discussed in the following paragraphs.
Indonesia
The World Food Program (WFP) estimates 13 million children in Indonesia suffer from
malnutrition. In some Indonesian districts about 50 percent of infants and young children
are underweight.
The Jakarta Post reported that 21 children under the age of five died from malnutrition in
the province of East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur or NTT) in the first six months
of 2008.
In NTT, which has a total population of 4.25 million people and 652,000 children under 5,
10 – 19 percent of those children are underweight—a poor ranking according to World
Health Organization criteria.
105
The identified causes of under-nutrition and malnutrition, including small children, as well
as micronutrient malnutrition in Indonesia are several and interrelated. Some of them are,
as follows:
Poverty: The Indonesian government estimates that 80 million people – 40% of
the population – now live below the poverty line.
The current increase in oil and food prices: In the first half of 2008, the cost of
protein-rich, soya-based, staple products such as tofu and tempe (fermented soya)
rose by nearly 50 percent in Indonesia. In May 2008, fuel prices went up by about
30 percent.
Poor feeding practices, breastfeeding issues: According to UNICEF, most
Indonesian babies are given breast milk only during the first two months. It is
recommended that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first six months, but
UNICEF estimates that this is done by little more than 7 percent of Indonesian
mothers.
Climate change-related harvest failures and lack of crop diversity:
According to a May 2007 report published in the online edition of the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "Rice farming in Indonesia is
greatly affected by short-term climate variability and could be harmed significantly
by long-term climate change." -- "Geographical location forms the biggest risk for
malnutrition," according to Ina Hernawati, responsible for public nutrition in the
Health Ministry of Indonesia. Hernawati stated that some provinces have less
fertile land, so adequate food has not been readily available in recent years. East
Nusa Tenggara is one of those provinces.
Laos
On the other hand, in Laos, according to the 2005 United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), half of all children under the age of five in rural Laos are suffering from
malnutrition. Furthermore, based on 2008 United Nations Report, Laos being one of the
world’s “least developed” countries, half of all children are chronically malnourished
during their first five years of life resulting in “stunting.” Stunting means that children do
not grow, either physically or mentally. Moreover, should children make it to adulthood,
they are often small and intellectually underdeveloped. Also, 10 percent of Laotian
children are classified as “wasting away” — little children who are, essentially, starving to
death. (Joel Brinkly, 2008)
Malnutrition is particularly manifested in a typical poor Laotian family that has an average
of four to six children. These families live normally in rural villages. Laotians as a whole
have very little food, which hardly covers their needs. Furthermore, according to the
World Food Program (WFP), children normally eat only rice – no vegetables, protein or
fruit.
Unstable political conditions in Laos also worsen malnutrition conditions in the country.
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Myanmar
In the case of Myanmar (formerly Burma), population is estimated at over 54 million, with
a population density of 70 persons per sq km. Myanmar ranks 40 in regards to malnutrition
for children under 5 years of age, according to the World Food Program (WFP).
Although considered one of the largest rice exporters in Asia, Myanmar has confronted
difficulties in providing adequate food to poor families. Based on the WFP 2008 Report,
one-third of children remain malnourished; one-fifth are born underweight.
The Nargis cyclone that hit Myanmar during the early quarter of 2008 also contributed to
further aggravating malnutrition. WFP nutritionist, Martin Bloem, stated that “children
who don’t have adequate levels of vitamin A have a 30 percent greater chance of dying if
they get diarrhea, and providing them with adequate amounts of clean water may be
challenging at that moment.” (World Food Program, 2008)
Philippines
Malnutrition problems in the country continue to worsen as the government has limited its
programs, such as the Food for School Program. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has
issued this directive due to the country’s problem of rice supply. Based on the World Food
Program Report, children under six are at high risk of under-nutrition. Such a situation is
worsened by food insecurity caused by rising rice prices; although the government is
making progress in reducing malnutrition among infants and children up to five years old,
as well as those aged 6-10.
Furthermore, based on a 2001 National Nutrition Survey, 30 percent of children under six
were underweight, and 31.4 percent were under-height. In 2003, the figure went down to
27 percent underweight and 30 percent under-height.
Common malnutrition problems in the Philippines are, as follows:
Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) – lack of energy and protein which
results in growth retardation.
Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) – a deficiency in iron wherein hemoglobin
concentration is below the normal level, which results in a short attention span,
reduced ability to learn and irritability.
Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) – lack of vitamin A may result in xeropthlamia
(dryness of the eyes, night-blindness (inability to see in dim light) eyes
sensitive to bright light, rough dry skin and membranes of the nose and throat,
low body resistance to disease, poor growth, and blindness in severe cases.
Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) – lack of iodine in the body results in
goiter, mental retardation, deaf-mutism, difficulty in standing and stunting of
the limbs.
Based on the 2006 UNICEF Report, Alupui stated that the child malnutrition rate, for one,
has remained at the 30 per cent level for over a decade.
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On the other hand, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are targeting the reduction
of malnutrition to 17 percent by 2015. To realize this target, the Macapagl-Arroyo
administration has launched the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program (AHMP), which
aims to address both supply and demand by increasing food production and food delivery,
while putting more money in people’s pockets. At least 40 of the poorest provinces benefit
from this program.
Rationale
Considering the seemingly dreary conditions of child malnutrition in Indonesia, Laos,
Myanmar and Philippines, it should be noted that child malnutrition is not just a trivial
problem.
Children, who received insufficient or infected food intake, persistently suffer illnesses or
peculiar symptoms throughout their development. This prevents their physical bodies, as
well as their brains, to fully develop, thus hampering them in becoming fully competent
and intelligent adults worthy of assistance in facilitating the economic growth and
development of their society. From an international point of view, child malnutrition is
recognized as the prime hindrance of a country to achieve the M.D.G.s.
With this point in mind, this project proposal intends to focus on addressing malnutrition in
order to decrease child mortality by making recommendations and promoting perceptible
and sustainable programs.
This particular project will focus on child malnutrition problems in Indonesia. Although
Indonesia was not the worst among ASEAN countries in terms of malnutrition problems, it
still rates as a country with severe malnutrition problems. In addition, owing to its huge
population (250 million), Indonesia perhaps has the highest number of children with
malnutrition problems among A.S.E.A.N. countries.
Objectives
Solidaritas aims to establish a sustainable program in terms of reducing the number of
malnourished children; therefore, the overall project is divided into three sections and will
be implemented in stages. This proposal is primarily focused on the first stage, which
would have an immediate impact on the community, by doing advocacy work for child
micronutrient and caring practices.
The second and third stages are expected to kick-off in 2010 and 2011 respectively, and are
expected to have medium to long term impacts. These projects are targeted to increase
economic income/improve standards of living and to develop a food self-sufficient
community.
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"If we are to teach real peace in this world,
and if we are to carry on a real war against war,
we shall have to begin with the children."
Mohandas Ghandi
CHAPTER II
FRAMEWORK
Malnourishment is One of the Main Causes of Child Mortality
One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce child mortality to two-thirds, from
1990 to 2015. There are a few factors that contribute to child mortality, namely extreme
poverty, lack of healthcare, disease, water pollution, malnourishment and education
(shown in Diagram 1, below). In 2007, the United Nations reported that the main cause of
infant and child mortality was malnourishment.
Diagram 1
Poverty
Lack of
Healthcare
Education
Child
Mortality
Malnourish
ment
Disease
Due to Indonesia’s
circumstances, as
previous chapter, Solidaritas took on
mortality by aiming to decrease the
Water
Pollution
alarming
described in the
the challenge of reducing child
number of malnourished children.
Project Framework
Diagram 2 shows the project framework. It easily identifies specific activities to realize the
project goal, which is to come up with a sustainable program to reduce child malnutrition
in Indonesia. The super goal is to contribute in the reduction of the child mortality rate by
decreasing malnutrition in Indonesia through a sustainable, child-nutrition program,
particularly in the area of Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The overall program
identifies different output cutting across different areas: advocacy/awareness, improvement
of economic conditions and food self-sufficiency.
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Diagram 2
Super Goal
Improve conditions against child mortality
Overall Goal
Decrease malnutrition
Project Purpose
Sustainable Improvement Program to reduce Child
Malnutrition in Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Initial Output
Advocacy for child
micronutrient and caring
practices
Secondary Output
Increased income/
Improved standard of living
Tertiary Output
Develop food selfsufficient
community
Activities
Activities
Activities
The abovementioned diagram would be utilized in the efficient implementation of
identified activities for Waikanabu.
Logical Framework
This project uses the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 1990) Causes of
Malnutrition Diagram (Diagram 3) as a guide in identifying appropriate plans and
activities to implement the goals of the project.
The Cause of Malnutrition Diagram (1990) postulates that the nutrition status of a child is
heavily affected by nutrition intake and infection and/or disease as direct causes. On the
other hand, indirect causes, such as household food security, behavior and caring practices
affect nutrition intake while health service behavior and care practices affect rates of
infection. Furthermore, UNICEF postulates that a society’s politico-economic structures,
ideologies and education serve as national resources and are identified as basic causes for a
country’s nutrition status.
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Diagram 3
Nutrition Status
Nutrition Intake
Household Food
Security
Manifestation
Infection &
Disease
Behavior & Care
Practices
Health Services
Direct Cause
Indirect Cause
EDUCATION (formal & non-formal)
Basic Cause
Political and economic structures, ideologies
Resources
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way
in which it treats its children."
Nelson Mandela
CHAPTER III
PROJECT SITE
The implementation of this project will be conducted in one of the villages of East Nusa
Tenggara in Indonesia. Our discussion on the chosen site for the project focused on East
Nusa Tenggara, specifically in the area/village of Waikanabu. A discursive approach
would be utilized to provide a comprehensive picture of malnutrition conditions.
East Nusa Tenggara province
As cited in Wikipedia, East Nusa Tenggara (in Indonesian, Nusa Tenggara Timur) is a
province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including
West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located in West Timor. This province
consists of 22 districts and 1 city and has a population of 4.35 million.
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Generally, this province’s achievement of M.D.G. is below the national average.
According to the World Health Organization, among an estimated 652,000 children, under
the age of 5, 10 – 19%, are underweight. Furthermore, the province has a long history of
malnutrition and has shown no significant changes in the underweight rates (total,
moderate and severe) based on June 2008 rates.
Waikanabu
This village is located in Tabundung sub-district, Sumba island, East Nusa Tenggara. It has
a population of 824 people (169 families) and has an estimated 120 children under 5. This
remote village can be reached by walking for four hours from the nearest bus route. 98% of
households are engaged in farming of both dry land and rice paddies. Other sources of
income include animal husbandry and handicrafts. Women make tenun ikat (a handloom
textile from tie-dyed thread) and plait mats, although their main occupation is farming.
There is no electricity in the village, but there are three integrated health posts, and a
school, as well as six churches and a local market.
In particular, this village has inadequate roads and transportation is difficult, which serves
as a hindrance to the people in marketing their goods. As such, most small business people
are subject to abuse by middlemen, who market their goods by proxy.
During the three decades of the Soeharto regime, government-sponsored community
organizations were established and nurtured by the state. These structures were mandated
in every community and represented different social groups, such as the village council
(LKMD), village elders (LMD), women (PKK), youth (Karang Taruna), and the like. The
purpose and rules of these organizations are still the same across Indonesia. These
organizations are not considered effective, important, or trusted by people, according to
our study.
Neighborhood associations (RW/RT) are considered the most important, effective, and
trusted community organization. A RW/RT is not a government body, but tends to function
as a supporter of local administrators and as a first point of contact between the
government and community members. The RT chief is a respected and usually better-off
local resident, not appointed by the government (as distinct from the village chiefs, who
were appointed until 1998).
The poor conditions in Waikanabu contribute deeply to child malnutrition. Waikanabu
would serve as a pilot study for the implementation of further programs with the intent of
becoming successful. Moreover, such projects could be scaled up in larger contexts in
Indonesia with a high number of similar cases, as well as in neighboring countries.
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(Source : United Nations, 2008)
113
"You have to love your children unselfishly.
That is hard. But it is the only way."
Barbara Bush
CHAPTER IV
METHODS and PROCESSES
The implementation of the project in Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, would
adopt a qualitative approach for easy identification as well as for the easy monitoring and
evaluation of activities to be implemented. Specifically, primary data such as interviews
and focus group discussions with the community would be utilized to identify specific
needs and problems. Secondary data, such as internet researches would also be utilized.
The methodology/process is presented in the diagram, below.
Diagram 4.
Start
Step 1: Review current situation in Waikanabu (thru Available resource)
Step 2: Confirm scope of the project
- activities、 stakeholders
Step 3: Develop a plan for execution
Action plan, budgeting, resources, timeline
Step 4: Project execution
Step 5: Monitor & Review project execution
Measure efficiency, Review problems
Yes
Adjustment
No
Step 6 : Conclusion / Reporting /
Recommendations
End
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"Why is it that a child's death amounts tragedy, but
the death of millions is merely a statistic?"
Patrick McDonald
CHAPTER V
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
With an identified method and process, the project activities aim to realize the goal of
reducing the child malnutrition rate in Waikanabu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The
project would focus on three areas: nutrition intake and awareness of nutrition and health,
food self-sufficiency, and economic freedom. These three areas are expected to offer a
comprehensive approach to addressing direct causes, indirect causes and the basic causes
of child malnutrition (see diagram 5). Considering the lethal effect of child malnutrition,
the implementation of this project would be prioritized based on its immediate impact on
the nutrition status of children in the project area; therefore, the project would be
implemented in 3 stages:
Stage 1
: Advocacy and awareness regarding nutrition and
health
Stage 2 : Food self-sufficiency
Stage 3 : Economic freedom
Diagram 5
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
This proposal focuses mainly on the first stage of the project. Project implementation
would begin in 2009.
Stage 1: Advocacy and Awareness of nutrition and health
One of the direct causes of malnutrition in Waikanabu is the lack of nutritious food intake.
As such, Stage 1 of the project is expected to have immediate impact on the nutrition status
of the area’s children. Meanwhile, it is hoped that there would be an improvement in
behavior and caring practices, which is an indirect cause of malnutrition. The project is
expected to provide non-formal education concerning child nutrition & health, which is
one of the basic causes of malnutrition. With regards to Advocacy for Child Micronutrient
and Caring Practices, an integrated program should consist of several activities.
Particularly, our program aims to:
o Immediately improve the nutrition status of children under 5 in the project area
o Increase awareness of the importance of nutritious food intake,
o Encourage the community, particularly parents, to be active participants in the
promotion of nutrition and to promote the idea that a solution is within reach.
o Promote breastfeeding as an important source of nutrition.
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The identified activities are highlighted in Table 1, as follows.
Table 1 Highlights of Advocacy for Child Micronutrient and Caring Practices
Activities
Seminar come
Workshop on Child
Micronutrient Provision
Awareness (one dayactivity)
Cooking lessons on
easy-to-prepare and
basic, nutritious food
(distribution of recipe
books) – (one day
activity)
Quarter-to-quarter visit
to distribute vitamins as
well as promotional
materials such as t-shirts,
caps, etc.
The visit would
particularly include the
following:
Responsible
organization
Civic group,
UNFPA (for
capability building)
and/or local health
officers
local health
officers, civic
groups
Target
beneficiaries
Mothers and
expectant mothers
Indicator
Mothers and
expectant mothers
At least 100 mothers
participated in the
meeting
local health
officers, civic
groups, private
sector
All households
with expectant
mothers and
children under 5
All households
provided with
vitamins
Civic group,
UNFPA (for
capability building)
and/or local health
officers
Family
At least 100 family
participated in the
meeting
At least 100 mothers
and expectant
mothers participate
in the seminar
- Explain current health
record situation in the
area
- Compare health
situation vis-à-vis other
areas
- Incite solutions among
household members
Seminar on
Breastfeeding
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Meet with religious
leaders and community
leaders
Civic group,
UNFPA rep, local
health officers
Community
All religious leaders
and community
leaders in the project
area attended the
meeting
Stage 2. Food self-sufficiency
One indirect cause of child malnutrition is the problem of household food security. In order
to tackle this problem and achieve food self-sufficiency among the people of Waikanabu,
the second stage of the project would be conducted as one integrated program aiming to
encourage sustainable farming and poultry activities to ensure a continuous food supply in
the community, while improving the economic status of families in Waikanabu.
The main program would be training seminars and workshops on crop diversification,
productivity, fertilizer, pesticides, organic farming, crops calendar & poultry practices. A
collaborative study team from 3 universities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand would be
set up to review the current situation of the site and recommend optimum farming and
poultry practices for the area.
Stage 3. Economic freedom
With the realization of stages 1 and 2, the final stage would focus on attaining economic
freedom for the community. One of the reasons why the community fails to provide
enough nutritious food for its respective families is that there is a lack of capital/money to
purchase consumables. Most capital is used to finance less profitable small businesses. As
such, the projects aim to strengthen the neighborhood association and One Village, One
Product (OVOP) through cooperatives aims to ensure that the community has the
economic means to provide for its family. These projects are also intended to empower the
community to run their own enterprises and ensure sustainability.
(For detailed explanations of Stage 2 and 3, please check Appendix A.)
Advocacy platform
A webpage under the rubric Waingapu.com (community website run by local people)
would be set up to serve as media to gather information, exchange ideas, raise funds,
register volunteers and promote proposed activities related to child malnourishment in
Waikanabu.
As stated, this webpage would not have a direct benefit for the people of Waikanabu, but it
would assist in the preparation, promotion, funding, and dissemination of information for
the whole project.
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Project Team Structure
Implementation of the project would be carried out based on the project team structure,
stated below:
Solidaritas
Project Leader
Finance/ consultant
Asst. Project Leader
Neighborhood Assn.
Volunteers
Member Responsibilities
To efficiently carry out the implementation of the three stages of the project in Waikanabu,
the group stated their individual contributions, as follows:
a. Manuh Pitasari, a pharmacist from PT. Ferron Par Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia would,
Network with national association of Pharmaceutical company to get sponsorship
for free vitamins
Collaboration with Gadjah Mada University study team and volunteers from
university student.
Contact with Waingapu.com & local government
b. Thanouvan VONGMANY, president of New Pen Club of the Lao People’s
Revolutionary Youth Union would,
Promote the project activities in Laos
Cooperate with international organizations, and;
Provide advice based on professional experience in community development
c. Nur Shazwani Muhammad, lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, National University
of Malaysia (UKM) would,
Collaborate in research with Universities in Indonesia
Conduct study on water resources management and sanitation in Waikanabu
Promote project activities in Malaysia through UKM and other government
agencies
d. Ms Lwin Lwin Mya (Emeral), deputy manager of Sony marketing team, Myanmar
would,
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Control budgeting-keeping within the actual budget
Take part in increasing awareness in the community- ( promotion)
Train volunteers in counseling concepts
e. Janet Rosalie Anne Polita, science research specialist at the Philippine Council of
Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development, from the Department of
Science and Technology, would
Promote project activities using tri-media
Develop and manage webpage for the programs identified for community
Conduct research on communication management as well as communication
strategies to effectively communicate needs of the community
f. Thirayoot Limanond, a lecturer at the Department of Transportation Engineering,
Suranaree University of Technology would,
Collaborate in research with Universities in Thailand
Develop and manage the webpage
Budgetary Requirements
Funding requirements for the implementation of the identified activities would be sourced
out from various organizations such as UNFPA, UNICEF, UN, etc., local government, and
the private sector. It is also hoped that donations through the planned webpage would help
facilitate the implementation of the project. Table 5 presents the items needed to be
financed during the operation of the project.
Table 2 Budget for Implementation of Activities*
Meeting/Representation expenses @$400
x 12 qtrs
Supplies and Materials
Food expenses
Travel Costs (local and international
include accommodation and food)
Communication expenses
Cost for promotional material production
Project Leader $1500 x 12 quarters
Professional services (Lecturers,
Financial consultant and Assistant
Project Leader):
Admin cost
Grand Total
* The budget is calculated using US Dollars (USD)
119
$4,800
$5,000
$10,000
$10,000
$3,000
$5,000
$18,000
$24,000
$7,680
$ 84,480
Timeframe-overall
The implementation of the project is divided into three stages with a specific time frame.
This is illustrated in the table 3, shown below:
Table 3. Project Timeframe
Activities
Advocacy for Child
micronutrient and caring
practices
Food self-sufficient
community
Economic freedom
2009(Jan-Dec)
2010(Jan-Dec)
2011(Jan-Dec)
Community awareness of nutrition and caring practices would be the first priority. This
would be followed by programs focusing on attaining food self-sufficient and economic
freedom for the community.
Timeframe- Advocacy for child micronutrient and caring practices
In order to increase the advocacy for child micronutrient and caring practices, two main
sections would be highlighted; namely, promoting awareness of child malnutrition and
promoting breastfeeding. To stimulate the community, the activities would be continuously
implemented for three successive years.
Workshop on child malnutrition awareness and distribution of cooking lessons
would be carried out every March and April.
Distribution of vitamins would be carried out throughout the year and would be
implemented in succeeding years.
Promotion items would be distributed to each household (June) before
breastfeeding month.
In connection with world breastfeeding month, Solidaritas would conduct the
breastfeeding seminar every July.
Meeting with religious leaders would be conducted from March to April 2009.
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Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure implementation of the project stays on track, meetings with the community
would be scheduled on a case-by-case basis to check progress of specific activities.
Monitoring and evaluation would be developed both on an internal basis (e.g. Solidalitas,
and the project management team) as well as externally (peer review by related NGOs).
This would ensure that there is an objective and unbiased reflection of project results.
The procedures for monitoring and evaluating the project would be conducted as a cycle of
analysis of the concept, design and implementation and utility-outreach of the project.
Therefore, the evaluation would be based on a permanent process with all stakeholders
divided into four main stages, as follows:
1) Before the formal initiation of the project: This implies an internal evaluation of
the initial proposal and its formulation, in order to improve its form. This would
not be a very long process, since considerable time has already been taken into
developing the proposal.
2) During execution: The design of the project would be permanently monitored
and feedback would be sought to assure success at the conclusion of the project.
3) Finishing the proposed phase: Once the proposed components of the project have
been finished, the entire project would be evaluated in terms of the achievement of
the objectives of this proposal and the activities developed according to what was
first intended.
4) Sustainability: Once the proposed phase has been evaluated, the evaluation cycle
would continue with the further phases of the project, conducting a constant
follow-up process of the improvement of the project.
To ensure that the expected output of every project is realized efficiently, monitoring and
evaluation would be conducted on a quarterly basis. Throughout the project execution
period (step 2), the status reports would be made available for the fund donor’s review.
The draft timetable of this project is as follow:
Report
Due Date
Status Report 1
End of Month 3
Status Report 2
End of Month 6
Status Report 3
End of Month 9
Status Report 4
End of Month 12
Status Report 5
End of Month 18
Status Report 6
End of Month 24
Status Report 7
End of Month 30
Final Report
End of Month 36
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Project Sustainability
The sustainability of the project is the primary concern of Solidariatas, thus, the entire
project was developed to ensure that the situation of child malnutrition in Waikanabu
would continually improve over the years, even after the conclusion of the project.
First and foremost is the capacity building of the already well-established community
organizations that have gained the trust among the village citizens. Through this project,
the community organization would learn project management skills, co-operative functions
and child nutrition problems and solutions. They would also have a chance to receive
hands-on experience with consistent guidance from the experts for at least two years.
During the duration the project, they would have opportunities to gain experience, learn
from their mistakes, share and work with experts and ultimately, build confidence
completing a project. These capacity building activities are to ensure that the community
organization possesses the necessary skills to run their own project in the long run.
Secondly, the OVOP activities with 2-year constant assistance from experts prepare
community organizations to establish their market for the trade of products, without
assistance from a middle-person. It is expected that the profit from sales of the product
would be able to sustain their businesses, thus generating extra income for the community
and possibly enough to finance small upcoming development projects of their own. More
importantly, with established skills in planning, design, production, marketing and profit
earned from their products through OVOP activities, the community would be able to
develop new product potential. Furthermore, with established markets from initiated
OVOP products, it is hoped and expected that future products could build their market
much easier. OVOP products are expected to generate additional income for local people
to buy nutritious food or invest in some other meaningful activities.
The repetition of special events, as well as educational activities, would raise public
awareness and educate local citizens. The locals would receive information about basic
nutrition, as well as the sources of such nutrition. Information of various crops for
different seasons, as well as food preservation for the non-harvesting seasons, would
gradually change crop planting habits, and thus make the necessary nutritious foods
available within the community throughout the year. This would not only provide instant
improvement of child malnutrition problems during the project timeframe, but would also
ensure a sustainable reduction of child malnutrition rates over the years.
Furthermore, project sustainability would be improved through the following measures:
- Establish local network of volunteers for further collaboration
- Incorporate Waikanabu in upcoming project development.
- Encourage involvement of all stakeholders throughout project implementation
With well-planned activities, as well as the additional above-mentioned measures
encouraged, child malnutrition conditions in Waikanabu would be expected to
improve over the long run.
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Conclusion
This sustainable development program against child malnutrition in Waikanabu, East Nusa
Tenggara, Indonesia, is intended to contribute to further decrease malnutrition in the area,
and thus reduce child mortality. Moreover, the project would hopefully pave the way to
building and strengthening Waikanabu, from individual households to the community, to
inform and empower citizens to make proper and informed decisions as well as implement
activities with regard to nutrition and health for their children. The project would
encourage the community to build a “sense of ownership” of their future planned activities.
Furthermore, the implementation of project would foster the collaboration and networking
of various stakeholders to realize the prevention and, hopefully, eradication of malnutrition
in Waikanabu.
The success of this program would be scaled up to all areas of Indonesia and thereby,
contribute to reducing malnutrition and child mortality in Indonesia in general. Other
countries might also learn from the best practices of Waikanabu. Also, the project would
realize the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating child mortality around the world.
The ultimate goal in the end is to provide for the needs of children, vital in the
development of their well-being, so that they become able to contribute in nation-building.
PostScript
The process of developing a program for Waikanabu was a meaningful experience for the
entire team. Population issues and community development were “black holes” for some
team members; yet, in the end, process was given due importance rather than the result
itself.
Initially, the expertise and background (including strengths and weaknesses) of each
member were brought to the table to help understand and appreciate each other; likewise, it
was a way to identify where each person could best contribute in the process of developing
the project.
Rules and regulations were also developed to ensure that group discussions flowed
smoothly and efficiently. It was important that everyone acknowledged and respected one
anothers’ ideas and personalities.
Group discussions always started with a clear daily agenda so that the team would not lose
track of what was expected to be done and what had already been accomplished. It was a
commitment for the team to accomplish the goals of the day before calling it a day.
Although there were some disagreements and confusion which somehow slowed down the
group during the planning of the project, the group still felt excited and encouraged about
thinking and sharing ideas and learning from each other, as well as the previous group
study reports. The seemingly natural sense of humor of every member of the group created
a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere during the planning sessions. The venue of the
group’s meeting itself and the presence of “thinking chairs” contributed to further
generating ideas from every member.
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Furthermore, when there was divergence in group decisions, a voting system was observed
to come up with a majority vote supporting an idea. Each member had an opportunity to
explain and defend his or her ideas. This exercise was important in developing the critical
and analytical skills of each member. We practically lived our batch motto, “Recognizing
individuality, embracing diversity” during the process. Consciously, we focused on
“thinking and learning together” as well.
LESSONS LEARNED:
Throughout the duration of group study, our group learned the importance of listening to
the ideas of others. Each idea combined generated better insights which efficiently
contributed to the development of the project. The group also enjoyed every step of the
process and appreciated each other and the activity itself. The importance of a positive
atmosphere also contributed in the success of any endeavor.
Lastly, the group realized the importance of creating a ‘safe’ environment for each team
member to operate in to maximize their talents and potential. The group not only learned to
apply knowledge gained through facilitation skills training, but also to be patient in
discussions, as English is our second language. Understanding each other’s strengths and
weaknesses also helped in delegating tasks.
124
References
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Nations Publications.
United Nations, 2008. Organizational Presence in East Nusa Tenggara, viewed 5
November, 2008 http://ochaonline.un.org/OchaLinkClick.aspx?link=ocha&docid=1094097
Brinkley, Joel. “Malnutrition exacts a terrible toll on the children of Laos” The News
Tribune,
September
8,
2008,
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/columnists/story/476623.html
“UN
reports
serious
malnutrition
in
Laos,”
November
8,
2007
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.laos/2007-11/msg00171.html
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makes
progress
in
Myanmar”,
http://www.walktheworld.no/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2850
2008
“Food and the Myanmar crisis: Q&A with Martin Bloem, Chief of WFP's nutrition and
HIV policy unit”, 2008
http://www.wfp.org/ENGLISH/?ModuleID=137&Key=2840
“What
is
Hunger?”
World
Food
Programme,
2008
http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/introduction/hunger_what.asp?section=1&sub_section=1
“Malnutrition” World Health Organization, 2008.
http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/tools/disrupted_sectors/module_04/en/index3.html
Foreign Policy association, 2008.
http://children.foreignpolicyblogs.com/category/hunger/
Gerodias
G.,
Palermo
Joanna.
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in
http://www.scribd.com/doc/243953/Malnutrition-in-the-Philippines
Nutrition
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Profiles.
Agriculture
http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/nutrition/phi-e.stm
and
the
Philippines”
Consumer
Department
Ministry of Planning, 2006. Myanmar statistical year book
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http://cidi.org/disaster/ixl18.html
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http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Myanmar.html
125
viewed
5
November
2008
JC. Barbiche, C. Geraets ; Water and Sanitation and Food Security Assessment NTT- Dec2006/ Jan 2007, ACF International Network, viewed 16 October 2008 http://www.nttacademia.org/AcF-NTT-Report-v32.34581808.pdf
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Tenggara Timur (NTT);
World Food Programme; viewed 14 October 2008
<ochaonline.un.org/OchaLinkClick.aspx?link=ocha&docid=1091844>
17-20 June 2008; Rapid Assessment Malnutrition in NTT- kota Kupang, Sumba Tengah
dan
Sumba
Barat
Daya;
UNICEF;
viewed
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October
2008
<ochaonline.un.org/OchaLinkClick.aspx?link=ocha&docid=1091846>
East Nusa Tenggara, reg_info_EastNusaTenggara-www.kadin-indonesia.or.id.pdf, viewed
11 October 2008, <www.kadin-indonesia.or.id)
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2008
<www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/07/07/malnutrition-ri-linked-declinebreastfeeding.html>
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The Jakarta Post , 17 June, viewed 10 October 2008 Kupang | Tue, 06/17/2008 10:04
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<http://www.sumbatimurkab.go.id/index.php>
viewed
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November
2008
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2008
<http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001439/Gender-nutrition_2005_Background.pdf>
126
Appendix
Stage 2 Food self-sufficiency
Table 2 highlights the identified activities to realize food self-sufficiency and address
malnutrition.
Table 2 Highlights of Food Self-sufficiency Activities
Activities
a. Preparation
Set up a collaboration study
team consisting of volunteer/
lecturer from agriculture, animal
husbandry or science faculty
from 3 universities:
Universitas Gadja Mada Indonesia
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Malaysia
Suranaree University of
Technology - Thailand
Review current situation of the
site and conduct study to find
the best farming & poultry
practices (crop diversity ,
domestic farming & poultry)
Prepare Training & Workshop
Material based on Collaboration
Study team Recommendation
Report
Responsible
organization
Target
beneficiaries
Indicator
Solidaritas
Collaboration
study team
Collaboration Study Farmers
team
Report about best
practices in
farming & poultry
(crop diversity ,
domestic farming
& poultry)
Training
& Workshop
Material.
Volunteer
team Task
delegation
Solidaritas
Volunteer team
Collaboration Study
team
b. Training and Workshop
Crop diversification,
productivity, fertilizer,
pesticides, organic farming,
crops calendar & poultry
practices
Farmers
127
Increase in crops
planted / produced
Stage 3 Economic Freedom
Table 3 highlights activities relating to strengthening community organization while Table
4 highlights activities in establishing OVOP.
Table 3 Highlights of Strengthening Neighborhood Association
Activities
1. General meeting of the
community citizens
2. Set up the community
organization by voting system
(from heads, community
leaders, and reps from different
groups)
3. Intensive training for the
organization committee
Problem identification &
problem solving
Project management
-raising awareness
methods/marketing on child
malnutrition
- co-operative
4. Evaluate community
development plan
Responsible
organization
Volunteer,
Expert,
Solidaritas
Volunteer
UNFPA rep,
civic group
5. Implement plan
6. Final evaluation
Target
beneficiaries
Local citizens
Organization
committee
250 local citizens
participated the
meeting
All of the committee
members attending
the meeting
Organization
committee
All of the committee
members attending
the meeting
Organization
committee
The entire village
The whole
community
A completed project
plan is proposed
Local citizens
from the first
training
128
Indicator
Evaluation reports
are submitted 1
week and every
month onwards
250 local citizens
participated the
meeting
Table 4 Highlights of OVOP Activities
Responsible
Target
organization
beneficiaries
1. General training of interested Local citizens
100 local
citizens regarding general
(100 participants) citizens
overview of OVOP
participated
the training
Activities
Indicator
100 local citizens
participated the
training
2. Intensive training of selected
potential from local community
regarding business structure,
business plan, product
development and creativity
3. Evaluation of proposed
project plan by selected
potentials of the local
community
Selected potentials
from local
community (up to
10 participants)
10 select
citizens
participating
the training
10 select citizens
participating the
training
Selected potential
from local
community (up to
10 participants),
Also the whole
community
A completed
project plan is
proposed
A completed
project plan is
proposed
4. Community meeting to
announce the project plan
The whole
community
250 local citizens
participated the
meeting
5. Set up the community
organization by voting system
Local citizens
(100 participants)
from the first
training
The whole
community
250 local
citizens
participated
the meeting
100 local
citizens
participated
the training
Evaluation
reports are
submitted
every month
1 OVOP
products are
6. Implementation by local
community
7. Mid-term evaluation
Local citizens
(100 participants)
129
100 local citizens
participated the
training
Evaluation reports
are submitted every
month
1 OVOP products
are developed, and
from the first
training
8. Implementation by local
community
The whole
community
9. Final evaluation
Local citizens
(100 participants)
from the first
training
developed,
and in the
market
Evaluation
reports are
submitted
every month
3 OVOP
products are
developed,
and in the
market
Table 5 Highlight of activities for advocacy platform
Activities
Responsible
Target
organization
beneficiaries
a. Collect resources
Set up webpage under
Solidaritas
Whole community
Waingapu.com to gather
information, exchange of
ideas, fund raising and
propose activities related to
child malnourishment in
Waikanabu
Promote webpage via link
Solidaritas
Whole community
with various websites such as
/ IATSS
IATSS alumni website and
IATTS; email blast to country
representatives, IATSS
alumni, Japanese volunteers
and friends
Register volunteers for future Webpage
Whole community
activities
administrator
Solidaritas
130
in the market
Evaluation reports
are submitted every
month
3 OVOP products
are developed, and
in the market
Indicator
Webpage with
pictures and
information to be
completed in 3
months
Increase in the
number of visitors
of the webpage
Target : 1 volunteer
/ week
PROJECT RUNAWAY
Arresting Child Prostitution in CAMBODIA:
Runaway Girls & Associated Problems
PROBLEM STATEMENT
In Cambodia, young girls run away from home. They usually stay with their boyfriends
and friends. They engage in social vices such as drinking, gambling and drug abuse.
When in need, they sometimes prostitute themselves for money. Occasionally, their
boyfriend or young husband acts as an agent or pimp.
by
SUDOKU
Vung Wathana (Wath) from Cambodia
Vongchandy Malayvieng (Malay) from Lao PDR
Koyata Goto (Koyata) & Shinpei Yoshida (Shinpei) from Japan
Hu Chi-Min (Chimin) from Malaysia
Keng Wei Terk (Terk) from Singapore
Chatakanonda Panitee (Yui) from Thailand
44th IATSS FORUM, SUZUKA CITY, JAPAN
Sept - Nov 2008
131
CONTENTS
Executive Summary
1.
Population Issues.
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
Safe Motherhood.
Reproductive Health and Family Planning.
Poverty.
Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Youth.
Human Rights.
HIV and AIDS.
Child Prostitution
2.
Definition.
2.1 Prostitution.
2.2 Child Prostitution.
3.
Child Prostitution in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
4.
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
Common Root Causes of Child Prostitution in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
Poverty.
Lack of education and awareness.
Lack of legal protection.
Taboo/keeping silent.
5.
Why did we choose Cambodia?
6.
Goals.
7.
Objectives.
8.
Duration.
9.
Activities.
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
Target Group
Principal Solution
Principal Considerations
Project Development Cycle
Value-Addedness of Sereypheap
Detailed Activities
Governmental/Commercial Company links
132
10. Budget.
10.1 Operation Costs
10.2 Fund-raising
11. Monitoring & Evaluation.
12. Challenges.
13. Two Heads Are Better Than One.
14. SUDOKU's Group Study Process.
15. Lessons Which our Group Learned Through Group Study
133
A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cambodia is a country that has only very recently emerged from a long period of armed
conflict and civil unrest. The population has suffered tremendously. Among many arising
issues at present, child prostitution is considered one of the most serious in Cambodia.
In Cambodia, many girls fall prey to bad rural family practices. Lured by the modest
sums paid to them by brokers, rural families sometimes allow their children to be taken to
the city, or other countries, to work in jobs described to be honest and well paid. In
actuality, many or nearly all of them end up in the sex industry, while the more ‘fortunate’
ones end up in domestic work where conditions sometimes resemble slavery. The
consequences for children forced to work as prostitutes are far-reaching and can be fatal.
Girls risk early pregnancy, maternal mortality and sexually transmitted diseases, including
HIV/AIDS. They are also subject to serious psychological, mental, and developmental
problems due to the conditions they are forced to live and work under.
Moreover, some teenage girls are runaways who have eloped with their boyfriends, who
later desert them. Others are escaping violence, or an early or abusive marriage. A girl
arriving alone is vulnerable; her disorientation makes her an easy target. A brothel agent
posing as a friendly stranger may quickly approach her.
With this concern in mind, the group determined to choose runaway girls in Cambodia,
and associated problems, to be the topic of our project. The project aims to provide:
A home center where runaways want to come.
Training and life skills.
Grooming to become youth leaders and thereby help others.
Job opportunities after they have finished their vocational training skills at the
home centre.
With this project proposal and its implementation, we hope that Sereypheap Home would
achieve the following targets:
In general, to reduce child prostitution and increase awareness of the issue and its
associated problems.
Sereypheap Home would develop as a model home run by youth themselves.
To provide a safe haven for runaway girls.
To educate and inculcate positive social values into children, so they do not return
to a life of prostitution.
134
B. POPULATION ISSUES
1. General
The world we live in is suffering from many “diseases” and it is the hope of world leaders,
including ourselves, to elevate the state of human beings to a certain level of acceptability.
However, such a possibility is challenged by the diverse cultural settings of each and every
individual. We are challenged by the diversities of needs around the globe, and challenged
by the very limitation we impose onto ourselves through our beliefs, norms and social
structures.
SUDOKU recognizes current circumstances and discusses “Population Issues” that haunt
every continent and country throughout the world. Guided by Ms Kiyoko IKEGAMI, the
Director of the United Nations Population Fund (Tokyo Office), each SUDOKU member
proceeded to research and discussed the following:
1.1 Safe Motherhood
Issues arising from this topic include maternal health, safe delivery and reduction
of maternal mortality. SUDOKU discussed and analyzed the issues pertaining to
safe motherhood, encompassing the following:
Factors Affecting Safe Motherhood
Social Factors
Cultural Factors
Safety and health issues
faced during pregnancy
and childbirth
Health System
Health Policies
Numbers of skilled
attendants at birth
Contraceptive
prevalence rates
Indicators
Maternal Mortality
Maternal Morbidity
135
1.2 Reproductive Health and Family Planning
Another topic of discussion that closely relates to safe motherhood is
“Reproductive Health.” Within the framework of the World Health Organization
(WHO), reproductive health addresses reproductive processes, functions and
systems at all stages of life.
Reproductive health represents a responsible, satisfying and healthy life. Many
of these features are not complied with and women are made the victims of sexual
desire. In justifying cultural or social beliefs, women and girls are subjected to
various forms of Female Genital Mutilations (FGM) and unsafe and unhealthy
sexual practices.
SUDOKU supports the notion of having safe sex and discussed the matter, as
shown below:
Access to safe, effective,
affordable & acceptable
methods of fertility regulation
The freedom to decide
Safe sex
The right of access to appropriate
health care services
The right to information
1.3 Poverty
According to our research, about half of the world’s population suffers from
poverty. Poverty can be measured in terms of absolute or relative poverty.
Absolute poverty refers to a set of standards which are consistent over time and
between countries. An example of an absolute measurement would be the
percentage of the population which eats less food than is required to sustain the
human body (approximately 2000-2500 calories per day for an adult male).
The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.00 per day,
and moderate poverty as less than $2.00 a day. The organization estimates that "in
2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1.00 a day and 2.7 billion
lived on less than $2.00 a day. The proportion of the developing world’s
population living in extreme economic poverty fell from 28 percent in 1990 to 21
percent in 2001. Looking at the period of 1981-2001, the percentage of the
world's population living on less than $1.00 per day has been halved.
SUDOKU recognizes that poverty plays an extremely important role in causing the
many ills within our societies. In fact, many population issues relate in one way
or another to poverty. For example, solving the problem of poverty could very
well translate into halving the global illnesses we currently face.
136
1.4 Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Youth
In one way or another, gender issues are still very much alive. Accepting the
notion of gender equality stems from a growing belief that men and women are
essentially the same. What this means is that each man and woman has equal
rights. UNICEF defines gender equality as "leveling the playing field for girls
and women by ensuring that all children have an equal opportunity to develop their
talents." The UN Population Fund declared gender equality as "first and
foremost, a human right,” and "gender equity" is one of the goals of the United
Nations Millennium Project, in line with ending world poverty by 2015. The
project claims that "every single goal is directly related to women's rights, and
societies where women are not afforded the same rights as men can never achieve
development in a sustainable manner."
1.5 Human Rights
SUDOKU recognizes that human rights issues are vast and borderless. This
ranges from the rights to live, access appropriate medical care, and education, to
independent political beliefs, and so on. All population issues relate in one way
or another to one or several breaches of human rights. Solving population issues
means upholding the rights of those individuals.
1.6 HIV and AIDS
AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome, a disease that makes
it difficult for the body to fight off infectious diseases. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, known as HIV, causes AIDS by infecting and damaging part of
the body's defences against infection (lymphocytes, which are a type of white
blood cells in the body's immune system are supposed to fight off invading germs).
HIV can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of
someone who is infected with the virus. Contact usually comes from sharing
needles or by having unprotected sex with an infected person. An infant can
contract HIV from a mother who is infected. Though there are treatments for HIV
and AIDS, there are presently no vaccines or cures for the diseases. There are,
however, things you can do to prevent yourself and your child from getting the
diseases.
Understanding a disease is one thing; recognising the damage and the problems
associated with it is another. SUDOKU talked about these issues and how it
affects children, mothers and society in general. Focus on safe motherhood,
reproductive health and access to safe medical care are the top priorities.
137
1.7 Child Prostitution
Prostitution is a luxurious business, or trade, and has been in existence for
millennia; however, the worst form of prostitution, and associated labor, would be
those that involve under-aged children. Prostitution of children refers to
children having sexual intercourse for money. The definition of a "child
prostitute" can vary depending on who is using the term. Under many laws, a
child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. The Optional protocol on the sale
of children, child prostitution and child pornography to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child states that the prostitution of children, or child prostitution, is
the practice whereby a child is used by others for sexual activities in return for
remuneration or any other form of consideration. The remuneration, or other
considerations, is usually provided to the child or to another person.
Generally, the prostitution of children means that a party, other than the child,
benefits from a commercial transaction. The child is made available for sexual
purposes; either an intermediary exploiter (pimp) controls or oversees the child’s
activities for profit, or a child abuser negotiates an exchange directly with a child
in order to receive sexual gratification. The provision of children for sexual
purposes may also be a medium of exchange between adults.
SUDOKU discussed and decided that our chosen theme and project proposal
would focus on issues related to Child Prostitution.
138
C. CHILD PROSTITUTION
2. Definition
2.1 Prostitution
a.
Work of prostitute: the act of engaging in sexual intercourse or
performing other sex acts in exchange for money, or of offering another
person for such purposes.
b.
Misuse of talent for gain: the use of a skill or ability in a way
that is considered unworthy, usually for financial gain.
2.2 Child Prostitution
This refers to children under the age of 15 having sexual intercourse for
money. The age may differ legally in each country, but SUDOKU
stipulates that below 15 years old is the standard for the project.
3. Child Prostitution in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
3.1 Child prostitution has become a major problem for many ASEAN countries
leading to many social problems, especially in Thailand and Cambodia; however,
their contexts are different due to the nature of each country. Prostitution leads to
many social problems and transmitted diseases, particularly sexually transmitted
diseases, fertility problems, pregnancy complications, the spread of HIV and AIDS,
not to mention malnutrition, tuberculosis and depression.
3.2
In Cambodia, it is estimated that there are approximately 80,000-100,000
prostitutes. There are about 17,000 prostitutes in Phnom Penh, of whom about
30% are estimated to be less than 18 years of age. Accordingly, the number of
child prostitutes in Phnom Penh would be about 5,000. These numbers are
expected to grow. Human trafficking is performed partly by professional
criminals, but sometimes it is also a way for the lower classes to earn money. The
price of a child is determined by appearance, age, and virginity. Average value is
approximately $150/child. The children get involved in commercial sex in
several ways; for example, being lured or due to economic difficulties. In some
cases, the girl is kidnapped and sold for sex slavery to a brothel.
3.3
Child trafficking is also an important problem for Lao PDR. This
problem occurs both internally and across borders. Most of the victims (60
percent) are girls aged between 12 and 18 years old, and 35 percent of these girls
are forced into prostitution. Most of them seek better economic conditions to
support their families, rather than go to school, because of poverty and
malnutrition. This fact leads children to remain at a low educational level, lack of
vocational skills, low self-esteem and eventually a life of poverty, which makes
them vulnerable to prostitution.
139
3.4
In Thailand, the problem has become more serious. It is estimated that
around 80,000 children under the age of 16 are bought and sold for prostitution.
Girls as young as 10 and 12 years of age work in the sex industry. Many of the
girls typically have sex with 10 to 15 men every day and sometimes as many as 20
to 30. Of the estimated 20,000 prostitutes in Pattaya, which is the most popular
city for sex tourism, hundreds are children who are either lured from their villages
with the promise of work opportunities or by criminal networks.
4. Common root causes of child prostitution in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
4.1 Poverty
-
Lack of employment opportunities
Political instability
Lack of development
Insufficient/inappropriate government policies
Peer pressure
4.2 Lack of education and awareness
-
Lack of money to go to school
Lack of inspiration to get a better job
Lack of knowledge of consequences of prostitution
4.3 Lack of legal protection
-
Lack of law enforcement
4.4 Taboo/keeping silent
-
Fear of reprisal
Ignorance
Insufficient counseling
Improper reporting to centers
140
D. PROJECT RUNAWAY
Arresting Child Prostitution in Cambodia
5. Why we chose Cambodia?
a. Cambodia is one ASEAN countries faced with child prostitution problems and
it is a growing issue; however, the government still does not sufficiently
enforce the law and this prostitution is continuously ignored in Cambodia.
b. Although Cambodia presently has some organizations to deal with this
problem, they are not popular in attracting Cambodian girls and the number of
runaways in Cambodia is still increasing.
6. Goals
Super Goal
To reduce child prostitution in Cambodia
Overall Goal
Short term Goal
3 years - 15% reduction of runaway girls
Long term Goal
5 years - 25% reduction of runaway girls
7.
Objectives
a.
Provide information and consultation to runaway girls.
b.
Create job and education opportunities to support runaways.
c.
Set up a rehabilitation center, providing a safe haven, and trained
personnel or volunteers to specialize in support education programs,
counseling hotlines and vocational training.
d.
Assist and protect all victims of commercial sexual exploitation and
their immediate care-givers.
e.
Enforce stronger measures to deal with poverty, which has made so many
women and children vulnerable to forced prostitution.
141
8. Duration
Timeline
We intend to set up our project in one year; following that, would be the actual
implementation. The timeline for implementation/review is, as follows:
S1
S2
S3
S4 ----------
----
-------
-------
----
----
Stages*
7
Months
----
----
----
S4
8
1
9
2
10
3
11
4
5
6
12
* Please refer to section 9.4 “Project Development Cycle” regarding the different stages.
Our overall schedule for reviews1 is as follows:
Frequency
Name of Review
Remarks
Monthly
Conference Meeting
Based on categories such as Human
Resources, Activities, Finance, etc.
Annually
SWOT Analysis
Based on Strengths, Weaknesses,
opportunities & Threats facing
Sereypheap.
After 36 months
(3 years)
Review of Short-Term Goal
Based on the Short-Term Goal of
reducing child prostitution in
Cambodia by 15%.
After 60 months
(5 years)
Review of Long-Term Goal
Based on the Long-Term Goal of
reducing child prostitution in
Cambodia by 25%.
1 For further details regarding our monitoring/review process, please refer to the section on
“Monitoring/Evaluation”.
142
9. Activities
9.1 Target Group
The target group of this project is young Cambodian girls who practice child
prostitution. The other related groups, with impact on the issue, include the
parents and family of these young girls, the employer-companies, the government
and the public in general.
9.2 Principal Solution
To arrest the problem of child prostitution in Cambodia, we intend to set up a onestop center called “Sereypheap” (meaning Freedom in Cambodian) as a form of
refuge and shelter for these young girls to go to.
9.3 Principal Considerations
This project will be based on the following 3 principal considerations:
a.
It must appeal to the target group. Planned activities and
Programs must be relevant and appeal to the target market. Only then
can they engage and commit personally and take
ownership of their own development.
b.
It must be accessible to the target group. There is no use in
having a fantastic centre that nobody can find. Locating the centre in the
capital city of Phnom Penh should provide accessibility from victims all
around
the country. After establishing the centre, we hope to set
up further
branches in the rural areas to serve the children there.
c.
It must be implemented “by youth for youth”.
Our group
will be responsible for setting up and running the centre in the initial
stages. After it has been stabilised, we will gradually hand over the reins
to youth leaders in Cambodia. These youth leaders can be identified
either through the volunteer channels or through identification from the
participants of the centre.
143
9.4 Project Development Cycle
Our project will be based on the following 4 stages:
Physical Requirements
Programme Development
Administrative Requirements
Promotion Activities
Review Process
- Bi-annual Review
- Annual Review
Development of Key
Performance Indicators (KPI)
The respective people in charge of the stages are, as follows:
Stage 1 Chi-Min (Malaysia) has considerable experience in the Navy; therefore, he is the
best person to handle the planning and organisational aspects of the centre’s
development.
Stage 2 Wathana (Cambodia) and Yui (Thailand). Wathana's familiarity and connections
in her home country are invaluable. Yui has promotional experience through her
job as a Foreign Relations Officer in Thailand.
Stage 3 Terk (Singapore), with his expertise and keen interest in Organisational Excellence
(OE) and KPI development, is apt to take on this portion of the project.
Stage 4 Malayvieng (Laos) will handle the review portion. Being a television producer in
her country, she has the necessary business acumen to analyse and process the
Before Action Review (BAR), During Action Review (DAR) and Post Action
Review (PAR).
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9.5 Value-Added Sereypheap
Before going into the specific activities of Sereypheap, it is important to crystallise
the differences and value-added functions of the centre in relation to existing
rehabilitation centres in Cambodia. Only then can we ensure the success and
sustainability of Sereypheap centre. These are some of the value-added functions:
a.
Most homes are presently detention or rehabilitation-type homes.
They are not intrinsically care-giver homes, where victims can feel
comfortable and develop themselves in a constructive way at their own
pace. Sereypheap would provide a shelter for youth to stay away from
social ills, while accommodating them with a chance to learn new skills
that can benefit all Cambodian society.
b.
In the case of some of the centres, police actually arrest prostitutes
and bring them into the home. The developmental aspects of the homes
are sorely lacking, as they are based more on instruction than guidance.
There is not enough understanding of the victims’ needs and not enough
personalised advice offered. Many of the girls end up running away from
these homes, or return to a life of prostitution after being released.
c.
Existing homes are run by the government. They are not fully
attuned to the needs of young female victims and have problems relating
and understanding them. This failure to effectively communicate, as well
as the lack of mutual respect, may do more harm than good.
9.6 Detailed Activities
The following activities would be carried out to implement and publicise
Sereypheap:
a.
Road-show/Posters. We would invite well-known celebrities to
perform events at “hot” spots in the capital city. This would publicize
and spread awareness and understanding about Sereypheap. Meanwhile,
we would also drive home the message of the social
ills
of
prostitution and promote safe sex. Colourful posters displayed at
prominent youth-oriented places would also help.
b.
Radio Talk Show. Through radio, we would be able to
effectively capture the target group's interest effectively. Through
messages from radio deejays and talk shows hosted by professional
experts and
singers, we could spread a sufficiently influential message.
c.
Education/Job Placement Scheme. Through the home network,
we would be a source of education and job opportunities for rehabilitated
girls, who often do not have sufficient exposure and awareness of such
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opportunities. These girls would be identified based on their skills, needs
and preferences.
Talent Development Scheme. One of the key foci of the
Home is to develop the particular talents and interests of the
participants.
This would allow them to focus their time and energy on a
worthwhile cause, rather than resorting to a life of prostitution. They
might also find meaning in their lives and have an opportunity to
contribute back to society.
d.
e.
Hotlines/Counselling Services. One of the key issues youth face
is not having the right people to turn to for advice and help. Establishing
professional hot-lines and counselling services would give the victims an
easy and accessible avenue to turn to for help, as well as dealing with
psychological trauma.
f.
Home-stay Programmes. Our home would also organize homestay programmes for affected youth. We would pair them up with other
youth based on age, interests and location. Through this program, we
hope the victims would discover a new way of life, in a proper setting and
environment, and develop good habits along the way.
9.7 Linkage with Governmental/Commercial Companies
Even though the IATSS participants and the youths themselves would be the
overall managers of Sereypheap, it is undeniable that we would require certain
assistance and support from governmental agencies and commercial companies.
The budget would be largely sourced through specific fund-raising activities (as
detailed in the Budget section below), and funds from the government would be
kept to a minimum. We would require support from these bodies in the following
ways:
Governmental Agencies
a. Ministry of Health - publicize the ill effects of prostitution and establuish
measures to promote safe sex through mass media, such as television, radio
and posters.
b. Ministry of Youth Development - promulgate and promote awareness and
benefits of Sereypheap.
c. Ministry of Education – drive safe sex and child prostitution education in
schools from elementary stage.
Commercial Companies.
a.
We would go door to door to seek corporate sponsorship for our fundraising and implementation activities. In return, we would publically publicise
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them through banners; advertisements and products (e.g. T-shirts) made and sold
by the youth themselves.
b.
We would specifically target health and youth-related companies which
have direct impact on the child prostitution issue. This would allow better corelation and consumer understanding.
10. Budget
10.1
Operation Costs
Before beginning to calculate our budget, we asked ourselves a fundamental
question: “What is the cost of operation?” At first, we estimated operation costs
based on a typical Cambodia consumer’s price, referencing Wathana (Cambodian
team member) and a website (www.something.org). To start, these are the
project items that require funding:
a.
b.
Training courses for children
(1)
Piano Lessons
- Piano (2nd hand, Total: US$300)*
- Piano teachers (school volunteers)
(2)
Sewing Lessons
- Sewing machines (3 pcs, Total: US$30)*
- Sewing teachers (school volunteers)
(3)
Cambodian Traditional Dance
Cambodia Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
(US$100/session, Total: US$500/year)
Salary for staff (6 pax)
(1)
c.
Infrastructure
(1)
(2)
d.
US$200/month for each staff (based on a Cambodian
fresh graduate salary) - (Total: US$1,200/month,
US$14,400/year)
Office rental fees
- Rental in Phnom Penh district (US$300/month,
US$3,600/year)
Office equipment
- Office supplies (US$1,000)*
- Office furniture (US$120)*
Organisation of Road-shows/Posters
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(1)
Road-show
- 2 times per year (US$1,000/roadshow, US$2,000/year)
(2)
Posters (US$500/year)
*Items in italics indicate one-time start-up costs.
Total budget required:
Start-up
Recurrent Annual Budget
10.2
-
$22,450
$21,000
Fund-raising
The purpose of our fund-raising initiatives would be to not have rely on external
agencies, such as the government, for financial support. We intend to establish
an element of self-sustainability and supportability for Sereypheap.
We would solicit funds through sponsorship/collections from the following
avenues:
Target Amount
(US$, annually)
S/No Means of Collection
01
UNICEF
5,000
02
World Vision (newspaper advertisements)
1,000
03
Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)
5,000
04
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
3,500
05
Commercial Companies
3,500
06
Charity Concerts (twice per year)
4,000
22,000
Total
Our charity concerts would include piano, guitar and vocal concerts by Sereypheap
youth themselves. We would hold the concerts in popular places where
foreigners like to gather, such as famous hotels. It would perhaps be easier to get
foreigners to pay attention to this project and the anti-child prostitution issue. We
could also invite foreign embassy officials to concerts to showcase our project
internationally. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) would be aware of
Sereypheap and hopefully donate as well.
Another area we could capitalise on is getting youths to work with foreign
commercial enterprises in making and developing souvenirs and products.
Cambodian youth typically like to work with foreigners, so this would be an ideal
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opportunity for them. Through this process, the companies could sponsor funds
for the project and the tourism industry would be bolstered as well.
11. Monitoring & Evaluation
To ensure the progress and development of Sereypheap, we would need to hold a monthly
meeting to monitor, evaluate and report on the following areas:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Human Resources/Staffing
Activities Update & Development
Marketing Department
Financing / Accounting
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Survey Feedback
The financing portion of the project would be run pre-dominantly by donors. We would
need to report the internal accounting accurately and publish it on a quarterly basis. We
would post it on our website for public consumption and accountability. This would also
serve to strengthen our reputation and help in networking new donors.
We would administer a survey questionaire to each participant on a bi-annual (once every
6 months) basis. The questions would be related to the effectiveness and efficiency of
Sereypheap, and gauge how the youths feel about their care and development under the
centre's gambit. We would consolidate, analyse and evaluate these results to discover
root causes of problems and take appropriate action.
Measurement and evaluation of the KPIs is important, as they would provide a clear
barometer on the performance and success of Sereypheap. Through this process, we
could review and decide if tweaks or changes needed to be made to our existing systems or
processes.
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The 4 Key Performance Indicators for Sereypheap are, as follows:
S/No KPI
Target
Frequency
Description
01
Amount of
Participation
of Youth
At least 8
times per
month
Monthly
No. of youths who attend
Sereypheap
02
Number of
Youth
Leaders
Identified
At least 4 per Quarterly
quarter
03
Number of
Talents
Identified
At least 5
bi-annually
04
Survey Rating At least 75%
bi-annually
No. of youths identified as potential
leaders of Sereypheap
Bi-annually No. of youths identified with special
(once every 6 talents for performance/teaching
months)
capacity
Bi-annually
(once in 6
months)
(No. of positive surveys (overall
score of 3.5 and above) / Total no. of
surveys) x 100
SWOT Analysis
As part of our monitoring and evaluation process, we would do an annual SWOT
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of Sereypheap. This process
would help us identify our core competencies and competitive advantages (Strengths),
shortcomings or areas for improvement (Weaknesses), potential areas for development
(Opportunities) and potential areas for preventive action (Threats).
An example of the SWOT after the first year of Sereypheap's implementation:
Strengths
1) Value-added as a talent development centre
2) Originality (as compared to existing centres)
Weaknesses
1) Only 1 centre, no branches in rural areas
2) Lack of government support
Opportunities
1) Link with entertainment companies to develop potential artists
2) Invite celebrities who were former child prostitutes to give
motivational speeches/counseling at Sereypheap
Threats
1) Negative peer influence within Sereypheap (due to contiguity)
2) Negative publicity/scandals on Sereypheap spread by underground
syndicates
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12.
Challenges
Some of the key challenges facing Sereypheap are, as follows:
a.
Cultural Stigma. Many people in Cambodia accept child prostitution as a
way of life, due to past traditions and histories. People who are aware of this
may refrain from reporting the issue to the appropriate authorities for fear of
reprisals or because they feel that there is nothing improper regarding such
activities. Such a deep-rooted mindset may be difficult to change. Even the
government and police are sometimes seen to be taking a soft stance on the issue
of child prostitution.
b.
Effectiveness of Similar Centres. As the existing centres have not proved
to be effective, a lot of awareness and publicity would need to be publically
disseminated to show that Sereypheap is indeed a centre that can make a difference.
Due to the geographical nature of
c.
Dissemination in Rural Areas.
Cambodia, it is difficult to spread a message in rural areas as they are
technologically and geographically isolated. The problem may be exacerbated
as a large majority of such child prostitutes come from rural areas.
As this is largely a self-driven donord.
Challenges in Funding.
oriented project, challenges may be faced when organising charity events or
approaching companies for sponsorship. Care and patience must be exercised in
dealing with this sensitive issue.
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E. POSTSCRIPT
13. Two Heads Are Better Than One
The group observed that, when working as a team, we could think more deeply about what
we had learned and more freely explain it to each other. We realized that by studying
with others in a group, everyone was better able to:
Think out loud
Share ideas
Learn from the ideas of others
As the old saying goes, "two heads are better than one." While studying alone may work
well for such things as the memorization of facts, sometimes we find ourselves needing a
deeper understanding of complicated ideas. Rather than memorizing facts, we are
required to apply facts to solve problems. We agreed that an effective group study
involves hashing out lesson materials together to explain concepts, argue about them,
figure out why one person's answer differs from another's and, in the process, we learn
more than we could ever have alone.
14. SUDOKU's Group Study Process
Meaning of the Group Name - SUDOKU
Group C under the name SUDOKU consisted of 7 team members in totality: Wathana
(Cambodia), Malay (Laos), Chimin (Malaysia), Yui (Thailand), Terk (Singapore), Koyata
(Japan) and Shinpei (Japan).
Our initial step after forming our group was to name it. One of our team members, Terk,
tried hard to convince us to choose a cute name, such as onsen, hot spa or cold spa, which
could well have represented our group. Amazingly, we shared the same thoughts on
coming up with something that really represented us and something we could link with a
Japanese concept. We picked a Japanese game, and after receiving a rough explanation
of SUDOKU from Koyata-san, we understood that SUDOKU was a kind of game that
constitutes many differing numbers. The objective of SUDOKU is to form patterns of
numbers in straight or diagonal lines. The many numbers represented us, as we had come
from different countries, backgrounds and cultures. Nevertheless, just like the objective
of the game, we were able to work in line with one another and adapt our styles through
flexible and effective ways to come up with more creative ideas and solutions to reach our
final goal.
How did our group members overcome differences in opinion? What was difficult in our
study process? How effective was the facilitation/logical thinking training?
After brainstorming, sharing and searching for information, and after much consideration
on the applicability and information available, our group came up with the title “Project
Runaway,” focusing on child prostitution in Cambodia. For us, the project findings were
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not the key issue; rather, working in a group and seeing how team members performed and
overcame problems was really the crux of our activity.
Our group study went well but, frankly speaking, it was not at all an easy task to work as a
team, as we came from different backgrounds and different cultures. While some
members excelled in English communication, others tried to express their thoughts through
simple English. The pace also varied. Some members worked and made decisions very
quickly, while others on the team tended to require a deeper understanding.
In addition, one of the statements from Malay, whenever she spoke unofficially, was
“…just because we come from the Mekong countries, we speak not that so fluency English,
we quiet sometime but that does not mean that we do not want to contribute our thoughts
or inputs, it just the way that we respect other opinions which sometime were not always
valid.” This sums up the idea that every individual is different and we have our own
uniqueness and thoughts.
We were fortunate enough to be in a group where we complemented one another very well.
Chimin was an excellent technological specialist, Wei Terk was an excellent editor, Yui,
Wath and Malay were high-quality contributors and considered themselves excellent
secretaries, while Koyata and Shinpei-san were efficient. Together, we took turns
facilitating and were given a chance to apply the facilitation and critical thinking skills that
we had learned in class.
15. Lessons which our group have learned through group study
The SUDOKU group members agree that group study enhanced our performances, both in
class discussions as well as during our presentation of the outcome. Why do groups
work? Group study pays off because it brings about changes in two ways: it forces us to
alter our old ways of thinking and it changes our less effective patterns of behavior.
In a group environment, group members are less likely to procrastinate. After all, it’s easy
to put off an assignment when we only have ourselves to answer to, isn’t it? But when we
know we have a whole group of people counting on us, we are more likely to get the job
done. Interestingly, we learned that group study also encourages us to explain things
aloud. By speaking and listening with others, we often improve our ability to remember
important information.
One more big benefit of group study and discussion was that our many perspectives
improved our chances of anticipating our project or individual tasks. Group members will
always bring up ideas and thoughts which some of us might never have considered or
thought of before.
Finally, we discovered that the benefits of group study reach far beyond the good results of
presentation day; it builds self-confidence that we can utilize this for the rest of our lives.
We learned that no idea is right or wrong as long as we speak it, and we also learned that
there is really is not much difference between us, except the languages that we speak. We
all look alike, have similar values and similar backgrounds. We did not find any
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difficulty in communicating with one another, especially when it came to group work.
We suppose that this is indicative that we belong to the same entity: we are the people of
ASEAN, we are and are going to be one of the most powerful peoples on Earth.
Interestingly, we share so much in common that it really should not be complicated for us
to unite and work together towards a common goal.
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Observation Report
155
Japanese Spirit of Volunteerism
Ly Leakhena (Leak),
Cambodia
Vongchandy Malayvieng (Malay),
Laos
There are so many interesting topics that we would like to put on our observation report
but the Japanese Spirit of Volunteerism really touched our hearts. We were here for less
than a week when we felt the full force of Japanese hospitality from the Japanese IATSS
volunteers. Initially, it seemed a little strange because we did not know them and also we
had to prepare to go for Onsen with a volunteer couple and a bunch of friends. After
talking and introducing ourselves to one another, we realized why this nice Japanese
couple volunteered themselves to take care of strangers whom we had never met and then
the second question is what will they get out of doing this? Because they have to sacrifice
their time they could have stayed at home to relax. Moreover, besides time that they have
sacrificed, they also spent money from their own pockets for us.
Surprisingly, we were also invited to Kyoto and to do the
transforming to Maiko and Samurai by Japanese
volunteer-Mr.Kazuhiro Kobayasi. Food and drink were
sometimes put on the table for all the participants in the
seminar hall were also provided by him. Tea ceremony,
Kimono and Yukata-wearing were also demonstrated by
the generous Japanese volunteers. They also gave us
encouragement by always coming to join each country
presentation and gave us the motivation to enjoy the
classes and go through the tough schedule.
Not only both of us but we have heard from all the participants about the hospitality and
the warm welcome during our home stay. They provided us not only the food and
accommodation but a friendly smile and warm heart. We saw the Ise shrine, the tallest
mountain, tasting sushi and other Japanese dishes and enjoyed shopping in Ise city because
of them. It was not their first time to provide home stay but it was the 5th time for Leak and
the 4th time for Malay. They used to host students from many countries for the short stay as
well as long stay. We had many great memories and left our hearts in Ise. We also feel that
Suzuka is our second home because of the Japanese hospitality and their natural attitude
towards volunteerism.
We wanted to explore the question: why do Japanese like to volunteer? And we will also
include more observations as we go along the forum.
156
We were amazed at the constant presence of the Japanese volunteers. Their commitment to
the cause was relentless. They basically appeared at many different events: Seminars,
Group Study focus group discussions, Cultural Exchange Day, Opening and Closing
Ceremonies and so on. It was heartwarming to see their support appearing at most, if not
all of our events. Even some of the home-stay families also came to support us, giving us a
real boost in morale.
We feel that the culture and traditions of Japan might play a part in engendering Japanese
volunteerism. From young, the education system encourages Japanese citizens to play an
active role in volunteerism, thus it is somewhat ingrained in the Japanese culture. When
the children become adults, they likewise practice volunteerism. The rootedness in society
is important as it influences and encourages other people to do likewise. It works kind of
like a vicious cycle, in that respect.
As the IATSS forum progressed, we were so fascinated with this unique spirit of
volunteerism that we decided to do research on how Japan ranks in the world when
it comes to the spirit of volunteerism. It was very interesting to find out that
probably the 2 countries in the world most attuned to volunteerism are the USA
and Japan. However, when looking into the details, we discovered that there are
some fundamental differences between American and Japanese volunteerism. First,
the desire to work together and help others comes from the foundation of the
country. In the United States, the notion of "the people" precedes that of "the
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government" in its creation. The founders were disappointed with their former
countries and did not want to have a powerful government. They wanted to build
their communities for themselves. Also, the United States is a country of
immigrants seeking to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
Compared to the Japanese, Americans have a
relatively stronger sense of community. In
America, a relatively smaller proportion of people
believe the government and private sectors should
take responsibility to help the needy. As such,
volunteerism becomes more of a must, and not so
much a need. In Japan, most people still
traditionally believe that the government should
take charge. Japan has had a long tradition of
putting the government above the people.
Secondly, compared to Japan, American volunteerism has a stronger connection
and linkage to religion. Churches and synagogues have always been big sources of
volunteers and still are. Congregates often say they gain more than they give by
volunteering. Even when Americans volunteer without any relationship to religion,
they realize volunteering offers various skills, friends, experiences, satisfaction and
fun. In Japan, volunteerism is seen more in terms of service and sacrifice. This has
been so for a long time and is just beginning to change. Japanese people are
beginning to realize that volunteering is a give-and-take action.
Thirdly, compared to Japan, American
volunteerism also comes as a result of
requests from large numbers of people
and organizations. American society
has faced many problems dealing with
racial issues and an increasing
immigrant population. In Japan,
families and neighbors have handled
problems that arise. This is changing these traditional ties are beginning to
break down and Japan is now a rapidly
aging society, so volunteering draws
even more attention.
158
Finally, we have noted that in Japan, it was not until 1998 that most of the
volunteer organizations gained official legal status, and the tax issue is in fact still
being debated. In comparison, the United States is a country of volunteers because
federal, state and local governments give substantial financial aid to non-profit
organizations. Many organizations working with the homeless and other povertyrelated issues receive direct support from government agencies.
Japanese volunteer groups and non-profit organizations are relatively small and do
not have many full-time staff. This is in contrast to the United States, where there
are many volunteer groups and non-profit organizations. Many of them are very big
and have full-time staff. In the United States, non-profit organizations often
cooperate, sharing volunteers and information. Schools and companies have a
number of volunteer programs they are linked to. Japanese volunteerism still
centres more on an individual-driven basis, with lesser form of structure and
network linkage with other organizations such as schools and companies.
Through volunteering and donations, individuals can express their will on what
kind of society they want and what issues they think are crucial. In the aspect of
volunteerism, Japan probably still has some areas to learn from the United States
about how to promote volunteerism.
Generally, the concept of volunteerism can still grow in Japan. The word itself,
"borantia", is borrowed from English. However, as we have mentioned earlier in
the report, volunteerism is well and alive in Japan. Due to the structure and culture
of Japan, when describing the way which volunteerism operates in Japan, we really
need to bear in mind the organization of Japanese society, its implications for
volunteerism, the primary motivations for volunteering, personal constraints to
volunteering, and the key characteristics of volunteer involvement.
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Onsen: My Fear and Adaptation Experience in My Life
VUNG Wathana (Wathana)
Cambodia
Before coming to Japan, I thought about hot
spring which is Onsen in Japanese language. It
was a kind of hot topic to discuss whether I
should experience Onsen or not. Many
colleagues at my workplace who used to come
to Japan told me that I must experience the
Onsen because we don’t have this kind of thing
in our country. To me, I still could not imagine
how and what to do over there, my feeling still
told me that I was scared and also did not
know how to adapt with such a situation in
Onsen.
After arrived Japan, we had to move to Ise city for Gasshuku “Team Buidling”.
During the gasshuku at Ise city, I had to experience the Onsen for the first
time in my life. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places which
including outdoor and indoor baths. At the hotel in Ise, we had no shower
room. How come to have a public bathing with the strangers? Though, in my
thinking were struck by having no choice, I decided to overcome my fear by
trying to experience this Japanese public bathing.
When we went to the Onsen place, there
were two different entrances for men or
women. There was a room for us to change
the clothes. And, there were some baskets
which were very well organized to put the
clothes. Some places had the small lockers
for keeping clothes. So we could change
our clothes and leave it there and brought
along with us the small towel for the
purpose of cleaning our body before
entering into mineral water pool.
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After that, we had to wash our
bodies and rinse thoroughly before
entering the hot water.
In the shower place had faucets
with removable shower heads and
stools to sit on, for showering and
shampooing.
We had two towels, the big one for drying body after Onsen and the small one
for using as a washcloth. The big towel was not allowed to take into the hot
water. For the small towel, after we cleaned our body, we could put it on the
head.
After enjoyed and relaxed ourselves in the mineral cold and hot water, we
went back to the locker room and changed our clothes. Then, we went to the
recovery room which equipped with body lotion, skin milk and hair treatment
oil. We also could use the hair-dryer over there. This was the end-used of
Onsen’s room.
At last, I could learn many advantages of the
Onsen such as breaking down the barriers
and getting to know people in the relaxed
homey atmosphere, healthy for body and
beauty. Now I am no longer afraid of having
public baths with strangers and friends
anymore.
Do you think I am brave or not?
Imagine if my family or the old generation in my country know about this??
Oops….cannot imagine about their reactions.
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LADIES FASHION IN JAPAN TROUGH MY MODEST EYES
Djalinda (Djal)
Indonesia
Japan has always been on the edge when it comes to hairstyles and clothing. Japan
is known as one of the trendsetter countries related to fashion. Some of the Japanese Ladies
styles that popular in our ears and also maybe a little bit extreme are LOLITA (you know,
the one looks like Alice in Wonderland), PUNK LOLITA (a mix between Alice in
Wonderland and punk-rock kind of thing), GANGURO (looks like Barbie in Hawaii), and
many others.
To be honest, I have no interest at all in that kind of fashion. It’s just too weird and
ridiculous for me . I won’t have guts wearing those kinds of clothes.
The fashion I want to talk about right now is a usual fashion in Japan, which also wore by
usual people in daily life. What I mean by ‘usual people’ for example is IATSS Staffs .
Base on my observation lately, only 2 criteria of Ladies Fashion in Japan:
1. It’s a lame wearing one piece or same pattern of clothes, and…
2. Dare to experiment, girls!
I notice their experiment to mix and match the clothes is very courageous. Like
this autumn, some mix and matches that I saw in the street or in IATSS really caught my
eyes.
I’ll show you some examples:
Flat shoes, mini skirt, black stocking,
matches with 2 tops. Under is a flower
pattern shirt, and cardigan on the top.
Knee length boots, matches with a mini
skirt, metal accessories belt, and a long
sleeves tight t-shirt.
Brown high heels, gray knee length socks,
fade blue hot pants, matches with pink Tshirt and a violet sport jacket.
Ouch!!
162
Maybe it’s just a common thing for Japanese people,
but as far as I know it’s not really a usual thing to do in
other countries, especially Indonesia. Just a few people dare
to wear it. And you also have to consider the place you visit
when you wear those kinds of clothes.
Like in Indonesia, usually people (who dare) wear it to the
malls. And they have their on car when going to the mall. If
you dress like that and go with public transportation, people
will stare at you . I don’t generalized what other people in
Indonesia think on this kind of fashion.
But as far as I know (as a public transportation user), even a
slightest kind of fashion make people stare (not a good kind
of stare, if you know what I mean).
Like wearing tank top or you can see shirt, you just cannot! Except if you don’t mind being
a center of public eyes. Usually the girls cover their tank top with a cardigan or bolero
outside. And they can open the cardigan when they arrive at the mall. Hmm…I don’t know,
is it because religious aspect, our culture, or what?
Right now many youngsters in Indonesia dare to experiment clothes.
And many of them refer their fashion from Japan. If you go to Jakarta or big cities like
Surabaya and Bandung, Japanese haircut and fashion will be seen. Not everywhere… but
you can see them in some places especially a kind of hang out places.
They cannot imitate all the fashion because of the season’s difference.
But you still can see the girls wearing boots, though. I don’t know whether they feel some
heat or not. But, when it comes to fashion you have to sacrifice a little.
A little muscle strain wearing high heels, a little heat wearing boots, a little cold wearing
hot pants, all those kind of pain…as long as beauty becomes the result .
As for me, I don’t know whether it’s because of the difference period (FYI, I was
born almost 30 years ago) or my parent’s doctrine. I cannot see myself wearing those
clothes. Only one or two kinds of style, maybe? But I’m not sure about the hot pants or
mini skirt. I don’t know…maybe because I’m just a modest girl?
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Where to aim your camera lenses in Japan
Manuh Pitasari (Pipit)
Indonesia
Photography is one of my newest hobbies. I started to learn and fall in love with
photography because I want everyone especially my dearest people to be able to see and
experience the places I visited, people I met, activities I did, thru my photos. I bought my
SLR camera just several months before I came to Japan, ignoring some of my friends’
advice to buy the camera in Japan because I didn’t want to miss any single things since I
step my feet on Nagoya airport. I took it as a challenge to capture the essence of Japan thru
my camera. During my 55 days of stay, I took more than 3500 photos. It might be a lot in
number, but sometimes I took photos of one object several times until I got the “spirit” of
the moment or the view.
So, based on my experience, these are some of the best photo objects to represent Japan:
Landmark
Well, this is a bit standard. Take photos of famous
Japanese landmark. Photos that people could
easily identified the objects, such as: Nagoya
castle, Kinkakuji temple, Tokyo tower, etc.
Temple & Shrine
I categorized these separately because in Japan,
temple & shrine are EVERYWHERE. The
entire complex, main building, Tori (a red gate
of shrine) and even the detail structure of the
temple or shrine are good object of photo. I’m
a bit sad because of photo restriction in some
temple and shrine. But I understand that it’s for
a good reason to preserve the interior which
has high historical and cultural value.
Japanese food
Bento (Japanese lunch-box) is colorful, all the
foods are carefully sliced, shaped, arranged and
sometimes I just don’t have the heart to eat it.
Food market is also interesting. Take photos of
these objects to remind you of the Japanese
passion for food.
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Architecture and construction
Wooden vs concrete and steel.
It’s interesting to capture the distinct beauty of
wooden architecture in cultural, historical
building and concrete or steel construction in
modern building.
Nature vs city view
Again, different perspective of beauty.
Both views are magnificent, and both
views represent Japan. But personally,
since I’m not too keen on big cities
with all the big building and crowd, I
prefer nature view. River, mountain
area, forest, waterfall, garden, beach
(for me) have undeniable beauty.
Japanese People
The Kids are innocent, cute, and don’t forget their reflex to give “peacesign” every time we took their photos. Personally I love kids, but you
just can’t resist Japanese kids.
The Girls are vitamins for the eyes. Whatever your definition of beauty,
most probably you can find it Japan: cute, feminine, elegant, smart-casual,
business-look, name it and you can surely find it. Maiko-Geisha photo
hunt was another adventure. I’m pretty lucky to get one.
The guys, sorry to say, are a bit conservative in term of fashion. But this is another unique
scene for photos. Crowd of men in black-suit waiting for subway…. Hmmmm…
Train and Subway Station
You might be surprised but I found out that
there are a lot of photo objects in Japanese
train and subway station. The interior; the
crowd of people, the signboard, people with
map and puzzled look (off course it’s not
funny anymore when I became that
person ). I think if I have spare time I
could spend the whole day just to travel from 1 station to the other and take photos
Karaoke & Kanpai
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a
photo of these moments – originally
Japan.
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Drain cover
Do you know that
different cities have
different design of sewage
drain cover? The designs
are somehow represent
the city, so it’s very
unique and interesting.
Crazy moment
You have to develop a good intuition for this. Crazy moment can come every time,
everywhere. So just get your camera always ready and pray for your luck!!
Another observer
I think this is personal interest. I like to observe and take photos of other lenses-observer.
It’s just nice to know other people who share the same interest.
To end the report, don’t forget that these are the minimum list. There is a lot of interesting
photo objects in Japan. But, don’t forget also to enjoy the experience and not overconcentrate on capturing the moment. Enjoy…
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Royalty of Honda
Vongmany Thanouvan (Fish)
Laos
This is my first time to come to Japan
and also to see some cases that I have never
seen before. It is “Royalty of Honda”. When I
saw many cars at the parking lot, I was very
surprised with all of the cars there were Honda
brand. So I asked Mr. Akira, “Why all the cars
here are Honda brand?” He told me that this
was the parking lot of Honda factory. At that
time I was still confused why there were only
Honda brand. In my country “Laos”, the
company staffs usually use other brand, not
certify only the brand that the company they
work for.
And also, on the road that I came to IATSS (Suzuka city), I saw many Honda
brand on the road and another parking areas. So I asked Mr. Akira again that
why………..?????? There are many Honda cars, I can not see TOYOTA, NISSAN…etc.!
He only looked at me and smiled 5555…! He then told me, “I don’t know either, why?”
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But I think now I know why people in Suzuka use only the Honda brand.
Because, Honda does not only make the
high quality products to the society but also
produce something more than that.
It’s refundable to our society and also in Suzuka
city, many program, many activities were done or
supported by Honda Company.
I think in our lives or our business, if we can do
something back to society after we got the benefit
from them, it must be great.
Now I think Honda tries to do something like I just
said.
You can see the IATSS Forum is also supported
by Honda. So this is the key word can answer the question, why the people in Suzuka city
they hospitality with the Honda brand.
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LEGAL SYSTEM
Hu Chi-Min (Chimin)
Malaysia
INTRODUCTION
1.
To write about the legal system is actually too tough in observation report. It is
not an easy task; it may as well end up as a Law Thesis. However, to keep the matter
simple and clear, it is best understood that historically, Japan is a monarchy. The Emperor
held the authority and exercises His authorities through His Imperial Court. In 1890, Japan
recognizes a constitution incorporating the principles of Rule of Law and a Representative
Government. In fact, it is through this Constitution that the “sovereignty” or “powers” of
the Emperor is being defined and in a way limited.
GOVERNMENT
2.
Today, Japan is a democratic country ruled by the people. The governance of the
people and the country; is governed by elected representatives of the people. Matters
related to national issues and Japan as a whole is represented and governed by the National
Diet; whilst prefectural regulations and issues is handled through the Prefectural Assembly
i.e. the Local Government.
On our visit to the Mayor’s Office, We have the privilege to visit the Assembly
3.
Hall where debates were held 4 times a year to discuss the future of Suzuka’s City. The
function of the Assemble Hall is similar to the Malaysian Local Government Parliamentary
Procedure. Thanks to the opportunity to given by Mr. Itabashi Takayuki and Mr. Tanabe
Katsumi, I found out that Suzuka’s City
has a unique Parliamentary style of
debates, this is the only Assembly Hall
that allows face to face interaction
between the Executives and the
Congressman. According to both Mr.
Takayuki and Mr. Katsumi, the reason
that Suzuka’s City adopts a different
style is because this particular way
allows direct interaction between the
Executives and the Congressman. Such
settings encourage discussions and more
interaction, this is important to ensure
democracy and accountability.
Suzuka’s City Assembly Hall
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN JAPAN/ MALAYSIA
4.
The criminal justice in Japan is basically similar
to Malaysia or even in most country around the world,
but the distinctive feature in Japan’s enforcement forces
i.e. the Police is that Japan have the National Police
Agency vis-à-vis the Prefectural Police Agency. This is
something very different from Malaysia. In Malaysia,
the police force is under the governance of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs, and there is just one police force
Kyoto Prefecture Police
i.e. the Royal Malaysian Police. However, the
working of the Royal Malaysian Police are divided into districts, this is to allow a more
localized enforcement by the “local” Police Headquarters.
Whilst in Japan, generally speaking, the Metropolitan Police or the National Police
5.
Agency have nationwide jurisdiction, the Metropolitan Police is also the central
coordinator for criminal activities that are of overlapping prefectural jurisdiction. Whilst
the Prefectural Police handles criminal enforcements within the boundary of their
prefecture, the Metropolitan Police may supervise cross-prefectural crime enforcement in
co-operation with the related Prefectural Police.
Demonstration by Suzuka Police
HQ on extraction of fingerprinting
LEGAL EDUCATION IN JAPAN/ MALAYSIA
6.
It is extremely tough and difficult in Japan to
practice law. It is similar in Malaysia as well. For those
inspire to become a practicing “bengoshii”, they must
obtained a law degree from University. Similar to Malaysia,
undergraduate law students must undergo a 4 year law
Ritsumeikan
program and obtain a law degree. However, this does not
mean he or she can practice law. After graduating, they must further pursue their bar
qualification. Only with a bar qualification, one can pursue his or her dream to practice
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law. Mr. Kobayashi’s daughter has a dream and that dream is to practice law in Japan, it is
my wish and blessing that her dream comes true as the law profession is something I
respected and upheld with high regards. She wishes to study in the most prestigious
private law school in Japan, Doshisha University.
In Japan there are several law school, some are
7.
public universities such as Todai (Tokyo University), Kyoto
University and Nagoya University; whilst some are private
universities such as Doshisha University and Ritsumeikan
University. All the universities mentioned above offers very
good law program for undergraduate and postgraduate.
Even I am tempted to further pursue my postgraduate study
Doshisha University
in one of those universities. It’s a dream and a dream that I
will pursue. Hope to be back in Japan for my postgraduate.
CONCLUSION
Through my stay in Japan, I had the opportunity to interact and to learn from so
8.
many people, there were just too many observations that made me curious and adventurous.
Especially with law as a subject matter, there are many question unanswered and many
interest to explore, I am particularly interested to know why and what is the future heading
of legal studies in Japan, how the Japanese legal policy move the aspiring Japanese to a
more international arena, and how Japanese legal policy uphold justice in a war/ terror
prone global illness.
I hope that this short observation would encourage those who are interested to
9.
further explore their interest and in the spirit of Respecting Individuality, Embracing
Diversity, we shall share and learn together.
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10 Tips to be Japanese best buddies
Nur Shazwani Muhammad (Wani)
Malaysia
I have never been friends with Japanese before I come to Japan. I always
heard from my friends who graduated from Japan, that Japanese are very organised,
rigid and friendly. However, I was not convinced. The history of World War II
where Malaysia was being conquered by the Japanese and harshness of Japanese
rules made my family feels a bit reluctant to let me spend two months here.
However, my perception of Japanese people has changed now. Through
IATSS Forum, I got to know the Japanese volunteers, lecturers and staff who really
took a very good care of me. As a Muslim, I have special needs during Ramadhan
and my meals must be free from alcohol, pork, non-halal beef and chicken. IATSS
staff really took the effort to take care of my special needs. More social contacts
were established with Japanese during the Japanese Cultural Day, Kouryu session,
home stay and seminars which made me come to a conclusion that Japanese are
very kind, friendly and organised people.
Here I would like to give you 10 tips on how to be a best friend with
Japanese. As I mentioned earlier, they are friendly, but these tips you may give you
more advantage and accelerate the process to establish an everlasting friendship
with Japanese.
E-too..
Ano…
1. Learn to speak
their language
2. Love onsen
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3. Drink Sake (for
Muslims, please
bring a box of juice)
4. Love to party
7. Able to make jokes
and can laugh out loud
5. Enjoy simple no-brainer
games
6. Be punctual
8. Love extremely sweet 9. Can bend your
candies
bodies up to 90
degrees
10. Very good at
expressing yourself using
sign languages
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Japanese Cars
Aung Zaw Oo (John)
Myanmar
There are so many things that I would like to learn and experience through
my time here in Japan, and one among topics is Japanese cars. I must confess
that I am one of those who use only Japanese cars and my latest one is
TOYOTA MARK II which is fantastic!!
Through my presence during the 44th AITSS forum, I
visited many places like Tsu, Ise and Suzuka cities as
well as Kyoto and Tokyo. Everywhere that I have been
through were obviously for me seeing variety of
Japanese Cars run on the roads and in car pack areas.
I would like to touch upon why Japanese Cars?
Japanese used vehicles are renowned throughout the world for high quality.
Cars in Japan are subject to strict emissions standards that encourage the
sale of used cars sooner than in most countries. The Japanese used car is
peerless on price, quality and cleanliness.
I would like to emphasis on Japanese car giant Honda
which I was very surprised observing its different
kinds of model colors and sizes, I said so because
almost of them are very small and cute especially the
outer appearances. During my visit to the Suzuka
Honda Factory, I was too excited seeing the Honda
FIT that is absolutely tiny and cute plus seeing the step by step production
with robots to the final state of assembly of cars was far beyond my
imagination
I learned that, there are 7 kinds of Honda small car.
These are Honda Zest, Honda Life, Honda Vamos, Honda
Hobio, Honda Acty van, Honda Acty light truck and Honda
Acty dump truck. The 7 kinds of model cars engine power
are same as 0.66 L. I felt that may be priority on as lass
as fuel consumption because nowadays crude oil price is
higher as on over the world.
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My most passionate of Honda product goes to (2007 model Honda S2000)
which is one kind of sport type car and the engine power is 2.2 L and 237
horsepower. The price is about or slightly 4,000,000 Japanese yen.
One of my most enthusiasms from
now is getting that Honda S2000,
the reason is that Honda S2000
featured in it high technology as
like as great performance technical
features. It drives-by-wire, high X
bone monologue frame, electric power-assisted rack and pinion steering (EPS),
front and rear stabilizer bars and power-assisted ventilated front disc/solid
rear disc brakes and then safely features such as front 3 point seat belts
with automatic tensioning system, driver’s and passenger’s seat belt reminder,
dual front airbags (SRS), daytime running lights (DRL), side-impact door
beams, vehicle stability assist (VSA) with traction control, brake assist and
tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
I absolutely believe that, these all kind of safety features are very priority
to protect driver and driving safety first system, when the driver happen
some accidences driving the car it not be easy to injury.
Lastly, I would like to sum up that, there are few areas to take into
consideration as before buying a new car, the company that produced car
itself, the generational difference of value in terms of car designs. By
reviewing what kinds of stimulation each generation received, what kinds of
designs they produced, and what kinds of designs that the car company
preferred, that generational analysis will help consumer getting idea on new
car designs in terms of price and safety and at the end of the day, just follow
your heart and money in order to make life much more easier.
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Participation (Participative Management)
Lwin Lwin Mya (Emeral)
Myanmar
The first lesson I have learnt in Japan was that the
interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their
combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual
itself. Japanese working systems value the individual
ability to accomplish the duties. It is true;
different people have different potential in
performing the tasks. Participation of each and
everybody is the important aspects of forming
an effective working group. Form the organizer
point of view, understanding how individual
members can best be used is an important access.
That inspires me to get to know of Japanese participative management.
1+1>2
Before I came here, I naturally keep silent and
strength in performing the individual duties. So,
minimum interaction with people becomes my
obvious characteristics. To get to know more of each
other, we need to speak up so that we understand
more about each other. It will be greater impact to the
organization as a result. I learnt through group
discussion: if someone can able to express her/his
own opinion, that person can able to achieve increase
the understanding among the team members.
As soon as we arrived here, we communicated and showed our friendship with a smile but
minimum attention to each other. The first impression of this forum was because of the
team building training at Ise city where we were able to create the better understanding
among the members, really cohesive. The ice breaking activities were not just stop at that
certain place and we became getting to know each other, simultaneously, I consider myself
of being lucky to be a member of this forum.
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Increase Participation of team members
My personal impression on participative
management style was enhanced through
lectures there emphasize on each and
everybody opinions. It was something like
understanding of group ability as the input of
decision-making. Lecturers were actively
seeking a strong cooperative relationship with
the participants and convey the lesson very
subtly, we even not feel ourselves of being
lectured. In this way, our group was more
productive and discover ourselves. Every
participant had the chance to be a facilitator; meaning no one should influence the group
work and value the participation of each and every body.
To enhance this management, each and everybody must be rhythm in performing the
duties. Once we decide the common goals, the system allows no one to deviate from the
track. If someone shows reverse idea, it will be weakening the team performance. Our
group work on the team lecture only starts after facilitation skill training reaches further
ahead than I expect. We are able to increase level of understanding among the members
and think and discuss positively on the proposed idea.
Actually, participation is quite a difficult job that an organizer drives everybody’s
involvement as various participants show different concerns. To achieve this IATSS forum
“make the people before making the products” was seen by team building training at Ise
city. There we were made a good team. We understood each other and showed up the
group performance impressive to trainer who comments us a faster and effective team
within a limited time frame.
Nurturing of JapaneseParticipation
Japan, from my observation point of view, the
inception of team spirit is nurtured since they are in
the kinder garden. Ise home stay family let me to
visit once in a year opportunity of Japanese kids’
sports competition ceremony there I understand how
the kids are trained to be a good team member in
order to understand the importance of group think.
Each and every games was systematically
characterized to be a good team member who work
together learn together and go together to achieve
the common goals. By seeing the kids who were playing happily as a team member cause
me to have a glance on the way Japanese children are trained. Everybody has the chance to
participate the respective games. If we want to go fast we can go alone, but if we want to
go far we have to go together!!!!!
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Wonderful participation experience
When we have the chance to perform the activities, we can never forget and adhere in our
memory. On 28th September, we are visited to Saiku Historical Museum, Ise city. My
former experience of visiting museum does not make me something remarkable. Here, my
impression on museum changes a lot and attract me too much because we are allowed to
try by ourselves in some of the activities. (e.g. the ancient pieces of port combine into a
good one, and the choice of ancient proclaim containers in order of older age etc). The
museum allows the visitors to have a chance to participate and make us not to forget the
message they want us to remember. How important the participation is.
In sum up, I can say that participation is important in every aspects of life.
Participation makes us to understand more of the subject matter and at the same time know
more of us by the other members. Japanese people are really good at upgrading
participation and driving the consensus. The greatest lesson I learnt as my area of
improvement.
Participation is the best way of learning!
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Geishas: Stealing a Precious Moment
Penaso Anthony Makinano (Tonton)
Philippines
My interest in Geishas started during my high
school years when I was an avid reader of a
Japanese magazine called Pacific Friends. The
same interest grew when I came across the
bestselling novel and literary sensation by Arthur
Golden in 1997 entitled, Memoirs of a Geisha. As
New York Times puts it, this brilliant debut novel
tells with seamless authenticity and exquisite
lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan’s
most celebrated geisha. In 2005, I saw the film
with the same title directed by Rob Marshall. The
movie derived from the said novel was
exotically colorful, gracefully elegant and soultouching.
Out of curiosity, I am very much interested to spend a little time in tête-à-tête with geishas.
My Japanese friends told me that it would be difficult for me to find such a time because
they are often visible only in the evening and that they are so busy for engagements, unless
of course I am willing to pay for their time which is extremely expensive.
During our trip to Kyoto, one among the objectives for my
two-day individual sight-seeing plan was to take a photograph
with a geisha, at least, if there is no possibility of a short chitchat. I was with three other friends, Terk (Singapore), Malay
(Laos), and Janet (Philippines). We went intentionally to Gion
at the onset of twilight where you can feel the increasing beat
of night entertainment in that heavily- trafficked tourist area.
Suddenly, I saw one geisha crossing the street. I intended to
follow her leaving behind my friends, but the traffic light did
not allow me to meet her. After a few minutes, I saw two
geishas walking expeditiously in such a busy street. Thanks to
the traffic light which turned red in my favor that the geishas
were forced to a halt. Finally, I had a chance of stealing a moment of their precious time. I
had to do some begging in Japanese just for me to have a photograph with them.
Sumimasen. Shasin isshoni totte kudasai. Tottemo kirei desune (Excuse me. Can I
take picture with you? You are so beautiful.).
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Upon uttering the last Japanese sentence, they approved my request. Terk immediately
grabbed his camera and took three shots. That was short indeed, but it was an
accomplishment. One of my objectives was finally achieved.
Interestingly, geishas or geikos are female Japanese entertainers.
They are skillful in performing dance and classical music and
other Japanese arts. Their clothing is made up of several layers
of highly colorful kimono and undergarments, and an
extravagant obi (bow of their sash). They wear a distinctly
recognizable make-up and their hairstyles are decorated with
elaborate haircombs and hairpins. Today, geisha tradition is
strongest in Kyoto.
Geishas undergo rigid training, where they traditionally
began at a very young age. In the modern times, young
women who wish to become geisha now most often
begin their training after completing at least junior high
school. Geishas still study traditional Japanese traditional
songs and dances, traditional instruments (e.g., bamboo
flute and drums), literature and poetry. Through
apprenticeship, apprentice geishas, often called maiko
could observe other geishas and their skills in wearing the
kimono and in entertaining their clients are honed.
Geishas are often hired to attend parties and gatherings,
traditionally in Japanese restaurants and tea houses. Their
fee is measured by the time it takes an incense stick to burn,
and is called "incense stick fee" or "jewel fee". Geishas
are expected to live as single women. However, if they
choose to marry, they are forced to retire from the
profession.
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He’s more than Dragon Ball Z
A look into the heart of a Japanese guy
Polita Janet Rosalie Anne Hernandez (Janet)
Philippines
Dragon Ball Z..Judo…Naruto…Ichigo…Bioman…Shaider…
Takeshi Kaneshiro...Voltes V…Daimos…
For many Filipinos just like me, these typify the character of a Japanese guy. Growing up
in an environment where anime and sentai are practically part of your breakfast, lunch and
dinner delights, I have always been intrigue what is it really in the heart and mind of a
Japanese guy. I always believe that there is something beyond the daimo-kick, super
electro magnectic machine, double dragon blade, super magnetic ball and the like.
Moreover, I believe that beyond the chinky-eyes lies a more profound Japanese guy…so I
silently observed and listened to their stories…and I found out that Japanese guys are:
“Back-to-Basic Groupie.” He finds pleasure in driving his Honda Civic, Accord, CRV,
S2000 but nothing beats experiencing heaven by riding a bike with the wind touching his
face or walking in the park holding hands with his girl.
“Sake-seeker”. More than the taste and pleasure sake offers, Japanese guys seek sake to
fuel the flame of courage to speak out and wrestle the introverted spirit in them.
“Smile-fanatic.” Fancy make up, grand hairstyles, runway pose, and sexy body could
get his attention but the winning factor would be a girl’s SMILE.
“Meal Date-lover.” Surely, when a Japanese guy likes girl, restaurants/diners even
cafeteria would always be the perfect place to whisper those sweet nothings.
“Loyal”. He prefers to stay in his job for the rest of his life and could even endure the
seemingly growing number of wrinkles of his officemates!
“Fashion Buff.” The funky, orange/yellow-colored and Edward Scissorhands –type
hairstyle simply define most Japanese guys.
“Hardworker-idol” – He simply admires girls who devotes her time to work or study
rather than partying. For him, a hardworking girl = a good wife and mother.
“One shot deal advocate” – You say “No” to him once, you would never see his face
again. He would never pursue a girl he likes if he feels and hears implicit and explicit
rejection.
“Family first believer” – He will always be concern of his otosan, okasan, brothers and
sisters. He even cried when his fish died (whom he treats as part of the family!).
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“Nationalistic” – He takes pride in being a Japanese. For him, Japanese are the most
intelligent people in the world!
“American fashion addict” – He would check out the latest American fashion trend via
trimedia. For him, AMERICAN FASHION RULES!
“Journey more important than destination believer.” – He may fail or succeed in his
decisions and/or actions but what is important is the process that led him to that result.
He would look back to evaluate what went wrong or right in the process he had taken.
“Action and Drama enthusiast” – He was touched when Cameron Diaz and Toni
Colette patch things up after their argument in “In Her Shoes.” He was awed with the
amazing stunts of Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible.”
“Passing the buck-hater” – He gets mad when he is blamed for the actions committed
by others. He is not comfortable on taking responsibility of other people’s sluggishness.
“Problem-solver” – One thing he believes in is that he could solve any problems that
come his way. He is always excited and feels the rush of his blood when he is given
problems to solve and challenges to surmount.
”
After talking to these two great Japanese guys namely Koyata and Shinpei, and
observing the highly-fashioned JGs, I come into conclusion that Japanese guys are
highly-intellectual people who valued family, career, and their independence. They
are totally influenced by their culture, norms, and traditions which brings out
distinct JAPANESE in them!
(The writer would like to thank Koyata Goto and Shinpei Yoshida for their trust, support
and cooperation in the preparation of this article. Also, many thanks to the Japanese guys
)
who inspired her to come up with this write-up.
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Time is of the Essence
Ken Wei Terk (Terk)
Singapore
Hi Everyone! I would like to talk about the topic of Punctuality. This topic is
very dear to me, as I feel it talks about personal values, which are immensely
important to me. If you respect the person or meeting you are attending, you
should be on time. It’s really personal, as the only person that can decide if he
wants to be early or late, is none other than himself. These are things I love,
as I love things that I can decide by myself. It’s all up to you. At the 44th
IATSS forum, I have witnessed the beauty of Japanese punctuality in full
flow. Every lecture, seminar and event seems to start on time. At the Opening
Ceremony, I was thinking to myself if it would start on time as well, as back in
Singapore, these events normally start like 15-20 minutes late, and usually it’s
due to waiting for the Very Important People (VIP) and stuff like that. I was
really impressed when Mikio-san, the Master of Ceremonies, really started
the ceremony at 1:30pm sharp. Even all the VIPs arrived on time, a few
minutes earlier at least.
In Singapore, meetings and courses usually do not start very punctually, as
the culture there dictates as such, like it’s OK for people to be 5-10 minutes
late. I personally don’t like that type of culture very much as it’s a dangerous
habit to start. Once people have the impression that it’s OK to be late,
chances are,
many people will be late more often than not. I personally
pride myself on being punctual for
all appointments, whether formal or
casual. I do not like people to wait
for me, just as I do not like to wait
for other people. One of my
personal principles in life is not to
do anything to people that you don't
want done to yourself. And you
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should do to people what you want done to yourself. It's a simple philosophy,
but not practiced enough in the world, unfortunately.
Punctuality is also related to other good virtues, such as reliability and
commitment. I can see from the IATSS forum staff that they treat their
work very seriously and that's another very good thing that Singapore should
learn from. You can see Japanese punctuality in everyday life, such as bus or
train schedules, which will come at the exact stated time! In Japan, when
there is a meeting at 9am, the meeting really STARTS at 9am. So simple logic
and common sense means that you need to reach the meeting at about 8:55am
as you need about 5 minutes to settle down, prepare your notes and stuff like
that.
In conclusion, I really hope Singaporeans can pick up this fine practice from
the Japanese. I personally am even more inspired to keep up my punctuality
principle, not only for appointments or meetings, but even for more mundane
things like going for meals and going to sleep. It is part of my disciplined
nature and organized and meticulous lifestyle. Cheers, it's TIME to sleep.
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Modern Women in Japanese Society
Toh Lay Hoon (Lay)
Singapore
My impression of Japanese women and their roles in the Japanese society has
changed significantly since joining the IATSS forum. Before coming to Japan,
my initial mental mind map of Japanese women at large would be one who is
more reticent and reserved in their thoughts and actions, especially so in the
public eyes. This is so even when they in fact have a mind of their own and
whose ideas in certain occasions supersede that of their male counterparts.
Male supremacy and dominance in Japan, in both the domestic and
professional arenas compounded that impression.
I drew my inspiration for this observation report from Meg-San,
Chakky-San and Tomo-San (Gassukku Training).
First of all, their flair for the English language impressed me.
Despite being fluent in their mother tongue, i.e. Nihongo, the three of them
are able to communicate effectively using the English medium. This certainly
has helped significantly in breaking the ice and bridging the gap between us,
the forum participants and them, especially so when we were all trying to
settle in into an unfamiliar environment. There was an instant connection
among us through a common spoken language.
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Next, their confident disposition when discharging their duties
were unimaginable before I came to Japan. This was evident when Meg-San
and Chakky-San were briefing us on the different aspects of the programme,
especially so during the Orientation briefing. For Tomo-san, although her
training in the United States could have contributed to her level of
confidence, the fact that she does so in the Japanese environment did not
stop to amaze me. Instead of working behind the scene to ensure the success
of the IATSS programme, they stepped forward and took over the rein at
the forefront. It could have been pure coincidence that most of the IATSS
forum staff are female, but I believe that they represent modern women in
Japan who have stepped away from the conventional roles of women in their
society.
All in all, the three of them represent individuals who have kept to
their cultural and traditional roots but at the same time move with time. This
is precisely the reason why I chose to apply for the IATSS forum. I wanted
to see for myself how Japan, as a country, was able to upkeep its traditions,
such as its observance of traditional customs and practices, and at the same
time, is an active player in the globalised world, where foreign influences are
inevitable. Like other countries, Japan is susceptible to conform under
international pressure. Somehow, Japan and its citizens have not bended
backward and succumb to negative influence. To me, this is a dedicate balance
but it seems to me that Japan has been able to manage the equilibrium so well.
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Japanese Kids
Panitee Chatakanonda (Yui)
Thailand
Before coming to Japan, I heard and read some articles in newspapers and some
magazines about Japanese population today. I was really surprised that the number of
Japanese kids is reducing continuously compared with aging people. Therefore, I was quite
surprised when I arrived in Japan and saw many Japanese kids everywhere especially in
the restaurants in Suzuka circuit and in the Onsen with their parents.
According to the Millennium Development Goals and the data by Statistics Bureau
and Statistics Center (The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and
Telecommunications,2001), Rapid population ageing, owing to the success of development
in Japan are increasing, on the other hand the birthrate are declining. There are some
researches on population in Japan indicated the reason why Japanese women do not want
to give birth more than two or three children, namely, the high cost of child rearing, the
high cost of child education, the reluctant of giving birth in mid-life and inability to
psychologically and physically endure child rearing tasks. To solve these problems,
Japanese government released the “Basic Direction of Future Child Rearing Support
Measures” called “Angle Plan” in 1994. In my opinion, one of the most important reasons
why Japanese women don’t want to give births because of there is not enough nursery
school in Japan and after women give birth, normally they have to quit their jobs so their
lives will be rely on their husbands.
Actually, I really like kids because of their innocent, their smiles and their
optimistic towards the world which are rather difficult to find when they grow up. In each
country, kids have different kinds of characteristics that are unique. Also in Japan, you can
see some of unique characters of Japanese kids or “kodomo” in Japanese language.
- The first one is their appearances, Japanese kids has extremely white skin with
red cheeks, small eyes and little lips. Their appearances look so cute and very nice.
Compared with Thailand kids, their physical appearances look different even though we
are in the Asian countries. They have brown eyes with black or brown finer hair and short
legs, on the other hand Thai kids have black eyes with
black hair and darker skin tone.
- The clothes they were are very cute and neat
with lovely shoes. As I mentioned above, Japan faced
the problem of aging society so that having babies is
the promotion of government and also the prosperity
of marketing business for child’s clothes and shoes.
As I noticed, many shops for kids can be found in the
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department store including toys for them. One more interesting thing was that most of kids
were wearing the same kind of shoes as shown in the picture and there is a big shop in
department store that sells only this kind of shoes. Compared with Thailand, this type of
shoes is popular among adult office workers when they stay in office and pregnant women
to protect them from slippery ground.
In addition, in many festivals or special
Japanese national events, many Japanese children
wear kimono and yukata going to the shrine with
their parents. In Tokyo, when I went to Meiji Jingu
and luckily they organized Bugaku (ancient court
dance) on that day to celebrate Autumn Grand
Festival, I saw many kids wearing their traditional
dress that really attract to foreigners and even
Japanese people. In my opinion, it is a best way to
cultivate Japanese culture since they are young.
Compared with Thailand, Thai kids hardly wear
Thai national dress, except in some special
occasions. That’s why when they grown up, they
tend to imitate western culture, especially their
clothes.
- Their gestures and some personalities are
also quite different from other countries, when we
take a photo of Japanese kids, they will raise two
fingers every time. I don’t know what they learned
from but everyone has to do like this. It might be
show some attractive gestures. In addition, Japanese
kids are rather curious and eager to approach
strangers. They always smile, wave their hands and
try to say hello or playing with me. My host family
in Ise city is one example, they have two girls who
really eager to play with me even though I cannot
communicate with them in Japanese. They always
try to get around with me when we went together to outdoor activities.
- The last thing I noticed of kids in Japan is that their close relationship with their
family. If you go to Onsen in the evening or in Japanese holidays, many Japanese kids will
be found with their parents. One day after the seminar class, I went there and found many
of them stay in hot water. Some are under aged 1 year and some are 5 -6 years old. This
characteristic is very unique for Japanese kids in Japan because they have hot spring that is
a kind of place where kids and their parents can enhance their closer relationships and
making them exposure to meet others and to live in society. In my country, kids always
take a shower individually at home, so they have less opportunity to expose to strangers or
large crowds in their age.
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Japanese Home
Thirayoot Limanond (Pong)
Thailand
The focus of this observation report is on the appearance and the structure
of typical Japanese houses from my perspectives perceived during the
previous 3 weeks of my stay in Japan, primarily in Suzuka City, and, to a lesser
extent, in Ise City. The note below summarizes the key differences of
Japanese houses against typical homes in my country, Thailand.
1.
The structure of Japanese
houses is primarily made of
wood. The columns and the
walls are of the wood
products, making the house
rather light in weight. This
makes it easier and taking
shorter timeframe to build.
However, due to the thin
structure of the walls, we
often hear noise from the
next room as well as outside the home. Anyway, somehow the wood
structure manages to protect the cold temperature from outside quite
well.
2.
The roof of Japanese homes is usually made of thick and heavy
porcelains. This well protects sunshine and rains; however, it creates
an imbalance structure with light supporting columns and walls and
heavy roofs, thus, this structure is rather susceptible to earthquakes.
3.
The layout of rooms in Japanese homes is quite tight, and maximizes
the use of the space. One room can do multi-purposes, for example, a
living room can easily be modified to be a dining room and a bed room.
Each room usually has a spacious cabinet on one side of the wall to
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store furniture, such as, sleeping gears, games, books, belongings and
other things.
4.
Each room is typically compact, and uses sliding doors, and sliding
windows as against the swinging doors and windows in my country. The
sliding doors/windows help saving spacing required in a room, so there
will be more rooms to exploit. All rooms in the same floor are usually
connected to one another.
5.
With the compact layout, the stairs to the second floor is practically
steep. It is rather difficult to walk up and down the steps.
6.
Toilet is separated from the shower rooms (as against the
toilet/shower room in Thailand). This is quite convenient so that two
family members can do their own business simultaneously.
7.
Japanese usually plants small flowers up by the fence or by the
sidewalls of the house. This makes houses look lovely and beautiful.
8.
Japanese houses typically have large glass windows or glass doors on at
least one side of the house. It will allow lots of sunshine to come in
the house when needed.
9.
All windows of the house have no steel frame to prevent burglar. In
Thailand, all windows in typical houses have an extra layer of the steel
frame to protect intruders from coming inside the house.
10.
The floor of the house is raised above the ground. My understanding
is to protect the house from insects, humidity from the ground as well
as flood. Also, it is easier to install electricity and sewage system.
11.
In the countryside, Japanese homes typically have no fence in the
front side, so postmen or guests can easily come inside and call at the
door. This perhaps shows the high level of safety as well as
peacefulness of the Japanese society in countryside.
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Japanese female with cosmetics
Nguyen Lan Anh (Anh)
Vietnam
One of my most curious things in Japan is Japanese female with cosmetics. In Vietnam,
Shiseido and Clé de peau – cosmetics made in Japan seems best seller so far. I myself have
been using such products for a long time and I was so curious to understand more the
nature and its most effective usage. During 55 days in Japan, the more I know about
Shiseido, the more curious I want to know how Japanese female use cosmetics. Before I
came to Japan, I have thought that Japanese female uses cosmetics nicely but their faces
look colorful and thick, and having acnes sometimes etc But according to my observation,
Japanese female use the cosmetics quite much different from my thinking; in Japan from
young to old female have very natural nice skin, white and smooth on surface even when
they use cosmetic and they look much younger than their real age. I enjoyed spending
much time walking, shopping in cosmetic shops, talking about how they care their skin so
well and how they can make up so nicely. Finally I can answer my questions below; how is
the current consumption of cosmetic products in Japan? What kind of cosmetic brand they
like most?? Why can Japanese female have nice skin?? What are their skincare secrets?
What is the trend of Japanese women using cosmetics?
The consumption of cosmetic products including
hair care, body care, skin care and make up
products in Japan are estimated approximately
nearly 2 trillion yen every year . In Japan, the
cosmetic life cycle begins at around 18, when
girls start using cosmetics on a regular basis. They
increase makeup purchase in their twenties, but
then the frequency decreases with marriage and
childbirth.
Among cosmetic products, skin care is consumed
most in Japan. The leading skin care products and the popularity are skin lotion and beauty
essence. Due to high Humidity in Japan, the trend of using moisturizing cosmetics is also
remarkable. Beside, because of the UV rays harm, whitening cosmetics is widely known
and used in popularity. We can see many Japanese women choose expensive makeup
products or base makeup items such as makeup foundation, powder type foundation.
The cosmetics consumption amount depends on ages. The younger the generation is, the
more items they buy. Women in their twenties tend to buy makeup items with low unit
prices; maybe as they grow older they tend to buy more skin care products. However many
young female has a good income, active, they often visit the shops or the department stores
near the station for shopping, and tend to buy expensive but prestige products.
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In Japan, The top three Japanese cosmetic manufacturers are: Shiseido, Kanebo, Kose.
Similar to my country, Japanese cosmetics products are sold on the first floor of
department stores. In such a place, we can see lot of female customers checking out the
products, listening to the beauty experts and shopping.
Japanese women are very particular and pay a
lot of attention to details - that's why the
standards are very high. Japanese make-up is
getting to a really high quality because
consumers now have such high expectations.
They use make-up to enhance their natural
features, simple but dramatic, the basic colors
of Japan: black, white and red.
How the Japanese female manages to look so
young? A Japanese woman can be in her mid
thirties or even forties but she looks like only in her mid twenties, although they rarely
experience any plastic surgery. The question is...just how do Japanese women in middleaged, manage to look like teenagers?
You may be surprised to learn that the secret to Japanese skincare is not entirely involved
with what they put on their faces. Many analysts agree that Japanese beauty regimens and
skin care is much different from that of the Western world. Reputable state that the
Japanese diet also plays a big role in their beauty secrets. Japanese people love seafood,
which has an abundance of essential fatty acids, their skin is naturally nourished by it on a
regular basis. They believe in food that is prepared simply and as close to its natural state
as possible, free of chemicals. This accounts partially for why their skin appears to remain
so supple and smooth well beyond what one would expect.
In Japan, cosmetic and skin care is very different. Chemically, Japanese cosmetics are
considerably lighter than those in the Western world. Most Japanese cosmetics are derived
from herbs and essential oils, with many containing food substances, one of which is one
of the best kept secrets of how the Japanese maintain a youthful and healthy complexion. It
is called Phytessence Wakame. Phytessence Wakame is native to Japan and is a type of
kelp. Japanese people eat it, whether dried or fresh. What is amazing about it is that it can
be transformed into extracts and applied directly to the skin as well, providing dramatic
results.
So now we know some cosmetic consumption status in Japan, the trend of using cosmetic
or skincare products here, and some secrets of keeping the beauty of Japanese female, one
of Japan's best kept secrets that Japanese using skincare products is very effective in
combination with diet and a good routine.
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Accomplishment
Report
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55 days at the 44th IATSS Forum
Our Achievement, Your Achievement and My Achievement
Ly Leakhena,
Cambodia
I. Japan at a glance
Japan=Generosity
When you get lost in Japan, you can always count on the Japanese. No matter who we are
and what language we speak they do not care. They will lead you or walk with you to the
place that you want to find. Most Japanese I have met are very kind and helpful. It is
surprise that you are often invited sightseeing, Onsen, shopping. You can experience many
wonderful occasions and lifestyles that are probably hard to find. Some of the Japanese
volunteers at IATSS forum spent almost 20 years to participating and volunteering for all
the activities.
Culture prosperity
Greeting in words is not enough for the
Japanese. You will find and may have
heard that they always bow to show respect
when they meet you. Before and after the
meal they express gratitude for the food
that they have. This has taken root from
young to old. Yukata, Kimono, a wooden
pair of shoes, the tea ceremony set, flower
arrangement,
paintings
and
other
kitchenware made from ceramic are placed
in most Japanese homes if I am not
mistaken. It is required to know how to eat
and drink properly with the Japanese; the way to prepare your bed and even taking a bath.
You will find young couples, young ladies or the elderly wearing Kimono or traditional
clothes on the bus, JR line, subway or walking on the street or some other public place.
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They impressed me with their attitude to preserve their culture while at the same time the
country is recognized as advanced in terms of technology. Historical places are very well
protected with respect by all Japanese people!
Food
The Japanese do not only focus on taste but on the
beauty and decoration of all the food they make.
The packaging is varied from one dish to another.
A meal will use at least 5 different styles and
shapes of dishes. We need to learn how to use the
kitchen ware carefully, otherwise you might get
confused between a tea cup and a sauce bowl!
“Oishi” is the only word I can say for most of
Japanese food.
Style
Make up, boots, many layers of blouses to look
different and mini skirts I found this was
preferred by most Japanese girls, while men like
to save their hair bangs their modern fashion.
Hair bleached blond, yellow, white, red and a
mix of two or three colors are very attractive to
most of the young generation.
Time and 3 S
Japan taught me to be punctual and effective at management in every part of life; not only
at the workplace, but in study and in daily life. You will be surrounded by different
beautiful designs of clock in the public gardens, building walls, rooms, restaurants, and so
on. In Japan I could travel without wearing a watch! Japanese are very organized,
disciplined and committed to their work. The 3 S (Seiri Seiton and Seiso) means put things
in order, tidy up and clean up in daily life. Everyone is equipped from one generation to
another. According to this concept all of us can’t avoid to appreciating the total quality
management that is brought into the world for usage in all the aspect of work.
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Technology
The Bidet is one bathroom innovation. The
Robot, or PC controlled by the user’s eyes, a
new system developed by Arai Kohei of Saga a
professor at the university’s faculty of science
and engineering. A giant satellite, electricity
from seaweed, going green at home through the
use of fuel cells to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions and blue roses and so on, all can be
found in Japan.
Infrastructure
The JR line, subways, Shinkansen (Japanese
Bullet train), buses, taxis, very smooth roads
for all kinds of automobiles and a sidewalk
for pedestrians and bicycles can be found here
for convenient daily life.
Environment
There is no doubt, when I arrived in Kyoto why it is being used for the protocol name. You
can feel the fresh air, clean roads, the modernity and historical sites in this city. Kyoto,
Suzuka and Ise, to me, I consider green cities which have mountains, rivers, the sea, trees,
city gardens and farming. It is not hard to find a recycle bin and the public toilet in these
cities.
II. Life at IATSS
My life
Everyday breakfast was served from 7.00 to 9.00am at the Kur garden restaurant. It took
around 5 minutes walk. There were a variety of foods, a mix of western and Japanese. You
have a variety of foods to choose from. But I usually took salad with Miyone, Japanese
soup, bread with a butter or jam, ham or sausage, pancakes and porridge with fried fish. As
for drink there was a choice of orange juice, grape juice, apple juice, vegetable juice,
coffee or tea. Water melon, small tomatoes, bananas, pineapples, apple and orange were
there every day. All of this fed me most of mornings during the 55 days.
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Thanks to Mr&Mrs. Hirata for the very delicious and healthy food every lunch and dinner.
The cafeteria was full with us from 11.00-12.00 pm and 18.00 to 19.00. Both lunch and
dinner were prepared buffet style. The delicious salad was always there for us. No one
could avoid doing their individual laundry, of course.
IATSS staff
Most of staff members are beautiful and handsome. Not only their outside appearance but
they were so helpful and dedicated to their work. Although participants and I sometimes
unintentionally got them in trouble for many reasons; they really responded back in a good
mood and with supportive idea. I observed them working united, a dynamic and very
organized team. Because of us; they had to stay in the office often until 10 or 11 pm.
III. What is Gasshuku?
All of us came from different backgrounds, nationalities, religions, beliefs, lifestyles and
values. We did not really get along well at first but after the Onsen at Gasshuku, the team
building games, activities and the good times we spent together at end this group of
diversities people are had the same joke stories, finding the same favorites and
understanding each other lives and interests. More then that, the weaknesses and strengths
of each individual were reflected so that we could help and lift each other to work as a
team an effectively.
Leak, Wathana, Djal, Pipit, Malay, Fish, Chimin, Wani, Jonh, Emeral, Tonton, Janet, Terk, Lay, Yui, Pong and Anh
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IV. Opening Ceremony
I, personally, not only I personally thought but I
could guess what most participants might be
feeling the same way were really very important
persons on the 20th September, 2008. The
thoughtful messages reminded me about the
learning and sharing together, the power of
dreams and living a life with dreams!
V. Back to school
In total there were nine seminars covered by the program here at IATSS. All of them are
broadened my mind and knowledge of the world. Among them I would like to emphasize
Enterprise Strategies, because I did enjoy learning about this since my background is in
business administration. We had two seminars on this topic; one was conducted in the
IATSS seminar hall in Suzuka and the other at Family Mart, Tokyo in the Sunshine city
building 18th floor.
1. Seminar Enterprise Strategies
6,000 Yen from Family Mart, Bravo team!!!!
My team members included TonTon, Terk,
Malay, Pong, and Wani. This team was full of
trouble makers and a destroyer of the 44th batch,
but we came up the united and sharing ideas to
get the Farmily Mart prepaid card. Localize the
business, understand customer behavior and
culture and make customer life convenient these
were all the elements to consider when making
a business strategy.
2. Political System
Politic? I used to not like and had no
interest in discussing politics. But I
recognized that politics is really
influential on every citizen’s life and we
all have to get involved, express our ideas,
feedback and be active participating.
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3. Japanese Culture ~Japanese Aesthetics~
This seminar broadened my mind.
Japan is not only prospering
economically but in its cultural heritage
too. Patricia, our professor brought us
back to the feeling ancient times in
Japan while reflecting its modernity. I
learned that Japanese consumerperception and preference makes
everything perfect not only in quality
but in appearance. Comfort, convenient
or weird might not be considered. They
want to be different and creative.
For example, the food display samples, food decoration, packaging, dish shape, the
wooden shoes, the two different side looks of a pair of shoes, the make up style,
dressing and hot spring; all we could feel and reflected their innovative in their life
style.
4. ~Japanese Budo~
Alex is from New Zealand, but he is very well
known in Japan as a Budo professor. Learn to
control your pride of being a successor in battle is
the best idea drawn from Budo. Zanshin always
help me remember Budo and I will always put it
into use in every way of life.
5. International Cooperation
The
official
Development
Agency is really needed by least
developed countries for example
Cambodia. The top 3 priorities of
the Cambodian government in
using the ODA budget was for
Health,
Education
and
Agriculture in the year 2006 and
2007.
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6. OVOP: One Village-One Product Movement
This concept is a very important tool to
strengthen the domestic economy.
Professor Fumihiko ADACHI explained
in detail the concept, practice and the
issues related with OVOP. For example,
Japan is the initiator of OVOP and has
gained a remarkable success stories in
launching this idea. However, currently
Japan is facing a product volume decline
because of its ageing population issue.
7. Environment
Gray, brown and green are terminology for
environmentalists. Gray stands for the air
pollution, brown is used for solid waste
while green is every citizen’s need to
preserve the health and cleanliness of the
environment. In Japan, people are tough
according to the Mottainai concept which
mean don’t waste but save. No wonder
Japan is a very beautiful place to live
because of this practice and the good
country planning initiated by the local
communities themselves as well as
government.
8. Education
“Education for all; live to learn and learn to live” are very inspiring words by Professor
Yuto KITAMURA from Nagoya University. Education is endless and all people should
receive it. Education is also the identity of the citizenship. One of the Millennium
Development Goals also prioritizes universal education. The theory that I remember from
his lecture are the four pillars of education:
Learning to know
Learning to do
Learning to live together
Learning to be
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9. R&D ~TOTO: Sanitary Ware Manufacture~
TOTO is one of the top four Toilet Companies
in the world. The great visit to the research
and development department of TOTO in
Yokohama city opened my mind about the
endless process of product improvement to
fulfill customer satisfaction, which is the
reason why TOTO has maintained its success
in the market.
VI. Group Study
Our group chose the “Population Ageing in Japan-The Case study of Suzuka City.” It was
a very challenging topic to study. But all the team, including TonTon, Lay, John, Anh and
I agreed to work on this project together with enthusiasm to accomplish it. The challenge
was the language and local understanding because all of us were from ASEAN. It was very
difficult to understand the local situation and the people associated problems for our study.
We had to really base ourselves on the research papers done by many researchers and on
the statistics from Suzuka city hall. With the help of Chie-san, Masumi-san and Mikio-san,
we overcame all our obstacles during our study. They helped us to translate the Japanese
document into English, followed up the response from the Mayor and department of
statistics at the Suzuka city hall. We achieved what we planned because of the efforts we
put in as a team dynamic.
VII. Home stay
At the bus station in Suzuka to Ise bus
station, I and the other participants from
Myanmar and the Philippines were the
last to meet our host families. I was very
excited to see the other host families
welcomed my friends with different
welcoming styles, but I was lonely not to
see my host family come at the same time
as the others had. I told Akira-san and
Charkky-san that I might return to Suzuka
and do my home stay at room 1408 as
usual. Instead of saying yes both of them
wanted to host three of us at their house.
It was also a good choice; we had finally
found our one-night-two-day, second
home in Ise city.
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My brother welcomed me with his drawing; it took him almost 3 hours to finish it. Because,
on that day, there was a school sports festival, there was only mom to take me to the bus
station and she brought me to meet papa, brother and sister at the Ise theatre where almost
a thousand kids were performing the sports activities, dancing and playing the Japanese
gong. After that we had a Japanese buffet lunch. I ate much delicious Sushi, Oden, fried
chicken and noodle soup. Papa rode us to the top of the highest mountain in Ise where I
could see the view of this whole city. I had a chance to cook for the family and my moms’
friends. There were 12 of us and we had lunch with Cambodian food. I was happy because
they could eat the food that I had done did my best to cook for them.
VIII. Individual Plan Day or Invaluable Life Adventure
A marvelous experience in my life is the lonely travel in one of the world G8 countries,
Japan. The Kyoto and Tokyo individual plan days are memorable to me. I had to tough
myself to be independent, struggling to achieve the plan which I had set, experienced a
very sophisticated transportation system, making new friends along the journey and do not
be shy to ask other people for help when you really need it.
Kyoto
I visited 13 places as I had planned. These are the places that I visited- Toji Temple, Nishi
Honganji Temple, Kyoto National Museum, Kiyomizu-dera temple, Kodaiji Temple,
Ginkakuji (Jishoji) temple, Heian Jingu Shrine, Nishiki Food Market, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji,
Ninnaji, Toei Uzumasa Movie Land and Kyoto Tower. I was very lucky to meet many
good people and helpful Japanese, Australian and Chinese friends during my journey.
They helped me take pictures, showed me the train station and guided me to my
destinations. All the help helped me completed my individual plan day successfully.
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Tokyo
Tokyo is an amazing city to me in terms of city planning and transportation systems. I have
been to Sunshine city, Akihabara, Odaiba Park to see Rainbow Bridge, the Ginza area and
Tokyo tower. Akihabara was a very good place to buy electronics, not only new products
but second hand electronics devices. I was sitting on the beach and had dinner alone while
looking at the city night light covered by the light billboard, colorful lights from the
buildings, the promotion billboards an the other side of the sea, the tourist boats on the sea
under a very beautiful Rainbow bridge from 7.00 to 8.00pm.
I was shocked when Japanese security guard at Shinbashi station asked me what I was
doing there, where I had come from. They asked me to show them my passport. Because I
was running around trying to find the train station was the reason they came and help
because they knew that I might get lost my way. Finally I was given assistance from them
to buy a train ticket and they showed me my way. I finished my visit at Tokyo tower and
had my last individual lunch there! Lonely journey but I really enjoyed!
IX. Beautiful clothes and cooperative performance
Beautiful smiles from the Mekong region countries including Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar
and Thai. The cultural silk dresses from each country made our unity unforgettable. The
Vietnamese bamboo dance, with the culturally dress of Mrs. Anh, really brought a happy
moment to culture day. Well, Silence day in Bali really get us a feeling of respect and
readiness to get start for New Years in Indonesia. I was really delighted by the Christmas
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team, including our ASEAN friend from Philippine, Brazil, United State and Canada.
Finally, we all got ready to visit our exhibition hall by following the Lion dance, which
was mainly performed by Malaysia, Singapore and China. We had celebrated our day with
an excellent job for the community, by do fund raising from the charity auction to support
a children project in Laos, handled by Fish-san.
X. Farewell party
Are we happy to head back home or sad to leave our 55 days of countless memories in
Japan? Well, to me, 55 days will always be in my heart and it is an unforgettable
memory! ; )b
XI. Conclusion
The 55 days provided me with marvelous experiences in terms of new knowledge
exploring and life adaptability and flexibility to a new environment. More importantly, we
are from diverse cultures, backgrounds and countries, so we found it hard to understand
each individual’s opinions and ideas. The 55 days helped me to learn to respect their
values, ideas and beliefs while letting me accept and respect my individual perspectives.
Chottomatte Kudasai, please kindly have a look at our 44th batch logo in the bottom!
Special thank to Honda Company, IATSS forum and a very supportive staffs, Japanese
volunteers and all my friends here! I send you all my regards
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The 55 Days of Unforgettable Precious Time in My Life
Vung Wathana
Cambodia
Departure to Japan: First time of Long Stay Away from Home
At around 5:30 p.m., my family was going to
accompany me to the Airport for the departure to
Japan. To me, I felt excited when I imagined of
going to Japan, a developed and wonderful
country. At last, I had to say goodbye to my
beloved family. It was a kind of long journey.
Flying from Bangkok, Thailand, it needed to
spend 1 hour. And, from Bangkok Airport to
Nagoya International Airport, it took about 7 hours.
On the plane was my terrible day in my life as I
got travel sick that made me could not eat or sleep while I was on the plane.
Finally, I could make it when I arrived at Nagoya
International Airport. Stepping my first step on
Nagoya International Airport, it reminded me of
coming back to life. The warming and smiling
welcome from IATSS Forum members and staff
made me feel comfort. At around 2:20p.m., I had
arrived IATSS Forum in Suzuka Circuit. Then, we
all had orientation introduced by IATSS Staffs on
the objective, procedure, regulation, programs of
IATSS Forum, writing report of seminars, study
tours and visits.
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Gasshuku- Team building Training
September 16-19, 2008
We had to leave IATSS Forum to Ise City for Team building training which was first
training for all participants to get to know our own strength and weaknesses, to get to know
new strangers, learning to work as a group and respect each other opinions. Our lecturer
was Tomo-san, project adventure taught us how to build a good group and we all could
learn from role-play through many games.
Through the process of role-play in games of
group spirit, it taught me how to be team
leader and how to be part of team members,
and also the important of being active listener,
communicator and how to adapt with the
group work.
During Gasshuku, we had to share the room
together, and we had to experience the public
bath that was called “Onsen” together. It was
a nice technique for all of us to kill out our
shyness and open our mind to know the new
strangers from other countries.
Gasshuku was a great training for me as I
could understand and got to know all about
the uniqueness and characteristics of each
participant. It brought good memory for us
as we were new to each other, but through
the hard work of being teamwork, we could
learn to identify the uniqueness and what
were the new experiences and ideas that we
could exchange to each other.
Opening Ceremony: Learning to introduce myself in Japanese Language
September 20, 2008
Before the Opening ceremony held in the
afternoon, we had rehearsal for introducing
ourselves in Japanese language in the
Seminar Hall of the Flower Garden Hotel. It
was quite excited to introduce myself in
Japanese language during the opening
ceremony.
Opening ceremony was a big event as there
were honorable guests from the Mie
prefecture, Honda Company, and our
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respective embassy and Japanese volunteers. We had to dress ourselves in traditional
clothes and we could see how beautiful and handsome of each participants in their own
traditional attire which represented their own countries. It was also the great time to start to
know the IATSS Japanese volunteers.
Japanese Cultural Introduction Day: Get to know Japanese culture
September 21, 2008
The Japanese cultural exchange day was
started in the afternoon after we had lunch. I
could experience dressing in Yukata that
was the Japanese summer cotton kimono. It
was tired when wearing yukata, but it also a
kind of dress that we should calm down
ourselves to wear it because it was very
cute and brought a new beauty for us.
During this day, I could learn about the tea
ceremony, how to drink, how to sit and also
understand how to behave when going to
Japanese house and how to take a bath with
Japanese people.
Not only that, we could experience some of
the typical Japanese games, Koto play,
making Okonomiyaki, folding origami and
the calligraphy of Japanese letters that are
called Kanji. I could experience writing my
own name in Kanji letter in a neat and
lovely frame paper.
Bicycle Safety Training
September 22, 2008
I used to ride a bicycle when I was young
without any training in my country. It was
excited to receive the first time of
experiencing to be trained how to ride
bicycle properly and learn safety riding
skills. It was amazing and had a great time
with other participants in practicing our
safety training because we really needed the
bicycle safety training skill in Japan as we
usually went out shopping or sightseeing in
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some places around Suzuka city by our bicycle. After finished our training, I also received
the bicycle certificate for riding bicycle in Japan, too.
Group Study: Theme Lecture on “Population Issues as Development Agenda”
September 22, 2008
Population Issues as Development Agenda was the first seminar held at IATSS Forum
seminar hall, lectured by Ms. Kiyoko Ikegami, director of UNFPA in Tokyo Office.
During her lecture, she explained us about the functions of the UN and what we could
learn was that UN was not a global government, it means that it was only the forum of
individual nation. And, we also could broaden our knowledge about the Eight Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) that were set by the UN in order to achieve the poverty
reduction, every children can access to education, gender equality and empower women,
child mortality, and health reproductive health, etc.
Through the lecture, I had learned that education, financial and economic implication was
really important for gender issues change. We could also learn about the case studies of
India and Africa country that if we live in a strong value society environment, we were not
able to do anything against the traditional way of thinking of people within those areas.
Moreover, I could learn through the 12 minutes of short video of the twelve stories talking
about reproductive health, human rights and other related issues. After watching the
movies, I felt sad that there were a lot of problems happening everyday in the society. So,
in order to live in a peaceful society, we should understand, respect each other rights and
help each other as human being and deepen our knowledge about things around us.
Facilitation Skills
September 23, 2008
Facilitation skills were interesting skills for me because I always wanted to be a great
facilitator. Ms. Tsubaki was an experienced Japanese lecturer about the facilitation skills.
She taught us how to be a good facilitator, how to manage the group members as well as
how to use the facilitation skills during the meeting. Through this lecture, I could gain a lot
of knowledge and know-how and I could use what I have learnt from this lecture to apply
in group discussion and group study as well as in coordinating the seminar.
Home Stay: Experiencing with Japanese
Family at Ise City
One day before having home stay with Japanese
family, I was very excited and also afraid of
going to stay with Japanese family who I never
met before. But I had contacted my host family
by email before my stayed at their house.
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My host family was very nice. They were a young couple with a lovely cute son. I really
enjoyed my stay with them and got a great experience of cooking foods together and going
out to visit some places and sightseeing, especially having fun time playing with little
one-year-old baby of my host family.
Suzuka City Hall, Police Station and Honda Suzuka Factory
September 29, 2008
On that day, other participants and I
went to visit Suzuka city hall where
we had a special meeting with
governor of the Mie prefecture. We
got more information about the
general information and issues in
Mie prefecture as well as detailed
information about the Suzuka city.
After visiting the Suzuka city hall,
we departed to the police station
that was a quite surprise for me as
usually when we talked about the police station, we could imagine that in the police station,
everyone must be very scary and got a feeling of uncomfortable. But in Suzuka police
station, we could feel that it was a safety and friendly environment where everyone may
feel brave enough to visit there.
In the afternoon at around 13:30, It
was time to visit the Honda Suzuka
Factory. This visit was very
important and very surprising to me.
We could see the robots performing
their duties inside the factory and
we also could learn about the
processes of producing the cars in
the factory. During our visit, we
could
learn
about
the
safety-working environment in the
factory and also the motivation of
the company towards the staffs.
Seminar on “Enterprise Strategies”
October 01, 2008
This topic of the seminar was very interesting to me since I read the seminar theme and
syllabus in Cambodia. Our honorable lecturer was Mr. Harada from Family Mart explained
us about general information on company profile, criteria of choosing the dominated
country and city, management and marketing strategies, advantages and disadvantages of
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business locations. Through this lecture, I
could learn a lot about the successful of
running such business. I really hope to have
my own business like Family Mart in my
country, too.
Seminar on “Political System”
October 02, 2008
Before starting the seminar, the lecturer
requested us to introduce ourselves and
interested of the topic. However, at the beginning, the political system for me was a kind of
uninterested topic because in my opinion, political system was nothing that I could do or
implemented after coming back to my country. But, we all were living in the society which
more or less will be effected by the political system trends. So this topic was finally also
interested throughout this seminar and at the end, I could find that this topic was very
useful and also benefited me as I could learn more about the political system in Asean
countries.
Individual Plan Day in Kyoto: Explore Temples
and Shrines
October 04-05, 2008
Kyoto was the most interesting place during my stay
in Japan. I had two days to explore Japanese temples
and shrines there. And, I had visited over 10 temples
such as Ryoanji temple, Toji Temple, Old Imperial
Palace: Ninna-Ji, Nijo castle, The golden Pavilion,
Nanzenji temple, Ginkakuji temple, Eikando Zenrin-ji
temple and Tenryu-ji temple. In my opinion, temples
and shrines in Japan had its own uniqueness and
wonderful beauty hidden inside each place because
they were not only sacred places, but also very
beautiful places to visit.
Self-development Activities Day: Transforming into Maiko
October 12, 2008
During my self-development day on 12 October 2008, I could experience transforming
myself into Maiko (Japanese word for “ dancing girl”). It was an experience that I was also
dreaming to do during my stay in Japan. We, two participants from Cambodia and one of
participants from Laos, could experience this kind of transforming together. At first, I was
told that we may spend at least two hours and a half in order to transforming ourselves into
Maiko. It was true!!! We needed to spend nearly 1 hour for making up our faces and the
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way of dressing the clothes was very
complicated and too tight for me. Sometimes it
was really hard to move and breathing.
When taking pictures, we were not supposed to
laugh. But we could smile in front of the camera
but should not show our teeth. Although, it was
quite tough for us who were foreigner to wear
such a dress, but we could experience and
learned more about Japanese way of making up
and dressing the Kimono. I loved this
experience although sometimes when I looked at my photos, I feel a little bit strange from
my natural face.
Seminar on “Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity: Lessons
from Japanese Experiences”
October 22, 2008
This seminar was conducted by Professor Yuto Kitamura in Nagoya University. During his
lecture, I could learn more about the
historical background of the education
introduced around the world, education
reform and the concepts of basic learning
needs.
In the afternoon, we had group discussion
about each education system in our
participants’ respective countries. It was a
great experience working to share and
solve the problem and find the
recommendation for the problem-based
learning (PBL).
Visit to TOTO Co., Ltd
October 27, 2008
Toto Co., Ltd was one of the biggest companies in Japan.
I was very excited and impressed during my visited there.
In the morning, I could learn corporate profile, TOTO
philosophy system, UD Laboratory, the research and
development process of product development of TOTO
washlet products. We could visit the landmark Tower
where there were wide ranges of TOTO products
displayed. The modern and high technology development
of the products were really interesting to me and I really
love the philosophy statement of TOTO, “Tomorrow is a
different day”, and I hope there will be such products in Cambodia, too.
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Tokyo Visit: Beautiful and Crowded City
Oct 25- Nov 02, 2008
During my stay at IATSS Forum, I was always looking forward to visiting Tokyo City
because Tokyo was one of the cities that I had wanted to explore in Japan not only for
shopping but learning about the daily life of Japanese people who live in the urbanization
area, and I planned to visit some famous places over there.
On the way from Yokohama, I arrived at Tokyo around 8p.m.by bus. What surprised me
the most was the beauty of the city during nighttime. It was very amazing to see a lot of
skyscrapers’ building with multi-color of the light. I was very excited to explore about this
city during the daytime and compare to nighttime life. After staying one night at Hotel
Villa Fontaine Shiodome, a wonderful hotel with all comfortable facilities, in the morning
I went to Tokyo International Forum to present for our group study final check.
Next day, we had seminar about the Enterprise Strategies which I could experience of
doing research and observation of Family Mart in 3 different places which we had to
present and evaluate whether which Family Mart among those three areas could sales the
most and got highest income. Such seminar was really good because we could apply the
theory that we had learned to apply with the real cases.
On 30 October 2008, we visited Tokyo Traffic Control Center where we could experience
the amazing control system within the Tokyo city. This technology of controlling the
traffic system was considered the first technology in the world. In the afternoon, we visited
Waseda University where Professor Tsuboi warmly welcomed us and we had discussion
about the current economy and situation of the Asean countries. At there, we could go
sightseeing around the university campus under the guide of Waseda University’s students.
Embassy Visit: Going to Cambodia Embassy in Japan
October 31, 2008
On 31 October 2008, one of participants from Cambodia
and I went to visit our Cambodia Embassy in Tokyo. I was
very excited to go to visit my embassy in Japan and we
had to experience going there by ourselves. We left hotel
at around 2p.m. because we supposed to reach our
embassy at around 3p.m. Luckily, we could go to our
embassy on time and we presented what we had learned
through this forum and what activities that we did since we
came to Japan. We got very warm welcome from the
second secretary of the embassy and we spend nearly two
and an a half hours over there. I could say that going to
visit our embassy was a great day for us because we could
learn more about the current situations of Cambodian
citizen living and studying there.
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Individual Plan Day in Tokyo
November 01-02, 2008
Firstly, I wished to visit Disneyland, but as I didn’t have enough time, I changed my mind
to visit some other places in Tokyo such as Akihabara, Sensoji Temple, Ueno Onshi Park,
Ameyoko, Kanda Myojin, Tokyo Tower and Kawagoe City. During one week in Tokyo, I
had a very great time and I hope to see Tokyo again in the future. It was unforgettable day
for me in Tokyo because I could learn not only more about the civilization of the city and
daily life of Japanese people, but also I could spend my time meeting Japanese friends
here.
Till we meet again: Sayonara Japan
Time flied very fast!! Finally, the 55 days will finish and it is time for all of us to go back
to our respective home countries. Bringing back with us the enrich experiences, many
different perspectives, and encouragement to fulfill our future’s dreams.
First of all, I would like to say thank you for
the IATSS Forum staffs and members for their
kindly support, assistance and cooperation.
The experienced professors and lecturers who
had inspired me to address the current related
issues of the ASEAN Countries which enable
me to identify and bring back the suitable
solutions which could apply into my country
through the seminars, field studies and group
study. Through this uniqueness of the IATSS
Forum program, I could learn how to work in
a team, abilities to view one’s things or ideas
from many different perspectives, learning
and thinking in a logical way.
Secondly, thank you to my intimate and everlasting friendship of 44th IATSS Forum
participants who always shared their working experiences, overall situation in their own
countries and the wonderful time together. Each of you made me remember something
unique that might be no one has.
I am sure everyone will remember this
slogan “The power of Dream”. As long as
we had a dream, it will come true. Till we
meet again, some day or somewhere in
someone’s country. Our everlasting
friendship and unforgettable moments
will always remain in my heart forever.
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A WALK TO REMEMBER, A MOMENT TO RELIVE
Djalinda
Indonesia
I came to this Forum with nothing to expect. I had a little information about the activities
but the alumni said you would have no idea what comes up in the daily life. It’s all
depending on yourself and also your fellow participants. So, I just came with finger
crossed, wish I had good fellows there so all the 55 days would go smoothly. Thanks God,
it turned out I have the best friends one could ever hope for .
Gasshuku
I think the most crucial and
enchanting moment for me is Gasshuku.
Start with the place we stayed. It was very
traditional! With the tatami, shokudo, futon,
and of course…ONSEN. This was my first
time ONSEN experience. At first, I was
really reluctant to do it. But all the girls
seemed very eager to try it. Especially
Malay, she said,” You have to try,
otherwise you’ll regret it!” So I tried. In
contrary, it was the most amazing
experience happening in my life!! It really
changed my self-image and confidence.
After that, ONSEN became a must-activity
in my day to day at Suzuka .
So going back to the real purpose of the visit, we were there for team building, or
popularly known as gasshuku in Japanese language. In the gasshuku, we have Tomo-san as
our facilitator. It was interesting to play all the icebreaking that was led by Tomo-san.
Especially in the morning session, she always got idea how to build up our spirit. I loved
all the morning sessions! The team building activities also tremendous! It allowed us to
understand each other better and be more comfortable with each other to face the coming
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days ahead in IATSS Forum. It was not easy, it was tough…but I think we were quite
success to deliver ourselves in the next level of understanding.
At the end we managed to carry out the logo and motto design quite successfully.
There might be lots of frustration and differences but luckily we have socializing night in
room 201! Thanks to IATSS Forum staffs who prepared all the food and drink for us. It
helped us to release all the tension that we had in the team building activities during the
day. It was really fun to drinking, eating, chatting and knowing other fellow participants
better in a more relaxing environment. It was also my first time trying sake and… some
other drinks (forgot the names, because there were so many! ). Wow! Really fun!
Group Study on Population Issue
At the end of the Forum, we were
expected to propose a community-based
activity for one of Population Issue in a
Group Study. At first Ms Kyoko Ikegami,
Director of UNFPA Tokyo Office, introduced
us to the theme. I was glad we have
Population Issue for our Group Study. It is
about time we all think about other people not
just ourselves. Besides talking about issues in
our country, we also learned about MDGs as a
corporate goal in the world. We also learned
about the importance of planning before
action, proposal transparency, advocacy as a
solution, and think global-act local.
I think the proposal itself is not that difficult. We have so many problems within
our country. We can just choose one. It was the dynamic of the group that we have to
struggle with, especially when language also became an issue. It was interesting because
sometimes we misunderstood because of the language . I was in the same group with Anh,
John, Lay, Leak, and Tonton. We came up with ‘Genki’ as our group name. It was
Japanese language for ‘active’ or in a way you can translate it as ‘cheerful’. Not only had
it related to our group study theme, which is Population Ageing in Suzuka, but it’s also our
hope for this group that we will be mature together.
It was not easy to deal with many
heads. Yes, there’s a words of wisdom
saying ‘better two heads than one’. But it
was difficult to make those heads together
in one purpose. But I was glad I had the
opportunity to learn more about other
character and also learn to understand each
character. I think each of us try our best for
the group. And nothing really matters as
long as we develop as one.
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Facilitation Skill
Now, this was what I called an
interesting way of learning. Ms Tsubaki is
my favorite lecturer ever! She taught us
about facilitation skill, because we needed
it in our group study as well in group
discussions for every Seminar. It was real
fun! And maybe because we practiced a
lot, it was easy to absorb the lecture. We
learned this skill step by step, and started
with a simple term. After that we
developed the topic and the way of
facilitate.
I don’t know how Ms Tsubaki does it, but even though the topic and the skill were being
increased, we didn’t feel the tension. It was smooth and fun.
For me this topic was very interesting because it is related to my job in Capacity
Building. Now I found new ways to deliver training in the future. In fact, I think
facilitation skill in WVI Internship module should be renewed with Ms Tsubaki method .
Cultural Exchange Day with Volunteers
I have never seen people so keen to
introduce their culture and embrace people to
learn their culture as much as Japanese
volunteer here in Suzuka. All of us also had
the chance to enjoy the calligraphy writing,
the bon-odori dancing (my favorite! ), the
tea ceremony, the Japan traditional games, the
kimono costume, the Japan song, and even the
Japanese way of life! The volunteer presented
us a drama about home stay experience. It
was very funny! Thanks to Ms Kajiura who
gave us so many efforts to coordinate all of
the preparation.
And the best part was we were able to know better all the Japanese volunteers who
have been very friendly and helpful. They really did their best to make it enjoyable
moment for all of us. The culture exchange day was then closed with okonomiyaki party. It
was really a great day in experiencing Japan rich traditional culture and great level of
hospitality!
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Home Stay
At first I felt nervous of the
possibility that I’ll be staying at other’s
house with such a different culture. I was
worried I might not be able to adapt or
maybe some of my attitude will be
compelling. Thanks God, I had a very nice
lady as my host. Her name is Takako. She
lives alone right now because her husband
and son live in another town. But she is
surrounded by many families and friends.
She took me everywhere!! We visited Toba
Aquarium, Ise Shrine, and Temple on top of
the mountain.
Takako invited her families and friends to have a welcoming dinner for me. It was
tremendous! We ate tempura (because I cannot eat sushi ;p). And then Chie-san, one of
Takako’s friends, brought a kimono for me to wear. It was a very beautiful kimono. After
that we had a tea ceremony together. They all brought something for me as a gift. I never
thought a one-night home stay would affect much. But it was. I cried when we said
goodbye at the train station.
SEMINAR
Enterprise Strategy is my
favorite seminar from all 9 seminars we
had. We learned about enterprise strategy
in an interesting way. Mr. Harada taught
us to think as an entrepreneur in a fun
way. He used games to make us awake
and also challenged us in a group so we
learned about competition. It was
amazing to learn how Family Mart tries to
get into their customer’s mind and heart
from various behaviors. Not only the
choosing of food, also the habit of
shopping like reluctances to crossing the
street, parking in a climb street, and other
reasons that never occur in my mind
before.
But when I think it over again, I found it is true. We have to put ourselves in the
customer’s shoes so we may understand their need and habit. At the end, profit will be the
result.
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On our Politic seminar, I had the impression
that the class will be boring because it
happened to be one of uninteresting topic for
some of participants. I was proven wrong.
The discussion was lively and very
interesting; thanks to Prof Tsuboi . I had the
chance to learn more about the political
background happened in other ASEAN
countries. Indonesia became one of presenter
in this topic. I was the one who presented this
theme. I was really nervous because again, it
was not my favorite subject and who knows
what kind of questions my fellow participants would ask me?
But it turned out totally different than what I have thought. Other participants
might find our political system interesting, because we spent almost one hour discussing
Indonesia! And I think it was becoming one of unforgettable moment for me, because it
must be the longest time for me to speak up in the seminar forum.
International
Cooperation
seminar was not a new topic for me,
because my field of job related to this.
We learned about the importance of
cooperation
between
countries,
especially ODA experience throughout
ASEAN countries, from Prof Mizota.
International Cooperation is a very
important thing to do to have a better
world in the future. Each country cannot
rely on them selves. Especially
developing country like Indonesia, we
truly need this cooperation. It makes me
more aware on my job later when I’m
going back home.
Japanese Aesthetics never before came into my mind. I knew about Japanese
people interested in beauty, but I had never had a chance to learn about it before. The
lecture from Prof. Fisher was quite interesting. We even introduced to Japanese sense of
art trough her collection of ceramic. Many of
those ceramic not in a perfect shape and
condition. Some have cracks on it, and some
other not even equally shaped. From that, we
can see Japanese people point of view of
beauty. Some of us even learn a philosophy
trough it. As a human, it is fine to be
imperfect .
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Talking about One Product One
Movement (OVOP) approach for country
development, Indonesia happened to be a little
way behind. We already got used to the ‘small
enterprise’ terms. We actually had many small
enterprises in specific area and seem like we
already content with it. I tried to do some
research about OVOP in Indonesia, but I found
only 2 pilot projects right now. Prof. Adachi
also wondering why it is Indonesia has no
interest on OVOP.
I think this approach should be
implemented in Indonesia. I’m sure if we
take it seriously and learn from other
succeeding countries, we can gain
economic development trough OVOP.
TOTO innovation on Washlet is
very tremendous!! Even when I got
orientation from our Alumni, they told us to
be prepared for Washlet experience. It was
really nice…. I think Washlet is my favorite
toilet ever! When we went to visit Toto
office and learned about innovation on
toilet, I gazed on how many innovations
they had. They even do many researches on
special toilet for handicap and elderly
people. What an innovation!! You have to
see it with your own eyes . Oh…I will
miss this Washlet when I’m going back to
my country.
Education seminar was also very
interesting. We had 3 graduate students from Prof
Kitamura class when we doing the role play to
make an education proposal. It was quite a
difficult discussion. But I’m glad we have a
chance to discuss the importance of education,
especially primary education in our country.
I discovered something new also about
education in ASEAN countries. Our government
already forward to a right perspective. All ASEAN
country already makes a free education for
primary education, at least for 9 years. I
believe develops country start with
developing of education. So I’m really glad to
hear it.
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For me, Japanese Budo is the most memorable seminar I had in this forum. I
didn’t know anything about Budo and Kendo before. But I had an enthusiasm it would be
very interesting. At first I thought Kendo is the same like other martial art in Japan. But I
was proven to be wrong. In the morning session I started to see a clearer view from Dr
Alexander Bennett explanation on the spiritual value and meaning about Japanese Budo.
The value in Budo, which impressed me, is about Zanshin, a constant alertness and
never taking anything for granted. It is the level of accomplishment in which fighting has
become more of a way to achieve total control of mind mentally and spiritually. Budo also
teaches how one should defeat themselves before other in a sense of reflecting to own
weaknesses and learning from the opponent. I think it is truly relevant to our daily life, in
how we view competition that happens around us when we are part of it. It is quite a fresh
insight to learn that mental preparation can be stronger than technical skill.
Afterward, we had the practice of
Kendo, which was also amusing and very
interesting. I was partnered with John, and we
both very keened to learn. Maybe our Sensei
also sensed that, so he asked us to
demonstrate in front of the others. Oh
goodness…I was so nervous I stopped in the
middle of fighting because I forgot the next
movement . But I was very happy. And I
think, John was also very proud, thus we
ended up our match with a very uproar hug
.
Study Visit
My impression after the study visit is the incredibly innovative of Japanese people.
When we were in Honda Factory, I witnessed the reward for staffs who deliver innovation
for the development of the company, as well as their work efficiency. It turns out; the
staffs have many ideas how to make the work efficient and how to develop the efficiency
into the factory. The Company also plays a significant role for the innovation. They put
Hall Of Fame for the innovative staffs and also give some reward for them.
Evidence happens in each of our
visit,
especially
to
the
Toyota
Commemorative Museum in Nagoya. We
experienced the time line of innovation;
from small traditional fabric machine to the
big modern one; from wooden simple car to
the hi-tech classy car. Everything comes up
from small idea of innovation and dream.
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Culture Exchange Day
I think, the most tiring activity and
drain our energy was Culture Exchange
Day. We had a lot of meetings and practices
from almost the beginning of IATSS Forum
Program. But at the end, it was paid of! I’m
very proud of our batch. We came up with a
solid performance from the beginning until
the end. The event was a tiring day but
nonetheless fun. So many laughing and the
environment were very familiar. There were
so many Japanese people who interested
with ASEAN culture.
Pipit and I also had a great experience to be able to share with them their
enthusiasm on Balinese New Year. It was also fun to dance Bamboo-dance and Poco-Poco
together with all other participants and some Japanese people who attended the event. Our
auction was also great! We could collect ¥ 54.800 from the auction. All of the events was a
great success and it is such a relieved that the event finally ended!
Individual Plan Day
KYOTO
I love Kyoto! If I have to choose
which city I want to live, I will choose Kyoto.
Kyoto has a different angle of life. It has
historic places as well as modern places. It
was easy to travel in Kyoto alone because
the bus, map, and direction sign are easy to
read.
I planed to visit the UNESCO
Heritage temples and some famous places in
Kyoto. I visited Kinkakuji Temple or known
as Golden Pavilion, Toji Temple, Nijo
Temple, Kiyomizudera Temple, and some
temples in between.
My favorite temple is Kiyomizudera. From
the first time I saw it from the Internet; I knew it
would be my favorite. The uniqueness of the building
and the position on the hill make this temple different
from others. I even tried my luck with fortune paper.
Unfortunately, the result was far from fortune. Based
on Toshi-san translation, the point was everything I
do will be bad. And if I want to make it better, it will
be worst . Toshi-san said I have to see it in from
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different perspective. It was a very rare opportunity to have this fortune paper, only 1 from
100. So it considered as lucky to have this. I din’t think about it. Toshi-san translation
really made my day. I was laughing so hard because the more he read the more it worsens
.
Nishiki Market becames my second best place in Kyoto. I had a chance to try many
Japanese food and snack. The environment was also calming; not like market at all. Gion
Corner is my third favorite. This area was very romantic. The restaurants placed besides the
river and known also as Geisha’s Corner. I had dinner together with Pipit and Wani. The
food, the drinking, the environment, it all together just perfect that night. I went back to the
hotel with a feeling of fulfillment.
I also experienced a famous activity here in Kyoto. Flea market! People who tired
of their old things try to sell it here. I happen to see it on my visit to Toji Temple because it
was a regular monthly activity held in the front yard. I bought so many ceramics there! It
still in good condition and some of it looks new. And it was cheap either! And the
important thing was they were all made in Japan . I didn’t know yet how to bring it back
home, though .
TOKYO
To be honest I don’t like Tokyo. It was too crowded and too rushes for me. People
seemed always in a hurry. No time to enjoy the walk and chatting with your friends when
walking. And I think we spent most of our time walking from station to station, out of
station to the places, and change the train line. Not like Kyoto where the bus stop is quite
near with the places.
I planed to visit some famous places in Tokyo
like Tokyo Tower, Museum of Innovation Technology
and Science (Miraikan), Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba,
Akihabara, Asakusa, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tsukiji
Market, and also the famous amusement park ever:
Disneyland! But because of time constraint, I could
not visit Harajuku and Shibuya.
My day in Tokyo Disneyland will be the
memorable moment happening in my trip. I spent
almost of the time queuing or seeing people queuing
. I noticed, Japanese people like to spend times with
their family going outside on holidays. I didn’t know
they have a long holiday that time. Otherwise I would
change my plan. Hix… T-T
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Miraikan was awesome! You can see the
innovation technology happening in Japan and the
simplest explanation on difficult science. Rainbow
Bridge in Odaiba area was also enchanting. Not only
the bridge; the sea view we can see from inside the
Yukamone Line train was tremendous. If I have more
time, I will explore Odaiba more. I really want to try
the Waterbus and sightseeing Odaiba area with it. But
again, because of time constraint the plan not going
well as I want it to be.
Tokyo Tower, Tsukiji Market, Asakusa, and
Akihabara were also enchanting. No wonders they
came as the must seen places in Tokyo. But again,
because of the holiday, these places also very crowded.
Queuing becomes my regular activity here in Tokyo .
My Final Impression
I don’t know my most memorable thing happening in this 44th IATSS Forum.
Everything is just so memorable… I liked all our Seminars, Study Visits, Culture
Exchange Activities, and Individual Days. Is it because all new to me or because the topics
and activities also interesting and unusual? I don’t know…
But I think the reason why it was all so
memorable, because I shared it with my best
friends. Even when I wrote this, I remember our
laughing together when preparing CED (even
tough we were very tired); room 201 in Gasshuku;
cycling together; Karaoke times; joking times
(who ask? is it true? ); Wani’s Raya; all flew in
my mind. When I first came to this Forum, I
didn’t expect to have my fellow participants just
like I have right now. It’s destiny! We are
struggling to understand each other’s character
and culture. It was hard, especially because
sometimes conflicts happen within us. But in a
way, I think we made it together. You guys
awesome! I’ll miss you all!
And none of that experience I can get if
not because the warmest welcome and kindness of
IATSS Staffs. Therefore, please allow me to give
my deep appreciation and condolence to IATSS
Staffs: Akira-san, Mikio-san, Masumi-san,
Chakky-san, Meg-san, Chie-san, Charlie-san,
Toshi-san, Yumi-san and Hirata-san.
I love you all!
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Simply Enjoy the Process…
Manuh Pitasari
Indonesia
Before we left for Japan, Djal and I already committed that we will enjoy the Forum, no
matter what. As usual, easier said than done, because I’m a natural perfectionist and
sometime I think too much. Learning various new topic and at the same time keeping my
enthusiasm and trying to enjoy the process was a great challenge. Have I conquered it? I
gave my best shot…
First Encounter
Djal nearly gave me heart attack on the departure day because she was caught in traffic jam
(typical Jakarta..) and arrived just in time for check in. We met Lay, Terk, Chimin and
Wani in Singapore.
We met other participants in Nagoya airport except Mr. Fish who came on the next day
because he “somehow” misunderstood the schedule.
Well, these are the people who will spend the next 55 days with me and will soon become
my friends for life. Let the journey begin….
Gasshuku – Where all the craziness start
Gasshuku was the moment of introduction. We got
to know each other as unique individual, learned
more about ourselves, introduced to Japanese
punctuality (which we failed to achieve several
time), taste Japanese food, my first sake (in room
201, where secrets started to reveal) and of course
unforgettable moment of first Onsen – including
the censored photo session. The whole activities
were fun, we learned a lot through games. TomoSan made a good comment about how we
automatically compete in games even though there was no instruction about this. I think
our daily life with all the pressure, responsibility, rapid changes, had made us a
competitive person, which is good in one side but also prevent us to see the better
possibility to reach the goal by synergy, collaboration, win-win solution. Tomo-San, who
was really energetic throughout the whole gasshuku, brought us to understand the
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importance of teamwork by saying ”Two heads are better than one” and “a team would
generate greater result more than the sum of individual team member result”.
As 44th batch of IATSS forum, we had our first consensus during Gasshuku. We came up
with our Mission Statement, Motto and Logo.
I learned how to be a good team member, will not be easy to put into practice because I’m
an individual person, but I made my commitment to improve myself.
Masumi-san, thank you for sharing with us your drawing and answering our question in
“201 session”
Mikio-san, the onsen demonstration is unforgettable
Opening Ceremony – Watashi wa kirei desu ne…
Nervous look was the theme of the day. We were very
excited but nervous because we had to do selfintroduction in Nihon-go in front of the guest and
respective representative of our country embassy. Because
of my very limited vocabulary of Nihon-go, I ended up
my self introduction just by saying “Watashi wa kirei
desu ne…”
The opening speech stressed out the importance of
strengthening cross-border cooperation between South East Asian countries in all aspect.
We, the IATSS Forum participant, are considered as future leader of South East Asia and
expected to utilize the Forum as medium to build network, broaden perspective, learn
current global issue and ways to tackle it, improve our self as individual and contribute to
our country development. Thinking and Learning Together will be the basic spirit of all the
55 days activities.
Exchange Activities
Sincerity was my deepest impression of this day. I was really touched by the volunteer
sincerity and their great effort to introduce us to Japanese culture, including preparing a
role-play on Japanese daily life. They came early in the morning to do all the preparation.
It was a busy day which I enjoyed very much. I got the chance to wear yukata all day-I
chose a red yukata with sakura pattern, and I think I looked good on it (narcism mode on),
wrote Japanese calligraphy, played traditional games, practiced Japanese danceTankoubushi lead by Kajiura-sensei and experienced Tea-ceremony. Before this I didn’t
understand why Japanese spend so many time and energy just to drink tea, but when the
volunteer showed us the tea ceremony, I could sensed that thru the tea ceremony they show
appreciation to nature, life and respect to other.
Dinner with the volunteer was just a perfect closing for the day. We tried Okonomiyaki
and we were actually taught how to cook it. I’ve got the recipe and I will surely try it at
home.
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Homestay
My forever thanks to IATSS staff (esp. Chakky) for choosing
Abe family as my homestay family. I wrote that I wanted to
live in a family with young children, and I got what I wished
for. My homestay family was a young couple (Taka-chan and
Etsuko-Chan) with one 3 years old daughter, Kanon-chan.
Kanon-chan is just adorable. She’s very cute and friendly.
During my stay with their family I learned some Japanese
word from Kanon-chan, that’s why I called her Kanon-sensei.
Usually I drew or pointed something and she just shouted out
the name of the objects, interesting way of learning Nihon-go.
“ New Year in My Country” was the theme of our Cultural Exchange Day. Lay and
Chimin had kindly volunteered to be the coordinator of this activity. On the 1st meeting we
reach consensus that we’re going to do something different. Instead of choosing one
performance from one of the ASEAN countries and setting up display booth per country,
we decided to do series of performances showing different New Year celebration and set
up the exhibition based on the New Year theme. Janet and I were the coordinators for the
exhibition. The preparation was exciting; everyone took part in the preparation. I still
remember the night when we prepared material for exhibition, initially there was only
Janet and me in the Recreation room, but then came helping hands of our beloved friends,
Lay, Chimin, Djal, Wani, Pong (love you guys…). They helped us preparing the material,
gave some ideas and voluntary be the tester of the traditional food we prepared for food
corner (well, we have to make sure that it’s a good quality.. right… ) . Special thanks to
Wani and Djal for the “flower-hunt”.
We also collaborate with MIEF (Molly, Alice, Ben and Joey). Some restriction on the
venue had somehow slowed us down, but we tried our best to adapt the plan. On the d-day,
everyone was ready to action and WE DID IT, all guest seemed to enjoy the performance
and the exhibition. The Charity Auction was also great. 4 thumbs up for Chimin, Lay and
everyone!!!
Meg-san: You’ve been very patient dealing with us especially during “Country Road”
rehearsal. But I think you realized now, that some (probably most) of us are tone-deaf and
are helpless when it comes to sing, including me...
Group Study
Theme Lecture: Population issue
The theme lecture was mind-opening for me. I never really paid attention on this issue and
when Ikegami-Sensei guided us through the current population issue, I felt guilty for
neglecting my society. She explained the role of UN and UNFPA, MDG’s, current
achievement/progress of MDG’s target and current issues related. Further more she
emphasized that Population Control is not about limitation on number of child or family
but more about issues like interval between child, maternal health, child health. She also
gave example of the inappropriate policy implemented in Japan after World War 2 which
allowed abortion because of economic issue to control birth rate. Lay, our friends from
Singapore, also explained about another inappropriate policy implemented in Singapore 10
to 15 years ago which regulate the number of child a family could have based on the
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education background of the mother. This policy most probably is the cause of Singapore
aging society now.
We had several discussion and role play during this lecture to help us understand better
about population issues from different perspective.
Theme lecture: Facilitation Skills
I was the coordinator for this lecture and I was anxious
because I knew nothing about Facilitation skills. It
turned out to be one of the best lectures I had in this
forum. I learned that discussion can be made enjoyable
for all member and still achieve the goal, that every
member ideas and involvement are important and also
the importance of facilitation and facilitator in a
discussion. I learned and practiced the skills during
seminar group discussion and group study. I actually
felt the difference in discussion atmosphere after we
learned Facilitation Skills. I believe this skill would be very useful in my daily life and I
should share this with my friends and colleagues so that we could create and enjoyable
discussion.
Group Study with Solidaritas
Solidaritas crews are: Emeral, Fish, Janet, Pong, Wani and
me. Initially we set ground rules of our group study
session. We actually tried to always obey the rules, but
sometimes we just come to a consensus to break the rule .
I practiced my facilitation skills during the group study
and I learned a lot from the discussion and from other
member. Somehow, our Group Study Discussion just flow
naturally, we laughed, we debated, we reached consensus,
sometimes we voted to come to a decision, we learned to
listen and respect other opinion, to see problem from
different perspectives, we learned how to succeed as group.
I would basically say we contribute our individual strength and mix them all in Solidaritas,
and come up with the special blend of our project proposal. Thank you Janet for the
remarkable vocabulary, Pong for the “hit-the-flagpole” backward jogging, Emeral for
keeping us awake and abundant food supply, Fish for the jokes, and Wani for listening my
“giwang song” playlist.
We chose Indonesia as the project site, and during the initial stage of the discussion I
realized that I don’t have a good understanding on the population issue in Indonesia
Learning about my own country condition was “a
wake-up call” for me, a strong reminder that these
past few year I’ve been busy with my own life.
From knowledge point of view, I know more about
my country and about other ASEAN country situation.
From deeper perspective, I understand more that as
part of the society I’m responsible to do something to
improve the condition of the society.
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Seminar
Honestly, I was a bit worried about the seminar. Because none of the seminar topic is
related to my background as pharmacist and my current job. But on the other hand, I was
very excited to learn so many new topics.
The seminar was really good approach to have better understanding on the current issues.
Country presentation provide new insight on current issues in ASEAN countries, lectures
gave us new knowledge, and in seminar group discussion we actually learned how solve or
improve the situation related to the current issues.
Learning from Family Mart know-how in doing business
was really a valuable experience. The Seminar was also
delivered in a very interesting way. Mr. Harada kept
challenged us with questions; encourage us to use our logic
thinking. Sometimes the answer is simple, but it’s just never
occurred to us to think that way.
How come…??
He explained many important aspects in convenience store
business. Again, we learned to see from different perspectives. Sometime we have to think
as a business owner and sometime we have to think as a customer.
The 2nd part of the seminar which was held in Tokyo was another challenge for us. We had
to guess which among 3 stores of Family Mart sells the most by directly observing the
store. We tried to apply everything we learn from the 1st seminar, but unfortunately none of
us could answer correctly. I guess having the knowledge and applying it just not that
simple.
Environment and Sustainable Development in South East Asia
Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore had the chance to present environment related issues
in each country. From Indonesia we share the current traffic issues, especially in Jakarta.
The whole seminar was mind opening. South East Asia with rapid economic development
through industrialization and other means, experiencing serious problem with environment
such as pollution, clean water resources, traffic, slums problem, municipal solid waste,
deforestation, coastal erosion, etc. I realize now that living in a country with abundant
natural resources, I should be very grateful and at the same time hold great responsibility
for environment conservation. Local, national, regional and international policies and
cooperation have been implemented to address this issue, but it’s meaningless unless every
people take part by developing responsible attitude to the natural resources endowment.
Education – Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity
Education for All is a famous phrase which Professor Yuto Kitamura
emphasizes at the beginning of his lecture. The difficulties to balance some
aspects of education were something that I’ve never thought of before.
Develop an education system which emphasizes on knowledge learning but
at the same taught life skills, value, and culture and flexible enough to
change to fulfill the need of economic society would be a continuous
challenge for all countries.
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Japanese Budo: The Martial Ways of Japan
I didn’t have a good start in this seminar. Somehow I misunderstood the schedule and
ended up late for the Seminar which was held in a Dojo (thank you Charlie-San for driving
me there ). I was still lucky though that the lecture hadn’t started when I arrived.
Alexander Bennet, our sensei for this seminar, used the morning session to explain the
history & philosophy of Japan Martial Arts, especially Kendo. Personally I like the way
Alex gave lecture: relax, humorous, but meaningful. One philosophy of Kendo is “Ki Ken
Tai Itchi + Zanshin” which means unity of body, mind and soul, continuous
awareness/control of your self and show respect to your opponent.
After lunch, we had the chance to learn basic technique of Kendo. There are a lot of small
detail rituals in doing Kendo and we’re having difficulties remembering all the sequence.
But we had fun learning the technique and at the same time trying to apply the philosophy.
RnD: Toto
Washlet was on my list of “good innovation but why?”
things. I was curious how they come up with the idea.
Further more, during my stay in Japan, several times I had
difficulties in using public toilet because there are so many
push buttons, sometimes without English translation, and the
arrangement of the button is not standard. Why do Japanese
have so many type of Washlet? My entire question was
answered when we had our seminar in RnD Toto. I was
really impressed with the company commitment for RnD. It took about 20 years and
several failure attempts to develop Washlet, but they didn’t gave up and they succeed.
Now, they have a sophisticated and state-of-the art RnD facilities in Yokohama where they
continue developing innovation in Sanitary Ware. From Toto, I learned the power of vision
and commitment to improve everyone’s quality of life thru their work.
Study Tour : Sugoi desu ne…
Honda Suzuka Factory
Manufacturing, finally we discussed something I’m a bit familiar with!! Although
producing medicine and cars are very different, I knew I could learned some concept or
best practices of manufacturing from this visit. The factory tour showed a combination of a
sophisticated technology and manpower to achieve an effective and efficient process. Idea
generation to simplify or improve the working process was encouraged thru suggestion
system competition. Further more, Honda acknowledges good ideas by implementing them
and publish the idea in factory working board.
During the whole visit, I found that Honda really put its motto “The Power of Dream” into
action.
Kyoto – Individual Plan Day
It was love at first sight with Kyoto!! I was actually prepared to face an old-style city with
all the temple, shrine and castle. So, when our bus passed thru the modern shopping street
in Kawaramachi area, I was very happily surprised. This is the city of paradox, where
culture and history are preserved and modern life are embraced.
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My individual plan day objectives were to observe the diversity in Kyoto culture and to
experience season-related festival or routine event. I decided to take only bus as
transportation, because every place I planned to visit was
reachable from the nearest bus stop, and it’s easier to
understand the route and the system. Luckily I never got lost
during the 2 days of Individual Plan Day.
I started my first day by visiting Kinkakuji Temple. Because it
was a clear sunny day, the temple’s reflection on the pond was
very clear and beautiful. Unfortunately in this area I wasn’t
allowed to enter any building located in the complex. I met a
group of school kids who was also visiting Kinkakuji. Later on I was told that it’s common
in Japan for school kids to visit cultural or historical places. I think this is a good to build
sense of belonging of these places since early age.
Next destination was Nijo-jo castle where they have Autumn
Festival. I got the chance to see a gun performance. This time I was
very lucky because during the festival, there’s special opening of
the castle, so I could enter the castle, admire the interior, painting
on the wall (and memorize the beauty because photo were
restricted) and experience the famous Nightingale floor, which will
make a squeaking sound when you walk on it and gave warning if
there’s any intruder come into the castle. I tried many times but I
couldn’t walk silently, the construction of the floor is very good.
Kiyomizu-dera temple was next on the schedule. The temple is
located on a hill, so it took special effort to reach it. But it’s worthy,
the view was magnificent, and I could understand why this temple
is one of the UNESCO world heritages. I also visit Jishu-jinja
shrine which was located also in temple area. In that shrine, there
are 2 separated rocks, and it is said that if we could walk from 1
rock to the other with our eyes closed, we would have good luck in
Love. I tried successfully (with some tips from Djal )!!! Then we
decided to take the small road known as Sannen-Zaka path. The
road is famous with small traditional souvenir shop, less crowded
compared to the normal path and we could make a quick stop at Yasaka pagoda. On our
way back to the bus stop, we met Maiko twice and got the chance to take photo with them.
2nd day was cloudy and rainy, but I was still very excited to continue the journey. I visited
Toji temple and found monthly flea market held on the temple’s yard. It’s unbelievable to
see the variety of things sold there. After that I made a quick stop at the Kyoto station,
which was the biggest train station in Japan. It’s a beautiful modern architecture which
used a lot of steel beam. A lot of sign board already written in English, probably because
Kyoto is one of the tourism cities.
Sadly after Kyoto station I had to cancel the visit to Fushimi Inari shrine and Gekkeikan
Showagura Brewery because of the weather. I went directly to Heian Jingu Shrine and was
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amazed by giant Tori on the entrance road to the
shrine. The vast yard of the shrine was neat and clean
like most of other places I visited in Japan. I’m
impressed how they managed to kept the area clean
eventhough it’s a tourist area.
In front of the Shrine area, there were Veggie and
Peace festival to celebrate Japan Vegetarian week. A
lot of people from different country gather in this area.
I stayed there for a while to observe how people with
different background blend in and of course to taste
sample of vegetarian food .
Almost forgot, on the 2nd day we met a very nice couple from US, Gloria and Milton on the
bus going to Toji temple, We got to know each other and they decide they will follow our
plan for that day and want us to be their guide, stranger guide other stranger… How
come??
I ended my Individual day in Nishiki market and Gion area. Trying to be adventurous, I
tried most of the sample foods in Nishiki. Some are quite good, but some are just too
strange for me… Well, at least I tried…
Akira-san and Toshi-san: Thank you for the translation of the fortune paper, but no thank
you for the meaning. We’ll get 3rd opinion on that…
Arashiyama
I’m dreaming of staying in Arashiyama someday.
The atmosphere of the place is just very peaceful. The river, the
forest, the series of hills and the bamboo forest seemed to
conspire to charm everyone coming there. I took a lot of photos
(of course…) but I still think they’re not enough; there are a lot
of interesting objects in Arashiyama. 2 days are just not enough.
We had 2 seminars in Arashiyama. In Japanese Aesthetic seminar,
Prof. Patricia Fischer showed us the aesthetic perspective of
Japanese art. Initially, it’s difficult for me to understand the art of
imperfection, irregularity, and symbol. But after she explained
the mind set and reason behind all that, I started to understand
and tried to observe more the aesthetic side of Japan surround me.
In ODA Seminar, Prof. Mizota was very understanding. He knew that the nice weather in
Arashiyama was just too good to ignore. So, during the group discussion, he gave us the
freedom to choose the place for discussion.
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
Kaizen or Continuous Improvement is my conclusion from the experience in this museum.
It’s really amazing to observe the evolution of Toyota through all the well-preserved
display item which shown high respect and acknowledgement to history. I knew the
“Toyota Way” concept before, but implementing it at my production system was difficult.
After visiting this museum, I knew that the concept can only be implemented with the
correct mind set, attitude and detemination.
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Tokyo - Individual Plan Day
Jungle of building blocks, that’s my simplest description
of Tokyo. Surrounded by concrete and steel structure
somehow amazed but at the same time intimidate me,
probably because I’m not a fan of big cities and crowd.
But I was determined not to take early conclusion whether
I like Tokyo or not. I had to give the city a chance, I had
to experience Tokyo.
The 2 days of Individual Plan Day was quite nice. I’m
impressed with transportation system and city
management. I visited Asakusa area (Sensoji temple, Nakamise and Asakusajinja Shrine),
Disneyland, Tokyo Tower, Akihabara, Tsukiji Market and Miraikan. I like Asakusa,
because there’s 1 alley of small shop where they demonstrated the making of some
handicraft and traditional food. Tokyo Tower provides a marvelous view of Tokyo. Tsukiji
Market was a “life threatening” experience because goods motorbike kept passing on our
side or asked us to step a side, but it’s also interesting because I found some fishes, clam
and octopus which I’ve never seen before. I wish I had the whole day for Miraikan,
because there’s a lot of new innovation and technology there.
I didn’t really enjoy my visit to some places, because they were just too crowded, and we
spend a lot of time to queue. I also think I spend time to travel from one place to the other,
going up and down the subway or JR Station. Well, probably it’s the price you have to pay
to live in Tokyo and probably I’m just not made for big cities.
Chie-san : We enjoy all the walk in Tokyo… Don’t worry
Masumi-san: We still love you, even though in Yokohama you made us walk up and down
the stairs in the train station with our heavy baggage….
Finally, we reach the end of our 55 days but not the end of our friendship. It’s an incredible
experience to be able to work with a group of multi-talented, smart, uniquely “strange” and
crazy people (I’m not just talking about the participants)
Thank you for sharing 55 days of your life with me. See you again and don’t forget…
Enjoy every step of the way!!!
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I, Myself & My Memorable Moments
Laos
Précis
Visualizing what my days would be like in Japan was far beyond
my imagination. For almost all of us, taking part in the 44th
IATSS forum reckoned as our first time coming to Japan.
Although some fellows had visited this beautiful country before,
57 days would surely count as one of our lifetime experiences to
remember and survive.
I enjoyed receiving Japanese hospitality through
Japanese volunteers and making new friends from
ASEAN member countries and Japan. Even though it
was not my first time but experiencing all these through
the forum was certainly priceless. This IATSS forum
offers human networking, broader perspectives and
enhanced understanding, tolerance and flexibility
regarding differences amongst us. It may sound dramatic
to some extent but believe me or not, it is a valid
statement.
The Unaccompanied Voyage
On September 15th 2008, 16 excited and young enthusiastic participants from 9 ASEAN
countries landed at Nagoya International Airport. The total number of participants was
actually 17 but unfortunately my team-mate Mr. Fish-san (Thanouvanh VONGMANY)
took an exciting journey alone and with loneliness on the following day.
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The Unforgettable Look
Right after I finished talking to the immigration officer at the Nagoya International Airport,
I saw the IATSS flag waving at me and a charming, cute and young skinny lady whom I
knew later as Chie-san, gave me signals and I knew right away that I was safe and in
addition to that, I will never forget the look of the video-camera man who looked at me as
well as my luggage. That look did not imply at all that I am too attractive but I perceive
that he may think that I brought too much luggage with me. I subsequently realized later on
that the big eyes looking at me and the warm welcome and sincere smile from that videocamera man was actually none other than the Director of the IATSS forum, AKIRA-san
The moment where our team spirit was built - GASSHUKU
Experiencing GASSHUKU counted as one of
my most prominent activities here, although I
was still exhausted from the lack of sleep from
home, plus there were 2 hours time difference
between Laos and Japan.
I almost could not manage to be myself and
laugh out loud, which was really not me
considering that I am a cheerful, fun and loving
person. However, I was so astonished
scrutinizing the course facilitator Tomo-san who
guided us through understanding the important
process of building team spirit especially
considering we come from different and diverse
cultural backgrounds. One of her statements that
touched me most was “To ask may bring
shame for a moment, but not to ask will bring
shame for the rest of a lifetime.”
The Naked Moment
Experiencing onsen bath (Bathing Japanese Style) was an outrageous experience for all of
us, especially the ladies. I myself shared room with Lay, a cute and intellectual
Singaporean lady. We slept on Tatami mats and as there was no bathroom in the room, we
made an informal announcement among the girls that we should try onsen. Bathing
Japanese Style is without doubt why Japanese people tend to have nice and soft, fair skin
but is the time for ladies to engage in girly talk, such as sharing about our families,
husbands, someone special in life and all that. Interestingly, we found out that one of my
Indonesian girlfriends Djal was just 2 months newly-wed and my Malaysian girlfriend
Wani who I adored most is to be married sometime in end-December 2008. Myself
Malay has a funky husband who was her high school sweetheart and has long fair hair and
many other interesting topics that we discovered together.
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Formal Procedure Sets in Motion
The Opening Ceremony event was the first formal activity for us.
Although we were informed in advance about the event in order
for us to be prepared, but still that could not stop our thrilling
feeling, excited to dress properly as we were all aware that the
event would be attended by many distinguished guests such as our
country’s representatives, Japanese volunteers and so on.
Remembering just a few simple Japanese sentences created a huge
headache for me. As I had to keep trying to memorize the few
Japanese lines listed below almost gave me a heart attack.
However, I was satisfied with the outcome.
Hajime-mashite Watashi no namae wa Malayvieng desu
Laosu kara kimashita Domo Arigato Gosaimashita
The Event, given just to US Exclusively
Japanese Culture Introduction day had helped me to appreciate more regarding
Japanese hospitality. The day offered me a chance to wear a proper Yukata. I was told later
that Yukata is actually a simple Kimono that the Japanese wear during summer time.
Wearing that dress was so time-consuming. As
the Obi was tied so tight, I could not breathe
easily and it was a little bit complicated for me
to manage myself moving. It is indeed true that
wearing that dress made me believe that I was
once a gorgeous Japanese women. I can also say
that the Yukata offered another perspective to
me and others. My personal statement to me
was when the Monkey turned to be the
Tempting Lady. What’s more, putting hands
on the Okonomiyaki or Japanese pizza was
among one of the activities that the day offered.
I enjoyed eating it very much and it definitely
made me realize that my Singaporean friend
Lay Hoon could be a good cook and Wei Terk
could be a good companion who did not at all
offer any comments on the pizza that we forced
him to finish but just simply said HAI ….
OISHI DESU …. Arigatoooo
Facilitation Skills Training
Besides the seminars, I also had facilitation skills training which was conducted by Ms.
Keiko Tsubaki from Global Network of Facilitators. I liked the way she designed the
training for us, every activity had its own purpose. I enjoyed her ice-breaking game called
the “4 Corners” which includes Sunshine, Cloudy, Rainy and Storm. We were asked to
choose one of the four corners based on our feeling that day. I chose the Sunshine corner
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which meant “extremely motivated”. I must say, however, that I had no clue at all at that
time what Facilitation Skills training was really about.
Still, I was eager enough to learn and know about it and the lessons learnt from facilitation
would surely help me greatly in my career development. I learnt a lot in terms of the
characteristics of a good facilitator. I will definitely be using these skills heavily in my
work from now onwards.
Home-stay
My home-stay experience offered me another confirmation on the great deed of Japanese
hospitality. My home-stay in Ise City, Mie Prefecture was held on 27th
Saturday and 28th Sunday September 2008. It granted me another
chance to learn more about Japanese culture and lifestyle.
My host family was a couple. The wife Kanako-san is 2 years younger than me and the
husband Hide-san is 6 years older than I am. During the short two-day stay, I had a chance
to visit the couple’s parents who live in a nearly-100 year old Buddhist temple. I was so
impressed talking to both Oto-san and Oka-san. That visit was my very first time during
my over 50 days here to pray for my Lord Buddha.
After that, I attended the so-called family party held just to welcome us. I also had a
chance to try my hand at making Sushi along with 2 of my mates Wani-san and Terk-san
as our host families are friends. Also I cannot skip the part that it was our first time to try
Natto which is unique to be honest and I am sure Terk-san would not enjoy the Natto that
much as well as Wani-san would always miss me whenever she hears the word Ise
Noodles (maybe the whole big bowl of Ise Noodles). I am sure that Wani is the only
person who knows what I am talking about
After nights and nights of preparation, practice and rehearsing, the Cultural Exchange Day
finally arrived on Saturday, 18th October 2008. It was one of the key events of the forum.
The event went smoothly without a hitch.
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We raised a big sum of money at the auction. This year, the money will be donated to Laos.
My friend from Myanmar, our Papa John, brought the unique picture item displaying the
beauty of Mount Fuji which won the highest price at the auction. The auction item from
Laos was a Lao traditional style silk scarf which I brought from home. It was 2nd in terms
of raising the most money. We even appeared on the local leading newspaper describing us
nicely. I am also proud as I was in-charge of the performance committee and we performed
even more perfectly than we could have hoped.
The Extremely Informative Session - SEMINARS
Seminars were one of the activities that presented
me
knowledge;
information,
additional
information and enjoyment. There were 10
seminars with a variety of juicy topics. I enjoyed
the way it was designed by offering us chances to
be in different locations including Kyoto, Nagoya
and Tokyo. Seminars were an opportunity for all
of us to share our thoughts and we could also
learn to appreciate and take other thoughts and
views into consideration.
In terms of seminar topics, I above all like the
Japanese Culture Budo, The Martial Ways of
Japan. I would like to emphasis on Kendo as
there is Zanshin word which definitely inspired
myself and definitely Zanshin is the key or
motivator word in changing my perspective till
the rest of my life. Zanshin taught me No matter
you Win or Lose, you must be able to control your
feelings and emotions and always stay alert
Population Issues
Prof. Kiyoko is one of very well spoken female lecturers who has
very intellectual ways of thinking and explaining. I learnt from
her that the issue of population is not just about controlling the
number of children itself but on the health of the mother as well. I
also learnt that in Japan, Gender is not a popular word. FGM
(Female Gentle Mutilation) was one of areas that Prof. Kiyoko
explained clearly to us, I was so shocked hearing such incident
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that still existed in what so-called the development world. I value the UNFPA’s role in the
development of human beings especially in the reproductive health areas where the
development program is being implemented in my country Laos.
Political system
Political system (in Laos) is one of topics that I presented to
class during the seminar. I learnt more in regards to the multipolitical parties in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and those
neighboring countries of Laos such as Vietnam and Myanmar
who share almost the same political structure. I comprehended
that there is no one perfect system and each country will
choose according to what the best practice is for them. I also
realized that the political system in my country represents the
essence of being a Laotian citizen who lives life calmly.
However, this does not mean that the same practice would
work well in some other countries.
The Dynamic Group Study (C) known as Sudoku
There are 7 team members in Sudoku, of which 2 Japanese were temporary. Team
members included Wathana (Cambodia), myself Malay (Laos), Chimin (Malaysia), Wei
Terk (Singapore), Yui (Thailand) as well as Koyata and Shinpei (Japan).
After brainstorming, sharing and searching for information and after much consideration
on the applicability and information available, our group came up with the title of Project
RunAway, particularly in Cambodia. To me, the project findings were not the key issue
here but working in a group and how the team members performed together to overcome
problems was really the challenge.
I was lucky enough to be in a group that complemented one another very well. Chimin was
an excellent technology specialist, Wei Terk was an excellent editor, Yui, Wathana and Me
(Malay) were high-quality contributors and we considered ourselves as excellent
secretaries and Koyata and Shinpei-san were efficient workers. We took turns to be the
group facilitator, applying facilitation and logical thinking skills that we have learnt in
class.
I learnt a lot from taking part in the group study, such as no idea is right or wrong as long
as we speak out, also I learnt that there is not much difference among us except the
language that we speak. We all look similar, have similar values and backgrounds. As the
people of ASEAN, we are and could become one of the most powerful bunch of people on
earth and interestingly, we share so much in common that it should be uncomplicated for
us to unite and work together towards a common goal.
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Study tour
Suzuka city hall, police station, and Honda factory
I have visited Suzuka City Hall, Suzuka Police Station, and Honda factory. Through the
trip, I was able to learn and see new and interesting things, myself and friends were briefly
introduced by the Mayor who expressed his warm welcome to us.
Visiting Honda was the highlight of my trip. I was really impressed seeing how the
company carried out their production. It is really beyond my imagination. Although I am
familiar with the term of high technology regarding how efficient Japanese car
manufacturers are, the scene of the complete automation and organization of the planning
was far beyond my expectations.
Individual plan day, and self development activities
Kyoto
I have visited this country for the third time and I was blessed enough whenever I come
here in terms of always having the chance to visit the place again. Kyoto is the place I like
most in Japan. Of course I do like Nara and Osaka and all places but if I have to prioritize
then definitely it would be Kyoto.
I visited Nishiki Food Market, Toji Temple,
Kinkakuji Temple, Nijo Castle and manga
museum, Kyoto museum and many more places.
I like most places that I visited particularly the
Kinkakuji Temple as it is one of the world
heritage sites which offered unique architecture.
Apart from visiting those interesting places, I
also enjoyed my time there as I had an awesome
dinner at the Japanese restaurant in the Kyoto
station and the whole gang (Hirotasan,Tonton,Terk,Janet) and I (Malay) ended up
our day by singing Karaoke before heading back
to the hotel. Apart from exploring the town for
the whole day, I also enjoyed my talk with Janet
throughout our stint. We shared a lot about our
lifes and work and it really showed me that
Janet is such a smart and adorable young girl.
So the individual plan day is another experience
for me to learn and be independent. Although I
was not that independent but at least I gave it a
try.
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Nara - the Lord Buddha….
I have mixed feelings for my visit to Nara, positively of course, I said so because I was so
amazed seeing a Buddhist temple in Japan, Todai-Ji temple which was rebuilt sometime in
1709. I was astonished seeing the great Buddha hall or Daibutsu-den hall which is the
largest wooden building in the world.
Tokyo
For me, the Tokyo trip was a very valuable and unforgettable experience; there was only
one week for us to stay in Tokyo as per the schedule, meaning I had 7 days and 6 nights to
explore one of the busiest cities on earth. I visited the IATSS’s office headquarters, I
visited Waseda University where we had a brief chat with Prof. Tsuboi and his students,
we discussed on our education systems, politics, economics, technology systems and our
food and traditions and all that. After that, we had a special dinner party in a Japanese-style
restaurant and I must say that the Chicken dish is highly recommended when visiting this
country.
My first individual plan day in Tokyo
My first day started mainly by walking and I managed to cover
all items on my individual plan. I visited all the must-see areas
such as Tokyo Tower to see a bird’s eye view of the whole
town. I also visited another tower called the World Trade
Center Observatory Tower where I had a breathtaking photo
session with my friends. From the top of the center, I could see
the places I went to, such as Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku,
Harajuku, Akihabara and many other places. I ended my day
having Yakitori (Chicken Satay) somewhere near the UENO
station. The Yakitori was exceptionally delicious. I did not
just happen to find the place but I was invited by one of my
Japanese friends whom I met 6 years ago when we were in
Melbourne, Australia. It was wonderful seeing her again in her
home town.
My second individual plan day went unbelievably well. I had
fun in the busy areas and enjoyed a quiet time with my large
Soy Latte somewhere at the Corner of the Starbucks Café. I
also did shopping and I was glad that I managed to get
something that I really liked. To me, the individual plan day is
not only about seeing and exploring the sites as much as
possible, but also a time where I could efficiently and
productively appreciate what Tokyo had to offer. When I feel
too tired, the Café corner always comes across my mind and I
really enjoy just sitting and reading books there.
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Final remark
To wrap up my almost 2-months stay, it is my great pleasure to express my whole-hearted
appreciation to all the IATSS Forum staff for not making me feel so far away from home.
To put it this way, when you are in a strange land, nothing is more valuable than having a
handful of good friends and in my case, in the form of the cool and very thoughtful big
boss Akira-san, the intellectual sister Masumi-san, the pretty and juicy Chakky-san, the
sweet and gorgeous Megumi-san, the cute and funky Mikio-san, the very cute and
charming Chie-san, the cool smile of Toshi-san, the kind and humble smile of Charliesan and the sincere money keeper Yumi-san. Of course, my appreciation also goes out to
all the Japanese volunteers, lecturers and not forgetting the people who have worked so
hard for us in the canteen, such as Hirata-san for her superb dishes, and to all whom I did
not mention here.
Apart from receiving warm hospitality from concerned Japanese people, my gratefulness
also goes out to my 19 new friends including the 2 Japanese from ASEAN countries and
Honda, Japan, Thank you very much to you all for offering me such a great time here, no
matter what we do, no matter what we say, it’s surely going to be always juicy among us.
Good luck to all of you in your lives and I do hope to see you around again in the future.
My intention is to visit one of your countries one day or maybe two days so please wait
for my arrival …. So allow me to give each of you
The Supreme Memo as
We are unique, we are MAGNIFIQUE!!
Leak: You are such an angel and a truly smart and surely the cute and young talented girl.
Keep on doing good work, you will have a bright and wonderful future, that’s what most of
the people here can assure you BUT no matter where you are, or what you do, definitely
(Opppss Sumimasen,
you are to us still the Ultimate Trouble Maker according to us
please take it as a compliment and I love you na )
Wathana: You are the Magic Charmer to us and I am sure that what you gained and
experienced here will be one of good cause for your future career, both for professional
and personal improvement and development
Djal: You are a unique woman who is truly authentic, no one can stop their heart when
they get to know you well. I title you as the Neutralizer (Hey! stop laughing). And one
more thing, your laughter is nothing short of sensational… I love you really
Pipit: What can I say here about you, seems there are too many words to describe a young
talented person like you. Anyway, I must confess that you are the real Kawaii (although we
try to against you ever since from the day that you practiced Japanese sentences for the
opening ceremony) and I title you as the Master of Photography. Although half of me
thinks that you are the real deal of the Trouble Maker but still you can get away from this
somehow … E-tooooo neeee
Malay: It may be unfair not describing myself since I dared enough to do so, to my 16
fellow friends. So I start from here as it seems to me that I am one of the most influential
people during the forum. Some of my friends here said that my words are very powerful
which is more or less pleasurable but sometimes ambiguous of course, as that’s the way I
use it to respond to some statements that seem imprecise and almost everyone agreed that I
am truly the Mood Maker. The bottom line is I do enjoy the title of Her Majesty Queen
of the Mekong River (Oppsss Sumimasen… Who asks? )
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Fish: There are so many terminologies referring to such a charming and cool guy like you.
Fish, you have represented our country (Laos) well in the sense that you try your very best.
You have done such a great job during the forum and through my personal observation, I
am so proud of you. I am sure that you also realized that being a Laotiane like us who has
reached this level has cost us such great commitment and effort for the sake of our personal
development and our country and anyway, I name you the Remote Missionary Sodesu
ne!!
Chimin: You are one of the most admirable persons in this forum. I admire your creative
mind, your truly deep understanding of people in this international arena. You are not
unique though but mature enough to lead and to be lead. I have learned a lot from you and
surely as everyone did. I title you as the Master Mind (For your information, no one asks
but it is true )
Wani: The saying “Do not judge a book by its cover” has always worked well during our
time and in almost every situation. Wani, you are one of the participants in the forum
whom most of us adore the most. I really need you to be my daughter (Well let me put it
this way, particularly in the time that you still stay in the Ramadhan ) although you seem
quiet but that does not mean that you really have that tiny brain as the joker made joke just
for the sake of making you laugh aloud. I admire your strength and you as yourself and
before I come across with too much drama. I title you as the Everlasting Destroyer (No
need thank you .. and who asks !!)
John-(Papa): No word can describe such an affectionate person like you. Papa is the real
deal of Sugar-Daddy to us. Your generosity will stay with us until we forget you
of
course we will not. I will never forget the chocolates that we shared and I always got two
while the rest got one. I admire you with my whole heart and may I title you as The
Minister who just reached his Enlightenment (Tokyo)
Emeral: You are utterly one of the angels during our forum. Your sweet smile and sincere
heart will always capture people and not to mention your intellectual mind. I am glad to
know you here as a person and you have granted me another perspective towards a new
generation of Myanmar. Your act, the Ish! Ish! one has left a huge mark in my heart. To
this, I title you as the Miss 44th IATSS Forum 2008.
TonTon: Wordless for me to describe you, I value our relationship here and I do believe
that it will sustain us far. I have learnt a lot from you and I do really appreciate your
thoughtfulness. So I title you as the Ultimate Talker.
Janet: You are my angel and sunshine every morning, meaning whenever I see you, you
simply cheer up my day using just a single smile of yours. To be specific, I do have a high
regard for you intellectually. I admire a young girl like you seeing and living life so
positively, so I title you as the Angel of the Morning.
Wei Terk: I must say that you are one of the closest mates here that I talked to most. BUT
It is just we are
that does not mean that you are too special and ASKING for it
passionate enough to talk and share. I admire the way you see and live life positively and
as a person you are more than competent enough be one of the tiny elements for the sake of
yourself and your country’s development. As I consider you such a spellbindingly
charming person, I shall title you as Mr 44th IATSS Forum 2008.
Lay: I’m absolutely speechless when talking about Lay. I have run out of words to
describe this wonderful woman whom I realize as one of the few special persons in my alittle-over-30 year-life. I shall title you nothing less than the new-age Wonder Woman.
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Yui: You can be called a quiet person who is actually not that so quite quiet
but with
your sweet smile and charm, everyone likes you when they get a chance to know you. So I
title you as Miss International 44th IATSS Forum 2008.
Pong: Speechless to describe you in this 44th IATSS Forum 2008, with my whole heart’s
respect, please allow me to title you as The Ultimate Destroyer (Hey! stop laughing )
Anh: Confident and capable to handle all the hard work, you are certainly a beautiful and
calm person who is approachable too. So I name you as Mrs World 44th IATSS Forum
2008.
Koyata: Soft but clear and sharp is my friend HONDA-san. So I clearly title you as The
Silent Assassin ….
(E-toooo) and for your additional information, I fell in love with
your cutie and tiny son right since we first met
Shinpei: You have given us another perspective of a young and hardworking Japanese
man. You are such a cool person who can blend very well. So I title you as the Not So
Silent Assassin (Honto!! Honto!!).
Leak, Wathana, Djal, Pipit, Malay, Fish, Chimin, Wani, Jonh, Emeral, Tonton, Janet, Terk, Lay, Yui, Pong and Anh
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My Once in a Lifetime Opportunity!
Vongmany Thanouvan
Laos
I don’t know how the participants of the previous year was
going on, but this year on 15th September 2008 had something
happened at Nagoya airport because two of participants, one
from Laos and one from Vietnam didn’t arrive at the airport.
Why…why……?????? And who….who….????? Yes, one of
participants was me. Every other participant came to Nagoya
airport on that day. There were two participants each from
Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. But
why did Laos and Vietnam have only one participant? This question was the most popular
at that time. I also wanted to come to Japan on time, but I was unlucky, so I had to come
alone. Before I came to Japan, I had to go to work in remote area in Laos, so I could not
come on 15th September 2008 like other participants did.
Gasshuku- Team building Training
Did you know I had to leave IATSS Forum to Ise City for
Team building training on the first day that I arrived in
Suzuka? I remember when I arrived, I had to go to the
seminar room for orientation and after that I had to go to
Ise city. My first training in Japan started with Gasshuku
in Ise. I could know more about my strength and my
weaknesses, and I also learnt other opinions. Our lecturer,
Tomo-san, she taught me how to build a good team with
the games.
I am a trainer of team building in my office. I learnt how to
make my team to be a perfect team in Gasshuku, Thank you,
Tomo-san.
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Opening Ceremony: Learning to introduce myself in Japanese Language
At the Opening ceremony, many important guests were invited such
as ASEAN Embassies, Head of Suzuka city, head of IATSS, From
Honda company and Japanese volunteers. All of participants wore
their own traditional cloth.
At the ceremony, all of us introduced ourselves in Japanese
language.
The study tours
I loved the tour in Kyoto because I felt like I was in Laos. Kyoto is the place that you see
the beautiful temples and the Japanese culture as well. In fact, I wanted to go and visit
many places and many temples, but the time was too short. I had only two days individual
plan day in Kyoto, so I planned to visit only 11 places such as Shiorian Museum, Museum
of Kyoto, Toji Temple, Nishi Honganji Temple, Heeanjingu shrine, Nanenji Shrine, Nijo
castle, Myoshinji Temple, Tengeji Temple, Ninnaji Temple and kinkakuji Temple.
Many participants asked me why I went to many temples. Yes, at first when I came to
Japan, I thought I would go to many places such as the shopping center, city town etc., but
when I read the information in the guide books, I changed my mind because there were
many beautiful temples and they were also the world heritage. For example, Ninna-ji
Temple used to be the old imperial palace, but now it is also the world heritage. Moreover,
Ninna-ji Temple is the place for the important cultural properties such as the kondo and
Mieso halls were moved from the Kyoto imperial
place and rebuilt here. A major characteristic of the
temple structures is that they include Goten, usually
seen only in palace architecture; the temple boasts a
magnificent collection of treasures which amount to
more than 600 items inside and Ninnaji Temple was
designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage
Site in 1994.
About the Seminar:
When I talked about my impressions and personal opinions during the seminars, I think it
was difficult to say because all of them were very good. But I had some comments to talk
about some seminars as the followings;
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Seminar “Political System”
This topic of this seminar in the 44th IATSS Forum, Laos
was the one who had to present the political system. Like
my background, I graduated from the Faculty of Law
(political sciences), but the problem of myself was my
English. It was not so good to explain all about the political
system in Laos. However, when I compared with other
seminars were look like this topic was the most interested
than others. So I could little bit know other political system and I learned more with their
presentation such as: Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan.
The lecturer overall was very excellent because all the
information that I got in this lecture were also good. About
the information given during the seminar, I felt that they
were excellent because each of information that I got in
lecture were originally from the lecturer, who had
experienced in many countries around the world.
These are something that I liked in this seminar:
1. Information they presented are up-to-dated
2. He answered all of the questions that the participant asked
3. Lecture by Mr. Yoshiharu TSUBOI who has excellent experienced around the
world that everything should be improved, so in my opinion about something that
this seminar should be improved was every countries should present their political
system because this time has only Indonesia, Lao and Vietnam.
Seminar “International Cooperation”
How did I think about the lecturer overall?
That was great because I got many
information about international cooperation
from lecturer, and all of the information
were from his previous experiences. The
information given during the seminar was
also good. But, it was little bit too much. We
saw at the seminar day, we could not finish
the lecture on time. So I think we need some
to be improved such as it should be on time
or time schedule should be fixed. However,
what I liked the most about this lecture were:
1. The lecture has more experiences in the topic and friendly
2. Presentation by Cambodia, Myanmar and also Laos
3. The method of lecture
.
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Seminar “Japanese Aesthetics”
First, when I saw this topic I believed that the
lecturer should be the Japanese elder person for
sure. But I was surprised, when I saw the
lecturer Ms. Fister. She made me know more
about Japanese cultures.
About the Japan aesthetics, my personal view
was that the Japanese were too systematic in
their lives, so the appreciation and emphasis on
non-conformity in their design through
irregularity and imperfection balances their daily lives. Therefore, my previous opinion
that most Japanese were a little eccentric was correct. This may be due to their cultures.
The up bringing and the values were deeply rooted in the community.
As I am a president of New Pen Club, Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and also
on behalf of the young people from Laos, I will bring all of the information in the seminar
that I learned from other countries and Japan to apply these information to the cases of my
country.
Home stay
At 7 a.m., all the participants left for Ise city, when we
arrived there, all of our host families were waiting for
us at the station already. After that, I was to be hosted
when I arrived at their house. They prepared the room
for me, but I had to prepare the bed by myself because
I had to sleep like the old Japanese style. However, I
was very happy and I was quite joyous about my
home stay. Do you know why I felt like that? Because
I had two Japanese people who treated me so well as I
were their real son. They were very kind and lovely to me.
The time to experience the real Japanese way of life had come and each of us was given a
golden opportunity to stay with a Japanese family overnight. I was very excited as well
because it would be my first time doing a home stay with Japanese, I also couldn’t sleep
well at the night in Ise city because sometimes I felt too excited.
In only two days, one night’s stay, I can say that I could feel
like I was a member of their family. Why can I say that?
Because they made me feel like I was their son. They didn’t
think I was a guest; I could do everything at their house like
their son did. In the short time, in my home stay, I enjoyed
talking about our lives, and also they took me to visit many
important and interesting places. And the other impression
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about my host family was, at 5 p.m., when I prepared to leave their house, they printed
many photos for me that we took together when we went to visit another places. I was very
surprised with that.
But every party have time to start and also have time to stop too, it’s like my home stay
was also. At 7 p.m., I had to leave Ise city for Suzuka city.
Enterprise strategies
About enterprise strategies I always studied and
learned in my country because my background
graduated from the business administration
(Marketing). At first, when I saw the schedule I
think it would be fine for me to share my idea to
other participants. But you know, it was not as easy
as I thought, especially when we talked about the
family mart, the lecturer Mr. Harada, he made me
feel like that the A score that I got at my school
didn’t have any meaning. Because it looked like I
had to start from the first like other participants.
He let me know more about how to run the business in current situation. I think that
seminar was only the first step for me to learn and do my business in my country, and now
I wish some day I could succeed like the Family mart.
Group Study
For the group study, I worked in group B. The group
name is Solidaritas. If you asked me about the
impression or my opinions, I could say that I was very
happy to be the member of this group. At first, we
came up with the problem in other countries and
looking the areas or the country that we needed and
could solve the problem.
We discussed about the issues in Laos and Myanmar a
lot but the last vote we voted for the proposal in
Indonesia in the remote area called Waikanabu, East Tenggara. But the thing that I liked
most in my group study was the solidarity. We had more power, we had more background
to do about the proposal and we had different background, but we could work and did a
good Job. And, I felt very good that even we decided to make the proposal to Waikanabu
in Indonesia, but every country also had to put the problem in their own countries. In Laos,
I also put some of the malnutrition in Laos to the proposal in the contents of malnutrition. I
put into the proposal such as the well-planed activities as well as the additional measures
250
encouraged and the child malnutrition conditions in Waikanabu are expected to improve
over the long run.
In Laos, according to the 2005 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), half of the
children under the age of five in rural Laos are suffering from malnutrition. Further, based
on 2008 United Nations Report, with Laos as one of the world’s “least developed”
My duty in the group study
I was lucky because I am a president of New Pen
Club. I always worked with the project and planning.
So this case, I have more ideas to share with my
friends. However, I had experiences but I could
share some of them to my friends because of my
English again. So this time, I had two things to do
with my group. First, I set up structure of the project
proposal. Second, I did the activities with the
participant from Thailand (Mr. Thirayoot
LIMANOND)
Facilitation skills
This introductory training came into installments. About a week
apart, I was fascinated by the lecturer, Ms. Tsubaki, who was
beautiful and young lady and a lot of experience in facilitation
skills. Her experiential were particularly interesting and
captivating, it brought out the competitive spirit me. This was
indeed an eye opening experience
for me and I truly cherished the
opportunity to learn about facilitation skills. I had doubts
at the start whether this skill would be useful, but about
analyzing the contents of the lectures, I found myself
having used facilitation skills in my work as well as in my
everyday life especially I am the president of New Pen
Club who had to train my staff all the time so the
facilitation skills is very important for me to learn more
and get my good experience in Japan to train my member as well as the young people in
Laos. I think all of participants and I have learned a lot of facilitation skills through this
lecture. As one learns to become a better facilitator, one also to respect others, it was a
great pleasure to be informed that the best tools I would ever gave as a facilitator was me
and my self alone. Thank you, Ms, Tsubaki.
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Education
When I heard about the topic of this seminar was
EDUCATION, I thought the lecturer should be some
person who was the elder person. Before the seminar,
we went to eat something in the Japanese restaurant
when the IATSS’s staff introduced him to us. I was
very surprised that the lecturer in this topic looks very
young. Not only that, when they told us about his
experiences and background, I was also very
impressed with him.
Learning kendo
At first, I didn’t know about the meaning of Budo or kendo. When I saw the schedule, I
felt like I would be bored. But it wasn’t like that at all. When I listened his lecture, I knew
that the Budo and kendo was different, example: Budo, the Japanese martial ways had
their origins in the age-old martial spirit of Japan.
Through centuries of historical and social change,
these forms of traditional culture evolved from combat
techniques (jutsu) into ways of self-development (d ).
bud has been refined and cultivated into ways of
physical training and spiritual development. The study
of bud encourages courteous behavior, advances
technical proficiency, strengthens the body, and
perfects the mind. Modern Japanese have inherited
traditional values through bud which continue to play
a significant role in the formation of the Japanese personality, serving as sources of
boundless energy and rejuvenation. As such, bud has attracted strong interest
internationally, and is studied around the world.
However, a recent trend towards infatuation just with technical ability compounded by an
excessive concern with winning is a severe threat to the essence of kendo. To prevent any
possible misrepresentation, practitioners of kendo must continually engage in selfexamination and endeavor to perfect and preserve this traditional culture.
When I learned, I liked kendo because kendo it was
different from other sports. During the training, I had to
always act with respect and courtesy, adhere to the
prescribed fundamentals of the art, and resist the
temptation to pursue mere technical skill rather than strive
towards the perfect unity of mind, body, and technique.
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7 Days in Tokyo:
On 27th October 2008 at 8 p.m., this was my first time in Tokyo.
The city that other people gave the name of the top ten beautiful
city in the world, when I arrived at the center about 8:30p.m. I
was excited with the Tokyo nighttime. However, at 9 we arrived
at the hotel, I was very tired so I directed go to bed immediately.
The next day, we went to Tokyo International Forum for the final
check of Group study. I remember the chair that I sat when I
presented my proposal was very cool because I was very excited to
answer the questions in English which I had experiences about
project or proposal (if in Laos that’s fine 555…) and at the evening
we went to have dinner with IATSS Tokyo staff.
Another day, we had the seminar about the Enterprise Strategies
“Family Mart” again. This day all of participants agreed together
that all day we would be active in this lecture because at the first
day at Suzuka city we studied only the theory, but this time in
Tokyo we went to survey by ourselves in three model Family
Mart: Sunshine-mae store, Sunshine city store (2FL, sunshine 60
Building) and Ikebukuro Green Odori store. However, the answer of all 3 groups was not
correct but I believed that we learned form this seminar a lot.
On 30th October 2008, in the morning we went to Tokyo Traffic Control Center. This place
was very interesting and it is the place that controls all of traffic system in Tokyo. I saw the
advanced high technology in the world. Also, the director of Tokyo Traffic Control Center
told us that:
Number of intersections on General Road Display Board = 1,015;
Automated Traffic Signals = 7,731;
Automated Traffic Signals Total Traffic Signals in Tokyo = 15,412
Vehicle Detectors = 17,073
Local Display Boards =309
Roadside Radio Systems = 114
Mainframe Computers = 142
CCTV Cameras = 346
TV Monitors = 20
And etc….
In the afternoon, we moved to visit the Waseda University. In
the Waseda University, we had Campus tour around the
university and had experience to discuss with the Waseda
university students with the topic of the current situations of
the ASEAN Counties, especially about the Political and
Economy.
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Next day later, I visited to Laos Embassy at Nishi Azabu Minatoku, by subway. One of the
participant and I from Laos, we went there in the morning to present about our life in Japan.
Individual plan in Tokyo
At first, I thought I could go by myself in Tokyo as I did in Kyoto. I planed to visit many
places in Tokyo such as Sensoji Temple, Nakamise, Ueno Onshi Park, Ameyoko, Kanda Myojin,
Tokyo Tower, Azabu Juban Shoping Town, Meji Jingu, Takeshita Dori Oedo Onsen Monogatari.
But it was not as easy as I thought because in Tokyo the transportation system was very
complicated, so I had to invite my friend from Cambodia to go with me. Finally, we could
visit only some of them. We did not spend any entrance fee in Tokyo, but we spent a lot on
shopping.
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55 DAYS IN JAPAN
Hu Chi-Min
Malaysia
Gasshuku
The Gasshuku conducted at the Sen no Mori with
Tomo-san was indeed a great effort to get all the
participants from all over ASEAN to realize our own
weaknesses, strengths and to recognize the same for the
other. I remember Anh saying that the Gasshuku helped
her see that sometimes the idea from the other person
was better than her own. This was very true, through
the games introduced by Tomo-san, I’ve realize that no
matter how well read I am, how ready I am, there will
be times I am helpless. It is during that time when I’m out of ideas; someone will be there
to give theirs. For example, during the task where my group have to guess the items in a
closely tied bag; everyone expected me to be able to
guess all the item in the bag; but if not because of
Malay’s keen sight we would not be able to get the eye
drop, and Djal’s addiction to chilly sauce reminded us
the sauce packet. We would not be able to get all
correct answer if not because of Ori’s patience in
examining the bag even though we thought we have all
the items. The moral is that “you may think you are
the best but if you are willing to listen; you will find
that sometimes others are better than you”.
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During one challenging task where we were given wood
planks and to make a certain design out of it. Pong
stated that he is a good planner yet he realizes that too
much planning without action, we will not be able to see
the whole picture. It is better to plan strategically and
put that plan in action, if it fails try another strategy
instead of arguing whose plan are better in theory.
The moral of this was that “Two heads are better than
one BUT without putting the plan in action it is nothing but TALKS”.
One of the other challenging tasks were the “Traffic”
game. During the initial part of the game, everyone had
something to say, this was very good if one would let
the other finish what he wants to say. I would think this
was very typical of human beings as we all want to
voice out our opinions; and in this circumstances some
people would be able to dominate because of their
strength in communication skills and confidence. It is at
that confusion when “the tigers are fighting for the right
to rule”; I saw that Pipit had the ability to conceptualize complicated ideas but she was
very soft-spoken. The domineering roar of tigers outshines the beautiful voice of a little
“tweety” bird. So much so that others would not see her ability, and in the end when she
was given the opportunity to guide us, we won the game. The moral of this was that
“There were times your strength becomes your weakness, recognize others over
yourself may be your only winning strategy”.
Opening Ceremony
The location was excellent, the feeling was great. Everyone dressed their best, the
participants, the guest and the staffs. Everyone was excited and everyone had a good time.
However, all this would not be as great if no one put in effort. We felt great because
someone somewhere somehow contributed to this event. The opening ceremony was not
just an official function to officiate the 44th IATSS FORUM, it was more than that; it was
the official beginning of friendships with each other, the
IATSS FORUM staff and all the kindred souls we met
during our stay in Japan. This was where I met Mr.
Kobayashi Kazuhiro and his family (Tomoko-san and
Miori-chan), he is perhaps the closest friend I have
amongst the volunteers, and this was how we built a
friendship: we’ve met each other and exchanged name
cards, but it did not stops there; I visited his house and
his family; we chatted with each other in English and
sometimes Japanese where I found out that we sort of having a similar view about life and
how it should have been. We came from poor family and strive to make the best of our
lives by sharing our time with others and there is no better gift than time as we have
limited “time” throughout our short life span. I was glad and honored to be his friend.
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Japanese Cultural Exchange
What a day! We
learned so much about
the Japanese culture.
It was like Japanese
Culture 101 but much
better. There were so
many things to see and
learn; there were dance
by Mdm. Kajiura
Masako, a short skit by the volunteers, and games by the Akatsuka High School and their
Ninja sensei. We even had the chance to look at Wedding Photo of one of the volunteer,
she looks so beautiful in her wedding kimono, and she looked just like her mother. We
experienced the Chado, learned to make Okonomiyaki and to write our names in Kanji. It
opened our eyes to Japanese Culture and deepened the understanding of this unique Asian
culture. I really hope to learn more of this rich and exciting culture, perhaps another trip to
Japan.
Sometimes I wondered why Japan retains so much of their culture and practices despite
being one of the more advance country in the world. It’s a perfect blend of human
advancement and cultural practices. I do not see anyone in my country adhering to most of
the cultural identity leave behind by my ancestors. It is really a lost, how I wish cultural
preservations is made an important agenda in our lives whilst continue in our effort to a
better and advance future.
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One of the purposes of IATSS Forum is to provide a platform
for a diverse cultural identity to come together and to learn
from each other. For that purpose, we had to work together
for the Cultural Exchange Day in Tsu City in cooperation
with the MIEF CIRs. From what we understand from the
IATSS Forum’s staff and the staff of MIEF CIRs, each year
each batch were given a theme and for the 44th IATSS Forum,
we were assigned New Year Celebrations.
For previous years, Cultural Exchange Day had been
coordinated by 1 coordinator and each country was supposed
to arrange their country booth and to cooperate together for a
cultural show. This was not a good arrangement, as I did not
reckon individual goals within a common achievement such as this. The Cultural
Exchange Day (CED) should be a team effort for one
common objective i.e. to ensure the success of the CED
as a whole and make the best effort towards that
common objective. Therefore by organizing the CED
based on country and to showcase the CED based on
the participant’s country will have more negative
competition than good.
As such we have decided to throw out the country booth
presentation’s style and to work to showcase CED, the
44th IATSS Forum’s way. There were no individual country performances or booth as all
will work together or sometimes required to man the areas that have nothing to do with his
or her country. With that in mind everyone seemed to learn more about one another, and
most importantly there was no individual goal and all the participants and the CIRs work
together towards a common objectives.
The CED was a success; the IATSS Forum’s staff, the
MIEF CIRs and we enjoyed the whole process of
planning, rehearsing and implementing our plan for the
day. The guests were extremely cheerful and had the
most interesting and fun day of their CED’s lives.
Hurray!!! We did it and we did it differently. We
seemed to cross the boundaries set by territorial
boundaries of our government, and worked as one
entity: the IATSS Forum 44th batch. The CED brought
a lot of memories to those who participants and for those who sweat for it: there were
times I wonder if the IATSS Forum were anxious or even felt we were not doing enough as
we work so different from the previous batch. But I personally thinks the 44th batch
managed to score high success by being different from the previous. (I would think Akirasan, Masumi-san and Chakky-san were not just impressed of our CED but all the crazy
dance and songs during karaoke sessions in Arashiyama).
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One of the major highlight of the CED was the Auction.
We decided to contribute the proceeds to charitable
cause in Lao PDR for better educational facilities for the
children.
Fish who is working for the Youth
Development in Lao PDR is currently serving that
community (Nam Ngeurn Village) and he will be our
representative for the the 44th IATSS Forum. The
auction went out extremely well as we managed to
gather about ¥54,000 plus about USD 300 for the cause.
It seemed that apart from these auction movements what we learn throughout the IATSS
Forum programs, most of us will definitely plan for another project in the future. This was
a good dream to be realized and I honestly hope that we will get together again in the
future to serve the community around us.
I was honored to be the auctioneer together with Alice-san and Shinpei-san, for the
auction went exceedingly well and smooth. This was the result of our group working hard
together bridging the different in opinions and culture.
Facilitation Training
During Ms. Keiko TSUBAKI’s sessions we learned to
facilitate. It was an important skill if we are to work
together. She introduced many facilitation skills and
tools for which I found extremely useful. We even had
the opportunity to have facilitation sessions introduce
by Ms Keiko throughout her training. However
learning opportunity was not just from the classroom it
selves, I still remember Tonton’s advice to be frank and
full disclosure, and Leak’s comments to share with each
other and to learn from each other’s expertise.
Facilitation training allowed us to see our own strength and weakness, at the same time
opened our eyes and heart to listen to others opinions on how to improve ourselves. Wath
seemed to improve tremendously as she became more confident of herself and Terk’s
approachability allowed us to voice our opinions as freely. There were just so much things
to learn and to learn from.
Group Study
Another huge project required of us as participants of IATSS Forum is the Group Study.
We had to plan and come out with project proposals. We were given a common theme,
Population Issues, and we were expected to plan and propose a project. I was in team
SUDOKU with Terk, Malay, Wath, Yui, Koyata and Shinpei. We focused our project
in Child Prostitutions and proposed a pilot project in Cambodia. The group study taught
and allowed us to practice what we preach: respect individuality, embrace diversity. Each
team member had differing background and expertise, you can see these as differences or
you can harness that knowledge to come out with a perfect project proposal. SUDOKU
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seemed to break another record for being different and
bold. The team spirit and team dynamics were
excellent; we managed to bring differences together and
to work towards that common objective to succeed as a
group.
The result of our group study must be attributed to
fellow group members, our friends who gave their
opinions and thought to improve the paper and
presentations, guidance from both Ms Kiyoko Ikegami and Ms Keiko Tsubaki and of
course the support from IATSS Forum staff.
Seminars
During our 55 days in Japan, there were many seminar topics. Each seminar, we were
given the opportunity to learn from the experts and to learn from each others. I particularly
enjoyed the IATSS Forum’s objectives of having seminars that spans from one interest to
the other. Each seminar topic was related yet they were of different field all together. This
was a great opportunity to expand our mind and goes beyond our expertise or negatively
speaking our self imposed limitation to knowledge.
Each seminar allowed us to learn the subject matter and
allow fruitful discussions to put what we have learned
into use. However, it would be a fruitful discussion if all
of us did our part and study before hand in our home
country. This is my advice to future participants. As for
44th IATSS Forum, I thank you all for the fruitful and
exciting discussions. It would not be as much fun and
knowledgeable if not each and every one of my friends
take the trouble to learn each seminar topic and to share
your point of view. That criteria and characteristic alone made me proud to be a part of
44th IATSS Forum.
Generally speaking, we had the following seminars:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Enterprise Strategies I and II – The Experience of Family Mart.
Political System.
Japanese Culture – Aesthetics.
International Cooperation.
OVOP.
Environment and sustainable Asia.
Education.
Japanese Culture – Budo.
Research and Development – TOTO.
Each subject matter was well executed where the IATSS Forum have been a discussion
forum between individuals from different backgrounds and expertise. Each subject matter
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was seen in various angle based on our experience and
cultural setting guided by the experts brought in by the
IATSS Forum.
This was a great forum to expand our mind and be
global.
In today’s world, experts are becoming
irrelevant if their expertises are too narrow, a person
will be successful and more recognized for their
expertise if they have an international and global
approach to their expert subject matter. Today’s experts are able to view their subject of
interest in the eyes of the others and IATSS Forum provides the very foundation to enable
such characteristics to be nurtured within us. I learned so much to know that IATSS
Forum is just the beginning of great things to be achieved in the future.
Home Stay
The
home
stay
program was just as
great. I was staying
with one great family
who can speak a little
Malay language. It
was great because I
learned
Japanese
from them and they
could practice Malay language with me. Shunichi-san is a teacher and he is extremely
friendly and a loving husband and father. We went “kuri” hunting and had a nice picnic
just on the front porch of the family house overseeing the Sakura tree. Whilst chit chatting,
Nao-san, his beautiful and loving wife prepared dinner and that evening I had one of the
most memorable temaki sushi dinner with the family. Miyu-chan and Kan-chan are
adorable and talented. Miyu-chan is artistic and clever whilst Kan-chan is intelligent and
loves baseball. I had the opportunity to play with them and realized that Japanese children
play as hard as what I did as a child. I played “Oni” and chase them and their friends all
over the village and the compound of the village shrine. Another game that really tested
my strength as an old man was “kedoro” or police and
thief, it was exactly the same as I played when I was a
child.
Not only I had the opportunity to feel and experience
Japanese Culture as an academic subject, I have been
given the opportunity to experience a typical Japanese
family and their lifestyles.
It was an enriching
experience for me.
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Study Tour
During study tour we had the opportunity to visit the
Mayor’s Office, Suzuka’s Assembly Hall, the Police
HQ, Honda factory, the Traffic Control Center and
many more exciting and places of interest. During one
of the study tour to Todaiji, I had the chance to witness
for myself the Noh play. All the places we visited
offered various learning opportunities and at the same
time an enjoyable trip. Thanks to the coordinators from
IATSS Forum that I had the opportunity to have an
enjoyable trip that not only build friendships amongst us, the staff and the volunteer BUT a
chance to see and learn about Japan.
Kyoto and Tokyo Individual Day
Individual Plan Day for both
Kyoto and Tokyo was really
a chance to witness the
different between Kyoto as
an ancient capital of Japan
and Tokyo as the futuristic
capital of Japan. The people
are different, the paces are
different and their lifestyle
differs. Been able to execute both pre-planned trip was a
personal achievement for me. In both cities I managed to visit
the temples and shrines. In both cities I managed to interact
with the locals and find most of them polite and friendly and
ever willing to offer a helping hand. In both cities I saw the differing pace and
complexities, many of those in Tokyo seemed busy and constantly on the move, and all of
them dressed so fashionably. The traffic in the public transportation system in both cities
differs vastly yet remains extremely punctual. Masumi-san asked me which city I prefer to
live in and my answer is: when I’m at my peak below my 45 I would like to stay and live
in Tokyo and to challenge myself to the top of the rat race, achieving my desired goals I
would like to retire to a more serene settings. Maybe in Arashiyama, or even in Suzuka.
Conclusions
These 55 days of accomplishments was a step in building me to be a better man. It
provided me with the knowledge and tools to move forward towards that better future, and
I hope to move towards that goal with my fellow friends:
Akira, Anh, Chakky, Charlie, Chie, Djalinda, Emeral, Fish, Hirata, Janet, John, Kazuhiro,
Koyata, Lay Hoon, Leakhena, Malay, Masumi, Meg, Mikio, Pipit, Pong, Shinpei, Tonton,
Toshi, Wani, Wathana, Wei Terk, Yui, & Yumi.
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Use your tiny brain (please…)
Malaysia
The title of this report might sound harsh for some people, but in my opinion that’s what I
learned through the forum – to use and train my brain more effectively for 55-day forum.
The training and knowledge I gained throughout the forum will be used for my future
carrier development.
I have experienced the Japanese culture, visited a lot of interesting places, tasted various
Japanese cuisine, established friendship and love between Japanese volunteers and other
participants through 44th IATSS Forum in Suzuka.
Gasshuku / Team Building – where my true talent as ‘The Destroyer’ was discovered
Tomo-san was our team building coach. Many
activities were carried out during Gasshuku to
achieve one goal, which was to build strong
foundation as a team and to know each other better
as we were going to embark on the journey of
‘Thinking and Learning Together’ through the 55day forum.
Among the games we played 3 stages of Janken-pon
(also known as ooo-som in Malaysia) – where win
is win, lose is win and even is win. Each time before
we started playing the game, we had to introduce
each other to our opponent. This helped me on
remembering everyone’s name. From this game I
learned that winning is not important. If you lose you might gain something else for
instance you get to meet more people in the game.
Another activity was name card exchange. Information needed for the name card were
name, an animal that represents you well, hobbies, strengths and you expectation from the
Gasshuku. Then each of each was required to exchange business card and information to
three different persons. At the end of the game participants are required to introduce the
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person. This activity indirectly strengthen bond between each other and we can get to
know each other better.
My favourite activity was drawing the face of other participants on the last day of
Gasshuku. This activity was facilitated by Masumi-san. We were required to make two
circles, and take turns to draw the face line, hair, eyes, eye brows, nose, mouth and ear of
our counterparts on the opposite circle. I was really nervous when there was any activity
involves drawing as I know that I am not good at it. My first task was to draw Lay’s face
line and the result was as what I have expected – not good at all. Second task was to draw
Djal’s hair, and as again, it was terrible. I moved on and ‘damaged’ a few other drawings.
However, despite my poor drawing skills, there was a huge laughter and teasing among us
– and the jokes remains in the group until today and I think for many years to come. It was
a really effective activity in terms of breaking the ice among us, especially people like me
who is really hard to make friends. Since I ‘destroyed’ the drawing of every participants I
drew, my group members call me ‘The Destroyer’ and the nick name remains until today.
Wani
Lay
Djal
Janet
Chimin
Cultural Events – Learning, Teaching and Appreciating the Roots and Values of a
Country
Japanese Cultural Introduction Day – Learning what makes Japanese a Japanese
It has always been my dream to wear
Japanese traditional costume as I have been
influenced by Japanese television drama
‘Oshin’ since I was 6 years old. I cannot
remember what the story was all about but
I remember clearly how beautiful the
kimono is, even tough it looked very tight
and makes ‘Oshin’ seemed difficult to
move.
Opportunity knocks during the Japanese
Cultural Exchange Day. I was the first one
to choose which yukata to be worn that day. It was a hard choice – but at the end I decided
to choose a dark coloured yukata which matches my skin colour. There were three
Japanese volunteers who helped me to wear it. It was hard to learn how to wear it as there
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were many sections to be tied and therefore I concluded that I can never be able to wear it
by myself. However, once the process was over, I was glad to see myself in yukata.
Other activities that day were introduction to Japanese daily life, childhood games, tea
ceremony, calligraphy and cooking Japanese pizza known as ‘okonomiyaki’. From the
short play of Japanese daily I could see that Japanese have been trained since young to be
organised in many ways – from the way they enter the house, eat and even taking bath.
Japanese childhood games were mainly made of wood – which reflects the abundance of
forests in the country. We had fun playing it with a few high school students which were
very friendly and helpful. This was among the way to instil volunteerism, appreciation of
culture and care for the society. During tea ceremony I was amazed to see that Japanese
put a lot of effort in serving a cup of tea to the guest. However, it is a positive sign that the
tea ceremony culture was preserved until today and hope it will still be practiced for many
years to come. For me tea ceremony creates a hospitable and comfortable environment for
the guest.
I love Japanese food and had been a fan since three years ago. However, the selections of
Japanese food in Malaysia are limited and the opportunity to learn how to prepare
okonomiyaki was an amazing experience. After a long day of activities, having a good
meal and pleasant conversation with Japanese volunteers was a really a good way to end
the day.
Cultural Exchange Day (CED) – our ‘mid term’ examination / learning about
ourselves and the rest of the world
Cultural Exchange Day was
the biggest event that we had
to organise during the forum. It
was held on the 18th October
2008, about one month after
we arrived in Suzuka. This
event was co-organised by Mie
International
Exchange
Foundation (MIEF) and was
held in Tsu City. The theme
was New Year celebration and we decided to perform several performances, namely
Christmas in Philippines, Brazil and America, Nyepi Balinese New Year, Mekong River
Area New Year and Chinese New Year. Other activities conducted that day were
exhibitions, bamboo dance, quizzes and charity auction. The money from charity auction
was donated to build school for children in remote area in Laos.
As I come from engineering background, I have never been involved in any cultural
activities back in Malaysia. I have to admit that I did not have any interest on cultural
activities at all. Therefore, it was really uncomfortable for me to be assigned in two
presentations – Christmas celebration and also Nyepi Balinese New Year. However from
Gasshuku, I learned to put the group interest first before my personal comfort. Additionally,
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I learned to cooperate with other team members to make the performance as perfect as
possible.
Another challenge during CED was to decorate my
country board. My training as civil engineer made my
mind to be structured and this was how I decorated my
country board. We were given limited time to complete
the exhibition area and about 1 hour before the final
rehearsal I realised that my board was poorly decorated.
I had to seek help from my Laotian team member,
Malay. From facial expression when she first saw the
board, I knew that I really needed to ‘activate’ the
artistic part of my brain at that moment. She teased me
by saying, ‘Wani, only for today, can you please use
your tinny tiny brain to decorate this board?’ Both me
and Malay laughed, but kept on working to finish it as
quickly as possible. In my opinion, this was another
positive attitude of my group, that was always ready to
offer a helping hand to others when needed the most. I
felt very grateful to receive her artistic touch for the Malaysian board. It became
completely different after that, and a comment from other group members was, ‘Yes Wani,
it is much better when Malay helped you with it.’
Later during the charity auction I had a ‘Kampai’
with Malay to show my appreciation for her help
to decorate the Malaysian booth. I can never
forget this experience, I had a lot of fun and at the
same time it made me realise how important
friendship is. An everlasting friendship can be
established with someone who has different
background, race, age and religion. This incident
had a very big impact in my life and I hope to
establish more friendship with international
community in the future.
The CED was a big success. There were about 180 guests, and most of them stayed until
the end as they enjoyed the event very much. The money collected from the charity auction
was more than USD500. We learned that the event was published in the local newspaper
and the participants also received an e-mail from MIEF staff congratulating us on the
success of the event (as shown below). To me this was another achievement that the team
gained after the rehearsals, small arguments and sleepless nights before the CED. As a
member of the team I am very proud of the success and the experience will remain in my
memories. From this event I learned to be a group member, giving and receiving help and
celebrate the success together with others.
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Date:
From:
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:52:22 +0900 [10/22/2008 03:52:22 PM MYT]
"Molly Burgwinkle"
Subject: Otsukaresama deshita!
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to email you and say "otsukaresama deshita," or job well done, last
weekend. The event was a big success, with more people and more money raised than the
same event last year, and everyone involved had a great time. This was my first time
participating in the Cultural Exchange Day and one of my first big events in my new
position as CIR at MIEF. It was such a wonderful surprise that I could meet so many
interesting people and learn so many new things in the short time that I got to know you.
I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit it, but this was the first time that I have made friends
with or even met people from some of your countries. Our exchange has sparked my
interest in a region of the world that I really didn't know anything about until now. I hope
that I will have a chance to visit all of your countries someday and meet some of you
again as well. I don't know how long I will be in Japan or if I will be going back to
Washington DC next year, but I hope that if any of you are in Japan or America you will
let me know so that maybe we can meet.
Best of luck with everything in the future and thank you so much for this meaningful
experience. Please stay in touch! And enjoy the rest of your time in Suzuka!
With love,
Molly Burgwinkle
Facilitation Skills – A training that I never thought I need
Lecture on facilitation skills was conducted by Ms. Keiko Tsubaki from Global Network of
Facilitators. She started the lecture by playing a small ice breaking game known as the 4
corners. Participants were asked on their feelings that day – either sunshine (highly
motivated), cloudy (motivated), rainy
(not in the mood) and stormy (want to
go home). I chose to be cloudy as I was
eager to learn about facilitation skills
but did not know what to expect. Then
we were divided into three groups.
There were a few tasks given
throughout the lecture. I was assigned
to be a facilitator to build a mind map regarding Kyoto. This was a good exercise to assess
myself in facilitating a discussion. Before this, I was a head of division in my office. I
conducted meetings and discussions without any training on facilitation skills. Through
this exercise, I got feedbacks from the lecturer and my group members on certain aspects
that need improvement. Among the comments I received were lack of focus during
discussion, did not ask for consensus with group members, does not give any introduction
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on the subject that need to be discusses and lack of body language and interaction with
group members. Additionally, I also learned additional skills from my other group
members who did a good job that day. I hope the skills I learned today will make me a
better leader. I also hoped to share this experience with my friends, colleagues and students
in Malaysia.
Theme Lecture and Seminars – Sharing our views and thoughts via discussions,
gaining more knowledge and learning more about Japan and ASEAN countries
Theme Lecture: Population Issues – ‘To make the world a better place for you and
for me’
The group study theme lecture was given by Ms. Kiyoko
Ikegami, the Director of UNFPA (United Nations Population
Funds) Tokyo Office. She has vast experience in the field and it
was reflected during her lecture. Before she starts the lecture, a
brief ice breaking sessions was held and it is good to be
reminded of other participants’ background and specialities.
After some introduction on the role of UN and also some
population issues, the participants were brought into the
discussion of the freedom of media in each country. It was
interesting to learn about the scenario in other ASEAN countries
and also to share my personal opinion on the freedom of media
to others.
Later the participants were divided into three groups and each group was required to come
up with a project tree based on the scenario given by the lecturer. The tasks became simple
with the sharing of view and experience from all participants. It reminds me of the
importance of producing a good proposal; and the most important part was the planning –
how to make your project more beneficial to the stakeholders.
Another group activity that I enjoyed
during the theme lecture was role playing,
and each member was given a choice to be
representative of Global Facility (GF),
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
Ministry of Human Health and Welfare
(HHW) and National Health League (NHL
– NGO). I chose to be the representative of
UNFPA. Each of us was given notes on
what were the capabilities and role of each
organisation. Throughout the discussion, I
tried to convince GF to give more funds to
the UNFPA. With strong points and arguments, I succeeded to get 51% of USD30 million
for UNFPA.
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After all groups presented their outcome, the lecturer pointed out some overseen points that
are crucial in the decision making. Among the comments were getting reliable source of
medication, logistics issues, education and implementation of prevention methods and
treatments to the public. I learned a lot from the exercise and the reality that we have to
face in the world today. I hope to be a better leader, educator and role model to my country
as soon as I go back to Malaysia. I also hoped to contribute to the society by being active
in a NGO to help the community.
Seminars – Sharing and Learning the current issues in ASEAN and Japan through
the mind of future ASEAN leaders
Since the participants of the forum come from 9
ASEAN countries, I found it very interesting to
learn different aspects of their countries through
the seminars. Apart from that, there were also
group discussions and presentations. Through
this exercise, we learned more about each other,
how to work effectively in group, facilitating the
discussion,
present
the
outcome
and
interpersonal skills. These skills were very
important to be developed for my future career
development. It also exposed me to the international working environment. All seminars
have benefited me in many ways. The experience will be shared with my family, friends
and students in Malaysia.
The topics discussed during seminars were very broad, from Japanese aesthetics, political
system, martial arts, enterprising strategies to topics related to ASEAN countries such as
Education System, Environmental Issues, One Village One Product and International
Cooperation.
Among the seminars which I liked the most were
Enterprising Strategies, Education and Budo. I was
amazed with logistics and operational systems that
FamilyMart has currently implemented in their
stores and the chain of convenient stores that they
have established since 1981. Through seminar on
Education I got to share with my friends on the
Malaysian Education System. The participants were
impressed with the successes stories and evolution
in the Malaysian education system. I also learned the
education system implemented in other ASEAN countries such as Myanmar and Singapore.
Through the group discussion we were able to identify the weakness and strength of
education system in Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore and also proposed ways to
improve it.
I never heard of ‘Budo’ and ‘Kendo’ before coming to Japan. The way of the warrior or
‘Budo’ has been established in the Japanese society for along time. I find it really amazing
on how the Japanese managed to preserve their culture.
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Sensei Alex began his session with the history of ‘Budo’ and martial arts in Japan. I found
it very interesting to see does it evolve over time. I became very interested in the concept
of Zanshin that is the state of alertness and awareness of anything that happen around you.
I think that this concept has to be practiced by anybody because it helps to be more
concentrate and focused. It also helped to eliminate stress that we usually have in daily life.
I hope I can continue learning martial arts in Malaysia and learn more about Zanshin.
I can conclude that the practical session of Kendo was the part I liked most because you
get the opportunity to practice it. I have never received any training in martial arts before,
so I really appreciate that I got to learn something new that day.
Solidaritas – working together with modest group members, from different countries
and backgrounds
I love Solidaritas!!! I think it was destiny that
brought us together as a group. Members of
Solidaritas were of Pipit (Indonesia), Pong
(Thailand), Fish (Laos), Janet (Philippines) Emeral
(Myanmar) and myself (of course!!!). Solidaritas is
an Indonesian word which means unity. We agreed
on that name as our group study theme was Child
Malnutrition in Indonesia.
During the first day of group study, Pong suggested that we set up ground rules for the
group, which was related to working hours, punctuality, group hugs, peace keeper and
breaks during the group study sessions. We had a clear rules and everyone seemed to
respect it.
Our meetings were held at the small lounge, with big glass windows, green scenery,
sunlight, round table and comfortable couches (also known as ‘The Thinking Chair’). I
enjoyed having group study session with other group members as the group dynamics were
very good. Nobody was dominating the discussions; we always spent time at the beginning
of the session to reflect what has been done in the previous session and set goals to be
achieved that day and take turns to be the facilitator for each group study session. Each of
the group members had good sense of humour which made the group discussions lively.
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Decisions were made based on consensus and everybody had the chance to voice their
concerns and opinions.
Occasionally we had group hugs to cheer up everyone and also to motivate each other. By
saying ‘Solidaritas’ during group hugs we established that we will respect each other,
contribute and work well in the group and last but not least have fun while ‘Thinking and
Learning Together’.
Study Tour – the activity that everyone loves after ‘Thinking and Learning Together’
and Solving ‘World Issues’
Kyoto – ancient city with modern facilities
Kyoto is a historical city like Melaka in Malaysia. I fell in love with Kyoto as it still
preserve its traditional values and does not suffocated by a few modern buildings around it.
It is modern in its own unique way. The public transportation was really efficient and
cheap. By paying ¥500 for a one-day bus ticket, it managed to get me anywhere I wanted
to go in Kyoto city.
I visited a few temples around Kyoto, namely
Kinkakuji, Toji, Heain Jingu and Kiyomizudera. I
found that Japanese still have strong believes in
Buddism and very concern about preserving their
cultural heritage. The park surrounding the temples was
beautiful and a lot of efforts were made on the
landscape which creates a peaceful environment for the
tourist.
When visiting Nijo Castle I was very fascinated with the nightingale floors (uguisubari) in
the corridors which squeak like birds when anyone walks on them. This feature was
installed to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins. The advancement and
creativity of Japanese builders were among the evidence that they were creative and
inventive. I tried to walk the corridors without making any squeaking sound but failed. In
my imagination, it must be really hard for any attackers or assassinators to pass through the
corridor.
Nishiki Market was one of my favorite spot in Kyoto. I got to
observe Japanese food which is rich in color, texture and taste. I
also got to see traditional and modern clothing which shape the
Japanese society today. In Japan I found that presentation is very
important; which was reflected by the packaging of the product,
decoration and layout of their stores.
The existence of Geisha and Maiko around Gion was an
evidence that Japanese is very conservative in terms of
preserving their culture. It was an unusual experience for me to
see people wearing kimono around the city which seems to be
very comfortable for them with thick make up and walk using wooden platform shoes.
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Tokyo – living in the concrete jungle
After spending most of our time in the suburban areas of Japan, we moved to the new
challenge – Tokyo. This was my first experience to travel by Shinkansen and I found it
very comfortable and convenient. I hope one day Malaysia can afford to have similar
transportation system which in directly will generate the economy and provide comfort to
the public.
Once I was in Tokyo I found that the city is very compact with tall buildings and there
were so many people in the subway stations even though it was not peak hours. Seeing
people living in a rush made me wonder is this the life that everyone is asking for.
Something to ponder upon.
We stayed in Shiodome area and the nearest subway station was Shimbashi. I was
disappointed when I have difficulties in buying the tickets as the fare board was in
Japanese. International city like Tokyo should have sufficient information in English to
facilitate foreigners. It was also hard to find Japanese who could understand English,
therefore I have to use my limited Japanese vocabulary to get to places. My phases would
be ‘Akihabara (places I would like to go) ikura desu ka?’ and ‘JR Station doko desu ka?’.
The problem arises when he replied in Japanese and I would have to guess what he tried to
say. However, I also find it challenging and it was also a new experience for me.
I managed to visit a few places in Tokyo such as Tokyo Tower, Asakusa, Disneyland,
Tsukiji Market, Tokyo Bay, Sunshine City, Waseda University and Miraikan.
I had Salmon don in Tsukiji market for breakfast which was delicious .
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Conclusions
Though the 55-days forum, I learned, experienced, saw, shared and ate a lot. At the same
time, I established friendship with my friends from different countries. Each of them
coloured my life here in Suzuka. For the amazing experience of ‘Thinking and Learning
Together’ I would like to say thank you to:
Leak for making me realise not to walk unnecessarily
Wathana for her hugs and love
Djal for being ‘noisy thief’
Pipit for the crazy bicycle rides in Suzuka and Arashiyama
Malay for complementing the size of my brain
Fish for calling me ‘cute sister’
Chimin for being a caring counterpart
John for his sugar supplies
Emeral for her ‘ish’
Tonton for reminding me that I am an underachiever
Janet for her unlimited abbreviations
Terk for complementing Malaysian girls
Lay for discovering my talent as a destroyer
Yui for her ‘Tom Yam Kung’ instant noodle
Pong for inventing the moon walk dance IATSS style
Anh for being a great companion during trip to Ninja village
I would also take this opportunity to show my appreciation to IATSS staff members and
country committee who really took care of us and tried really hard to accommodate our
needs, the Japanese volunteers for their help, support and exchange of ideas throughout the
forum and last but not least HONDA for sponsoring the program and let us realise ‘the
power of dreams’.
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Amazing life in Japan and forever and ever remember
memory in my life
Aung Zaw Oo
Myanmar
Introduction
First of all, I would like to say thank you to everybody who encouraged me to apply to this
program and also IATSS forum for letting me participate as 44th forum participant. At first,
I felt less confident to be selected this IATSS forum. When I heard the information that I
was selected to join IATSS forum, I could not help expressing my happiness. I felt very
excited and I thought as if I was dreaming. Before coming to Japan, I had two mixed
feeling of happiness and nervous at the same time. I always wonder how to stay in Japan,
what to learn together with the friends etc. But this was a precious opportunity for me to be
a participant of the 44th IATSS forum and to develop the friendship with the participants
of 9 Asian countries.
Precious opportunity (My impression on Japan)
It was my jubilation to start the trip to Japan as it was the
very first time visiting here and I was so proud of being a
selected participant of this 44th batch. I have chance to
understand the Japanese culture and their best practices that
cannot buy with money. Personally, I was felt excited to go
to Japan and to learn with the participants from different
ASEAN countries and background. I have known that
Japanese people are very hard working and punctual .Before
I went to Japan, I asked myself whether I can adapt with the
Japanese style of working and not sure to be myself with the
international level candidatures. It is because I knew that
Japan is very popular for its advanced technology and high
quality products and management.
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Arrival (Nagoya Air port)
On Sept 14, 2008, we landed at Nagoya airport. It was really excited for me to have a
chance to enjoy the environment I have never experience. When I was in Thailand airport,
I was finding to the other participants from, Cambodia, Lao, Thailand and Vietnam. Most
of the participants did not look like from the pictures I received as the pre information kid
so that I could not recognize them. My first meeting with the Philippines participants at the
Nagoya Air port was really friendly there Tonton and Janet came and greeted us together
with Akira-san (forum director) and Chie-san (forum staff). At that time I noticed that it
took a few minutes to meet with the other participants from Indonesia, Malaysia and
Singapore as they took the same flight. Then, we were warmly greeted by the other
participants but everybody was trying to recognizing each other a long the way to Suzuka
City. On the way to IATSS forum, Chie-san explained about Nagoya air port, the industrial
zones, as well as Suzuka city. After that we arrived to IRIS Hotel, located in the Suzuka
Circuit Flower Garden Hotel compound. The Forum staffs were very kind and they really
pay attention to the participants. At the evening, there was an Orientation and the forum
staffs explained about the operation of IATSS Forum and clarified the programs that we
necessary to participate. After that, we came back to our respective rooms and prepared for
Gasshuku (Team Building Training) In Ise city.
Gasshuku (Team Building Training)
On Sept, 16th 2008, there was another Orientation in the Seminar Hall in the morning and
after breakfast about 12:10 PM, we started to go to Ise city. The bus took about 2.5 hours
to get there. We had our lunch on the bus.
The Gasshuku-Team Building Training program was on Sept, 16th to Sept, 19th 2008 in Ise
city (Wel Sunpia Ise Hotel), it was the first place to know more about of participants. I
think, there were a lot of first experiences for me and other participants too. I was happy to
stay in this hotel because it caused me to have a sense of Japanese traditional and culture.
It was also the first time to sleep in Japanese traditional room with the futon and tatami mat.
And then it was also the first time to try onsen (the Japanese hot spring).
For me, this training was not only team building
but also leadership training and the best group
activities of the forum. The activities were
organized by Tomo Seki from Project Adventure,
Inc.
The team building training aimed to deepen
mutual understanding and respect among the
participants from aspects, to create a sense of
belonging and to level of our participant’s critical
thinking. It was a kind of ice breaking and
forming us as a team. After the training, I realized that team sprit is very important and it is
useful for all of us.
275
We participated in the team building training for four days and there created an effective
working team by the organizer who was really good at organizing team. I learned a lot of
as liked teamwork, creativity thinking, and cooperation in the group activities, mutual
understanding and trust each other participants. And then, I realized that negative thinking
is to destroy teamwork and our achievement.
Opening ceremony
On September 20, 2008, opening Ceremony was held in Harmony Hall at Flower Garden
Hotel. High ranking officials from Honda Motor Company, Deputy Mayor-Suzuka city,
Deputy Director General from Mie International Exchange Foundation, Executive Director
from IATSS, officials from nine ASEAN Embassies and invited guests attended the
Ceremony. Chairman from IATSS forum Mr. Yasuhei Oguchi, delivered the opening
address. In his speech, we could clearly see that objective of the Forum is not only to
provide individual development opportunities for the
participants, but also the development of ASEAN region
as a whole. After that a representative from the embassies,
Mr. Toshio Matsubara, Deputy Mayor of Suzuka City,
Mr. Hiroshi HASEGAWA, Deputy Director General,
Mie International Exchange Foundation and Mr. Mikio
YOSHIMI, Senior Managing Director, Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. Delivered congratulatory speeches. Closing address
to the ceremony was delivered by Mr. Hiroshi Ishizuki,
Executive Director of IATSS. At the reception we could
meet and made some conversations with the respective
embassies and Japanese volunteers also attended that
ceremony and we were to share our opinions on our
countries and Japan, For me, I felt that this opening
ceremony was like encouraged us to fulfill our knowledge and experience to try our best to
participate in the forum motto “Learn and Share Together”.
Japanese cultural introduction day
On 21st September 2008, volunteers joined with
us and demonstrated of how to wear Yukata
wearing and Kimono wearing. Looking at each
other we all were laughing at each other. I felt
very happy and exciting. After that all participants
looked like Japanese ladies and men for a day.
And then they demonstrated Tea-ceremony. There
was also the practice on dos and don’ts of
Japanese Culture introduction day was a very
enjoyable day and a new experience for me. Then
we learned how to write the Japanese calligraphy.
It was very difficult to write Japanese letter. Then we sang Japanese song and listened and
danced with the volunteers. We had dinner together with volunteers. After the dinner one
of the volunteer that name call Tom San took with his car me, Anh San and Janet San to
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the around of Suzuka City at night time. Japanese volunteers were very friendly and kind. I
am very surprised about the mindset of Japanese people. How positive and open-minded to
spend their time and to enjoy with others .It was an enjoyable day sharing experience and
enjoying with Japanese volunteers. Finally, we took the colorful and beautiful photos for
the memory of Japanese cultural introduction day.
Group study –Theme lecture
The group study theme lecture, “ Population Issue as Development Agenda” was on
September, 22nd 2008 lecturer Ms. Kiyoko Ikegami, Director of UNFPA Tokyo office was
a lecturer for the MDGS and Gender issues .First of all, she was told about the UN and UN
agencies such as UNFPA, WHO, UNHCR and etc. And then, she explained about the
MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) that UN set up the targets by the year of 2015
with the consensus with National Government and the collaboration of UN member 189
countries in year 2000 for the purpose of poverty reduction
and improving life. Firstly, I don’t know details of MDGs and
I was thought that group study would be most difficult of my
duties in Japan but I was managed it well strong and trustful
to the team work among with others. Because, the
group each member has different abilities and knowledge
from different country. So, it is better to work together in a
group more than only one and sharing knowledge each other
in a group is very effective to succeed. Sometimes, we had
our won task to finish.
But membership is very important to work as a
group .However, every member in our group are very helpful
and hard working and then discussed the issue again to
develop the process of solution the problem. Finally, we made USD 30 million project
proposal based on to strengthen national treatment and prevention of HIV and AIDS for
one of Latin American country.
The proposal based on coordinated national programs
each designed and implemented by partnerships between
aid agencies, UNFPA, national government and NGOs.
Finally, we made USD 30 million project proposal based
on to strengthen national treatment and prevention of
HIV and AIDS for one of Latin American country. The
proposal based on coordinated national programs each
designed and implemented by partnerships between aid
agencies, UNFPA, national government and NGOs.
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Group Study
The Group study was the most important
part of the activities which conducted
according to the Forum schedule. We
were divided into three groups of six
members. Ton Ton from Philippine, Lay
from Singapore, Anh from Vietnam,
Leak from Cambodia, Djal from
Indonesia and I were in group A. Our
group study took place in library room,
where was a very nice place .we could
easily to see day light and outside view. During our meetings, we discussed to work and
solve problems together. We had meetings many times for group study. At the first
meeting, we raised issues which we could use to work on in the group study process. After
compiling data and information, we chose the topic and decided our group name which
was Ageing group and the topic was population ageing in Japan especially on the case in
Suzuka City. Recently, the oldest peoples are increasing population in the world. Therefore
our group decided to study on this case.
Facilitation skills and logical thinking
On Sept 24 and Sept 30, 2008: We had two lectures which were facilitation skills and
logical thinking. These two seminars gave me a chance three times of group facilitator and
then know more about the meaning of facilitation skills and
its roles as facilitator. I realized that flows of idea came out
from Ms Keiko Tsubaki, Managing Director of the Global
Network of Facilitators will be strongly support to my career
development. Why are the facilitation skills important?
“Two heads are better than one” was motto of facilitator.
Group decision can make better than one person can make
alone. Facilitator supports the members in managing their
own personal dynamics and opinion. I am sure that
facilitation skills were very useful for our group study work
and the presentation will nicely to our completion ceremony.
Home stay –More happy life
On 27 Sept to 28 Sept 2008, there was home stay
program in Ise City. Before I came to Japan, I sent my
personal information about which kind of food I like
and what my hobbies are. That information was sent to
the host family. After That, I was dreaming of my host
family. I was also excited to stay with Japanese family
because this was my first time in my life even I could
not experience in my country. Before, I was coming in
Japan I already knew my host family information
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because Chakky San, she informed me that
information. After that I could contact to my host
family by e-mail. When I was in my home country,
my host family and I contacted with each other.
Therefore, when I arrived in Ise train station, I was
very easy to find my host family. My Okasan picked
me up at Ise train station. And then my host family
took me many places in Ise city such as Ise Shrine, Ise
Bay, Old market and good restaurants for lunch and
dinner etc. They gave me an opportunity to get
unforgettable experience with them because my host family was very nice and kind and
hospitality to me. When I stayed there, they always looked at my face and they were trying
to fulfill my wishes. I could feel that I have second family in Japan. The memory of my
home stay will remain in my heart forever. I realized that after home stay program, I got
two home sick feeling one from my home country and one from my host family in Ise city
in Japan.
Seminar-1 and 11: Enterprise Strategies (Convenience Store: Family Mart’s
Strategies I and II)
On Oct 1 and Oct 29, 2008: Mr. Mitsuyoshi
HARADA, General Manager, Overseas
Business Department, Area Franchising Division,
Family Mart Co., Ltd. lectured the seminar with his
assistant Ms. Tomoko YONEYA. This seminar was
very interesting to me because it was not only
seminar, actually it was a quiz and discussion based
session. I could learned about of general overview of
the convenience store and their history especially on Family mart in Japan and oversea
country as like in U.S.A, China, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea. And than, He was
explained it’s about of convenience stores owned by Family Mart Co., Ltd. and its
franchise system. I was realized that I can run a business like that in my own country base
on the experience from this systematic lecture from Mr. Harada. I was appreciated that
Family Mart Co., Ltd. Ideas for choosing place and set up new convenience store in the
city area.
Seminar-2 Political System
On Oct 2, 2008: Political system seminar lectured
by Prof. Yoshiharu TSUBOI, School of Political
Science and Economics, Weseda University. Three
countries explained in the presentation of their own
country current system. These were Laos, Indonesia
and Vietnam. The first presenter was Malay from
Laos, after that Djal from Indonesia and finally was
Anh from Vietnam. After above three countries
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presentation, Prof. TSUBOI requested to next three countries as like Malaysia, Myanmar
and Thailand to share information own country current system after lunch. Actually, I did
not know much about political system and related issue but I tried to share my knowledge
and experience of my country political system. This was my first time to discuss on that
seminar. In the seminar, I had a chance to know more about the Royal family of Japan and
their role of stability, current Japanese politics organization and society of aging and
Japanese family practices.
Seminar-3 Japanese Aesthetics
On Oct 7, 2008: Japanese Aesthetics at Hotel Ranzan in Kyoto. The
lecture, Professor Patricia Fister, explained the paintings and house
ware of Japan. It was really amazing to know that Japanese peoples
prefer buying oddly shaped or asymmetrical house ware. We observed
many kinds of shape and size of house ware, flower pots and tea cups.
After the seminar, we went around the buddish temple and Okochi
villa and studied the antique paintings, side seeing in garden.
Seminar-4 International Cooperation (ODA: Current Status and Future Prospects)
On Oct 8, 2008: Professor Tsutomu MIZOTA, Institute of Tropical
Medicine, National University of Nagasaki, Former UN/UNICEF
Tokyo Representative gave us lecture about International
Cooperation in Hotel Ranzan, Kyoto. He explained the policy of the
Japanese Government for international cooperation and I could
understand clearly that the Japan Government is trying to promote
cooperation between Japan and Asian countries, especially ASEAN
countries. During this seminar, we all had a chance to ODA project
proposal as a group discussion. We were group A (Ace) project
proposal was bilateral ODA as human security content especially for
education like as primary school in Cambodia. After the three group
presentations, the professor made some comments on each presentation and gave us advice
on how to overcome mentioned in the presentations.
Seminar-6 One Village One Product (OVOP)
Oct 13, 2008 Professor Fumihiko ADACHI, Collage
of Contemporary Society and Culture, Kinjo Gakuin
University delivered the lecture. This seminar
provided me lots of wonderful knowledge, which was
about the One Village One Product as well as the
potential of local and global business development.
The three presentations by participants from different
countries gave me the knowledge as One District One
Industry (ODOI) from Malaysia, One Town One
Product (OTOP) from Philippine and One Village One
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Product from Thailand (OVOP), all of
presentations were each country currently
practicing and respectively. After the presentations
from three countries, the Professor began the
seminar, which was history of OVOP in Oita
Prefecture, Japan and then explained the
advantages of this movement. The OVOP
movement was originated in Oita Prefecture and
introduced by Governor Hiramatsu. From that
movement, the new generation was local leaders
through human resource development programs. The guiding principle is “Think Globally,
Act Locally” it significant is the guiding principle for everyone who wants to develop
themselves. Its success in Japan, other countries have also tried to establish such as
movements. I realized that this movement brings not only economic development in the
region, but also the development in skill and abilities of the people from that region. After
the lecture, we conducted group work for OVOP project based on business plan. After that,
the professor advised on each group commodities, he was clarify on which it can produce
as much products or not and which it suitable to consumer and market place. From my
observation through that seminar, I realized that OVOP concepts can be applied to the
basic approach for the socio- economic and community development effectively. I am very
thankful to the professor for giving me a chance to know about the concepts of OVOP in
Japan and some ASEAN Countries and to create a feasible plan that can be applied to my
home country.
Study Tour
We went to Suzuka City Hall, Suzuka Police
Station, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. on Sept 29,
2008 and Suzuka Circuit Training Education
Centre on Oct 3, 2008. I felt that it was
honorable chance to visit to learn more about
of Japanese local government administration
and management style, their safety concern,
working environment as well as possible,
business practices basic on advance
technology usage, work hard, enjoy to work under tight schedule and workload. From my
observation, I much appreciated that Japanese peoples are very enthusiastic and Royalty on
their work as under high pressure, this must be reason for them to be successful. I got so
many experience and knowledge from study tours, which I can apply of their behavior,
attitude and positive thinking to the further at my doing business.
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Oct 18, 2008: This was the most important activity
for us and we had prepared for that event when we
came back from Gasshuku team building to till
that day morning practices with our participants
and Joey San from China, Ben San from Canada,
Alice from Brazil and Molly San United State of America their four members from MIEF.
On that day the performance title was New Year celebration, this was represents on not
only one country but also ASEAN countries plus China, Canada, Brazil and USA. The
New Year celebration, we were arranged five agenda performance presenting to Japanese
audience as a real culture.
The first agenda was Vietnamese New Year performance
singing by Anh San, the second agenda was Christmas
celebration this was represent of Canada, Brazil, Philippine
and USA, the third agenda was Silent Night performance
this was represent on Indonesia, the forth agenda was
Mekong dance this was represent of Cambodia, Loa,
Myanmar and Thailand and the last performance was Lion
dance this was represent on China, Malaysia and Singapore.
And then the exhibition and food fair program that
represent on all countries New Year celebration country
booth presenting and food fair. The most of Japanese
audience were very interested in many kind of food from our participants countries and
they asked us all of countries demonstration items on the meaning and the name of
pronunciation. In the exhibition area, we played Bamboo dance and the firstly demonstrate
to audience how to dance and then the participants and audience together danced. I felt that
they were very happy and enjoyed our each performance. After that program, we started to
auction agenda, each participant country brought one item from our own country, we
explained to audience that the total amount of auction money will be used for Lao’s remote
area young people project, therefore they gave price as most as possible to the auction item.
I was amazed that my country item was sold by one of the Japanese volunteer who gave
the price 20,000 Yen. Even though we all were very tired, we enjoyed a lot and it was a
great day for everyone.
Seminar-7 Environment and Sustainable Asia
Oct 20, 2008 Professor Kazuo MATSUSHITA, Graduate
School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University gave
us lecture and his presentation. This topic was one of the hot and
top issues for all human being and countries around the world
especially on global worming effect from industrialization. It
can be problem of cause to our daily lives and natural disaster
and unbalanced economic growth and environmental
conservation. Finally, lecturer was trying to explain to
understand how to balance environment and sustainable in Asia.
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Seminar-8 Education (Roles of Education for the Formulation of National
Identity)
The seminar, “Roles of Education for the Formulation of National
Identity was on Oct 22, 2008. The Lecturer was Prof. Yuto
Kitamura from Nagoya University, under the graduate school of
International development. He explained about education for all
(EFA) promoting basic education across to the world likes as;
international conventions reaffirmed the rights-based approach to
education from 1948 to 1989 and that historical background. The
world conference and world education forum were organized by
UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank targets and
timetables to achieve by 2015.
And then we learned Japanese education reform policies of
experiences from the postwar period to the education system of current situation.
Before Professor Yuto Kitamura Lecture, three presentations were from Malaysia,
Myanmar and Singapore for current education system in each country. I learned lot of
information from Malaysia and Singapore countries presentation for the education system
like quantity- quality, equity- efficiency and life skills.
In my opinion, this seminar “Roles of Education for
the Formulation of National Identity” provided us
much input on how education systems shape their
society and what educational concepts have been
developed to promote peace and social development in
world with the specific case study of Japan.
Seminar-9 Japanese Buto: The Martial Ways of Japan
Oct 24, 2008: This seminar, it was a great chance to learn
more about Japanese culture mainly on history and philosophy
of Japanese martial arts from Dr. Alexander BENNETTE,
Japanese culture, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University. I
also had a chance to see different perspective on Japanese
culture and could appreciate on the inner sprit (Zanshin) of
Japanese martial arts, Kendo. I gained so much knowledge
from not only lecture but also intensive training.
Conclusion
I felt that time flied quickly during the forum. When I was staying in Japan for a few
weeks, I realized that learning and sharing knowledge and experience from my friends is
very beneficial through our group study, all the seminars and each seminar lecturer and
those can’t limitation to my gain from the forum.
The program is going to be almost end but I have learned more than what I expected before
joining the program and the program was beyond my expectation as I have learned not
only by attending the many seminars but also have learned from my friends.
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I need to learn more from all of you .But time is limited. During my 55 days in Japan, I
would like to express my sincere thanks to all of IATSS forum committee members and
especially deepest thanks to Dr. Yasuhei Oguchi, chairman of forum.
I am very proud of appreciated the Japanese IATSS forum staffs who have been working
hard from the beginning until the end of the program.
I also want to express my sincere thanks to my friends that I learned the useful experience
from you all. But words can not express my feelings. I had a wonderful time with all of
you during 55 days in Japan. I wish all of you have great success and enjoy in your life and
work .I hope to see you again! Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!
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I discovered myself!!!!!.....
Lwin Lwin Mya
Myanmar
It was on 15th September that I started my trip to Suzuka, I was so excited that it was the
very first time to go to Japan and also 55 days away from home. During the time transit at
Bangkok airport, I was looking around the surrounding near by and there were a lady and a
gentleman sitting opposite to me. I spoke in my mind that they might be IATSS forum
participants. When he passed me by on the plane, I gave a smile at that gentleman. Later, I
knew that they were Thailand participants and we became friends soon.
On September 16th, the plan landed to Nagoya airport. A beautiful smile of our study tour
organizer, Ms.Chie, gave me a sense of worminess of forum. There was first introduction
with other participants, Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia
participants were really flexible and friendly as I expected. When we carried our luggage
to the tour bus, I found forum director Mr. Akira who was taking video of our group.
It took half and hour to get our forum so that I got the chance to chitchat with all the
participants especially with Wanny who sat next to me the way to forum. We discussed
about our individual plan day that we were willing to visit in Tokyo.
Happy
. It was how I started my first day of forum.
Very first impression of Japanese system- Team Building Training
The impression on the first orientation of IATSS forum gave me a sense of unity,
friendship, worminess and at the same times the systematic procedures of the forum. The
following day leading to Ise city remind me of my native town that is situated at the bay of
Bangal. The beautiful Farley lands, the evergreen trees, range of mountains, the breeze
passing through all are picturesque scenes that make team building more remarkable
experience.
The word “team” conveys the meaning of the combination of our own strength to be even
more than the sum of individuals. A team comprises a group of people linked in a common
purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity
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and have many interdependent subtasks. A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a
team. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy
through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize his or her strengths
and minimize his or her weaknesses.
The way IATSS forum depicts the team is really subtle. We were not taught the strategies
at the team building training. It was really unbelievable; we became effective group within
a few days. Here, I discovered myself of my individual ability that I found as the area of
improvement. By seeing my friend, Singapore participant, I wish I could have this kind of
ability who is really good at organizing skill. Her organizing skill leading the team was
really appreciated. She thinks positively and accepts the inputs and organizes them in order
to reach the optimal solution.
My former natural characteristics of keeping silent, if something is not my concern, change
a lot and I realize that my idea of keeping silent is golden doesn’t work at all. Now –
knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do. How good is it
to understand? This Ise city gashugu marked deeply immense of the essence in my
memory.
Every country has own culture; appreciating culture is good to understand the environment
that we are formerly unfamiliar to us. Culture (from the Latin cultural stemming from
colere, meaning "to cultivate") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the
symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Cultures can be
"understood as systems of symbols and meanings that even their creators contest, that lack
fixed boundaries, that are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete with one
another"
Welcome ceremony
On 20th September, the opening ceremony of 44th
IATSS forum was held. The opening speech given
by Mr Yasuhei Oguchi, Chairman both for IATSS
forum steering committee and international
association of traffic and safety science delivered
the speech. In his speech, “It is hoped that Southeast
Asian nations will strengthen their cross-border
cooperation not only in terms of political and
economic issues, but also in terms of resources,
environments, disasters and other concerns. Under
these circumstances, it will be significant that
participants form different backgrounds exchange their opinions, work hard together
despite their cultural differences. The expectation here is that we will become Asian
leaders of future by drawing on the fruits of this forum, such as human networks, border
perspectives and enhance understanding tolerance and flexibility regarding “difference”.
During the speech, I remarkable remember that Honda company discover the technology
of flying Jet 15 years ago but it will not be launched until 2010. Here my impression goes
to Honda of building customer loyalty through safety by their effort of making sure
continuous research. Because of this, Japan brands are world class brand. The chairman let
us know the success history of Super cap that I found a lot in my country.
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The respective embassies of the participating countries attended opening ceremony and so
also Myanmar. The counselor, Mr. Kyaw Soe who recently join Myanmar embassy to
Japan, attend the ceremony and we have the chance to let them know deeply know about
our program, have a chance to distribute the information and the reason for organizing
IATSS forum.
Bicycle safety training
Looking back to my past, I was born in the very small city, situated at the west of our
country; there I spend about 15 years of my life. As the city is very small, bicycles are
important transportation machine that everybody said to be necessary. Before I was here,
the prior information kit express that chance of riding bicycle, there I guess I might forget
how to ride the bicycle as it was practice more than 10 years ago. Luckily, when I started
to use it, I could balance it and blessed of my residual memory.
Seminars
Remarkable Topic: Facilitation Training
On 25th Sep, the participants were very relaxed and happy learning the lectured by Ms
Keiko Tsubaki, lecturer, NPO Global Network of facilitator. The way she gave us lecture
was very subtle that we even could not ourselves of being lectured. Oh! It was undeniable
that she was really good at facilitation skill. Through the lecture, I learnt that facilitation is
the design and management of structures and processes that help a group do its work and
minimize the common problems people have working together. I realized myself that it
was the area (the skill) I needed to be improved.
During our conversation, I frankly spoke to the
participant form Malaysia of my appreciation
through skill and my friend Lay, Singapore. For me,
the objectives learn form each other works a lot.
After lunch, our lecture drove to the other way of
facilitation, - she led us to be pair, one was being
blind another had to lead him. It was really funny
through we got the increase level of understanding
between the two who were being guided and leader.
It created the empathy of putting ourselves in the
shoes of other person.
On September 30, we had a chance to meet again with the lecture, there we were trained a
lot to be a good facilitator. Each and everybody had the equal chance of being facilitator
and we received the comments on the area we are good at and need to be improved as well.
Here, I would like to say “every moment is another lesson in life”. It is undeniable good
listener is a powerful speaker who compile every ideas into better one. A good facilitator is
people who don’t speaks too much but communicate actively and at the same time giving
the eye contacts to the other members. I was frankly speaking to the other participants of
the area of improvement I found myself.
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Interesting lecture: enterprise strategy
The first day of October, our first lecture of enterprise strategy started. Mr.Mitsuyoshi
Harada, General Manger, oversea business department, Area Franchising Division, gave
the lectures to the participants. Before our lecture, we had to present the things that we
bought form convenience store and explain the reason why we bought this product and
express the personal opinion on the product of selling well reasons. He approved our idea
of placing the product at the eye level and it is one of the techniques of persuading
customer choice. Then in the evening, the lecture went to the discussion of the choosing
right location strategy by answering the questions of groups. We got knowledge that is
really relevant for my career of marketing. He patiently answered all the questions that
participants raised.
We cannot escape from “politics”
Because of Wasada University, school of political science and economics, Professor
Yoshiharu Tsuboi’s lecture, I had a chance to glance at the Asian countries political system.
It was the first day for country presentation. Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam were assigned
to present about the present condition of political system and the people attitude towards
the political situations. The respective countries came up with the election system, voting
method and constituency system. Professor added that he has been to 60 nations all over
the world, including Myanmar. He seems to adapt all multicultural society. He addressed
the constructive neutral comments form third party point of view. Frankly speaking, I have
never experienced discussion about legal system and felt myself it was beyond my
comprehension. When we discussed about this, I understood that political system is not
outbound that actually within our interest.
My duty: ODA
International cooperation lecture by Professor Mizota,
national university of Nagasaki, lectured the participants.
We had a chance to understand the Official development
of world trend and south east Asia current status and the
way they are leading to the future global trend. I
performed as the coordinator for this seminar and got a lot
of experiences about ODA that I think was beyond my
comprehension.
Upgrading everyone ability: one village one product movement
Seminar 6 was interesting topic “One Village One Product movement “by Professor
Mr.Funihiko. In my opinion, this topic was useful and interesting especially for those who
come from developing countries. Everywhere in the world is with their own way of
presenting local products that are different form any other group of people. Appreciating
their own unique value and upgrading their own way of living is acceptable culture and
those who care social welfare should consider about this. When I look back to my country,
there are many groups of people who are presenting their way of living with their own
products. If we have the chance to upgrade their way of presenting the products combining
with marketing concepts, it will better.
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Education Seminar
People could not escape form education throughout generation. So seminar about basic
education system caught the attention of everyone. Discussion about equal education
opportunities, talking about medium of instruction languages on education, education
systems reforms of the respective countries, talking about changing trends of continuous
assessment of education rather than exam result etc make the education lecture keeping to
the right track and meaningful discussion.
Knowledge on Toto factory
50% of the market share in any type of business can be regards as well performing
business. It is really difficult to achieve that much market share. TOTO brand achieved it.
The reason behind the market share is that they emphasize a lot on customer satisfaction.
They try to offer the products according to the customer preference. It may be its core
competency. Here, the lesson learnt form TOTO was that only satisfied customers are
opinions leaders and also potential for repeated purchaser.
Environmental and Sustainable Asia
When talking about environment, the words “reduce, reuse, recycle” comes to my mind.
These words are rally meaningful to me and at the same time I understand that Japanese
people are practicing on it. Everywhere in Japan is full of environmental safety programs
that are different from my country. In the recent years, it has been even worse than current
situation. Now, I may say Myanmar is improving because of the government policy that
discourages the people cutting the trees. During the country presentation, Singapore
presentation is different form any other way of presenting emphasizing on the source of
water currently practicing: local catches, imported water, new water, de salivated water. It
is different from any other country in the world. When I heard the concept of new water,
we cannot help smiling as it is the product of used water.
Group study
Our cause: population
Group study assigned for this year was
population issue and we were divided into three
groups.
Our theme lecture of population was started by
forming the group among the participants on
26th September. We were stressful before
starting the project. Here, we started the
discussion by breaking the tasks and build the
trust to each other so that we are happily
continue the next section of our discussion. All of our 6 members are from different
countries so that we come up with the issues relation to our own countries.
As a Myanmar, I would like to highlight my country recent affair of Nargis cyclone
affected to my country. The reason is to get to know more about current affair of our
country cyclone affected are there I personally went there and contribute as much as I
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could. When we were discussing this I realized myself that I should not persuade the rest
members to the topic that I wish to. So I expressed my limitation to the members of
difficulties and try to encourage other topic that presented by Indonisian participants.
We did the group work together maintaining the group hug and find the consensus for
every problems. We submit the report with the heading of “reduction child malnutrition in
Indonesia” and emphasizing on the breast feeding and trying to increase the awareness of
the rural people in Nusatangera.
Study Tour
Suzuka city Visit
On 29th September, we were allowed to visit the Suzuka Mayor office, there, Mayor
welcomed us with the words of gratitude. In his speech, he said about the election of
Suzuka city congress and overall atmosphere of the Suzuka city there emphasizing on the
population migrants to the city and economic condition. We had a once in the blue moon
opportunity of understanding the congress rooms that even citizens are not allowed to enter.
Speaking about visiting to Mayor Office, I notice, we were guided by a translator who was
really proficient in English. The choice of words she used to translate was really relevant.
My impression went to her professions and could not stop appreciating her. (Professional
Japanese translator)
Then, we visited to Suzuka Police station to know about the criminal status and safety
environment of Suzuka. We had glance to the Japanese legal system. The police officer
demonstrated the way of investigation the criminal activities through the finger print.
Good!
A visit to Suzuka could not be
accomplished without the visit of Honda
Motor factory. The official explained
about the Japanese management practice
that is effectively used in Honda. During
his presentation, I understood that Honda
factory effectively use Quality circle.
Quality circle started since 46 years ago
and now it is still effectively used in
Japanese manufacturing factories. It is
especially used for problems solving
purpose and each and every one is allowed to involve in the circle and responsible for the
smooth flowing of PDCA cycle.
He took time to explain the 10 factors that Honda Company currently practiced working
procedures. Among them, I was impressed on the laddering up of PDCA cycle (plan-do –
check-act). I had a chance to understand the Japanese shop floor management and at the
same time understand the Japanese production system.
My unforgettable experience of visiting Honda factory shop floor area made me to
understand more of the system that Honda currently practices. Every section comes up
with the flow diagrams that make employees to understand more of the system. The shop
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floor area itself is neat and tidy and places the things are in order so that the employees in
the product line do not take time one task after another. After 10 minutes work through the
assembly line, I found that cars bodies were turned the position into 90 degree. I was
curious to know about this and later guide explained that these were turned 90 in order to
shorten the product line and the result is to increase efficiency. How well they manage this
product assembly line! When I continued through the product line I noticed the board that
employees were announced for the prize. Honda company management system tends to
accept each and everybody suggestion as they said 90% of the reasonable suggestions are
applied every year. They said that the person who involve in the process may able to
understand more of shop floor and able to give suggestion for the improvement.
Honda Company is obvious in controlling the process because each and every process has
the check point for quality before sending to the other one. But 20% of the parts are
produced by Honda itself and the rest 80% are supplied by outsiders. When we asked the
question about the backward supply chain management system of Honda, manager said
that they really care about the quality of the product that are supplied to Honda because
they are integral part of production. They have chosen the supplier with the criteria that
should meet with standard quality criteria of Honda. Every year Honda staffs visit to the
suppliers and make sure that the quality they provide is within the limit of standard level. It
is undeniable that the Honda cars are good in quality because each and every process is
systematically assembled to meet the standard quality.
Honda: corporate social responsibility
Suzuka is famous for its effective traffic safety system and we got the chance to understand
how they control in order for less accident. Manager from safety training explained to the
participants how they are training in order not to happen accidents and even if happens
Honda is making research the system to get least injured to the passengers. Those who
have 2 years and above driving license had the chance to drive the Honda car. All the
participants were really happy with this experience. When I saw Honda tag line- Power of
Dreams, it reminds me of the idea generation lectures: we have to express dream car
interior and exterior. We are really happy to express the dream and some ideas are even
beyond the possibilities. But it wouldn’t say “no” in the future. Honda seems to implement
his dreams to reality many years ago.
Touching individual plan day to ancient city
Part of our Forum has to visit to Kyoto, an ancient
city. It has more than 1200 year’s history. It had
been a capital of Japan for more than 1100 years.
Place nurture by time, Kyoto is also a changing
and modern city, where great ideas are boned and
culture continues to develop. When I personally go
there, I cannot help but feel the wonder of this
truly special city.
We could enjoy the very first individual plan day
at Kyoto. By holding the guide book in one hand
and bag with necessities in the other hand, I went around the city happily. During my
individual plan day, I sometimes met my friends each other at some places and we were
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happy when we saw them. The first day of my visit started with Nishiki food market, also
known as kitchen of Kyoto. Different kinds of fresh fruits were available in the market
and there, we had a breakfast at Japanese restaurant. I couldn’t forget the Udon which I
think the best one than I have ever tried. Japan is naturally rich of sea food as it is
surrounded by the ocean. When I saw the sea food, I even missed my home where I can eat
the delicious sea food that my mother cooked.
Next, I visited to Toji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My real objective going
there was because of being Buddhism; I really would like to know how the Buddha was
teaching in Japan. Buddha is incomparable and only one but understanding and translation
of his teaching different form one place to another. The Buddha image I found there were
similar but different in expression. Apart from that, the temple is home to numerous works
of arts, many of which are national treasure. It was remarkable that I took the wrong way
to get there and took 45 minutes to get to the temple form the subway station.
After that, I had the chance to go to Kyoto Tower although I did not list that place in my
individual plan. It deviated from the plan because I suddenly got the idea to visit there as it
was closer to the station. As it is the centre of the city, I could felt the beauty of Kyoto.
Later on, I visited to Maruyama park, I did not spend much time there as the weather did
not favor me. I just took the time to enjoy myself. Finally, dinner was finished at the
Japanese restaurant and back to Nijojo Mae by taxi as I was really tired from visiting lots
of places.
The second day of my individual plan was started with Nijo castle. The entire compound is
surrounded by tall stones embankment and most. A corridor in the main building was
ingeniously designed to make a sound like a Japanese nightingale when walked on. I took
a lot of pictures with my camera. I thought it would be more beautiful when the leaves
turned reddish color. I wish I could have the chance to see it again.
Then, Kinkakuji Temple was my second place to visit. Oh! How beautiful the garden was.
I even felt to call my parents to let them see it. I prayed by throwing the coins to the holy
bowl. The tea house was located at the garden, said it is famous for its staggered shelves
made of bush clove wood and its Nanten clover pillar.
After lunch, I was really curious to know about the Japanese cosmetic brand Shiseido so
that I visited to the downtown area and found the counter that advertised and sell different
types of Shiseido. I bought the whole series as it was really cheaper compare to the one in
my country. Sitting at the Starbuck coffee shop, enjoying the downtown area, these were
remarkable experience. A delicious dinner at the Chinese restaurant beside the river was
added my individual plan day to be meaningful.
The following day, I visited to Kyoto Imperial palace and Kyo
Machiya cause me to compare the highest level of people who
are decanted from King Dynasty and ordinary people living in
the ancient city. It was very good comparison of highest and
lowest level of people in the ancient time. The palace was built
several ancient buildings and everywhere kept and maintained
the original style as a remembrance of King Palace. Our
knowledge about ancient city was added by ordinary ancient
home Kyo Machiya.
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Smell the flowers
Ranzan, I even stunned seeing the beautiful
environment. A range of mountains with the
evergreen trees, a river flowing, a beautifully created
dam, all combined to the picturque attitude of Kyoto.
Sitting at the bank of the river and enjoying the
nature was relaxed and forget everything at that
moment.
In order to understand the Japanese Aesthetics, we
were lectured by Professor Ms. Fister. We got to
know deeply about it after the lecture. We visited to the temple and we walked down to the
natural bamboo forest and enjoyed the beauty of nature caused me to end all worries and I
felt myself carefree.
A glance to Nagoya
A visit to Toyota museum reminded me of my grandmother native town that the weaving
products are still processing like that as a tradition. Museum is a good demonstration of the
process of industrialization starting from hand made products to current updated
technology.
Fantastic Tokyo!
The beauty of Tokyo was introduced to me by a night scene from the bridge, on the way
there through Yokohama. I felt myself that my dream came true.
During embassy visit, I was really surprised that Myanmar
Embassy treated us very well. Talking about global issues
with the ambassador and conversation with counselor cause
me sense of attachment and unity while we were outside
Myanmar.
As my career is something to with electronic business, I
visited to Akirabara and found the market condition of
Japanese electronic brands. I had a great opportunity to understand the promotion style,
had a glance on pricing, how they attract the customers to choose our own brand etc…In
order to understand the Japanese youth behavior, I visited to Shinjuku. Visit to Japan’s
world famous amusement park, Disney land, was one of the remarkable moment in my life.
I had a chance to see and find the reasons for being famous. I could not stop appreciation
when I saw the motto of Disney Land “the happiest place in the
world”, because it matches with the reality.
Myanmar most recommended place to visit in Japan was “Kamakura
Buddhist Temple”. I found time to visit there on my individual plan
day. There was a huge Buddha statue and Burmese believe that
visiting there once when you are in Tokyo, it makese you to visit
there again the next time in the near future. It was really challenging
for me as it was far beyond Tokyo.
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Exchange Activities
Hospitality of Volunteers
How can I forget my first tour around Suzuka, meeting with Japanese volunteers touring
around Suzuka city, I noticed that the price of the Japan cosmetics brands are
comparatively cheaper than our country and that attracted me not to away form the
cosmetic counter. The volunteers kindly called and introduced with the family and there
we got the sense of sincerity of Japanese people. Very first experience of Japan Sake
attracted me to remind of unforgettable tradition.
How I get to know Japanese culture
It was remarkable Sunday; our group looked beautiful in
the Japanese Kimono dress. All of us were happy wearing
the costume that we have never experienced before. The
Japanese volunteers brought and let us wear Kimono. We
were happy in our kimono dress. We took a lot of photos.
On that day, Japanese volunteers introduced their culture
by the role play to understand ordinary Japanese life. We
happily joined Japanese Onsen bath scene and made a fun
to the audience.
Different people have different tradition that is unique from any other society. Here, I
found the Japanese traditional culture, tea ceremony. It was very interesting. Tea
ceremony, they said was originated in China and was refined by Sen no Rikyu in 16th
century, Japan. It incorporated Zen customers and promulgates wabi aesthetics, that is,
simple beauty. The Japanese volunteers guided us the way to drink and we were
personally allowed to take part in the ceremony. Looking back to my country, tea
participate the daily part of our life. Everybody, wherever they live in rural or city, drink
tea. In my home, all the family members drink before and after the meal. Japanese tea that
naturally conveys the color of green makes us know the cleanliness of Japanese
environment.
The culture of respecting each other was also highlighted in the tea ceremony. The way
they prepared tea and giving priority to the seniority of the one among the group was really
respectable. Beside these, the necessary requirement of tea ceremony “Tea Scoop” was
interesting and very unique. The tea scoops generally are carved from a single piece of
bamboo, although they may also be made of ivory or wood, they are used to scoop tea
from the tea caddy into the tea bowl. The culture of tea ceremony reminds me of the
Japanese movie series named “ocean” that let the
audience see the Japanese culture deeply.
Unforgettable moment of Ise home stay
On 27th & 28th September, we went to Ise city
where is surrounded by the range of mountains and
evergreen trees are rising here and there. We were
warmly welcomed by the volunteers groups and had
a opportunity to live together with the Japanese
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family. Ms. Yukiko Nishi, a lesson school teacher, age
of 58 was my host family living alone in her quiet home.
My impression goes to her when she taught me to
understand the “origami”, that is hand over form one
generation to another. She added that every Japanese
know how to fold origami. I could not stop impression
about on going culture.
During my home stay, I visited Saiku Historical Museum, Ise Shrine and Hinjitsukan.
Saiku refers to the place of the Saio, who was also referred to as “Itsuki-no-himemiko” and
appoint by each acceding Emperor to serve at the Grand Shrine of Ise and her servants
public office. It carries a lot of history of Ise City. My remarkable experience there was
that: in conjunction to a visual exhibit using computer graphics, a diversified exhibit severs
in bringing the archaeology of Saiku closer in scope to visitors with hand-on opportunities
to guess the period of origin of earthenware and out together puzzle pieces of earthen
vessels. When I visited to the Ise shrine, I found a lot of people, later noticed it was
Sunday and also sunny so that visitors came with their own groups. A river passing
through the Ise shrine made me amazed because it was very clean water and I even could
see clearly from the bridge what was underneath the water. I could even capture the
swimming fish from the 400ft high bridge.
Happy moments with Japanese volunteers to Nara
One of the programs of IATSS forum was visit to Nara together with the Japanese
volunteers. That made me to understand how the Japanese are behaving for better
hospitality. I understood that they are really sociable and able to work with people. They
love group dynamics. We had chance to visit the Buddhist temples and ancient architecture.
Unlike my country, they visit to Buddhist temple as the museum. As 90% of Myanmar is
Buddhism, we really pay respect to Buddha and serious before the lord Buddha. We
discover ourselves peace when we visit temple. This was different from way of visiting
Buddha temples.
Culture Exchange Day
The biggest event our forum was the culture
exchange day. When we successfully finished it,
we felt the great accomplishment of our 44th
batch. I understand that not only us but also
Japanese volunteers were very happy to
participate this event. The auction items that
were brought from the respective countries
attracted to the audience. Before auction, we
announced that the sales will be the charity to
Laos for the community who are really in need
of help. I am very proud to say that my fellow
participant form Myanmar brought the item that is made of precious ruby depicts the
beauty of mount Fuji won the highest auction price. Here, in this event, I appreciate that
when I was busy with preparing auction items list, (as I was in charge), the fellow
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participants from other countries actively helped in preparing my country booth. It was so
touching to me, the remarkable experience of 55 days in Japan.
Conclusion
In sum up, I can say that 55 days in Japan made me to discover myself. I had a chance to
see the area of improvement to my personality. I got to know the friendship among south
East Asian countries, Japanese style of management etc.
I am sure that I will pass the knowledge I gained in IATSS Forum to the people around me
after I go back to my country.
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A World Outside My Own
(Experiencing and Exploring the Wonders of Japan)
Philippines
A Whole New World: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered Again
After a four-hour flight from Manila to Nagoya, I finally came to Japan, the country of my
ancestors, for the second time. I saw again the high-tech environment of such an amazing
country, and I conquered again this whole new world outside my own. Akira Haga san, the
Director of the IATSS Forum fetched us at the airport’s arrival area.
It was such a nice feeling to be back in Japan. Janet, my
companion from DOST-PCASTRD had a different feeling
having stepped Japanese soil for the first time. She was
also excited to see such a country that’s shining,
shimmering, and splendid. After our short rest at the Hotel
Toyoko-Inn, we went back to the airport and had a great
Japanese dinner. I ordered Kishimen and Anagodon Set
and it was mouth-watering and delicious (oishi desune).
With IATSS Forum Director
Of the 17 delegates from 9 Southeast Asian countries (excluding Koyata and Shinpei of
Japan), we from the Philippines arrived first. The rest arrived the following morning. After
fetching them, we traveled from Nagoya to Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture. The excitement of
having come, seen, and conquered Japan again was there for the entire 55-day forum.
Waiting for the arrival of other participants
The first group photo at the airport
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My World, Your World (Knowing Me, Knowing You)
The 44th IATSS forum participants came to know one
another upon arrival at the airport. That time on started the
getting-to-know-each-other moments, both deep and not so
deep personal realities and circumstances. As I began to
know other people, I began to know more about myself.
The forum, indeed, was a good venue to interact with
friends from diverse backgrounds – cultural, religious,
educational and personal. It was a challenging experience
for us to work together in mixed-culture teams, in
increasing awareness and tolerance of “the other side”, in
respecting the values of others while maintaining one’s
own integrity, and in appreciating one another despite
diversity. The adjustment process was there all throughout
the forum. Very prominently, there was forming of
friendships and storming of seemingly divergent ideas and
colorfully varied personalities which were tested during
the Gasshuku or team-building training at the Seno Mori
Spa and Resort (Ryokans) in Ise City.
Another teamwork test
Getting to know one another
Teamwork test
During the Gasshuku, I introduced my country, the
Philippines in a nutshell and gave my co-participants a
glimpse of my ordinary day back home. Through this teambuilding training, I have learned great lessons. To simply
put it, a high-performing team should be committed to be
“all for one, and one for all”. To some extent, the seminar
helped build such a great team of 44th enthusiastic and
energetic IATSS Forum participants. But, that was only the
beginning; the real team spirit was tested after the Gasshuku.
True to our motto, “Recognizing Individuality, Embracing Diversity”, we tried our best to
adhere and live by it. People, places and events were just great at the IATSS Forum.
Through this convergence of young leaders of Asia, personal paths just crossed in an
unexpected way. Truly, destiny has formed wonderful friendships among the participants.
An outstanding achievement I have made during the IATSS Forum was the great speech,
as the say, I gave on behalf of the participants during the IATSS Forum Opening
Ceremony.
World of Ideas and Learnings
Seminars were one of the key components of the IATSS Forum program. There were 10
seminars conducted covering wide variety of topics and delivered by visiting lecturers
from all over Japan. Supposedly there were 11, but the unavailability of the speaker
cancelled one seminar. The first seminar was on Enterprise Strategies (Part I) conducted
by Mr. Mitsuyoshi Harada. Taking Family Mart’s case as an example, we have observed
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and learned enterprise strategies in a Japanese company. Systems, activities, efforts and
other best practices (service, quality, and cleanliness) employed by convenient stores in
order to achieve good sales were introduced. These concepts were taught using quiz as a
strategy. Luckily, our group won the most coveted prize which is a ¥1,000-gift certificate
courtesy of Family Mart. The group members were Wani (Malaysia), Pong (Thailand),
Malay (Laos), Leak (Cambodia), Terk (Singapore), and myself. The second round of
enterprise strategy studies (Part II) was conducted in Tokyo where we did practical
research on critical considerations in establishing a convenient store.
Our political awareness was quickened and
enhanced through the second seminar focused on
Political System. Prof. Yoshiharu Tsuboi of Waseda
University facilitated such a rich discussion on our
political views. At the heart of the discussion was
the significance of politics on our lives. We
deliberated on a fundamental question: “what
politics should be to the people”. Through the
lecture as well as the country presentations, we have
The Winning Strategists
deepened our concepts of politics and national
administration taking examples of cases in Japan and Southeast Asia. Likewise, we took
into consideration and discussed the future direction of Japan and Southeast Asian politics
in the context of present circumstances facing Asia and the world.
Japanese Culture (Japanese Aesthetics) was the theme of the third seminar conducted in
Kyoto, Japan’s old capital. Prof. Patricia Fister of the International Research Center of
Japanese Studies gave us a taste of the richness and diversity of Japanese art. She
emphasized Japanese aesthetics to be uniquely sensible. Through her lecture and
demonstration of some Japanese works of art using slide presentation and real models, we
have seen that Japanese art is characterized by suggestion, asymmetry or irregularity,
simplicity and perishability. Examining Japanese aesthetic sensibilities, we have gained
deeper insight into the people and culture of Japan. In this seminar, I was the coordinator
and I presented an icebreaker where everyone enjoyed a short physical exercise. The whole
afternoon was spent to visit a Zen Buddhist temple and a village on a hill owned by a man
who once was a Japanese actor. The afternoon was a great moment of knowing more my
co-participants, especially Yui (Thailand).
To deepen our knowledge about on-going global collaboration towards human security,
Prof. Tsutomu Mizota of the National University of Nagasaki lectured on International
Cooperation. The focus of this seminar was on the current status of Japan’s Official
Development Assistance (ODA). Japan’s role in the United Nations, bilateral relations
with the ASEAN member countries, problems and issues as well as future prospects of
Japan’s contribution to international development were discussed in the context of the New
JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), which is a merger of the old JICA and
JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation).
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The next seminar was on OVOP (One Village One
Product Movement). Prof. Fumihiko Adachi of the
Kinjo Gakuin University focused on the importance
of community-driven regional development, rather
than dependence on assistance from national and
foreign governments. Taking a look at the case of the
OVOP in Oita Prefecture, Japan, we have examined
how this movement started and how it became a
success, and we have tried to identify the important
factors for its success such as land, labor, capital,
Country presentation on OVOP
technology, marketing, networking, local
government and mass media, natural environment, and international exchange and local
diplomacy. The Philippines was one of the three ASEAN countries in focus. Janet made the
country presentation and I helped in answering queries about the One Town One Product
program of the Philippine government.
The seminar on Environment and Sustainable
Development, where I was one of the country
presentors and group discussion leaders, was
facilitated by Prof. Kazuo Matsushita of Kyoto
University. His lecture focused on environment and
sustainable development conditions and trends that
include the following, namely: cleaner production and
sustainable energy; urban environments; forests and
biodiversity; coastal and marine resources; impacts of
Country presentation on environmental issues
natural disasters; and sub-regional cooperation. He
underscored the role of national and local policy of
institutionalizing incentives for environmental protection and eco-efficient consumption
within carrying capacities. He also emphasized the role of local communities. Truly, more
responsible attitudes toward the natural resource endowments and taking appropriate
actions make a big difference in attaining environmental sustainability. My country
presentation was focused on urban wastes in the Philippines.
The Institute of International Development of Nagoya University was the venue of our
seminar on Education. Prof. Yuto Kitamura of Nagoya University highlighted in his
lecture the role of education for the formulation of national identity taking into account the
lessons from Japanese experience. He stressed education as a fundamental right that every
person, from child to adult should be able to benefit from educational opportunities
designed to meet his or her basic learning needs. In addition, he stressed that education is a
life-long process based on four pillars: learning to know, learning to be, learning to do, and
learning to live together.
The most physically engaging seminar was on Japanese Culture (Japanese Bud : The
Martial Ways of Japan). Through centuries of historical and social change, these forms of
traditional culture evolved from combat techniques (jutsu) into ways of self-development
(d ). Through this seminar, I have learned that there is such thing as “spiritual sports”. The
art of swordsmanship taught us so many lessons on disciplining the human character.
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Kendo tournament
First, to win an opponent is to win over oneself. Second,
beware of the four sicknesses of the heart, namely:
surprise, fear, doubt and hesitation. As stressed by the
lecturer and kendo master, Dr. Alexander Bennet, the
overriding principle of Zanshin, which is constant
alertness and never taking anything for granted, should
become the framework for life. Learning basic
techniques of kendo and engaging with an opponent in a
mini-tournament were great moments of learning for all
of us. My sparring partners were Fish (Laos), Anh
(Vietnam), Terk and Janet.
The last seminar was on Research and Development focused on TOTO, one of the most
innovative companies of Japan. The seminar was conducted in Chigasaki, Kanagawa
Prefecture which was followed by a visit to its showroom in Yokohama Towers. TOTO
was founded in 1917 as a manufacturer of ceramic sanitary equipment and plumbing
hardware. It has grown to become the industry leader in plumbing-related products in
Japan. Its business activities are focused on providing products and service designed to
improve the cleanliness, comfort and convenience of residential and nonresidential spaces.
In the seminar, the important role of R&D in the company, starting from sources of unique
ideas to the elaborate process in which an idea is really put into action and finally shaped
as a product in the market was emphasized.
Brainstormy World (Banding, Bending and Bonding Together)
The group study provided us an opportunity to practice the
IATSS Forum Motto, “Thinking and Learning Together”.
The group where I belonged was Group A (Genki Group)
where members include myself, Lay, Leak, Djal, Anh, and
John. The theme for the group study was on population
issues. The dynamic lecture of Ms. Kiyoko Ikegami,
Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)Tokyo Office provided the impetus in coming up with
Group A (Genki Group)
group study topic. Through her lecture, we have learned
a lot about population as a reproductive health
issue, millennium development goals (MDGs), and fundamental guidelines of project
proposal writing.
We were expected not only to achieve scientifically in terms of coming up with a group
study output but also to develop facilitation and interpersonal skills in the process of study.
Thus, an intensive lecture (including practice workshops) on the art of facilitation was
facilitated by Ms. Keiko Tsubaki, President of the Global Network of Facilitators. We have
learned that facilitation is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins. As
facilitators, our job is to get others to assume responsibility and to take the lead. Facilitation
is the design and management of structures and processes that help a group do its work and
minimize the common problems people have in working together. We have learned how to
think better as a group and how to utilize everyone’s thoughts through productive
discussions. I was personally moved by knowing that facilitators champion ideas not
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personally favored and should pingpong ideas around to ensure greater individual
participation.
Towards the end of the last session, we were asked to summarize what we have learned
overall in one word. Then, while everyone was busy explaining in a few sentences his or
her work, my creative mind was activated that I made an acrostics of the word
“Facilitation” which was indeed impressive. It is:
F – eedbacking
A – ctive Participation
C – ommunicating ideas
I – ntelligent discussion
L – eading and listening attentively
I – interactive exchange
T – rust- and confidence-building
A – sking good questions
T – hinking together
I – dea generation
O – ptions selection
N – egotiating and consesus-building.
Brainstorming and mind mapping ideas
That made a great ending to the workshop.
After a process of brainstorming and mind mapping, our
Facilitating the group discussion
group finally decided to work on population ageing in
Japan, looking at it not as a problem but as process that has to be enjoyed by the elderly.
That is our group study centered on how we can promote active ageing. The project
proposal was presented three times for comments and suggestions. I was assigned to
present the draft of our proposal during the intermediate presentation held in Suzuka. The
second presentation (Final Guidance) was made at the Tokyo International Forum, and the
final presentation was made on the day of the Completion Ceremony.
The group study was an opportunity for me to work with other members of the group. It
was a challenging experience how to utilize diverse ideas, tap varied competencies, and
welcome comments and suggestions of all sorts in order to come up with a good project
proposal. It was indeed a great banding, bending, and bonding experience.
Discovering the World Beyond
Field study and visit opportunities enabled us to observe
and deepen our understanding of the present situation in
Japan as well as the development process of Japanese
industry. We have visited the Suzuka City Hall; Suzuka
Police Station; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Suzuka Factory;
Suzuka Circuit Traffic Education Center; and Toyota
Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.
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With the Suzuka City Mayor
At the Suzuka City Hall, we paid courtesy visit to the city mayor. The mayor explained to
us the vision and development plans of Suzuka and shared his experiences in running a
young city with a huge multi-cultural, multi-national population. Afterwards, the chief of
police of Suzuka discussed about the peace and order situation and security information of
the city. Two police officers gave a demonstration on some forensic techniques on criminal
identification.
The visit to Honda Factory in Suzuka was an exciting
one since we were able to see for the first time actual
car assembly process. Before the factory tour, we
attended a short presentation on Quality Control (QC)
Circles by Mr. Mori, Manager of the Business
Administrative Division. We have learned that Suzuka
factory is supplying high-performance Honda products
and is also functioning as the mother factory providing
Honda Suzuka Factory visit
technical support to overseas factories.
We were extremely amazed by how the robots do the unimaginable job of welding and
assembly of vehicle parts. We were so impressed by the speed and efficiency of the
production.
Another exciting visit was that of the Suzuka Circuit Traffic
Education Center, which is Honda’s arm for the promotion
of safety driving. Honda pioneered traffic education and this
center is the first of its kind in the world. Through this center,
Honda is showing social responsibility for the people. It
envisions a mature mobility society. The mini-lecture given
by a center officer stressed the importance of traffic
education and techniques for safe driving. Afterwards, we
Safety driving lessons
had actual driving lessons. I was one of those who had the
chance to drive a Honda Civic car. That
was unforgettable for me in the sense that it was my first time to use a right-hand drive and
automatic car. In the Philippines, I am used to left-hand drive and manual car.
The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and
Technology located in Nagoya is an interesting and must-see
place. This museum was designed to show visitors the roots
of Japanese industrialization through textile machinery and
the automobile industries in which the Toyota Group has
been involved. Through this visit, we have learned about the
process of Japanese industrial development after the Meiji
Era by learning the history of Toyota, which is one of the
biggest automobile manufacturing companies in the world.
Toyota Museum visit in Nagoya
Wonderful World: Unbelievable Sights, Indescribable Feelings
Japan is a perfect blend of the East and the West. It is a magnificent mixture of traditional
and modern cultures. To experience and explore the wonders of Japan, the IATSS Forum
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prepared a great script for us to follow. There was the plot but somewhere along the play,
we had the extra freedom to choose places to visit for our Individual Plan Days as well as
Self-Development Days. Beautiful places and picturesque sceneries were just breathtaking
in Kyoto, Nara, Ise, Nagoya and Tokyo.
Kyoto, Kyoter, Kyotest
There was an unstoppably accelerating experience in Kyoto, from
downtown to Arashiyama area. It was truly a Kyoto, Kyoter and
Kyotest experience. For my two-day individual plan days, I went
along with Terk, Malay and Janet. We visited UNESCO World
Heritage sites, namely Nijo Castle, Toji Temple, Nishi Honganji
Temple, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavillion) as well as other
interesting places such as Kyoto International Manga Museum,
Nishiki Market
Museum of Kyoto, Nishiki Food Market, Shijo
Kawaramachi Area, Kyoto Station, Kyoto Botanical
Garden, Gion Shinbashi Area. The first individual
plan day was smooth-sailing because my Japanese
friend, Hiroya Muramoto-san was our tour guide.
He came all the way from Nara just to meet me.
Toji Temple
Kinkakuji Temple
The second day was rainy such that it was not
quite comfortable for us visiting great places. On that day, I could not forget the bus stop
named the Kawaramachi Sanjo. It was very confusing since there were so many bus stops
along both sides of the road with such a name. They only differed with printed bus
numbers such that we wasted so much time there.
The whole forum group visited Kyoto Imperial Palace
and Kyo Machiya (old Japanese house in downtown Kyoto).
Afterwards, we moved from Kyoto Horikawa Inn (our first
hotel) to Hotel Ranzan Kyoto (our second hotel) to undergo
two seminars.
The Narrative of Nara Trip
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Another exciting moment was our visit to another old capital of Japan, Nara. In Nara, the
IATSS Forum volunteers from Suzuka and Yokkaichi joined our one-day trip. Wathana
(Cambodia) and four other volunteers from Yokkaichi were with my group. We visited two
famous landmarks, namely Horyu-ji Temple (the first one with a UNESCO World
Heritage site recognition in Japan), and Todaiji Temple. The former is a very ancient
temple that stood the test of time and natural calamities. Its structural design is
geometrically perfect and stable. The latter houses one of the biggest Buddhas in Japan.
There are a number of huge Buddha figures displayed around the temple. Since the trip fell
on October 15, we were so fortunate to have witnessed a noh ritual. This ritual is
performed only twice in a year. Noh is dedicated to the big Buddha to think of Emperor
Shomu, who proposed to build a big Buddha in Nara in the 8th century. He decided to carry
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out such a great project for the sake of calming some confusion caused by plagues and
disasters that had distressed people in those days.
Horyu-ji Temple
Washing hands before entrance
Todai-ji Temple
Big Buddha
The Easy Ise Trips
Ise City is perhaps my most frequently visited place outside Suzuka. We visited again Ise
City when two IATSS Secretariat staff from Cambodia and Laos came to observe the
IATSS Forum for four days. Director Akira Haga and Charlie-san invited me and Terk to
join them for a short sight-seeing in Ise Shrine (Geku) and Okageyokocho.
During one of our self-development days, Terk and I went
again to Ise to visit the family I met during my home stay
at Ise. This family (Okamura family) which owns a pearl
store is close to my host family. Quoting Terk’s blog, “It
was one of the few times in Japan that we did not have a
guide, but I’m glad to say we did not get lost at all and it
was an ultra-smooth journey. I guess it’s really not that
difficult to find your way around a new city as long as
Okageyokocho, Ise City
you’ve got some maps, a bit of intelligence and some
common sense. And of course, a willingness and bravery
to ask some smart people along the way. We were treated at the shop to some nice apple
pie-ish stuff from Spain, some persimmons and even Asahi beer.”
Roaming Around Nagoya
Nagoya TV Tower
During our free hours in Nagoya, we visited the Nagoya TV
Tower. It was a breathtaking experience for people like me who
have fear of heights. At the top, I exclaimed, “How I wish I
could fly, so high in the sky”. Around the Nagoya tower area,
we had great chit-chat and drinking moments at Starbucks
Coffee. The dinner with professors and students from Nagoya
University and Kinjo Gakuin University was superb and
memorable. The day ended with a good night sleep at Hotel
Sanko Inn.
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The Tokyo Drift
The Tokyo trip was one of the most awaited trips during the IATSS Forum. Experiencing
the hustles and bustles of a metropolis like Tokyo, especially its night life is shockingly
electrifying. From a one-night Yokohama delight at the Dai-Ichi Inn Shonan, we moved to
Tokyo and stayed at the Hotel Villa Fontaine in Shiodome. Nights were more colorful than
days in Tokyo. We had great dinner moments at Ginza, Ikebukuro, and Shiodome.
We visited the Tokyo Traffic Control Center, which is operated by the Traffic Bureau of
the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Through our visit to center, we have learned
that Japan has the most advanced traffic control technology in the world. Driving safety of
the people comes first in the Traffic Control Center. All of the traffic data gathered from
Tokyo and its neighboring areas are processed and displayed on the bulletin boards to
control the traffic flow in Tokyo.
One of my academic dreams is to visit famous universities around
the world. I have visited many prestigious universities such as
Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
University of California-Berkeley, Stanford University, Duke
University, Kyoto University, and so on. The visit to Waseda
University was a dream-come-true for me. Through our visit, we
have seen that the said university is a conducive place for higher and
advanced learning. It was impressed upon us by Prof. Tsuboi that the
university aims at fostering leaders with awareness of global issues.
Our interaction with Japanese university students was a fruitful one.
In fact, all of them had been to other countries to observe their
political and economic systems.
Waseda University
For my two-day individual plan day, I visited many landmarks
around Tokyo. During the first day, I went to Tokyo Tower,
World Trade Center Observatory, Takeshita-dori (Harajuku),
Tower Records (Shibuya), and Electric City (Akihabara) with
Terk, Malay, Janet and Chimin (Malaysia). The second day
was spent at Sunshine City (Ikebukuro), where Janet, Chimin
and I enjoyed watching a sea-animal show at the Sunshine
International Aquarium. We also explored the sea-world in the
aquarium and took sometime enjoying the mini-zoo.
Sunshine City, Tokyo
Afterwards, I went up alone to Sunshine 60 Observatory and had a great experience
overlooking the city of Tokyo and its neighboring areas.
Naked World
Talking about a unique Japanese cultural practice that is worth experiencing is “onsen”.
Onsen (or hot spring public bath) is a great bathing experience I suggest everyone should
try. In our case at the IATSS Forum, onsen bath is an ‘almost every night’ experience
starting from the Gasshuku team-building days in Ise City, up to Suzuka Circuit Kur
Garden days, Loc Town, etc. Terk and I, among the IATSS participants had the most
number of onsen moments. Though my first time to have onsen was in Fujino Town,
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Kanagawa Prefecture on February, 2006, doing onsen for non-Japanese seems to be
awkward at the beginning. However, experiencing it over and over again removes slowly
such an uncomfortable feeling.
Taking a bath naked all the way is nothing but should be taken as just
natural way to hygiene. One should realize that there is nothing wrong
with being naked in the pool. What’s in it, anyway? It’s just any part
of the body. There’s no big deal. There’s nothing to hide and nothing
to lose, indeed. It’s a healthy practice. In fact, the natural minerals
from the spring create an effect on our skin and physical health.
For me, doing onsen is an expression of freedom. Having the courage
to be bare and enjoy the soothing hot spring is a liberating experience.
Ready for onsen
Somebody said, “Freedom is the right to live your own culture. It is a
luxury of being”. As Thucydides puts it, “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the
secret of freedom is courage”. This is a naked truth.
Sharing our Worlds Together (Fun-tastic and Joy-fall)
Exchange activities provide the IATSS participants and
Japanese volunteers some opportunities to observe or
experience one another’s culture. The first activity we
had was the Japanese Culture introduction by volunteers.
We were taught the following, namely: wearing kimono,
tea ceremony, Japanese traditional toys and games,
traditional music, dance, ninja and samurai, flower
arrangement (for ladies), social and table etiquette,
calligraphy, cooking okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza).
Role playing and demonstration were used as
methodologies for the said cultural exchange activity.
In Kimono and with names
Exchange times with the volunteers were conducted in
three sets. The Philippines, along with Indonesia (Pipit
and Djal) and Myanmar (Emeral and John) had the
exchange time with the volunteers together. We
introduced ourselves, our families and loved ones, and
Practicing calligraphy
our jobs back home through a PowerPoint presentation.
We also prepared a mini-booth showcasing some Philippine items, products, brochures
and maps.
I consider the home stay program as one of my most
unforgettable moments. The Iguchi family in Shingai,
Misono-cho, Ise City hosted my stay. The very hospitable
and generous family members include Toru (father),
Mitsuko (mother), daughters Aki and Aya, and son Yusuke.
I had a great time together with the family in a
midnight ice cream party inside my room. We also had
sight-seeing tours at Ise Shrine (Naiku and Geku), Futami
(beside the seaside), visit to Saiku Historical
Introducing myself, my family and my job
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Museum and Itsukinomiya Hall for Historical Experience, watching evening baseball (with
father and son playing), shopping, and eating delicious Japanese food such as Ise odon, etc.
Another great opportunity to present the culture of
Southeast Asia was the Cultural Exchange Day organized
by the IATSS Forum and the Mie International Exchange
Foundation (MIEF) at the MIEF office in Tsu City. Along
with four MIEF Coordinators for International Relations,
namely Molly (USA), Alice (Brazil), Joey (Taiwan,
China), and Ben (Canada), we presented different ways of
celebrating New Year’s Day in the participating countries.
A home far away from home
We had lined up various activities in that day which
includes booth displays, bamboo dance, cultural
performances, auction sale of OVOP items, and group
singing. It was the most colorful day during the 55-day
forum. The unprecedented participation of the Japanese
volunteers coming from various places in Mie Prefecture
contributed so much to the
success of that big event. Of
course, needless to say, we did
make a lot of preparations and rehearsals for the various
performances. Those exchange experiences which happened in
an autumn season were filled with fun and overflowing joy.
In other words, they were fun-tastic and joy-fall.
Proudly Filipino
Conclusion
The IATSS Forum is a once-in-a-life-time perspective-changing experience. The things
that we have done, ranging from the most ridiculous to the most sublime, will remain as
memories worth cherishing for all the days of my life. These memories are pressed
between the pages of my mind. I will always be grateful to IATSS and Honda for the
special privilege and great opportunity to attend the forum. It might be costly to bring all of
us to Japan, but I believe it is an investment for our personal development so that we can
bring about brighter hope for Asia. To the IATSS Forum Personnel ---Director Akira Haga,
Mikio, Masumi, Chie, Chakky, Meg, Charlie, Toshi, Yumi and Hirata, I will forever be
grateful to them because they have exerted so much effort just to make our stay worthwhile.
I will always treasure the ‘everlasting’ friendships I made with my co-participants, namely:
Leak, Wathana, Djal, Pipit, Malay, Fish, Chimin, Wani, Emeral, John, Janet, Lay, Pong,
Yui, Ahn, Yokata, Shinpei, and my best friend, Terk. Overall, the experience is
unimaginably wonderful.
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Ode to the Autumn Wind
Philippines
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
I love Japan from the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach…
Japan has always occupied a special place in my heart. I have fallen in love with things that
has something to do with Japan. First, it was Origami, studying the fancy and artsy way of
folding papers turning into flowers, box, boat, and the like. Then, it was puppy love for
anime – Voltes V, Daimos and Bleach. My love for Japan grows deeply as I was
introduced with bonsai, calligraphy, fashion, beadworks, and Japanese paintings.
Thus, to be part of the 44th IATSS Forum was indeed a fleeting moment. The idea of
finally meeting my “love’ – Japan in person was more than cloud nine. It was like Neil
Armstrong walking in the moon!
So I met a pinky cheeks and chink-eyed guy…and his name was Akira san
Innovation and technology really defines
Japan, which was manifested in their hi-tech
facilities in the airport. But what blew my
mind off was realizing that the pinky cheeks
and chinky-eyed guy who was holding a
video camera and busy panning it as I and
Tonton (Philippine representative) moved
closer to him was IATSS Forum Director
Akira Haga. I never expected that someone
who holds a high position in the office would
and could actually stoop down his level and
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assist in the staff work. The IATSS Forum Director was just so cool that moment. So I
expected that the entire IATSS Program would be a blast.
First lesson: Humility is a royalty with a crown. And so Akira-san was a royalty to me.
And then there was the 16 …plus one
Tonton and I got to meet the 16 participants that would eventually carve a new history for
IATSS. Everybody was totally different from the photo initially provided to us by IATSS
Secretariat. My thoughts about my co-participants the first time I saw them:
Anh (Vietnam) was astoundingly formal and elegant with her updo hair as
compared with her serious look in the photo;
Chimin (Malaysia) was surprisingly big and a bit mature as compared to his
seemingly freshman photo;
Emeral (Myanmar) was a refreshing beauty as compared to her plain-looking
photo
Djal and Pipit (Indonesia) were like college students in search for adventure, the
typical backpackers;
John (Myanmar) was such a little giant with warm heart ---he was smiling from
ear to ear as he saw us welcomed him;
Lay (Singapore) was definitely cool and funky with her pedal pushers and
crocheted vest (definitely Singapore fashion is really A1-ok!)
Leak and Wath (Cambodia) were like cute high-school students rather than old
maid teachers;
Malay (Laos) was funky with her cargo pants and rubber shoes rather than serious
and stiff in her IATSS photo;
Pong (Thailand) was elegantly handsome in person
Terk (Singapore) exuded coolness with his white polo long sleeves and pointed
black suede shoes ( I wonder if he ever got a license for that shoes ---seems it
could kill!)
Wani (Malaysia) was like a little girl wanting to be an instant mommy as she
tryingly push her heavy luggage---definitely cute!
Yui (Thailand) was definitely charming with her winning smile rather than her dull
looking face in the IATSS photo; and
Fish (Laos) was not able to arrive on
time. He came the following day and I
must say he looked just so old with the
formal jacket he was wearing. But as the
days passed by, Fish turned out to be a
boy-next door!
Second lesson: To see and experience
things changes one’s perception.
Now I believe, that my co-participants
definitely looked good ---inside and
outside.
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Meeting the fashionable, adorable, and chink-eyed club
I finally met the entire IATSS staff that diligently emailed us of the preparatory materials.
Chakky, Chie Masumi, Meg, Yumi, Mikio, and Charlie spoke of beauty not only from the
outside but also in the inside. They gave us a taste of what Japanese values were –
courteous, punctual, organize, systematic, and hard working. They readily oriented us
about the program and what to expect the next 55 days! And I just had to put aside my bad
Filipino habits and just blend and go with the flow of Japanese mannerisms and etiquette.
Third lesson: Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something
physical. The IATSS Staff simply radiates the beauty of inside
Seeing black in white
Recognizing individuality, embracing diversity
---this summarized the entire Gassukku (team
building) experience. Thru Tomosan
invigorating and energetic facilitation of the
activity, the teambuilding allowed each and
every participant to open up themselves to
others while in the process discovering their
intrinsic skills. The activities such as building
blocks, passing of the nitro glyceric acid,
drawing every part of your co-participant face,
etc allowed us to get to know more and be
comfortable with the participants. The activity
felt more like just hanging out with friends and
having a good time.
Moreover, the activity, for the first time, fueled
a little “tension” in the group as we prepared
our Batch’s objective and motto. Certain
characters came into the fore and individuals
wanted to be heard and “recognized.” Small
groups were formed ---somehow. But the best
thing about it was in the end, the group united
into one --- and despite the seemingly “gentle”
preference for the motto, everybody actually
embraced and relives the motto. The Gassuku
experience provided the platform for
discovering myself better and accepting other’s
strengths and weaknesses.
Fourth lesson: Diversity is not about how we
differ. Diversity is about embracing one
another's uniqueness.
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Seeking the Japanese culture
After a “discovery and rediscovery experience”
at Gassuku, our journey took us to learning
Japanese culture --- kimono wearing, playing
Japanese games such as Origami, home
etiquettes, tea ceremony, Ninja moves display
and okonomiyaki, the Japanese pizza.
Watching and experiencing Japanese culture
was like going through the vibrant, colorful,
and enriching experience of Japan.
Further, it was such a wonder to see Japanese
volunteers, mostly at the prime and golden
years of their life, prepared and organized the
entire program for the day. Everybody was in
high spirits. The dinner with the Japanese
volunteers was also tremendous in such a way
that we had the opportunity to learn more of
Japanese people.
Fifth lesson: The real journey of discovery
consists not in seeking new landscapes but in
having new eyes.
Learning more about population than the usual…
After a light week, we moved down to the serious business of understanding and
discerning population issues experienced by our respective countries as well as the world
in general. Professor Kiyokio Ikegami, Director of the United Population Fund Agency of
Japan walked us through the Millenium Development Goals. She provided us the issues
confronting population and how various sectors in the society are responding to said issues.
She made us understand that population issues are but the interrelationship of various
societal problems, such as poverty, illiteracy, corruption, etc.
Through a role-playing exercise about solving the education crisis in ASEANDIA
kingdom thru the efforts of government, civic group, international organization and
community, we were able to get a good grasp on the importance of each sector in the
society. We also realized how important
it is to have a clear perspective on what
problem to solve, what approach to use
and what activity to be undertaken.
Sixth lesson: Solving population issues
is definitely not a one man job.
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Perfecting the art of facilitation
The real business continued as we brisk
through learning the art of Facilitation. Ms.
Keikio Tsubaki, outstandingly discussed the
importance of facilitation skills. This activity
greatly is applicable to our daily life. It gave
us better understanding of what facilitation is
and the important guidelines in carrying out
facilitation activity. She also emphasized that
facilitation is 10% speaking and 90%
listening. She also emphasized that it is
important that facilitator be on a neutral
ground. Other important factors she shared
are the following:
Pingpong ideas
Make eye contact
Listen actively
Make gestures
Probe questions
Bring everyone into discussion
Paraphrase continuosly
Stays neutral
Manages conflict well
Makes accurate notes
Ms. Tsubaki also shared that there are many
factors that affects facilitation skill such as
physical, environmental factors, etc.
The facilitation skill training was definitely
one chapter in my book I will put a mark on.
Seventh lesson: LISTEN!
Making the Japanese Quilt
The time finally came for us to experience “Japanese way of life” thru homestay activity.
Yokirosan, my “foster mother” together with Emeral’s foster mother happily introduced us
Japanese way of life by eating at a Japanese sushi restaurant. We proceeded to the
Kindergarten day celebration at a big gymnasium center. We witnessed how families
support their children activities at school. It was also fun to see how the children rallied all
the way to get to the first prize in every game.
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We also visited the Saiku Museum which
reflected the value of complete surrender of
one’s longing for materialistic things in
exchange for eternal peace. The visit at the
museum opened my eyes on the importance
of carrying light baggage in life to live
peacefully.
After the visit, we proceeded to my mother’s
house where I got to meet my “sister”
Miyunasan. Because we arrived late at home,
we had to prepare easy-to-cook food, which
was remarkably delicious. My mother also
was generous enough to teach me few
Japanese language and grammar that night.
The following day, my otosan and Miyuna
biked all the way to the grocery store to buy
breakfast food. It was a refreshing experience
to go to the market by bike. Although I was
pretty nervous to join my family, I cherished
every moment biking to and fro the grocery store. This was life in Japan indeed!
Bike all the way through!
After a hearty breakfast, we proceeded to Ise Shrine where we marveled at the very
picturesque surroundings of the shrine. Definitely paradise exist on earth.
Eight lesson: Wherever you are in the world, you will always find a family you can call
your own.
Breathing Japanese Way of Life (Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo Experience)
Finally, it was time to have some
pleasure moments in Japan. A walk in
the streets of Kyoto definitely brought
out the sense of fulfillment and
accomplishment of being in Japan.
Malay, Terk, Tonton and I together with
Tonton’s friend Hiroya Muramoto visited
UNESCO World Heritages Sites namely,
Nijo Castle, Toji Temple, Nishi Honganji
Temple, Kinkakuji temple, (Golden
Pavilion). It was such a spectacle to see
how these temples have defined and
influence spirituality among Japanese.
The temples also spoke of the artistry of Japanese in the ancient times as manifested in old
Buddhist statues, carvings, magnificent paintings, artistic handicrafts, etc.
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Nara, another old capital of Japan was a feast
for the eye. Together with the IATSS Forum
volunteers from Suzuka and Yokkaichi, we
walked through two famous landmarks namely,
Horyu-ji Temple and Todaiji Temple. We
wondered with the enormous pagoda, Buddhist
statues and temples itself. The articifacts and
statues inside the temple speak of Japanese
homage to their religion, Buddhism. It also
made me realize how Japanese value
preserving their culture thru said temples.
With the rustic beauty of Kyoto and Nara,
Tokyo, on the other hand offers an
electrifying and flaming city life.
Our excitement for Tokyo was momentarily
suspended as we spent our night at
Yokohama.
But it was definitely worth the wait as our
bus traversed thru the roads of Tokyo. The
lights, the high-rising building, the highly fashioned and busy people definitely spells
out Tokyo. Tokyo painted the innovation
and development that is very much Japan.
The visit to the Tokyo Traffic Control Center
made me understand more why the traffic
flows smoothly and efficiently in Tokyo. The
state-of-the art- monitoring system was one
made for the movies such as Die Hard, James
Bond, etc. It was mind blowing also to learn
that the establishment of the center amounted
$123M. I also learned that it only takes one
to two seconds to transfer data from the
monitoring cameras/sensors in the street to
the Center. Boy, that was Superman in full
action!
We also had the opportunity to interact with
students from Waseda University. The
students embody the higher learning the
University offers.
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Tokyo experience also meant visiting famous
tourist sites such as Tokyo Tower, World Trade
Center Observatory, Takeshita-dori (Harajuku),
Tower Records (Shibuya), and Electric city
(Akihabara). Terk, Malay, Tonton and Chimin
provided the additional fun. I just love their
company!
Sunshine City (Ikebukuro) also completed the
Tokyo experience as Tonton, I and Chimin
watched the great sea-animal show and
wandered thru the Sunshine International
Aquarium. Tokyo simply is the finest!
Ninth lesson: Enjoy every step of the way…even
if your feet are complaining!
Finding the Right Team
Apart from the exciting experiences in visiting
the famous sites in Japan, another exciting
experience was to intellectually exchange ideas
with fellow participants thru Group Study
sessions. I must say, I am happy to be part of a
group that display such high value for respecting
individuality, cooperation, diligence, cooperation
and fun!
“Thinking and Learning Together” defined our
group study sessions. Emeral, Fish, Pipit, Pong,
and Wani – my awesome groupmates provided
all the right ingredients for us to come up with
the perfect project! Ilove you guys!
Tenth Lesson: Respect ideas of others.
Moreover, it is important to have thinking chairs
at home and at work ---definitely a must have.
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Let ideas flood …
a. Biking, Walking and Cycling Way thru Victory
IATSS Forum meant staying glued for six hours in the seminar hall absorbing every bits
and pieces of information about social and economic issues. One of the interesting
seminars was on Family Mart which emphasizes on enterprise strategies. The discussion
centered around the importance of location in setting up business. Mr. Mitsuyoshi Harada,
The resource person from Family Mart
expressed that should one expand the
business overseas one should also looked
into the possibility of localizing the
goods to suit/fit the taste/needs/demands
of the country. He also shared that
normally restrictions from foreign
currency affect their inability to penetrate
international market. He also said that
local markets put pressure in their
government to establish convenient store.
b. Defining Politics
Understanding the different political
systems particularly in countries like
Japan, Indonesia, Malysia, Myanmar,
Vietnam, Laos was indeed something to
really reflect upon. Prof. Yoshiharu
Tsuboi from Waseda University was
good enough to walk us through the
system of Japan. He shared the trade off
development of Japan – which is social
social disintegration. He said that Japanese are fragile and pessimistic that they easily get
bothered with little problems in life. They commit suicide. He also looked into what
government should focus into - social equality or economic development. Realizing all
these, he pointed out the importance of strong people who could assist government in
creating valuable programs for the welfare of the people.
c. Making Local Products Sell
Another interesting seminar was the One Village, One Product.
Prof. Fumihiko Adachi of Kinjo Gakuin University provided
pointers on how to best local products in the international market.
He emphasized on the importance of community-driven and
regional development products to promote national growth rather
than dependence on foreign funds. He also emphasized the
importance of having land, capital, technology, networking,
marketing, government support, etc. to ensure that local products
gets out in the market.
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d. Powering up Oneself means taking control
Something to cap the experience at IATSS was
the seminar on Japanese Budo: The Martial
ways of Japan.
Sensei Alex Bennet introduced to us the
spirituality that can be found in the sports budo.
He shared with us the values that can be learn
from the sports such as the dictum “to win an
opponent is to win over oneself”. He
introduced the four sicknesses of the heart
namely, surprise, fear, doubt and hesitation.
But the best concept introduced was zanshin,
which is constant alertness and never to take
anything for granted. All these served us food
for thoughts and guides for life.
Conclusion: The IATSS Forum had been a wonderful journey. It was one chapter in my
life that is worthy of revisiting. It opened my eyes to the many possibilities in life --- unity
in diversity. It renewed my definition of friendship, love, respect, patience, and fun. The
Forum allowed me to go out of my ordinary box and experience things from new angles.
Meeting and being with new found friends added color to my life that I really feel I have
grown as a person throughout the process at IATSS --- I must say.
Thus, my heart goes out with much thanks and appreciation to IATSS Forum Personnel --Director Akira Haga, Mikio, Masumi, Chakky, Meg, Chie, Charlie, Toshi, Yumi and
Hirata. It was definitely worth the journey!
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Dreams Are My Reality
Keng Wei Terk
Singapore
Introduction
When I was in the midst of preparations for the 44th IATSS forum, I was frankly a little
hesitant and even filled with a little self-doubt. It was a little disconcerting for me, as I
have always been a person filled with self-confidence and assuredness in whatever I did. I
was a little stressed with the many preparations, both physically and mentally, for the
forum in the weeks leading up to it.
When I reached Nagoya airport, all fears and doubts were almost instantly removed. What
filled my mind were thoughts of hope, interaction and fun. My fellow participants played a
great deal in putting those doubts to rest. It was quite unbelievable but once we all met one
another for the first time, it seemed that we all seemed to click almost instantaneously and
everyone was on the same, friendly playing field. I guess we were lucky that our batch was
such a friendly, humble and co-operative lot. Unbelievable, but true.
Seminars
Group Study Theme Lecture: Population Issues
The seminars at the 44th IATSS forum were largely powerful, professional and value-added.
The tone was set right from the start by Kiyoko Ikegami-san, who started with Population
Issues, which would be the theme of our Group Study project. I learnt a pretty good deal
about important global population issues such as increase/decrease rates, high/low fertility
and a problem common to both Singapore, Japan and many other countries: aging. We also
covered a new term for me, Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and gender
discrimination issues which were more prevalent than I thought. The United Nations (UN)
is really not a governmental agency, but more a collaborative concept between very
disparate countries. I learnt this through our group discussions at the forum itself, when 17
participants from 9 different countries tried to adjust and compromise our different ideas
and beliefs. Not an easy task, by any stretch of the imagination.
Facilitation Skills
The next seminar served to improve our facilitation skills that we would use for the rest of
the forum. As I was a pretty experienced facilitator myself (both in terms of practical
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experience and courses attended), the topic was not new to me. What impressed me was
the effectiveness and pure skill of the lecturer Keiko Tsubaki-san. Her smile and effortless
way of tiding the seminar through was quite outstanding in my eyes. I also enjoyed the
way she interspersed her seminar with constant breaks to keep the energy level up.
Moving on to one of my favourite seminars of the forum, the first on Enterprise Strategies:
specifically the Japanese conglomerate FamilyMart. The charismatic Mitsuyoshi Haradasan, the General Manager, shared many near-secret insights about the success of the
company. Some of these included reasons why less varieties of items are sold in other
countries outside of Japan (due to supplier issues), “Nakashoku” (the Japanese term to
describe short-life, ready-to-eat items), the criteria for selecting which overseas market to
penetrate, their version of SQC (Service, Quality, Cleanliness) and their “One-in-a-Shop”
experience. I also learnt the importance of location in regards to setting up a convenience
store outlet. Of course, it helped that my team won the top prize in our seminar quiz, which
was a very handsome 1,000yen FamilyMart voucher.
The Unstoppables Proved Their Unstoppability (But Not Enough Zanshin)
Political Systems
For the next seminar on Political Systems, we learnt the differences between those of
Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam. I was also fascinated by sharing of our Thai and
Malaysian participants, especially that of our closest neighbors, as we follow their travails
rather closely in Singapore. I also discovered that dictatorship may be useful in certain
cases, such as in big countries where control by one man may be more important than it
seems at first sight.
International Co-operation
The seminar on International Co-operation was done in the refined atmosphere of Kyoto.
Fresh from dancing with us the night before, the sprightly Mizota-san took on the seminar
with some gumption. I learnt some of the objectives of Japan's international co-operation
policy, such as collaboration for world peace and stability, greater expansion of the
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Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) of Japan and initiation and strengthening of
cultural exchange in international domains. Fundamental to these are a concerted
deepening of Japanese globalisation (including human security) and the preference of a
“bottom-up” as compared to “top-down” approach.
Environment and Sustainable Asia
The group discussion of the Environment seminar was pretty good, in the sense that it
forced us to reflect on the very pertinent topic of traffic problems in a city. Creating more
job opportunities outside of the capital city, control schemes such as “Electronic Road
Pricing” and proper governmental road planning were just some of the measures my group
came up with.
Education
The seminar on Education was held in the stately refines of Nagoya University, by a young
and intelligent Yuto Kitamura-san. This was probably my favourite seminar of the forum.
One of the interesting points learned is that a rigid educational system may sometimes be
easier to change, as it's in a controlled, centralised format (which is the system in Japan).
Education is really my core area and I must say that I gave perhaps the greatest
presentation of my life (and that's really saying something) for my Country Presentation on
the educational system of Singapore.
Japanese Culture: Budo - The Martial Ways of Japan
The Budo seminar was good for one reason. If there is only one lesson to be learned from
the entire forum, it must be the one on “Zanshin”, which means never being complacent
even when victorious and being aware of pitfalls always in your life. It also symbolises the
art of doing good things in life, as if you don't, a certain form of retribution will come back
to you through the “Zanshin” channel. I also like the Budo concept whereby showing
respect and humility is equally as important as that of victory.
Group Study
My group study was the most smooth-flowing I have ever had in my life, and that's saying
a lot too. First of all, my group members were largely co-operative and agreeable, meaning,
we almost came to a consensus effortlessly. This was paramount as coming from so many
different countries, it was essential to compromise and “marry” our various beliefs,
cultures and ideals. The process of coming to a consensus on our topic, objectives and
project activities was a large part of our project itself, and in that sense, I must say my
“Sudoku” group has passed with soaring colors. I loved the fact that my group members
did not “draw lines” on their roles and responsibilities and were very willing to help out in
whatever way they could, in the essence of creating a united team and just working to meet
the ultimate goal and beyond. A bit of heaven there, I believe.
My Malaysian counterpart Chi-Min-san was particularly powerful in his direction and
influence, and I liked his selfless energy and dedication to the cause. Our self-imposed
schedule was spot-on because we did not waste any unnecessary time arguing over simple
and irrelevant issues (as so often happens in group discussions). There was no need for
everyone to have their say because all of us already knew that all of us were smart. That
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was why, in the first place, that we were selected for this prestigious IATSS forum. Our
objective here is not to prove that ourselves or our particular country is the best, but instead,
it is to prove that 9 ASEAN countries can come together and be united for a common cause.
Not exactly rocket science.
The Sudoku Team Falling in Line
One of the important facets of our project was to make it feasible, a reality waiting to
happen. We brain-stormed well on that aspect, with ideas flowing like a waterfall. We
decided our one-stop help centre for Cambodian girls facing prostitution would be run by
the youth for the youth, thus making it easy for the target group to relate. We also decided
to educate this group with talents and skills they could use for life, such as music, sewing
and cooking. This would also ensure that they could find a proper place in life and not
succumb to a life of social ills.
Study Tours (Individual Planned Activities)
The Kyotest Experience
Kyoto was a unique city, something marrying modernity with tradition, and of course, the
former capital of Japan. There were many beautiful temples there, namely Toji Temple,
Nishi Honganji Temple, Ryoanji Temple and Kinkakuji Temple. Their general structure
may have been quite similar, but the auras and traditions behind them were quite different.
Some of them were UNESCO World Heritage Sites with their own renowned landmarks.
We also visited the Kyoto International Manga Museum, which showcased one of Japan's
finest international exports. Lunch at Nishiki Food Market was great too, as we tasted
some fine ramen and fried rice (cha han). The Museum of Kyoto really brought to life the
historical beauty of this ancient city, and we even spotted geishas at the famed Gion
Shinbashi area.
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Getting to Grips with Toji Temple
Shrine a Light on Me
A sudden opportunity came up when Akira Haga-san, the Director of the IATSS forum,
asked Tonton and myself if we would like to join them to visit the Ise Shrine in Ise City,
together with IATSS staff from Cambodia and Laos. We jumped at the opportunity and
enjoyed the tranquility of the most famous shrine in Japan. It truly lived up to its name.
Jingle Belle
On another Sunday, a group of us went to Belle City for lunch and some shopping. The
thing that impressed me most was this technological device the food court issued to
customers when they ordered their food. When it was time for the customers to collect it,
the device would sound a beep, informing the customers instantaneously. I thought it was a
superb idea which perhaps Singapore could implement as well. The standard of ramen and
beef rice at the food court was very high too, for normal food court standards.
Terk’s Tokyo Experience
I have always been excited about Tokyo, one of the most cosmopolitan, exciting and
vibrant cities in the world. I thus looked forward eagerly to go on my Individual Planned
Day on 1-2 November 2008.
My first stop was Tokyo Tower, an iconic symbol of
the city itself. It was basically a 50-year old, 333-m
tall broadcasting tower, and the sight from the top
was just breathtaking. I also visited the Guinness
world records museum situated inside the tower,
which was another fine attraction. I especially
enjoyed the sports and music personalities inside the
museum, which are of course my personal interests.
I moved on to the bustling shopping district of
Shibuya, both Shibuya 109 & Shibuya Centre Town. It was interesting to note the unique
fashions and tastes of the Japanese youngsters, who really have their own style and identity.
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I also went to Takeshita Dori and Harajuku to have a look at the many unique
miscellaneous character and idol items popular amongst the Japanese teens.
On the second day, I visited Sensoji Temple. It was an eye-opening experience to visit the
oldest temple in Tokyo and the famed Grand Kaminarimon Gate. I then moved on to
Sunshine City, where I had a chance to view another scenic 360-degree view of the entire
city from the observatory area. The Sunshine International Aquarium was another unique
attraction, and I’m quite sure it is one of the only ones of its kind in the world.
I also had the chance to visit Odaiba during my time in Tokyo, and it was a really cool ship
ride across the sea to an open-concept shopping complex. It was a refreshing experience to
enjoy the breeze on the ship ride, away from the commercial buildings of downtown
Tokyo. I also visited Roppongi, which was a really vibrant, electrifying night-club area.
There seemed to be people of all nationalities there enjoying and having a good time. What
made it better was that it was Halloween Nite, and thus the costumes and attractions were
out in full force.
Exchange Activities
Gasshuku
This team-building portion was in a way, the most important portion of the forum because
it set the spirit and tone for the participants to bond and unite together for the rest of their
time in Japan. Through the activities, we were able to know and understand one another
better, and appreciate the finer points of team-work and team spirit.
We learnt interesting concepts such as the Team Performance Curve, components of an
effective group, action guidelines that represent an effective group, the Experiential
Learning Cycle and how to give and receive feedback as an element of learning. The
games were engaging and fun, and proved challenging enough to test our resources to the
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maximum. Through the Gasshuku experience, we were also able to discover more of
ourselves, which is equally vital when engaging in such a team-learning adventure.
The Art of Bonding
We had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of wearing the kimono, experiencing the tea
ceremony, playing games with young Japanese students, doing Chinese calligraphy and
learning an ancient Japanese dance. It was a rewarding and eye-opening experience.
The Write Stuff
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Home Stay
Our Home Stay took place in Ise City. My home stay family was really nice. They took me
to see an Undokai (sports festival), junior high school sumo wrestling and sukiyaki
(Japanese steamboat). It was nice to get immersed in the Japanese way of life, especially
their culture and family environment.
Visit to Suzuka City Hall/Suzuka Police Station/Honda Suzuka Factory
It was interesting to meet the Mayor of Suzuka and learn directly from him on the policies
and future direction of the city. It was also nice to learn about the detailed processes that
go on in the Honda Suzuka Factory, which is really at the forefront of technology
advancement and quality control. The professionalism of the Japanese is something I have
always admired.
Visit to Traffic Education Centre
For the first time in my life, I got to experience the effects of the Anti-Braking System
(ABS). We were also given the opportunity to witness the cutting-edge technology of
Japan's safety simulation and protective systems.
This was undoubtedly one of the key events of the forum, and I'm proud to say the 44th
IATSS batch passed it with flying colors. Even though it may have seemed daunting
collecting and organizing the talents of 9 very different countries, the duo of Chi-Min and
Lay proved unstoppable as we proceeded to put up a show that would thrill the masses.
Our energy and cohesion really shone through, as the audience was kept enthralled and
spell-bound by our superb performance. I was the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for that
event, and was pleased that I could play an important part in the overall success of the
event. Even though I have been the MC on many occasions in Singapore, this was
probably one of my proudest MC accomplishments as it was in an international event, in a
foreign country and with a lot at stake. At night, we celebrated by going for a karaoke
session, which to me, is always sheer fun by itself.
Getting into Pole Position
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Visit to Nagoya
We visited Nagoya, the domain of Toyota. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of
Industry and Technology showcased the history and fine technological prowess of one of
the top car-makers in the world. In the afternoon, we visited Nagoya TV Tower and Oasis
21, enjoying the panoramic views and unique skylines.
Personal Anecdotes
Through my 55 days in Japan, I have uncovered many interesting anecdotes about the
Japanese way of life. I like the way Japanese use exaggerated squeals or howls of
amazement or surprise. In general, I find the Japanese men very shy and passive, and the
Japanese women very gentle and soft-spoken. I think this has a lot to do with their culture,
background and family upbringing. I see that they enjoy baseball and sumo wrestling. Also,
the men tend to enjoy drinking, but it seems like there is a never-ending competition and
debate about whether Asahi or Kirin is actually better.
I noticed the young generation of Japan are pretty fashionable, and the girls like to dress
funky and put on heavy make-up. However, the Japanese people’s overall lack of
command of the English language makes it difficult to communicate with them. Also, I
seem to notice a steadfastly serious atmosphere when they go to work, as if they are almost
like robots commuting in the subway stations. Perhaps it is another long-established
culture in Japan, that working seriously and for long hours is the name of the game.
Big in Japan
I like the punctuality, professionalism and organization of the Japanese when it comes to
work. In Singapore, we could learn a lot from them regarding these aspects. Also, here in
Japan, everyone seems to take their job seriously, as if their life depended on it, whether it
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is a big position or small position. Also, the women are almost always immaculately
groomed, as if image is of paramount importance. Japan is also the only place in the world
I’ve seen whereby the girl sweeping leaves in the garden is actually pretty.
Japanese food is truly awesome, and none more so than in Japan itself. I’m not sure if I’ve
been putting on weight, but I certainly won’t be surprised if I did. Whether it’s ramen, soba,
unagi, sushi or sashimi, the food here is maybe the best in the world. They seem to
emphasise a lot on taste, but healthy taste, therefore you seem to get the best of both
worlds. The overall standard is also very good, meaning what is considered cheap here still
represents very decent value. Being an avid drinker, I also enjoy Asahi and sake very much,
and even had the chance to try Shochu, which is a more powerful element.
I also went to the onsen practically every single night. It was indeed a unique and
liberating experience, and a good place to share stories with your friends. It was nice to see
Japanese fathers bringing their young sons/daughters to the onsen, to start immersing them
in this unique culture from a young age. I felt really relaxed and invigorated after each
onsen session.
Conclusion
All in all, the 44th IATSS forum was a breathtaking experience from start to finish. It was
undoubtedly the best experience I have ever had in my life. It seemed like a 55-day dream
that I never want to wake up from, a paradise in fairyland that is actually reality on planet
Earth. I learnt so many things from so many different countries, their cultures, traditions
and beliefs, as well as how to work with people who have dramatically different ideologies
from us. It opened my mind to accept and understand different ways of working, and
trained my understanding and tolerance levels to an unprecedented level. I learnt wondrous
facets of Japan, such as their language, their way of life, their strengths and weaknesses,
onsen and met some wonderful friends along the way. I even fulfilled my lifelong dream to
dye my hair platinum blonde. But perhaps most importantly, I learnt about myself. I learnt
what I am made of and how much I can achieve in life. That to me was undoubtedly the
most important thing I learnt from the 44th IATSS forum.
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Me, Myself and I in Japan – A Self-Discovery Journey
Toh Lay Hoon
Singapore
The reality finally hit when I arrived at Nagoya Airport with my counterparts
from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It helped that all six of us met and acquainted
with one another at the Changi International Airport. After the seven hours’ flight, we met
up with the rest of the 10 representatives from the other six countries who had arrived
earlier (Fish missed his flight and came the next day. You From Where?!). After some
brief introduction, we were ushered into a bus, heading to the IATSS forum in Suzuka City,
Mie Prefecture.
Some of us managed to make small talks during the bus ride, whilst being
captivated by the lush natural environment along the way. The greenery was welcoming
since I am used to seeing skyscrapers everywhere back in Singapore. It then dawned onto
me that this would be a great place to introspect and embark on a learning journey with 17
individuals from diverse backgrounds, each with different skills and expertise.
Teambuilding … Where Friendships Flourish
The four days’ Gasshuku at Ise were the ice breaking moments. Our trainer,
Tomo-San did a great job geling the group through her games and activities. The activity
which I enjoyed most was the one when we were told to draw an ant with a partner, with
our backs facing each other. That game required detailed instruction and clarification from
both sides. Both Fish and my drawings were one of the most similar in the group.
Proud Owners of Ants
17 Individuals turned Jokers
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The 17 of us did our best to bond as a team, knowing that we needed one
another’s support for 57 days and beyond. It helped that there were natural leaders and
cheerleaders among us. What really caught my attention was how we agreed to be led
when someone assumed leadership responsibility in an activity. For instance, the rest of the
fellow participants allowed me to share my experience and take on the leadership role
during the game when we were supposed to form a triangle using a rope when blind folded.
It is not easy to be a follower, but I reckon we did well despite being a leader in our own
right, back where we come from.
Opening Ceremony
It was good planning that the opening ceremony followed the Gasshuku. By
then, all of us were chummy with one another hence the ceremony held greater
significance for us. The moments when some of us hid in one corner to memorise our selfintroduction in Nihongo was hilarious. Terk and I met the 1st Secretary of the Singapore’s
Consulate Office in Tokyo during the ceremony. We also visited Terk Ming in his Tokyo
office during the embassy visit.
Studying and Learning as a Group … Not Forgetting Growing Together
We commenced the group study lecture on “population issues” on 22
September. Ms Kiyoko Ikegami, Director, UNFPA, Tokyo Office, was the lecturer. She
was highly interactive with our group. She encouraged all of us to speak freely on issues
relating to politics, gender issues and other developmental-related issues such as ageing,
human rights, poverty and etc.
I learnt that population issues should not be viewed in isolation. Population is
a societal development issue which entails both micro and macro perspectives. For
instance, population issues are directly related to the family planning policy in a country.
Whether or not a country replaces itself (i.e. birth rate higher than mortality rate) depends
on the how individuals view the importance of family. A top down approach when
deciding on a population policy may not necessarily be the best approach. The
government’s intervention in population issues in both Japan and Singapore is a case in
point. On such matters, individuals must exercise discretion to decide for themselves
voluntarily.
The facilitation workshop by Ms Keiko Tsubaki was helpful in setting the
context for the group dynamics for the group study. Facilitation is 10% talking and 90%
listening. The outcome of any facilitation process must be consensus among the members.
All the participants were divided into 3 teams. Tonton (Philippines), John
(Myanmar), Anh (Vietnam), Leak (Cambodia) and Djal (Indonesia) were in the same team
as me.
The 1st group study session went well with us setting the ground rules and
expectations for the team. Our team decided to work on the 3Is of population ageing in
Suzuka City. The 3Is referred to Issues, Implications and Initiative. Amongst us, we
reckoned that each other has different skills sets and agreed to tap onto our specialised
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abilities to complete this project. Tonton and I would be the report presenters for the
intermediate and final presentations respectively. We even appointed John as our welfare
officer throughout the course of the project work. He was in charge of providing healthy
drinks, such as Vitamin Drinks, and fruits for all group discussions so we could all remain
in the pink of health.
As the discussions ensued, it was evident that the host of activities and reports
were taken a toll among some participants. At certain points, there was a lack of
concentration and focus. Quality of discussion was therefore compromised. The more
resilient individuals encouraged and ensure that everyone was on track. It was after all
teamwork at play. To me, the report (end product) was something most of us were capable
of handling alone. The real challenge for group study is finding synergy among all the
group members and making sure that no one is left behind (the learning process). I played
my role to ensure that there is group participation whilst having the end product in mind.
The Culture Melting Pot … Where Nine Becomes One
I volunteered to be the coordinator for the Cultural Exchange Day which was
held on 18 October. Chi Ming was the other coordinator. Although this was an added
responsibility on top of the reports we needed to prepare, I thought this is an area which I
could contribute since project management is one area I have some expertise in. Being the
coordinators, we needed to set out the programme and garner support from everyone to
contribute actively in all the discussions leading to the event.
We had the opportunity to work closely with 4 coordinators from CIR (MIEF)
who are from Brazil, USA, China and Canada for this project. Contrary to what was shared
with us by former IATSS batches, the discussion among us (IATSS participants) and with
the CIR representatives went smoothly.
“It’s the final countdown …..”, finally the actual day after hours of
preparations. The programme went on as planned. From the happy faces, we could sense
that our guests enjoyed themselves. There were also compliments from the IATSS staff
and its volunteers. In the preparation phase, there were some conflicts of opinions. That
was inevitable since all of us wanted to put forth the best for our respective country. I
enjoyed working with Chi Min on this project. Without spoken words, we complemented
each other well. I was also very glad that Kenji Tsuda (who is Paul’s friend) came for the
event and we finally had the chance to meet after hearing about him from Paul.
My Japanese Family … THE Home Stay Experience Which Touched My Heart
I met my host family Kimiko-san and we both kind of look-alike. It almost
felt that the meeting was pre-destined. The similarity drew us closer. It was awkward
initially as she speaks little English. This was when ingenuity really came in useful. We
depended on body language, funny gestures and strange facial expressions to communicate
with each other. We even armed ourselves with dictionaries (which Kimiko has prepared).
Yahoo translation was the final option :o)
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Ise Shrine
Yummilicious Dinner with Host Family
Kimiko brought me to many places not just in Ise City but Mikimoto Pearl
Island in Toba City as well. Ise Shrine topped the list. Kimiko’s friend, Robot, is a Shinto
priest there and we have the privilege of him playing guide to us as well as having the rare
opportunity to visit the underground chambers in the Shrine, which I understand is only
opened to very special guests. Back at home, we prepared dinner together and Kimiko
prepared a sumptuous dinner. Her sincerity and hospitality overwhelmed me. Her husband,
Munehiro-san, joined us for dinner. We had sake and lots of food until the wee hours of the
morning. The thought of yummilicious Ise-Udon which Kimiko has prepared for me for
breakfast never failed to bring a smile on my face.
The best gift arising from home stay was definitely the personalised photo
album which was given to me. Trust me, I was extremely touched by Kimiko’s gesture.
The photo album entailed sweet memories of time we had spent together. Both Munehiro
and Kimiko agreed that they would visit me in Singapore. For that, I have also assured
them that I would play host.
The home stay programme was time well-spent. In retrospect, I was really
glad that I was able to see beyond my initial inhibitions and indulge myself fully in the
experience.
Learning from the Learned …
Seminar 1 and 11: Enterprise Strategies I and II
The seminar was very informative. For a start, a self-service store is one
which sells daily necessities, mainly refreshments and operates round the clock. In Japan,
convenience stores are often perceived as the “fridge” of one’s home where Japanese could
come in anytime of the day to “grab” something quickly. It is almost a daily routine for
most Japanese. Hence for Japan Family Mart (JFM), the challenge is to make its stores a
part of an individual’s daily life.
This retail culture is vastly different from the 7-Eleven which we have in
Singapore. Because of the availability of other choices, such as supermarkets, wet markets,
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provision shops, a visit to 7-Eleven is often made only in the wee hours of the morning
when the other shops are closed.
I was especially impressed by Mr Mitsuyoshi Harada, General Manager of
JFM, when he mentioned that his company sells “time”. This is akin to Black and Decker’s
business philosophy of selling “holes” rather than selling drills. These, to me, are very
powerful business concepts. Too many traditional businesses overlook the importance of
reiterating the rationale and principle(s) behind their businesses. This is extremely crucial
especially in sustaining one’s business, particularly in the area of brand building and
market penetration.
While Mr Harada was giving us his answers to our questions, I was again
reminded that a General Manager while having a macro perspective, should always adopt a
hands-on approach, when necessary. As a General Manager of the Community
Development Council, I should also adopt the same attitude as Mr Harada.
On the other hand, what I thought was a pity about this seminar is the
interpretation skills of Mr Harada’s assistance. The correct use of vocabularies is crucial in
relaying the exact meaning of situation. In my opinion, what Mr Harada has meant to
convey to all of us and vice versa could have been lost in the interpretation. Overall, I rated
this seminar 90%.
Seminar 2: Political System
This is certainly an area of interest for me. Rather than delivering a lecture,
Professor Yoshiharu Tsuboi, School of Political Science and Economics (Waseda
University), provided a platform for candid discussion among us. He requested Malaysia,
Thailand and Myanmar to share their views on the current political development in their
countries. To me, the sharing gave me deeper insights, rather than just depending on the
information I gather through the mass media.
Professor Tsuboi’s question of choice between economic development vis-àvis social equality set me thinking. I have chosen economic development for Singapore. I
am a firm believer that the Government would be better positioned to channel greater
resources to upgrade the quality of life for Singaporeans if and only when we continue to
enjoy economic progress. On the other hand, I am also mindful of the repercussions of
social issues if social development did not go hand in hand with economic development.
Seminar 3 and 10: Japanese Culture I – Japanese Aesthetics &
Japanese Culture II – Spiritual Sports: The Civilising Process of Japanese Swordmanship
duering Tokugawa Period and Beyong
Professor Patricia Fister came across as someone who has an immense
knowledge in the Japanese culture, despite her American roots. She elaborated that the four
characteristics of Japanese art include: 1) irregularity, 2) suggestion, 3) simplicity and 4)
perishability (e.g. the transient nature of cherry blossoms in Spring).
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Japanese culture including arts, religions and daily practices has a close
linkage and respect for nature. Among many, the immaculate Japanese garden caught my
attention. Despite being bestowed with lots of greenery, the Japanese took special care of
them. The specially pruned Matsu trees in many Japanese gardens are a case in point. To
me, this reflected the Japanese’s rigour and discipline. Professor Fister has explained that
the Japanese would go to any extent to make and produce something aesthetically pleasing.
The seminar and my hands-on experience with Kando under the tutelage of
Mr Alexander Bennet was one of the most inspirational moments for me at IATSS. I came
to appreciate the difference between Kando as a sport and a form of martial arts. In the
latter, emphasis is placed on the development of self. Kando, like other forms of sports
such as Taekwondo, Yoga and etc has a spiritual dimension and therefore impact for their
respective practioners. This is on top of the physical attributes of the sport. The concept of
“Zanshin” which implies the spirit of constant alertness and never taking things for
granted is very much expounded upon. In my process of self discovery, this definitely was
the most valuable lesson I have learned.
Seminar 4: International Co-operation
Professor Tsutomu Mizota has chosen to elaborate on the Official
Development Assistance (ODA) aspect of international co-operation. Representatives from
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar presented the state of ODA in their countries. I was
heartened to know that the ordinary folks are aware and appreciative of Japanese’s
assistance in their countries, in building roads, bridges, schools and etc. I would have
thought that many of such construction and development would have been done in a hushhush manner since the local government would like to take the credit instead, in some
instances.
Nevertheless the element of self-sustainability is still paramount in any
assistance programme. The recipient countries must develop their means to achieve selfreliance in consideration of limited resources from the donor countries.
Seminar 6: OVOP: One Village One Product Movement
I found this seminar by Professor Fumihiko Adachi, Kinjo Gakuin University
most insightful. The OVOP movement started in Oita Prefecture, Japan, in 1979 and it has
now propagated to many countries in South East Asia. The gist of OVOP is to make use of
indigenous raw materials and local skills and talents, to create entrepreneurship at the
grassroots level. OVOP is a tool to alleviate income disparity.
The OVOP concept is akin to the social enterprise concept I am also
exploring in Singapore, where the outcome is to create employment and for the individuals
involved to be self-reliant in the long run. However, a social enterprise entails greater
chance of self-sustainability since there is little government intervention. Government
assistance, to me, should only come in at the start-up phase. Government in any country
should only help those whom help themselves, i.e. self-help.
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Seminar 7: Development and Sustainable Asia
Singapore was one of the three countries to make a country presentation. For
Singapore’s presentation, I shared Singapore’s Clean and Green Plan, focusing on
Singapore four national tap strategy (water resource). I was glad that my friends did not
resist the idea of drinking Singapore’s Newater (recycled water) which I had brought from
Singapore. I took pride to share that Singapore has planned to increase the capacity of
Newater to meet 30% of Singaporeans’ water consumption by year 2012, from the current
15%. I was illustrating the point that this is one of the Singapore’s efforts to promote
sustainable development.
Seminar 8: Roles of Education for the Formulation of National Identity
We had this seminar at the Nagoya University with Associate Professor Yuto
Kitamura. There are generally four issues when one discusses education: 1) Education as a
basic human right, 2) Gender equality, 3) Quality of education and 4) Education to teach
life skills. Every education in the world strives for the right balance between the economic
returns from education vis-à-vis the sense of citizenship education nurtures in an individual.
I was heartened by the pictures which were shared by our friends from
Myanmar. Before the country presentation, I would not have been able to imagine that the
literacy rate in the country is 90% (albeit literacy is measured by one’s ability to read and
write Burmese). These children also have modern classrooms with personal computers. As
Assoc. Professor has rightly pointed out, the education system in Myanmar today is
heavily influenced by its former socialist regime.
I trust that each child should have the right to access education, basic
education at its very least. To me, education is a tool to level up one’s economic status and
the overall country’s standards of living.
Seminar 10: Research and Development - TOTO – Sanitary Ware Manufacture
Before I came to Japan, my friends who have visited Japan have already
advised me to use the TOTO washlets. Through this seminar, I finally have the opportunity
to hear more about the technology behind this famous plumbing brand in Japan. While the
mission and philosophy of the company was nothing out of the ordinary, I was most taken
aback by the technology which went into changing the conventional way of how one uses
the toilet facility. This has again illustrated Japanese’s rigour in making the best of
anything.
My Free-spirited Adventures … Liberation!
Individual planned day in Kyoto started on 4 October. It was a sunny day for
a great outdoor experience. Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo) was the first place I visited. I tagged
along a tour group with a guide during the castle discovery. It was a beautiful place with
trees turning colours with the coming of autumn. I took a slow walk around the castle and
it really was a relaxing experience. The whole architecture was well-conserved and I am
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truly impressed how the interior of the castle remains so cooling. The guide clarified that
the use of cypress was the reason. I next went to Kinkakuji Temple. The sight was
awesome. It almost was picturesque. Gion corner was my next destination. Gion matched
my impression of Kyoto, of being a traditionally and culturally rich place. I walked along
the old shop houses and had the opportunity to catch a quick glance of two Geishas. I then
had dinner with some friends in a Chinese restaurant. Alas, this was food closer to home!
The weather has turned cold during the second individual planned day. I
visited Nishiki Food Market in the morning and had a good hot udon noodle breakfast (just
what I needed). Whenever I travel, I love going to the market where locals patronise. I take
the view that one could infer a lot about the lifestyles of the locals by observing their
marketplace. Toji temple, Kyoto Tower and Kyoto Imperial Palace were my other
destinations. The highlight in Kyoto would be the picture I have taken with two geishas at
Arashiyama. They happened to be on a boat entertaining some guests and obliged my
request for a photo. At that moment, I was hysterical. That was one wish fulfilled.
Kinkakuji Temple
Memoir of the Geisha Funny faces in front of Kyoto Imperial Palace
Individual planned days at Tokyo were scheduled on 1 and 2 November. I
visited many places in Tokyo including Roponggi, Ginza (Tokyo Tower), Shinjuku,
Tsukiji Market, Akihabara, Asakusa (Asahi Breweries Ltd/Kaminarimon Gate/Sensoji
Temple/Nakamise), Shibuya and Harajuku (Meiji Jingu/Takeshita Dori/Yoyogi Park). The
highlights would definitely be the Cosplay youths and the vibrant performing arts culture
and Tokyo Disneyland. Both the Cosplay youths and the bona fide arts performers in
Harajuku represent, for me, the evolving society in Japan. While there are immense efforts
channeled to upkeep the Japanese traditions, youths are also breaking away to create their
own form of culture. These platforms provided avenues to release pent-up emotions in a
fast paced country. For Disneyland, it is truly the happiest place on earth (not just for kids,
for me too!). I was exhilarated when I stepped my foot into it. That was the other wish
fulfilled.
Tokyo Tower Sijoji Temple @ Asakusa
Disneyland with Chip
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Tsukiji Market
All in all, the stark contrast of modern buildings against traditional houses and
the vibrant (i.e. freedom to express oneself through arts) youth/adult community in Kyoto
and Tokyo respectively left me with the deepest impression.
I was glad I could navigate the public bus transport and subway/metro
systems in both cities. It was easier than I expected. The individual planned days were
good respite from the seminars and group study discussions. I have experienced Japan first
hand and I am certainly one step closer to knowing more about Japan.
Learning Beyond Four Walls …
I was looking forward to the visit to Suzuka City Hall as I represented my
group to deliver a welcome speech. This is the Mayor’s office of Suzuka City and I had the
chance to speak to the Mayor and make a distinction between him and mayor(s) in
Singapore. One distinct difference is that the Mayor in Suzuka, Japan, also takes care of
the infrastructure, which is also the hardware, of the city unlike the latter who focuses on
the “software” of the community.
The visit to Honda Suzuka Factory was also an eye-opener. I was not at all
surprised that the staff took pride by spending an hour explaining to us the importance of
“Quality Control (QC) Circle” to us. This is precisely the culture which makes Honda ticks.
In QC Circle, Honda places emphasis in bottom up problem solving capabilities. Staff at
assembly line identifies problems they encounter at work and suggests solutions for them.
To me, this is a powerful empowerment tool. Overall, this practice also promotes greater
ownership for the work processes to reap more effective outcomes.
For me, the Japanese sense of duty and discipline underpins the success of
QC Circle in Honda.
The End is the Beginning of Something More Beautiful … Surely
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step…… I have taken my first
step when I made a self- commitment to un-learn and re-learn all about Me, Myself and I
during the IATSS Forum. IATSS has re-affirmed some of my personal beliefs and
principles. IATSS has also re-defined my inhibitions. I trust that I return to Singapore a
more self-assured individual and a better contributing member of any grouping to come.
However, this would not have been possible without the companionship of many special
individuals during my learning journey:
1) Japanese Volunteers
I go back home with great admiration for the voluntary spirit of the Japanese. I
have the pleasure of knowing some of them better. The hospitality shown by my host
family and Mr Tokuhei Kjiura and his wife’s untiring efforts to bring all of us to onsen was
truly admirable.
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2) 17 Jokers (including me, of course!) from 9 countries
I now have friends from 8 other countries: Leak (“Attract” Cambodian), Watana
(Sis-In-Law), Djal (Oh-Oh-Oh Transceiver), Pipit (Woman who loves “Black Singlet”),
Malay (My Soul Mate who looks after others’ backyard), Fish (Younger Bro n Crazily in
Love ), Chi Min (Best CED Partner in Crime), Wani (“Destroyer” turned Ninja with
Kando Skills), John (Enlightened Health Minister also with Kando Skills), Emeral
(“Crazy” Good Friend who loves Sony), Ton Ton (The Doctor whom I am always in the
same group), Janet (Dancing Queen with superb eye power), Terk (The suddenly Blonde
and “quite rectangular”), Yui (Thai Red Ruby), Pong (Older Bro n self-claimed
Tupperware “Expert”) and Anh (Cosmetics Fanatic). The 17 of them, in more than one
way, have made the learning journey sweeter and most memorable for me. From them, I
have surely learned more about their countries but most importantly, from them, I have
learnt how to be a better team player and a better person, overall.
For some of us, I trust that our paths would cross again in the near future and I am
relishing in every moments awaiting those opportunities.
It was truly amazing how magical moments are created by putting 17 “jokers”
under one roof. Like them, the 55 days we have spent together has been an important
chapter in my life in which its lingering memories would always be a part of me, forever!
Last but not least……… “Who Asks and How Came”? :o)
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Living in Japan, it’s beyond my imagination!
Thailand
After six hours flying from Thailand, we landed at the destination, Japan, which is
well-known for its worldwide lead in advanced technology, rich culture and delicious food.
Akira-san and IATSS staffs welcomed us and all participants from other countries at the
airport and it was the first time that we got to know each other during 55 days in Japan.
After that, we got on the bus going to Suzuka city in Mie Prefecture for approximately two
hours.
Gassshuku
We stayed in Suzuka only in short time because between September 16th until
September 19th we moved to Ise City for teambuilding training called Gassshuku with
Tomo Seki. It was an important stage to make us became one according to our motto of the
44th IATSS participants “Recognizing Individuality, Embracing Diversity”. Many
activities and games were organized there. My experiences is to learn how to order
working group, what to make a better
group with a strong foundation of the
team. The team performance curve
can be divided into 4 stages that is
pseudo-team,
working
group
(potential team), performing team
(real team) and extra-ordinary team
(high-performing team).
I learned many characteristics
to be an effective group, for example,
good
communication,
planning,
active participation, lesson learned
from the past, new strategy to achieve
goals, as well as strengths and
weakness of others. I appreciated that if you put the errands to someone in your team, the
learning will go down so we should not blame someone for mistakes. Another important
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thing was we should to know strengths and weakness of others so we can back up them.
Lastly, Tomo-san taught us to give and receive honest feedback to provide constructive
information to help another person become aware of how his/her behavior affects you and
how you perceive his/her actions without threatening to other person.
Opening Ceremony
On September 20th, we from ASEAN
countries were welcomed by Dr. Yasuhei
OGUCHI,
Chairman,
IATSS
Forum
Committee, Representative of the Respective
Embassies, Mr. Toshio MATSUBARA,
Deputy Mayor, Suzuka City, Mr. Hiroshi
HASEGAWA, Deputy Director General, Mie
International Exchange Foundation, Mr.
Mikio YOSHIMI, Senior Managing Director,
Honda Motor Co.LTD., other important
persons in Suzuka and Japanese volunteers. At first, I think it would be a small event but
many VIP persons joined together!! We all ready in traditional dress or formal suite and
introduced ourselves in Japanese language…Wow It’s the first time for me to speak
Japanese in public. How come!! It was very exciting. There, I met Mr. Benjamin
Sukajonajtee, First Secretary of the Royal Thai Embassy in Japan and other Japanese
volunteers who later joined many IATSS activities with us. It was very surprised to know
that IATSS Forum is well-known in Japan. How lucky I am being in Japan.
After the ceremony, next day we had a chance to meet Japanese volunteers from
Suzuka and nearby city. They presented us their culture about their children’s education,
their etiquettes when having the dinner and how to take a bath in Japanese ways. The most
interesting part is to wearing kimono that
makes me know that it is difficult to do it by
yourself. At least two of Japanese volunteers
had to assist me to wear it. Finally we, all
ASEAN participants dressed in Japanese
Kimono. In addition, many kind Japanese
volunteers presented us how to have an
appropriate manner in tea ceremony (Sado),
to sing a Japanese song called Sukiyaki and
to dance in Japanese song called
Tankoubushi. In the evening, we had the
welcomed dinner with Japanese volunteers.
The most interesting thing is that they taught
us to prepare Okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza). Ohhhh!!! It’s a delicious one I have
ever tried. There were so many kinds of Japanese food to try that night so we all were full.
In addition, Japanese volunteers also presented some of Japanese toys and how to play.
Some pictures of Japanese wedding ceremony and Japanese traditional culture also shown
there.
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Theme Lecture : Group study (population)
This was the first time I learned population issues in depth with Ms. Kiyoko
IKEGAMI, Director, UNFPA Tokyo Office. She started with population issue as
development agenda in the United Nations. From this lecture, I know more about
UNMDGs and the role of NGOs as well as the relationship between United Nations and
NGOs. After that, she told us about the UNFPA’s activities and world population agenda
which can be divided into two important parts, namely, macro level means number of
population and micro level means individual (quality of life) or how can we improve
quality of life. The most shocking thing for me is the gender unequality between men and
women in some parts of Africa and muslim countries. The problem of women’s unequality
still exist in those countries.
We also had a chance to make a project proposal in a simulation situation to
improve community-based school management system in Aseandia. This activity taught us
to learn about how to write project proposal in details and the key points are logical
thinking, participatory approach and measurable. Another activity is to have a role play to
make a proposal solving the problem of HIV/AIDs in Bartola. I had to be the Bartola
Ministry of Health and Human Welfare discussing with UNFPA Bartola and the National
Health Leaque of Bartola for sharing our responsibilities as lead agency and budget. This
led me know that how government, UNFPA and NGOs can get along well with each other.
Government should carry out logistical management while NGOs can deal with
education/publication and UNFPA is appropriate in taking care of financial management
for avoiding corruption and to ensure that budget is on time.
Bicycle Training
This was the important course for IATSS participants because everyone owns
bicycle to ride to some convenience stores in Suzuka and some interesting places. At first,
I just rode my bike as I usually do in Thailand, only be careful of cars. The trainer,
however, taught me everything for my safety. This was the first time I learn how to adjust
handlebars and saddle and how to do when you want to turn right or left at T-Intersection
because I cannot ride my bike on the road in Thailand which is very dangerous. Moreover,
fines and penalties in Japan also be enforced to respect laws and I was very surprised that
if riding a bike with a passenger on the back, you have to pay for 20,000 yen in fine!! It is
really different from Thailand. It was also a surprise that IATSS participants got the
certificates from Mr. Yoshio Kii, Manager of Honda Driving Safety Promotion Center of
Honda Co. Ltd. for completing the safe driving program of the bicycle.
Facilitation skills
Fortunately, IATSS forum prepared the seminar on Facilitation skills with Ms.
Keiko Tsubaki, NPO Global Network of Facilitators for 2 days because I did not have
much background of this skill. We were divided into 4 groups to be a facilitator rotately.
Ms. Keiko gave us many challenges to be a good facilitator by getting ideas from other
members in the group. After that, we all got the facilitator feedback sheet from them to
assess strengths and things should to be improved to be a good facilitator. Moreover, I
learned from Ms. Keiko how to encourage members in the group going directly to the right
point of which we are discussing by using facilitation graphics, namely, cause and effect
charting, fishbone diagrams and impact/effort grids. In the second seminar, Ms. Tsubaki
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gave us many challenging activities to practice to be a good facilitator and after that she
added some comments and suggestions for improving our skills. The last activity, the most
fruitful one, was to discuss in our group while other groups observed and gave some
comments. The lesson I learnt was to ensure that everybody feel ownership to achieve the
outcome and participate in discussion actively. The knowledge I gained will be certainly
useful for my career path.
Home stay
One of the most exciting things of IATSS program was to be with Japanese home
stay. I met my host family at Ujiyamada Station in Ise city, Mr. Kunihiko Kato and Ms.
Junko Kato. They have two daughters and one son. The first day, we went to Ise shrine and
shopping areas nearby. The Ise shrine was very big and there were a lot of people and the
most popular goods was Neko (cats) inviting for rich, love and safety.etc. . First, we had to
wash our hands before entering and I found the bridge before getting into the guardian
door. There were two guardians and they will be changed every twenty years. That night,
Kato’s family prepared Japanese seafood curry and salad for dinner…Oishidesu…and I
discussed many topics with Junko-san about Thailand and Japan’s thinking on current
situation.
One of the interesting points is about
gender equality. Junko-san works as the
counselor in Mie Prefecture. She receives calls
from women about 6-7 times per day giving a
consult on violence domestic or how to get a
divorce so I realized that it is a big problem for
Japanese women to get divorced because most
of them quit their jobs after giving births in
order to take care of their children so they
cannot live by themselves with their own salary.
In addition, actually women get lower salary
than men in the same position and they have to be housewives and take care of children
and old people. Some unequality between Japanese men and women, therefore, still exist
in Japanese society. Next day, my host family, her niece and I went to the top of the
mountain in Ise city to see the scenery view of the city. It was very impressive, but very
cold there. After that, we went to Kongo Shoji Temple. It was very peaceful with beautiful
scenery. In the afternoon, we went to the aquarium to see some strange fish and sea lion
show, very cute. I really appreciated the kindness of Japanese volunteers, this experience
inspired me to be Thai volunteer in the future if I have a chance.
Enterprise Strategies I (Family Marts)
To be honest, I hardly buy anything at FamilyMart in Bangkok and I just knew
that FamilyMart Co. Ltd. belongs to Japan before attending IATSS Forum. However, in
the seminar, I learned a lot about the management of FamilyMart from Mr. Mitsuyoshi
Harada, Overseas Business Department. It was interesting that FamilyMart have been wellmanaged and expand its franchises all over the world, now there are 14,823 stores. Unlike
Thailand, Japanese people like to buy foods at FamilyMart stores because CVS seem to be
refrigerator at home which they can visit everyday to have lunch or dinner so it is part of
customer daily’s life. Thailand also has 572 FamilyMart stores in Bangkok, Pattaya and
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Samui Islands. However, nowadays, FamilyMart cannot expand their franchises in
Singapore and Indonesia because of their laws and many CVS and competitors in
Singapore. In the second seminar, we were divided into 3 groups to explore three
FamilyMart stores in Tokyo that was the challenging activity for us. The purpose of our
visit was to assess the store which has the highest selling by checking condition of store,
condition of location and condition of catchment area. Unfortunately, none of our groups
could come up with the right answer but for me who did not have any background of doing
business so this field study provided me with a basic knowledge on how to run a business
and became successful both in Japan and overseas the same as FamilyMart. When
returning to Thailand, I promise to explore FamilyMart more often.
Political System
Politics is the most interesting topics for me because of its complicated system
which is different between each countries and it is related to my works. The seminar began
with the presentation of Lao, Indonesia and Vietnam. After that, Professor Yoshiharu
Tsuboi led Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar to brief political situation in our country. I
noticed that Laos and Vietnam have the same socialist system, on the other hand,
Indonesia is a democratic country which has multi-party system. Japan and Thailand also
have the same political system. We have King as Head of State and the upper house and
lower house as the member of parliaments. In my opinion, socialist system and democratic
system confront many problems resulted from their governments, but both system can pave
the way to economic prosperity and political stability. I learnt from many countries that
people are bored to vote for politicians and most of them aren’t interested in politics or any
elections. That may be lead to the weak democratic system and many negative
consequences in country. The enhancement of political awareness, therefore, should be
promoted, especially among teenagers.
Individual Plan in Kyoto
For 4 nights, we stayed in Kyoto for seminars and individual plan days. Kyoto is
the old town of Japan where I think it is the most interesting place in Japan composing of
many temples and natural environment sites. Our Hotel was near the mountainous areas
and river so it was quite cool in the evening. I visited many interesting places, most of
them were temples, namely, Ginkakuji Temple, Nanzenji Temple, Eikando Zenrin-Ji
Temple, Toji Temple and also Nijo Castle. Unlike temples in Thailand, Japanese temples
have deliberate garden inside surrounded with rocks and have long history of the temple.
Most of them also are the UNESCO cultural world heritages. We together also visited
Kyoto Imperial Palace which was used as the Emperor’s residence. In my opinion, Kyoto
is very peaceful and can maintain original culture of Japan of which Japanese people is
really proud. One major different point between Japan and Thailand is the purpose to visit
temples, Japanese people will go to temples only in the occasion of funeral while shrines
will be the places to celebrate many ceremonies. On the other hand, Thai people always
celebrate many special occasions in the temple.
Japanese Culture I – Japanese Aesthetics
I was very surprised that Professor Patricia Fister was really interested in Japanese
arts although she is not Japanese. In the seminar, I learnt many Japanese different products
from short presentation of IATSS participants that really impress all of us, for example,
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Japanese food, products and gardens. Actually, I just took a quick look at arts because I did
not have any background of this field. However, after this seminar, I learnt how to
appreciate and understand the arts of Japan. The concept of “perfection inhibits
imagination” still be on my mind. That means in everything, no matter what it will be,
uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting and gives
one of a feeling that there is room for growth. That is the reason why most of Japanese arts
is asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity and perishability. In the afternoon, we had chance to
go to Tenryuji temple which is one of the “Five Great Rinzai Zen monasteries of Kyoto”
with one of the oldest garden in Japan. The temple is one of the most beautiful temples in
Kyoto because of its peaceful scenery with huge pool. After that, we visited Okoshi-Sanso
Villa built by Okochi Denjiro, the famous movie actor that was really amazing because of
its traditional architecture, beautiful and colorful gardens with the scenery of Kyoto.
Nara Visit
Nara is also the old town in Japan. Before moving to Tokyo, 31 Japanese
volunteers together with us went to Horyu-Ji Temple and Todaiji Temple. John, my friend
from Myanmar and I including 4 Japanese volunteers were in the same group. The fivestory pagoda in Horyuji Temple fascinated us in a huge shape and their traditional culture.
In the afternoon, we visited Todaiji Temple which was build in Nara period and has been
build for 3 times after destroying in the fire. It is 33 % smaller than the original building. I
was very impressed by the huge Viroccana Buddha which is the biggest Buddha in the
world (the height of body is 14.98 m, the length of head is 5.41 m, the length of eye is
1.02m and the length of ear is 2.54m.) made of cast bronze and plated with gold. On that
day, they had the special ceremony called “Noh” in Japanese. It took long time to celebrate
with some monks prayed for divinities. It was the first time that I and some of Japanese
volunteers appreciated such ceremony.
After practicing our performances on New Year theme many times, all participants
were very happy on that day to welcome Japanese volunteers and Japanese people
approximately 150 persons who are
interested in appreciating ASEAN culture.
We started to introduce ourselves by country
and present New Year activities, starting
from Vietnamese song, Christmas Party in
the Philippines and Silent day in Indonesia.
After that, we from Cambodia, Myanmar,
Laos and Thailand in Mekong region
performed dance called “Ram Wong” with
some splash water to the audiences
including the ceremony to pay respect for
elderly persons and tied white strings on
whilst of some audiences to bless for happiness, healthy and lucky all the year. Although
countries in Mekong Region have their different historical background and culture, but
finally we can find similarities among us to celebrate New Year. On that day, we all were
very tired but it was a good memory for all of us. In the exhibition, we all decorated our
country booth to show how to celebrate New Year in each country. One of the attractive
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spot is traditional foods of ASEAN countries that everybody can taste it. After that, we
gathered again to get the bid of auctions of each country. That was very surprising and
exciting for me because most of Japanese people were interested to get auction items.
Finally, the 44th IATSS participants could collect a lot of money from the auction times
and we will provide it to Laos for their own school development in rural areas. It was a
good idea of IATSS forum to led ASEAN countries helping each other which can be the
first step to cooperate in many aspects for our mutual interests in the future.
International Cooperation : ODA
I did not have background about the ODA so I just learnt it as much as I could.
Professor Tsutomu Mizota first led Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to present ongoing
ODA status in their respective countries. All of these countries received the assistance
from donor countries or organizations, especially in areas of development, such as health,
education, transportation and agriculture. Until now, they still faced some difficulties, such
as funding, disconnection between governments and related agencies, complex legal
system and political reasons especially in Myanmar. After the seminar, I learnt that why
Japan pay much attention to ODA??? At present, JICA/JBIC is the major donor of the
world in humanitarian program that is poverty reduction, environmental protection and
population issues. To be honest, I really appreciated that Japan contributes to play the
major role to help developing countries and least developed countries.
OVOP : One Village One Product Movement
Professor Fumihiko Adachi gave the floor to participants
from Malaysia, Phillipines and Thailand to present OVOP
movement in our respective countries. For me, the name of the
project are different in each country but they all have the same
purposes that is to help people especially in rural areas to be selfreliance, having better job and income and to conserve their
traditional culture. However, Malaysia, Phillipines and Thailand
still faced some difficulties to carry out the project especially
redundant of product, quality control and packaging. I think
OVOP is one of the policy that focus on people-centred and all
efforts have been made and resources have been utilized to
transform villagers into a knowledge-based and high
performance society in which the people can keep up with
the dynamics of globalization. Unlike Thailand, the
interesting point of OVOP in Japan is marketing strategy
and mass media publication. That is the reason why OVOP
in Japan is still continuously in progress until now. In the
seminar, we also learned that it is not easy to make products
popular in domestic and international market. Many things
need to be considered deeply, namely, land, labor, capital,
technology, marketing, networking, local government and
mass media, natural environment and international exchange
and local diplomacy.
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Environmental and Sustainable Asia
Environmental problem is one of the most concerned issues in the world that is
why I am interested in this issue. In the seminar, we all discussed many problems, waste in
urban areas in Phillipines, traffic problems in Indonesia and environmental policies in
Singapore. In my opinion, all of ASEAN countries faced this problem but in the different
levels. The E-waste also is the important issue which became more concerned. Jakarta has
the same traffic problems in Thailand, especially traffic jam. However, I learnt many
interesting policies of Singapore government to limit number of cars by providing fixed
time for cars and policy of park and take public transportation. In addition, in the seminar ,
we have the chance to taste the new management of water recycling from Singapore,
Newater, that try to solve environmental problem and the scarcity of water in Singapore.
For me, Asia and Pacific region has demonstrated vast potential to become the
global economic engine, particularly in terms of their combined abundance in both natural
and human resources. Despite the variety of valuable resources, the effective way to utilize
all of them is not simple. In other words, it is essential not only to consume but also to
learn to manage our consumption in order to ensure that our region’s economy not only
thrives but also remain sustainable over the years. It is necessary to focus on this topic
since these issues interwine in a complex manner such that they compel our nations to be
truly interdependent. I agreed with Professor Kazuo Matsushita, the challenges of these
problems require many implementations such as win-win strategies to achieve sustainable
environment, eco-efficiency, national and local policy and awareness of local communities.
Education
Professor Yuto Kitamura, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya
University led Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore to present on basic educational data.
Each country has its own characteristics of education system that can be the role model for
other countries, especially education system in Singapore that may be in advanced level
more than other ASEAN countries. In Thailand, most of students still follow the traditional
education system, learning by memorizing so it will be better if we can apply the new
system comprising of learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and
learning to be. In my opinion, Japan also can be the role model for other countries.
Japanese government provides 9 years for compulsory education (functional literacy) and
the Japan Teacher’s Union had been established in 1947 to express their opinions. Until
now, Japan has the progress on education reform such as reduction of class study,
problem-solving learning activities and expansion of optional courses.
Japanese Budo : The Martial Ways of Japan
It was my first time to learn about this
topic and after that I found it was very interesting.
Dr. Alexander Bennette broaden our knowledge
on Budo which is the samurai traditional martial
arts of Japan. Approximately 1.5 million people
around the world practice this culture sports.
Since 14th century, Japan had 3 main schools
providing courses of Budo and spread over the
country and abroad until now. I realized the
benefits of playing this sport is not only for self-
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defense but also for spiritual development and enlightenment (Kendo tries to expel the
weaknesses that are surprise, fear, doubt and hesitation). To be honest, I did not know how
to practice it in proper manner because I did not play any sports for many years. At the end
of the class, we were divided into 2 teams and fighting in a mock tournament, it was very
funny and tiring but it was a great moment to remember for all participants.
TOTO : Sanitary Ware Manufacture
In my opinion, this topic was related to our daily lives without doubts. In Thailand,
I heard about TOTO washlet, hi technology used with water temperature and spray,
however, it focused only on luxury hotel. Mr. Taku Watanabe, Cooperate Development
Group of TOTO and expert in research and development of TOTO products briefed us
about history of TOTO Ltd. since 1917 and their product planning based on the customer’s
voice, for example, group interview and questionnaires. It is interesting that everyday all
TOTO employees have to remind themselves and repeat the motto in order to stick on
TOTO group philosophy. That is one of their motivations to develop their products. Some
of TOTO products are shown in the seminar room which really attracted us with
innovation technology of washlet combining high quality and cleanliness such as catalytic
deodorization method and angle of spray. Although all products make our personal
business in daily life more comfortable and relax apart from public on-sen, compared with
Thailand, I think most of people cannot bear the prices of such kind of washlet and we are
accustomed to our traditional toilet.
Royal Thai Embassy visit
To share and apply all knowledge we gained to develop our own country in one
way or another way, Pong and I, participants from Thailand had a chance to visit Royal
Thai Embassy by taking subway from Shinbashi Station (Yamanote line) to Meguro
station and walked along the street around 15 minutes. There we were warmly welcomed
by Mr. Sasiwat Wongsinsanat, Minister Counsellor and Mr. Benjamin Sukajonajtee, First
Secretary of the Royal Thai Embassy. All the activities provided by IATSS forum and
benefits gained during our stay in Japan were the topics we discussed. They were very
happy to know that Pong and I were really enjoying in this program and we exchanged
some opinions about relationships between Thailand and ASEAN countries. Also I got
some recommendations from them about how to promote Thai and ASEAN relationships
and some positive thinking regarding Thai political situation. I learnt that although the
situation is getting worse, we all have the responsibility to do and continue our works.
Those suggestions will always make me happy and proud to be Thai people. I also
promised to myself to apply knowledge I gained from IATSS forum to improve our
country as much as I can.
In the afternoon, I visited to the National Diet Building that is related to my works
in Thailand. Actually, I went there once during my business trip to attend the interparliamentary meeting but had no chance to walk around the building. Actually, I wanted
to see House of Representatives building in the south wing but it can be allowed only
person who is recommended by member of the House of Representatives. Therefore, I
toured around the House of Councillors in the north wing at the same building within an
hour. The building was really huge decorated with luxury arts, especially in the Chamber
of the House of Councillors and Emperor’s room. On that day, I also saw a big
demonstration of disabilities persons in front of the National Diet Building. Every
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countries ruling by democratic system has to confront the different point of views between
government and people but it depends on government to negotiate and control situation in
order to prevent any major conflicts.
Individual plan day in Tokyo
As I noticed, Tokyo was quite different from
Kyoto in many aspects but each of them has their
unique characters that attract many tourists around the
world, especially in nighttime. As I am Buddhist, I went
to Senjoji temple, Kiyomizu Kannon-Do temple and
Meiji Jingu. Luckily all of the places I went had
organized some ceremonies on weekends so it was the
greatest moment to learn Japanese culture as outdoor
activities. Senjoji temple, the oldest Buddhist building
in Tokyo, has the unique big red lantern in front of the
gate and also had many shopping stores in Nakamise,
there I met many Thai group tour. Kiyomizu KannonDo temple is small but peaceful temple famous for
one’s making an invocation on the fortune, protecting
from evils, childbirth, success, etc.. Meiji Jingu is a big
Shinto shrine, Japan’s ancient original religion, with 100,000 trees. On that day, the
Bukaku (ancient court dance) at Autumn Grand Festival was performed there, it was really
amazing and very crowded. As this shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji who wanted to
promote friendship with other countries, so the Waka, poetry he wrote really impressed me,
the meaning of it is “ All over the world, there are endless disputes over borders between
countries, but when we look up at the sky there are no boundaries or borders. Ah, if we
could become like the heavens above us”.
Unlike the meaning of the poetry that I mentioned above, in other countries’
opinion, Yasukuni Jinja that I went on Sunday still cause negative thinking because of their
dedication to the souls of the war dead. In my opinion, this shrine is the museum to respect
for famous historical figures who build the nation so we should not blame any country for
the past history but we should learn from the past to make a better world and to avoid our
mistakes again. Also in Tokyo, I visited many interesting spots for teenagers, Shibuya and
Shinjuku. I saw many of them dressed in cos-play, same as I saw in the comics, especially
at Harajuku and some of them showed their personal interests in dancing or singing.
Although Harajuku is situated very close to Meiji Jingu, the environment was totally
different according to the changing world in which national culture are mixed between
western and eastern world. At nighttime, Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow bridge at Odaiba
were the most interesting night scene views for me. I went to Odaiba twice for taking some
beautiful photos to memorize the capital of Japan. Compared with Thailand, Chao Praya
river is the longest river in Bangkok which also has the beautiful night scene view along
the river. When I came back to Thailand, Chao Praya river will definitely remind me of the
nighttime in Japan!!
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Group Study
Our group study comprised of Watana from Cambodia, Malay from Laos,
Chimin from Malaysia, Terk from Singapore and I from Thailand. Actually, our group was
different from other two groups because two Japanese guys from Honda, Koyata-san and
Shinpei-san, joined with us each for two weeks. Through their different point of views
from Japanese perspectives, it really provided the benefits for us to complete our tasks.
Our group theme focused on child prostitution which at first I think it was a difficult issue
but finally it became a challenging topic for me because of its growing concerns in many
ASEAN countries. All of us always respect other’s opinion and come up with the
consensus. At first, we were still confused about what we wanted to do however after that
we all could come to the right point. The lesson learnt from group study was the valuable
experience for me because we all have different background and come from different
countries. However, our group’s discussion could go smoothly and helpful. Thanks to all
of my friends in our group to carry out our project together.
Conclusion
Good bye all of my friends from ASEAN countries. However, I am sure that we all plan to
meet together again to remind our memory in Japan. During 55 days, I could touch all of
their hearts and their sincerity. This was the first time for me to stay abroad longer than
one week but it was the precious time to learn to live with all of you from the morning
until the night, sometimes at 1 a.m.. We spent most of the time together, learn together, eat
together, play together and especially go to Onsen together. That’s all can fulfill my
objectives in Japan. All the experiences gained can always make me smile when I come
back to Thailand. Last but not least, thanks to Akira-san and IATSS staff for your hard
work. I hope that after we leave Japan, all of you will remember us, the 44th IATSS
participants, forever!!
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Greatest experience in Japan
Thirayoot Limanond
Thailand
Gasshuku
The first major activity of the IATSS forum was Gasshuku (team building activity), it
brought the unfamiliar IATSS forum participants closer together, knew one another
strengths and weaknesses, and learned how to work as a team. Through the 3-day
activities led by Tomo-sun, we as a group had faced various challenges that were
unsurpassable individually, but as a group and well-planning, we managed to succeed.
Each activity had its own lessons to be learnt, and in fact, it made us discover ourselves
more than what we realized before. The selected Gasshuku site was unique in that it
prevented us to connect to the outside world, making us stay focus on our own group. In
addition, it gave us a taste of authentic Japanese culture and tradition, such as sleeping on a
futon and experiencing On-sen. In short, Gasshuku was one of the very impressive
activities of the IATSS forum, and we built strength of our own team considerably.
Japanese cultural introduction day
The Japanese cultural exchange day was one of my most
memorable days in the IATSS forum.
Japanese
volunteers spent the whole afternoon demonstrating us
Japanese culture and traditions, such as Japanese
manners, Kimono dressing, Japanese games, Japanese
songs, tea ceremony, character writing. I also had an
opportunity to wear a kimono and write my name in
Japanese.
In fact, learning Japanese culture and
traditions was one of my main goals in participating the
IATSS forum. The foremost impression was on the vast
hospitality of the Japanese volunteers. After dinner, a
volunteer took us outside for on-sen, ice-cream, coffee,
or shopping. In fact, they were so kind that they offered
extra assistance afterward, such as a visit to Iga City, the
ninja town and a tour in suzuka city on our free day.
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Group Study
Our group comprises of Wani, Pipit, Emeral, Janet, Fish and Pong; all from different
countries with different background and expertise. On the very first meeting, we began by
self-introduction regarding our own experience as well as strengths and weaknesses. To
ensure that the group discussions go efficiently and smoothly, we developed the rules for
the group that all members had to follow. The six rules were assigned to each member to
be the rule holder for enforcement and penalty when a violation occurs. The rules of our
group were the follows:
1) Working hours: 9:00 – 12:00 and 13:30 – 15:30. Don’t be late. – Fish
2) No usage of a computer is allowed, except for the secretary of the meeting. – Janet
3) Drinks are OK, but food is not allowed during the discussion time. – Pipit
4) Anyone can request an immediate 5-minute break anytime. - Wani
5) If the discussion gets high-tempered, some one will have to stop the situation and
call for a group hug. – Pong
6) All has to put their share of tokens to purchase snacks - Emeral
Also on the same day, we talked about the planning and tentative schedule of this project.
Our team was very excited, but simultaneously confused what the final product of the
series of group discussions would be. Everyone was slow down, and took turn to share
their experience on such project. We also brought the presentation slides of Mikio-san for
a careful group review. In addition, we printed out the group discussion report from the
previous batch to be our examples. At the end of the day, we essentially had a general idea
of the final report.
In general, we all were considerate, but stayed focus, thus making the discussion went very
smooth, but rather fast. There were confusions at times, but we all were patient and took
time to explain one another clearly before we moved on to the next point. This created
such a nice atmosphere for learning, and we truly proceeded as a group by using the
concept of “Thinking and Learning Together.”
In fact, the population issues and the community development projects were rather new to
all of us, but we all keen to learn more and did our bestto accomplish the reports. There
were lots of information, especially on the project site, we had to search and appreciate in
order to achieve the project. To expedite the process, in almost all of the group discussions,
each member will take responsible to do his/her own research/tasks, and share what they
learnt in the following group discussion. Then, the group members raised questions, made
comments and shared individual experiences on the top of one’s knowledge learnt from the
previous assignment. We truly utilized the “think and learn together” approach in the
process. This technique was extremely powerful learning method in that, we deepened our
understandings as well as widened our perspectives on the studied topic. In addition, one
could imagine that how pleasurable it was to study a new topic as a group with relaxing
environment, rather than study-alone boring atmosphere.
The atmosphere of our group discussions was generally pleasurable and lively. Each of us
had a good sense of humor, and always teased one another in a considerate and friendly
manner. When the discussion turned boring and sleepy, someone either made jokes or
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invented a game to play as an intermission session. This made each group discussion day
went so quickly, we think. Perhaps, the room atmosphere itself helped in creating such a
relax environment. With a round table style room and comfortable couches available
around the room, we could change our seats to different atmosphere as much as we wanted
to. We called the couches, the “thinking chair,” because anyone sitting on the couch
usually came up with a creative idea. Perhaps, it is because once we sit comfortably
backward, our reasoning/explanation by nature come smoothly, easy step-by-step, and do
not be offensive. Due to the high relaxing atmosphere through our personalities and the
layout of the meeting room, we all tended to stay and mingle for a while after the group
discussion ends.
At times, the group faced several
alternatives and had to make a decision.
Voting system was the approach that we
usually utilized in order to make a group
decision. Before the voting began, all
members had an opportunity to express
their ideas, critiques as well as convincing
arguments on the available alternatives.
The choice that gets the highest vote will be
the final conclusion. All members seemed
to know how to express their ideas frankly
in a polite manner, thus, we hardly saw any critical arguments among the group members.
In fact, there were rare occasions that the argument got to the peak.
On each of the group work day, the discussion sessions began with the goal of the day, and
it was a commitment for the team to accomplish the goals of the day before we call it a day.
We all took turn to be a facilitator. We keened to do our own best to achieve a quality
product, thus, we intended to be ahead of the schedule most of the time. This approach
ensured us time in the last few group discussion days to polish the final product at the end.
The rest of this report summarized what we had achieved over the series of the group
discussion.
During the second and the third days of group discussion, we reached a consensus on the
project title “Sustainable improvement in Child Malnutrition in Nusa Tangara.” Child
malnutrition at the first glance seemed to be a trivial problem specific to certain age groups
of population, but it was, in fact, one of the critical problems that have serious
consequences in the society not only for the present days, but for the future as well. This
problem is one of the potential threats in achieving the two of Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) in one country, namely reduction in child mortality and eradicating the
extreme poverty and hungers. Nusa Tangara is one region in Indonesia that recently
experiences an alarming increasing trend of child malnutrition, (against the trends of most
countries in the world). Surprisingly, it has been this increasing trend despite the efforts
from the governments and NGOs’ sides throughout the year.
During the intermediate presentation, we had an opportunity to present our group topic and
the approach to all of the IATSS forum participants as well as IATSS forum staff. In
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general, we received compliments on our proposal. There were a few key comments that
were logic and useful for us to update our proposal. They were:
1) Our project site is Nusa Tangara, which is quite large in size; it would be very
difficult to successfully implement the large-scale intervention in the entire region.
2) The proposed measures and action plans are quite comprehensive, and it would be
extremely difficult to implement it all at the same time, and with one agency. It is
highly recommended to focus a specific measure that we can implement by our
own, and seek the cooperation from other agencies in the field.
3) Since there are several measures/plans, it would be nice that we prioritize the
project which one should come before the other one.
Also, a general comment from Akira-sun and Mikio-san was that all of the three groups
had to put more focus on the concept of the IATSS forum, “Thinking and learning
together.” They implied that we have to spend much more time on group discussions
(rather than taking what is available on the internet) and try to build a new creative idea
from the group discussion. Our group discussed about all of the comments and suggestions
more seriously, and adjusted our plan accordingly.
On of the group discussion Days 4, 5 and 6, we had developed and itemized the list of
activities for the assigned outputs of our proposed project. They included raising public
awareness/door-to-door service, one village one product/strengthening the neighborhood
association, and crop rotations/food preservation/research. We discussed the detailed
activities, the activity timeframe as well as the budget. The approach was that we
discussed one by one as an individual component, and was heavily discussed and modified
based on the inputs/comments from the colleagues as appropriate. Then, again we took a
good look at all activities again to ensure the feasibility of the project in a big picture. In
fact, at the end of the sixth day we realized that we already had a good project in hand, just
needed some revisions. We appreciate how much we accomplished thus far, so that we
called up a group hug just to celebrate ourselves on Friday night.
The final check-up of the group study was superb. We prepared the presentation style,
contents, as well as the presenters as if it would be in the final presentation for two reasons.
First, it was for us to practice the presentation skills before the official day. Secondly, we
would like to receive frank comments from Kiyoko-san and Keiko-san, so that we could
adjusted our contents for the final presentation. During the final check-up, there was also a
Q&A session, that we received several questions. Most of the questions were the issues
that had been previously discussed in our group before. Our intensive discussions
throughout the group studies made it easy for us to explain the raised issues in a clear
manner. However, there were some good comments that we had to adjust our presentation
and report.
At the end of the day, our group was very confident for the final
presentation…..
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After thorough planning and many rehearsals, all of us finally carried out the Cultural
Exchange Day on October 18, 2008. It was a very long, but exciting day. The event was
mainly divided into 2 parts: the performance and the exhibition. We spent the entire
morning to do the logistics, and made one last final rehearsal. Then, came the actual acts
in the afternoon. There were perhaps more than 100 attendees, mostly the IATSS Japanese
Volunteers and their relatives. Even though there were a few confusions in the last minute,
we all managed to get it through, and had all participants enjoyed throughout the event. It
was a great success.
The event theme was the New Year
Celebrations round the World. In the
performance, we began by the Vietnamese
New Year, followed by Philippines,
Indonesia, then Mekong Region, and
finally Chinese New Year Celebration in
Singapore and Malaysia. They all went
well. In the exhibition halls, attendees had
a chance to learn more about New Year
celebrations, and tasted various traditional
foods from ASEAN countries. Also,
some even got a chance to experience the
bamboo dances of Vietnamese.
The
auction times were also very excited and energetic.
Most surprising on me was that my host family showed up without a prior notice. In fact,
Mayu wanted to make a surprise to me, so they had kept it as a secret. This brought lots of
encouragements on me to do my best, and I essentially put all I had during the performance.
During the exhibition, I showed Mayu around, and led her to taste various kinds of foods
from ASEAN countries. She enjoyed quite a bit, which made me really happy. During the
auction, my host family won the bid of my auction item, the Benjarong. They were very
kind to get my bidding. Note that all money collected from the action went to Fish, who
will conduct his development projects in rural areas in Lao.
Facilitation skills
Introductory of the facilitation skills presented an alternative way of learning, that is
“learning by doing.” In this class, Kieko Tsubaki first gave a quick overview about the
facilitation skills, showed us different style of facilitations, in which every one had a
chance to take turn to practice their facilitation skills. Later on, all group members have an
opportunity to give compliments as well as useful comments for the person to improve.
We all really felt the 2-day session was too short, because the time really flew; however,
what we learnt is quite significant. The sincere comments from our group members as
well as Kieko sun are very much valuable for us to enhance our facilitation skills.
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Seminars
Seminars were the sessions that we learnt various aspects of social and business issues.
The first day was regarding the enterprise (Family Mart). In the morning session, the
instructors from the Family Mart gave a brief overview of Family Mart, peppered with
quizzes throughout the class. Coming from the strong engineering background, I
broadened my perspectives into the business and enterprise, especially the business model
of a convenient store. The afternoon session was the questions/answers session, followed
by the quiz session. The questions were primarily on the strategic location issues of
convenient stores. We were separated into 3 groups, and each group gave their best in
order to win the 1000 Yen free gift to shop at any Family Mart store. In the first seminar,
other learning about the enterprise system, I realized that the quiz session and Q/A session
were very powerful to capture the interest of participants throughout the class, and made
participants thinking simultaneously while the instructors teach. This knowledge, in turn,
seemed to stick to our memory for some time.
In the second seminar, the political system, Professor Tsuboi began the session by country
presentations of three countries with different political systems, including Lao, Indonesia
and Vietnam. The discussions came natural among us towards individual countries. Then,
participants from Malaysia, Thai and Myanmar were requested to make a special
presentation regarding their current political issues in their respective country. In the
afternoon, Professor Tsuboi gave a brief overview on the political system in Japan. In
addition, he spent large amount of time sincerely speaking about serious social problems
currently occurred in Japan. This was quite a surprise that there were serious unrevealed
social problems that came from the rapid economic and technology development in Japan.
The professor stressed that we all should learn the lessons from Japan, and try to avoid
repeating the wrong footsteps. The professor was very knowledgeable and frankly
expressed opinions on the political issues in ASEAN countries as well as Japan, making
this seminar not only informative, but pleasurable also.
Japanese aesthetic was the topic that I was least familiar with, so I really keened to learn
about Japanese aesthetic from the class. In addition, my wife, who did not have the
opportunity to participate the IATSS forum, was quite excited about this particular seminar,
so it added up my curiosity entering the seminar. Here, Professor Fister described and
showed various Japanese aesthetic from her point of view in the morning, and led us to one
famous temple in the Arashiyama area in the afternoon. The class was pleasurable and
appreciable, but it took lots of my energy, perhaps because I had a lot to learn. This
seminar, to me, showed that each of the products/processes was quite unique, and we, in
fact, can really appreciate its uniqueness and beauty on anything in the world if we pay
enough attention. One of the professor slides on a Japanese poem on the top of a picture
reach my heart, so that after the class, I practiced what I learnt from the class by
composing a poem on a Japanese postcard (made of wood) for my lovely angle in Thailand.
In my opinion, my work really integrated all of the four characteristics of Japanese style,
namely, suggestions, uniqueness, simplicity, and replenishment. This, of course, will be
given to my wife when I arrive home.
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In the fourth seminar, we were exposed to the oversea development agencies (ODAs) in
the world. Professor Mizota gave an excellent overview on the current situations, the
trends, and the dynamic of international ODAs in general. Through the country
presentations from our colleagues, we also learnt more about the ODAs in action,
particularly in Lao, Cambodia and Myanmar. In the afternoon, we divided into three
groups, and conducted a group discussion on a given topic. Our group focused on the
problems of the investment/grant from ODAs not reaching to the right group of people in
need, and how we should solve it. By the guidance of Professor Mizota, our group reached
a solution that each country should have a specific one stop service that is responsible for
1. collection of statistics related to the problems
2. conducting feasibility study before the project proposal
3. involving central government, local citizens and NGOs.
4. overseeing the project.
Due to the family emergency of the lecturer, the fifth seminar regarding the NGOs and
MDGs was cancelled. So, we had a free day to do our own plan.
The sixth seminar was about the One Village One Product (OVOP). It was led by
Professor Fumihiko Adachi, who has
much experience in the OVOP projects
not only in Japan, but also in a few
ASEAN countries, including Thailand.
On that day, we, Thai participants, were
selected to make a country presentation
regarding the original, the trends and the
problems of the on-going OTOP projects
in Thailand. In fact, we brought an
example of real OTOP food from Singburi
for all of us to try out. They were snacks
that were made of catfishes. Most of the
participants were afraid of the snacks at the beginning, but they became like one of the
food items eventually.
After the country presentations, professor Adachi gave a talk on his general knowledge on
the history of OVOP projects in Japan as well as his experience in other countries.
Professor Adachi was indisputably a knowledgeable person, and we of course learnt a lot
from him, especially for those countries that have never implemented such projects. In the
afternoon, we had a chance to develop a business plan for an item selected from the
respected countries, which even further deepen our understandings on such projects.
The seminar on Environment and Sustainable Asia, was led by Professor Kazuo
Matsushita. Specifically, Professor Matsushita focused on how to balance economic
growth and environmental conservation in Asia. As we all know, ASEAN countries
compose of diverse stages of economic and social development; however, the overall
environment and sustainable development conditions share similar characteristics, and are
now facing numerous challenges including air, waste, solid waste, noise, traffic, slums, etc.
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From the seminar, we were exposed to various outstanding environmental issues in Asia.
This would require immediate, creative actions from various stakeholders to overcome
these problems, so that one nation can enjoy the development in a sustainable fashion.
The 8th seminar on Education was held in Nagoya, and led by Professor Yuto Kitamura.
Professor Kitamura is talent in communications in front of the group. He is also
outstanding in handling people and difficult questions as well as managing time. The topic
was very challenging as we realized that it is perhaps the most important element of the
development in the society. Previous international movements agreed that the education
is the basic human rights, and everyone should have right to get sufficient education so that
they will not be taken advantages from other people. However, the international consensus
from the first international meetings was, and the second, both are not likely to achieve its
goals in every country. Nevertheless, they were considered as a good international move.
In the afternoon, we had a chance to take various roles in improving the education system
in assigned countries. It was fun and enjoyable communications, and we exchange
ideas/perspectives on such a topic.
The seminar on Japanese Culture II – Japanese Budo: the martial ways of Japan was one of
the very interesting seminars. The lecturer, Alex, is every knowledgeable, and he actively
practiced Kendo. His distinct method of giving clear and stimulus messages excited us
regarding the overview and the history of the Japanese martial arts from 600 years ago till
now. He brought various practice gears for us to see and feel. One of the concept “Zanshin” learnt from Kendo impressed me in that it could be applied on our everyday life, and
be useful for us to be cautious of very moment. In the whole afternoon, we actually had a
chance to practice some simple Kendo movements. It was fun, but really informative
showing us how to compose ourselves in various Kendo postures. And the fun part of the
all is the Kendo competition among all participants by using the helmets and the fake
sword. It was a fun experience!!!
In Yokohama, we had the 10th seminar on “Research and Development” at one of the highend laboratory of the TOTO factories. The lecturer team briefed us in the morning a
history of the TOTO company, as well as shared how TOTO do the R&D. Particular
interest was given to the washlet, and the automatic cleaning system after we finish using
the toilet. In the room, we also see different models of washlet as well as the latest toilet
seat systems available in the market. The afternoon session was the tour around the
research & development facilities of TOTO. It is quite amazed us TOTO spent lots of
efforts and investment to build research facilities for testing and developing new products.
This shows that each of TOTO products before came out of the market has to pass through
intensive research and development process until it meets the satisfactory results. This
intensive style of R&D is quite unique in Japanese companies.
Our last seminar was also held in Tokyo, on the topic of Enterprise Strategies II with
Family Mart. It was the second to the first seminar with the same lecturers. Our
assignment of the day is that each group was to check/visit three Family Mart stores near
Sunshine building, and observe the expected number of customers by checking various
factors from the list. The lecturer team handed in a free 1000-yen gift card to shop at
Family Mart for lunch. Our group had divided tasks to each member, so each person can
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focus a few issues at the time. In the afternoon, each group has to present their comments
on the three convenient stores, while guessed on which store has the highest number of
customers. We all three groups got the wrong answers, and the correct answer was
identified by the lecturer teams with a thorough explanation. This last seminar exposed me
regarding the enterprise strategies, as a continuation of the seminar. It was pleasurable
learning experience.
Home Stay
Perhaps, the most touching moment among the IATSS forum activities was the home stay.
We were all excited to visit Ise City one more time after the Gasshuku, and met the host
family for the first time. According to the information provided in advance, my host
family comprises of 5 members, Mitsuru and Syuko and the three kids, Naoki, Sayaka and
Mayu, and many pets, such as rabbits, cats. They were a warm family; they spent most of
their time in the family room, sat, watched TV, played computer games together. All
three kids were nice as they helped their parents on some little housework. The kids were
respectful to their parents, and abide by the house’s rules. Sayaka and Mayu helped
serving me snacks and drinks all the time. Both parents were very gentle, caring and
facilitating my staying very well. They were comfortably enough to speak with me in
Japanese, which I really did not understand, but of course, this showed a supreme
generosity and a superb effort to communicate from my host family. This, once again,
confirmed the huge hospitality of Japanese that any other nationalities can hardly match.
The home stay session also offered me opportunities to explore the world. The first day
we went to the Aquarium in Ise City, visited the husband-wife rocks. On the second day,
we spent most of the day to the Ise Shrine and the shops in the vicinity. Mayu, the
youngest daughter, held my hands almost the entire day. We had local noodle specialty,
Ise Soba, for lunch before we explored the vicinity shops more in the afternoon. At dinner,
Mitsuru-san showed his specialty on the curry rice. It is the most delicious curry beef I
ever had in my life.
Their house was rather big, but their heart was much bigger. They treated me as a family
member naturally, especially Sayaka and Mayu, who always came around and played with
me. Even though they both cannot speak English, and I myself cannot speak Japanese, but
language barriers played only little roles in our friendship. On the day that I left, it was
quite a surprise that I had to hold my tears back on the way to the train station. Although
the Tatsuda family was very nice and kind to me throughout my visit, I was uncertain on
how they really felt about me until the farewell
time. At first, I thought only Syuko would just
dropped me off at the station. In fact, every one
came to the station to say good-bye to me, and
they even bought a ticket to send me off inside the
station. This made me truly realize how they
thought about me. Their huge hospitality here and
a few letters afterward had brought me to Ise City
again on one of my free days. I just followed my
heart back to my home in Japan, the Tatsuda
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family in Ise City. The rest of the story will be in my memory forever…
I know in my heart, I will never forget them, and I anticipate making my family as warm
as the Tatsuda’s family.
Individual Planed day
The important lesson that I learnt through the individual plan days is that “if we plan our
trip well in advance, we will have an opportunity to see more places and feel more things,
while reduce chance of getting lost in a place that we are unfamiliar with.” With a
requirement to submit our plan early and guidance of IATSS staff, most of us already had a
good travel plan for the two-day travel in Kyoto and another two-day travel in Tokyo. I
had a chance to visit all of the places that I planned for. They were quite an experience
sightseeing many world heritages, temples, and cultural events in Kyoto.
In fact, Kyoto was a large yet peaceful city. It has
such a nice transportation system that is quite well
integrated. With the subway lines, the bus lines,
pleasant nice footpath for walking and bicycling,
important places in Kyoto was easy to access.
The available subway and bus routes are in an
easy to read format, so that it made the trip
planning easy and pleasant. Even though, we got
lost some times, we were able to manage back on
track.
The capital city, Tokyo, was much different from Kyoto. It was vibrant city, that almost
all of the major areas (Ginza, Akihabara, Shibuya, Asakusa) were crowded with
pedestrians. The comprehensive subway system and the JR lines make all important
places accessible without a personal transportation. Subways were quite convenient and
punctual, which facilitated us to visit many interesting areas and observe modern culture in
the capital city. Harajuku was perhaps the most interesting place to visit in Tokyo trip, as
we saw teenagers dressing cos-plays, and showing various kind music performances on the
streets on Sunday afternoon.
Conclusion
Throughout the 55 days, the forum had given me excellent opportunities to know and live
with ASEAN and Japanese friends, to explore current social and environment issues of the
world (through a series of the seminars), to learn Japanese culture and traditions (through
Japanese cultural introduction day and home stay), to taste various delicious Japanese food
(provided throughout the forum), to visit several beautiful and exciting places in Japan
(through the individual plan days), to collaborate with friends to accomplish difficult tasks
(through a group project and a cultural exchange day), to grow (through Gasshuku), to love
(through home stay), and to appreciate (through the thoughtful and caring assistance of
IATSS staff). It is undeniable that the participation of the IATSS forum is one of my
greatest experiences ever in my life.
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Sharing 55 day-stay experience in Japan.
Nguyen Lan Anh
Vietnam
GOOD MORNING JAPAN IN MY COMING DREAM.
Everything seemed ready for me to go to Japan, my job starts temporarily being handed
over and arrangement in family work has been done. Only in my mind so far was to stay in
Japan in 55 days and surely I would gain much knowledge during the valuable time, for
instance cultural exchange experience, presentation and interpersonal skills. I imagined
that I would improve myself much that self development chance maybe helps me to be a
more professional leader later?!. I have thought much what and how I should present at the
Forum, status and opinion about proposal topics, Vietnamese cultural characters. I was so
curious to know about Japan, country and people.
I have been much impressed by IATSS forum organizers’ support enthusiasm at the
beginning. They have highly paid much attention to details and well prepared for us that
their efforts had made me admire. I was sure that I would discover much more impressions
during my stay in Japan, such as high modern technology, traditions, a well preserved
culture, artful delicious food, and people with punctual and hard working style in my
thinking. I was eager to go to Japan and I would like to express my sincere thanks to the
Japanese Government, the IATSS forum committee, all organizers, coordinators, the
IATSS secretary in my country.
15 th September 2008-arrival at Japan
I experienced two airline routes, from Hanoi to
Bangkok and then from Bangkok to Nagoya airport. It
took total nearly 10 hours. Finally, I met all people at
the airport. We were warmly welcomed, picked up and
taken to Garden Flower Hotel after two hours by bus.
After only one hour for checking in, we started one
orientation.
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Team Building
There were four days, three nights in Gasshuku for
the training course of team building. The tight
schedule includes so many activities and games. I
was active, enthusiastic and friendly so I liked all
what I learned via the games so much. However,
some of strong games made my legs painful. My
hurting in some days later made me miss my mum
and family a lot. In Gasshuku, sometimes I wished I
could have twenty minutes for break of walking
around, enjoying the atmosphere there.
The first lesson, I have learned after that I should understand myself first, my health, my
ability and learn how to adapt my self with a new environment, learn how to balance
between what I can do and what the limitation is.
Among all activities, I liked the drawing process most. I liked the way the coordinator
requested us to draw. In the past, I have never done drawing before. I could not believe
that I could be so interested and pay much attention to drawing like that. Thank you Ms.
Masumi-san
In generally, team building training course was very good, that was a chance of self
discovery, learning and playing methods, self adaptation and development in team. Thank
you Ms. Tomo-san, Ms. Masumi-san, we highly appreciate your experience, your effort to
encourage and share with us.
Opening Ceremony
I liked the process of Japanese preparation that was very specific and logical. We have
practiced a short speech in Japanese before, following the detailed schedule. As a result,
we have made the ceremony successful and created a good impression at first to the local
guests.
After opening ceremony, I had a chance to
talk with so many Japanese people, but
surprisingly, many of them have ever
come to Vietnam or will come to visit
Vietnam soon. I liked a comment from
one professor who stayed in Vietnam less
than one week
that he likes the
Vietnamese faces, showing active, fast
especially when seeing the eyes of
children, and that he is impressed by the
way the Vietnamese female with skirts
sitting behind the motorbike in Hanoi,
seems very relax and enjoyable.
Only some days passed by, I also started liking Japanese. Their behavior and manner show
the good knowledge.
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It was really a cultural exchange day to me. I met a lot of local volunteers. Many among
them have ever supported IATSS forum more than 20 years which is hardly believable to
me. We had a chance to wear Kimonos, experience
the tea festival, learning how to live in a Japanese
family; the way of leaving the slippers before
entering the house, how to eat and how to take Onsen,
how to make a bed. The introduction was so
meaningful to us to understand Japanese culture and
to prepare for the time of home stay. We had a very
good time with the local volunteers; we danced,
drank and tasted the Japanese food etc. I loved
Japanese pizza by the love story of the chief and the
process of making it. We danced and enjoyed the arts
of Japanese culture too much. Thank you all volunteers. I will keep my impression of your
warm hospitality in my whole life. Thank you.
Seminar on Population
I have ever heard much about the population topic at University or in my daily life in my
country. I was so interested in this topic because Population in Vietnam is still considered
a hot issue. The agenda was presented by Ms. Kyoko Ikegam, the Director UNFPA Tokyo
office. With her wide knowledge and experience in population issue worldwide, she
supported us to understand more such a global issue. We together raised problems related
to population of each country, most of which we can find somewhere in some countries,
for instance, non- organization list, poverty, inequality, gender, HIV, prostitution etc. After
the agenda, I thought and withdraw three factors affecting directly the social issues,
including economy; education progress, media, and culture change to positive way.
We had a chance to make the research on population issue. Our group members come from
Singapore, Philippine, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. We had difficulties in
overcoming the different cultures, knowledge backgrounds and opinions. We had much
discussion, sometimes discussions moved to different ways. But finally we found the
opinion in common. Step by step, we learnt how to work together. We could find and share
the information resource together, did the survey and analyze the data, made the
presentation together. All of us were so happy because via making the research, we could
know how to get over the barrier of different culture and opinion to have a common voice.
Facilitation training
I know some knowledge of facilitation skill somewhere and somehow at university and at
my work. But I still liked this training much which helped me systemize the knowledge of
facilitation skill and improve myself. The facilitation skill is very necessary for a young
leader or simply in a daily communication. The training encouraged participants more
confident, skillful in contact etc. that maximize the capability of a whole participation, and
the ability development of making presentations or speech in public etc.. I did not have
many chances to practice as a facilitator during the training due to the time so that I could
not understand clearly what my exact my weakness in facilitation skill is.
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Home stay
We started leaving the hotel 8.10 on 27 th Sept. 2008 by bus, then went to Ise by railway.
My host family picked me up at Ise Station. I could feel that she was very nice when I met
her for the first sight. I was warmly welcomed by all family members. One of the most
things surprised me was that my host mother had so many volunteer classes teaching at
home. She teaches different age level from English to some life skills for their better self
development. In the evening, we, 17 junior students cooked Japanese spaghetti and made
Japanese cake and enjoyed eating together. We introduced ourselves to each other. I took
my computer with me and showed them some slides about my country, my daily life. Most
of them were very nice and eager to know about Vietnam. Some of them told me that they
had a chance to experience home stay in America and travel to some countries so I felt
they were lucky.
I was so lucky to have my host mother who can speak
English very well. She could read my thinking and
shared my feeling like in a family. We, my host
family, her mother in laws, my host father’s elder
brother have experienced one day for sightseeing. We
visited Ise Grand Shires, walked along beach, had
Japanese Karaoke and enjoyed Japanese food. I had
chances to talk with middle aged and old people. I
found that Japan has much unique that we can not find
in other countries like sumo, sushi, kimono, cars and
high life expectancy rate etc.
I wonder why Japanese can live so long, from my observation I found that Japanese people
work hard but they follow a good routine, enjoy many activities. I saw the host father’s
mother, who is 84 years old, walking and singing karaoke very well. I thought of my mum
and my life and wish to be able to be happy with life like them. In my country, according
to the nearest statistic, our expectancy life is about 72 years old while Japanese is 84 years
old. A more than 10 year gap can demonstrate many things about living standard?
I liked home stay time because I could feel, taste and experience Japanese culture. Thank
you IATSS forum for your organizing, thank you for the warm hospitality from my host
family. I hope that we can meet somewhere and I can have a chance to give back my warm
experience to you somehow.
29.09.08 Suzuka City Hall Visit
We had chance to visit the local government in Suzuka. I did not feel very well so I could
not fully participate in the meeting with the City Hall Chairman. One thing that I wanted to
know was how many Vietnamese people are living in Suzuka and what are their
professions. As far as I know there are more than 100 Vietnamese living in Suzuka and
here there is an international university, biggest Honda factory, location of car races etc.
Suzuka Police Station Visit
I was impressed by the figure of death rate in 2007 by accident in Suzuka was 12 persons.
It was hard to believe in comparison with traffic status in Vietnam. I could see the
demonstration of finding the proof in investigation such as finger print or the process of
managing data and investigation the criminals etc.
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Honda Suzuka Factory Visit
This was the first time in my life I could see the assembly line with my own eyes. It was
amazing to me. Only 45 seconds, one car can be ready to enter the market. I was much
impressed by operating robot system. Most of the dangerous assembly jobs have been done
by robots. Robot operation in Honda factory made me related to some films about robot. I
wondered what will happen if robots are out of control??? And I could have an answer
why ASIMO becomes of symbol of Honda (bring the slogan Power of dream). The more
modern Asimo robot is, the more developed Honda factory shows. But what a pity, I could
not meet ASIMO in Japan that was not like my expectation.
01.10.08 Enterprise Strategies
I expected that seminar in Enterprise Strategies would cover the big scale of business and
then narrow the topic, focusing on Family Mart and the general manager of Family Mart
can speak English. But in fact the seminar went in details about the business status of
Family Mart in Japan. I learned that so far, Family Mart has been running business in
Japan, Thailand, US, China and South Korea, in the future Family Mart will expand into
some markets in Asian countries.
Now, I understand the differences between
the convenience store (Family Mart) and
supermarkets, from its business strategies,
purpose, strict control quality etc.. There
were some surprising information that, there
are approximately 7,000 Family Marts in
Japan, there are 858 customers comes to
each Family Mart everyday, and each
Family Mart has from 27.000 to 28.000
items etc. I can also understand why Family
Mart can not enter some markets soon so far,
among so many reasons; one of the most
important reasons is that they can not receive
the support from local government’s policy in such countries. In fact, some countries want
to protect the local business so they create some barriers. During the seminar, we had some
exercises related to how to choose and analyze the good location, bringing best profit for
Family Marts’ business. In general, I liked the seminar because it focuses on a specific
case, business of Family Mart that helps me somehow to learn some specific business
techniques in this area, too.
02.10.08 - Political System.
Political system was a field that I thought I have much limited understanding most but I
was eager to know most. I consider Politic takes a very important part in each country and
effecting directly to other social fields and each person. What I could learn from this
seminar?? First, The overview of the political system of each country under sharing
knowledge, observation and personal point of view from each participant about political
system in each country. Second, we shared some overview about political system and
social issues in Japan. Third, all participants were free to share their open opinions about
the current political status of each country at the open IATSS forum. The lecture of Prof.
Yoshiaru Tsuboi was so interesting. With his broad knowledge of politics and society in
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Asian countries and Japan in particular, in addition to his experience in doing research and
writing books about political, all our concerning questions were answered easily and
satisfactorily. Thanks to his working experience as a specialized researcher in political
system in Vietnam, My presentation in our country also became so easy and well like that.
He supported me in answering some questions about comments and evaluation about
political system from other participants.
03.10.08- Traffic Education Center Visit
We gathered at the entrance of IATSS forum leaving for Traffic education Center Visit.
We had experience the introduction about traffic safety education, what dangerous signal
in the street we can recognize, how to avoid unsafe traffic situations etc. We had a chance,
experiencing Honda car driving. I myself felt pity not being able to drive the car and
strongly recommend for the next participant if you have got the car license and ever driven
the car in your country, please do not be scared to drive the car in the education center. It
was a good chance to experience and have good feeling. There are some differences in the
process of testing the car license here; the traffic education center here can create the real
situation like running the car under raining (maybe for snowy weather) and park at the
speech of 60 for instance. I wished to have CD copy about the theory testing process about
the traffic laws. I expected to see the difference between car driving license process in
Japan and what I experienced in Vietnam. We had chance to see the car race track in
Suzuka, the places for audience , or controller of the car race or sporty cars for racing that
I can see only TV before.
04.10.2008 Individual Plan
I have made the detailed plan following the plan model. I think that it was good and
detailed information and changed some locations on the second day individual plan. But
finally I have joined in the group one day and a half. We got lost sometimes and had to
take the taxi to hotel. But I withdraw one experience that taxi in Kyoto if you go with 4
persons, in some short distance, especially some temples far from the station like Toji
Temple from the station to Toji and back streets, we should take the taxi, because it is
reasonable and convenient.
Among all temples we have visited, I liked Nijo
Castle most which is recognized as an Unesco
World Heritage Site, because it has a big
compound including Honmaru palace, Ninomaru
garden which reminds me remember the
compound of Louis Castle XIV in Paris, the
garden is carefully cared and taken much effort of
people to put on it. I can look at the architecture,
enjoy the fresh air there
06.10.08 Kyoto Imperial Palace.
We walked from Hotel to Kyoto Imperial Palace. I did not check the information about the
history of Japan but according to one Japanese tour guide said that Nara, Kyoto are used to
be capitals of Japan. Nara experienced more than 200 years, and Kyoto was more than
1000 years. Maybe, that is a reason why I find Kyoto Imperial Palace the nicest place of all.
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We could look at the architecture of palace, and stories related to the life of emperors and
their family etc. With its huge compound make me feel relaxation in a well cared garden
with many trees.
11.10.08 Exchange time with local volunteer
In fact, there were at least two times to present the country presentations, First when we
came to Japan, after team building training,
second when in Suzuka, each country will
make presentation about country and an
ordinary day during the exchange time with
volunteers. Most of volunteers know
information about each country so we can
bring them some more interesting
information if sharing with them about an
ordinary day and in combination with
displaying some items of your country.
13.10.08 OVOP- One village one product
I wanted to understand more about the concept of one village one product, the requirement
and the implementation process of this project. Three countries were chosen to present
about their status, comment about the concept OVOP implementation in their country. In
fact, the concept word can be changed depending on each country, for instance, in
Malaysia it is called SDSI (one district one industry), in Thailand it is called OTOP (One
town one product) or in Philippine, it is also called OTOTP (one town one product) but in
general the project OVOP has the common purposes like increasing the living standard of
local people, creating job, extra income or capacity development. For the government, it is
useful for community empowerment, self reliance community or nation export increase.
There are still some difficulties in implementation such as lack of continuations,
insufficient assistance from the government etc. For me, I wish Vietnam has such
programs for local people because the program can bring potential development for local
products, pushing up local business, increasing the living quality of local people. As far as
I understand that Thailand is one of country carry out this program very well however,
movement of OVOP can only develop reaching good quality that requires the support from
government and their relevant bodies.
15.10.08 Visit to Nara with volunteers.
We went to Nara with volunteers in Suzuka. I was surprised to meet the family volunteer
who was told by previous participant in Vietnam. We were divided into small groups with
5 persons in one group; visiting Todaiji Temple and Horyu-ji temple, the architecture of
Horyu-ji temple made me think of its similarities with Toji temple in Kyoto. I think that
Japan is famous for having many temples that are World Cultural Heritage Site of Unesco
(more than 10). We could see the valuable structure treasures and nice compound of the
temples. And especially we could see the biggest bronze statue there.
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18.10.08 Cultural Exchange Day
I have made effort to prepare all material
from Vietnam. I even could not take the
warm clothes with me because of the
overweight of material preparation for New
Year. I read the report of the previous
participant and was shared the stories about
feeling of my previous country participants
when she joined the program alone. Thus, I
have well prepared very carefully all the
material and thought much what and how I
would present here. In fact, all the
participants made an effort to show their best picture about their country at the cultural
exchange day. I was happy to meet my host family at cultural exchange day. I felt warm
from their feeling given to me like my family members, from their effort to drive the car
more than one and a half hour to be in organizing place, and their awareness of charity
auction purpose and buying the auction item from my country at the highest price that was
out of my thinking etc, and I was also so happy to meet one Vietnamese student that
helped me display all material and improve my community spirit. I could sing Quan ho
song and present about my country image exactly what I planed. I joined the group, dance
together and myself enjoyed the event so much.
Environment
This topic was more and more familiar to me because of its important role in global
development. The seminar started with three presentation; urban wastes in Philippines,
traffics issue in Indonesia, environment in Singapore and then presentation by Prof. Kazuo
Matsushita about environmental and sustainable development in South East Asia. I was so
interested in learning the experience about environmental protection policy of Singapore;
their good achievement comes from domestic effort and policy with long term vision.
Among Asian countries, Singapore is the most famous of all for clean air, land, public
health and water. But I was very surprised to know that clean water that the governmental
offices are drinking in Singapore comes from wasted water sources after being applied by
the scientific hi tech. I can see the big gap in urban wastes management capability between
Philippine in particular and Asian countries in general in comparison with Japan. We
watched one video clip about environmental protection of Japanese, also via dialogues, I
understood that beside application to the hi-tech, Japanese are aware and well educated to
have good attitude in protecting the environment.
Group discussion, in fact we were divided the role of each participant but not set up out
plan for each role with specific responsibility but we listed out so many solutions to
improve the traffic system issue in Ho Chi Minh city Vietnam. I liked the topic related to
traffic issue which is a headache issue in my country. Many times, I wonder why in Japan,
many streets in central are not very big but the residents do not suffer from the traffic jam
or chaos. In comparison with my country, I found that beside the problem comes from big
amount of motorcycles and too many traffic in the streets, it is related to low traffic safety
background education, limitation in public transportation development.
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22.10.2008- Seminar Education
.
I always thought that education plays the most
important role in developing the character of each
individual. A good education can change the life
of a person. During the seminar, we shared
education system of Mayama, Singapore and
Malaysia I was so curious about the education
system in Singapore, why so many young
Vietnamese prefer to study in Singapore.
I understand that Singapore has many choices of schools, the school fee is not high in
comparison with other western schools, but the importance of all is the good education
direction. Professor Yuto Kitamara shared with us the role of education for the
Formulation of National identity, lesson from Japanese experience. I was surprised that
Japanese education tends to reduce academic subject but develops the life skill education. I
admired the education direction adjustment that is suitable with society development trend
27.10.2008-TOTO factory
After taking the railway from Suzuka and one hour by bus, we checked in the hotel on
26.10.2008 and the next morning we moved directly to ToTo factory which is located in
Tokyo. The seminar was organized in the factory (including Co-corporate profile, Toto
Philosophy System, talking about UD Laboratory, Wash let). Toto factory specialized in
producing the restrooms, kitchens, baths, sinks. After the seminar, we had a study tour,
around the lab. It was so interesting for me to hear about the history of the wash let (seat
type) and its sales promotion. I understand that to be successful the business owner insists
on innovation and never give up extending and developing the ambition aims. Washlet is
useful to health in daily life, in fact the price of the most modern washlet is about 1.500
USD but compared to with its value to the health it is reasonable. I think washlet can be
sold well in Vietnam market, can start applying to the new open hotel or high luxury
shopping centre or new office building and high class households.
28.10.2008- Group study and Dinner with IATSS Forum Tokyo staff
Group study was the worst experience that I had to learn. What I could learn from group
study was that how to overcome the different background, character and education to move
up together even a small step, which situations I could meet when making a consensus
about one issue at the international discussion and how to keep patience when facing some
kick off voice, how to be flexible to accept the process, unsafe internal communication at
the acceptable level, and discover some surprising information about Japanese society
from group discussions with local people about aging population issue in Japan.
It was very interesting to have a chance to talk with IATSS forum Tokyo staff, it was very
open. I could share the opinion based on my observation that via behavior and manner of
Japanese shows a high knowledge, but my feeling was that they were not too open. I was
surprised that she agreed with my thinking. Thanks to the conversation, I could understand
the problem that Japanese people seems difficult to express themselves in face to face
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communication even though they are very excellent in knowledge, education or
experience . We talked open some about the advantages of IATSS forum.
29.10.2008- Enterprise Strategies II.
The process of the seminar in Family mart
this time was very interesting. We learned
from the facts. We were divided into 3
groups and visited 3 Family Marts and took
note the points for checking stores like:
condition of store, condition of location,
condition of catchments areas. Before
visiting, it was very good for a group to
make a consensus about process how to do
the task effectively. Our group with 6
members was divided into 3 small groups,
each only focused on analyzing one category
and giving the mark ranking from 1 to 10
points, when coming back we started discussing, based on the figure evaluation. In general,
opening Family mart requires considering the location as the most necessary factor. One of
choosing way of the location was based on the stop evaluation of customers, for instance,
with the building 3 0 floors, If all elevators stop at the fourth floor at the same location,
such place will be considered most to open the Family Mart. I was surprised that to survey
of opening the Family Mart, there is one survey team counting how many people walking,
crossing or entering the Family Mart every day and which time and then analyzing the
capability of market volume, suitability in the catchments area. I liked the process of this
seminar that studying from self observation and then self withdrawing the lessons with the
guidance from lecturer.
31.10.2008 Vietnamese Embassy Visit
I took the train upon the guidance from
IATSS forum to embassy alone. But from the
last train station (Yoyogi Kouen- Chiyoda line
C02), I had to take the taxi to the embassy due
to the tight schedule. The visit seemed very
comfortable after I had a personal contact with
them in combination with formal contact from
IATSS forum. I met Mr. Thu, the second
secretary who is in charge with scholarships,
Vietnamese students, and Vietnamese student
associations in Japan. I was very glad by formal and then informal hospitality of embassy.
I was surprised to see the Altar with Ho Chi Minh statue and one small exhibition with all
Vietnamese traditional items inside the embassy. Embassy is located in a very big
compound in comparison with my imagination before. I proposed to send my entire
presentations slide at IATSS forum to embassy for any young Vietnamese concerns as a
reference. He welcomed and proposes to IATSS forum informing them the chosen list of
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participant of Vietnam at the forum in advance so that in case of needing any support , they
can do.
In the afternoon, I met one group of the VYSA- Vietnam Youth Student Association, all
students were very young, they got the scholarship and study for master degree or doctor.
One of them got the scholarship of Panasonic. They are very excellent. We had a long talk,
shared the experience and impression about Japan. All of them agreed that traffic in Japan
and working style are the best experience for us to learn. We also discussed about some
issues of modern Japanese society.
I liked the plan today because I learned much
from other experience and I can carry out the
individual plan by myself, talking with different
interesting young students.
Individual plan day in Tokyo
We stayed in Villa Fontaine Shiodome hotel
which was very convenient for transportation. On
the first day, I joined the group with friends from
Thailand, Lao, Cambodia and Japan, visiting
Senjoji temple, shrine, Ueno garden and shopping
in Akihabara together.
On the second day, I took the self driven train from the station near the hotel to Odaiba, the
one day ticket price is 800 yen. Then In Odaiba, we took a ship (ticket costs only 460 yen),
moving around Tokyo bay. We could see Fuji TV, a Liberty Statue like in America, a huge
festival organized in the compound of Hotel Nikko Tokyo. I was strongly impressed by
modern sights around the bay, skyscrapers, clean peaceful environment, and reasonable
good service. I looked at natural sights of Halong bay many times in my country but here
is the first time for me to look at the modern man- made sights around bay. It was also
amazing for me to sit in the self driven train from the height to see Tokyo city, Tokyo bay.
The new impression was quite different from my previous trips to France, Germany, and
Czech Republic. Coming Tokyo, looking at the modern of Tokyo, I could feel and
understand more the development of Japan.
Via two days of individual plan in Tokyo, I withdraw one experience, in Japan; Kyoto is
the best place for visiting the palace, shrines, temples or gardens and also the best place to
understand the traditional characteristics of Japan. Tokyo should be a best place to
understand the modern of Japan.
Sharing some personal experience
Preparation for departure- warm clothes; pls. take at least one warm jacket with you
before leaving for Japan, especially with any one going to Japan in September. The
weather changes very often, sunny and then typhoon, hot and cold alternatively that easily
causes sickness. You can take some vitamin and some necessary medicine like flu, cold,
nose wash bottle etc.
If you get sick like catching cold, flu or cough etc, you should propose the request to the
IATSS staff to take you to hospital instead of free using the medicine in your own way. In
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case you have serious sickness, and have to stay in the hospital , all health check fee are
paid by insurance which IATSS have bought for you during the time you are here.
Individual Plan is a good chance to understand yourselves. You should do the individual
plan and carry out on your own. You can experience the good feeling that you can win
yourself. The time in Kyoto is the longest individual plan; it is also the best place for
sightseeing and understanding Japanese culture. In case, you go out with 4 persons, taxi is
one of the best choices for short distance; Kyoto is not very big and not difficult to find the
way to be back the hotel if you get lost. Toji Temple is
a bit far from the station, so pls, take the taxi after
getting out the station instead of walking under the
rain from station to Toji temple like us.
Friends, It is very good to go out or join the activities
with different participants from different countries
during 55 days. You can improve your communication
skill, more comfortable choice to learn, communicate,
and understand yourselves. 55 days is not a short time,
in all case, try the best to find someway you feel
comfortable, enjoy the time here; onsen, swimming,
walking around IATSS compound are good when you
have free time after the seminars. There is a very nice
street for walking on the left of IATSS forum
compound, connecting to Amusement park. If having
the chance going out in the group with volunteers, pls. go a head it is a very good
experience to understand the real life of local Japanese.
GOOD BYE JAPAN!
Time runs by, it is time to say good bye to my friends. I looked back 55 days IATSS forum
in Japan and thought what I have gained via this forum. First, I could make sure that I have
got much knowledge about Japan, including Japanese culture, Japanese people and
Japanese science. Second, IATSS forum is the chance for me to learn more some life skills,
such as communication skills, solution techniques for some situations at multi culture
international forum, stay experience in Japan. Third, IATSS forum is a chance to make self
discovery about the weakness or strength of myself; how to keep patience, how to be
flexible to adapt with new international environment, think and learn from myself and
from other members. The message, I would like to send to next participant is that IATSS
forum is a very unique kind of scholarship, if you are selected to join the forum, in any
cases, please make full use of your time here to learn and enjoy every experience as much
as possible.
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2 weeks at IATSS Forum
Koyata Goto
Japan
I stayed for 2weeks in the IATSS forum. This was very valuable experience for me. We had
many activities at the Forum. I have 3 very impacted memories in IATSS. The 1st one is the
first day of the IATSS. The 2nd one is the GROUP STUDY. And the last one is the
Facilitation Lecture.
The first day
When I arrived at IATSS Forum, I was surprised because
I was the only Japanese participant there. Before arrival,
I didn’t have any information about the participants,
such as which countries do they come from, how many
participants will be joining.
After some explanation of the forum, I went to the
cafeteria to have the lunch, and this was the first place I
met ASEAN participants. I had very short self
introduction then we took lunch together. I felt I was
isolated because every participant looked like friends
except me.
Later, I knew they spent the time together through Gassyuku before I arrived at IATSS
Forum. So they knew each other well than me. I was worried that it would be too long for
me to stay for 2 weeks. But my fear was just like a needless fear. Every participant was
very friendly.
Group Study
The group study theme for us was “Population Issue”.
We had 2 seminars by Kiyoko Ikegami for the
introduction of the theme. I learned basic information of
the population issue such as poverty, gender issue, aging
society and so on. I realized how we didn’t have the
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interested in the world.After the seminar, we started the group work to make project of
proposal for the population issue.
Our team members were Terk from Singapore, Chi-min from Malaysia, Malay from Laos,
Wathana from Cambodia, Yui from Thailand and me. We decided our team name as
“Sudoku”. I like this name. The “Sudoku” is logic-based number-placement puzzle. The
objective is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3
boxes contain the digits from 1 to 9, only one time each. We are come from different
countries but we are standing the same line.
The group study was the hardest work for me at IATSS. I was surprised the other
participants were not specialist of this theme same as me. But they had enough knowledge
to discuss. I was really embarrassed because I didn’t have enough preparation for the group
study. Even though I didn’t have enough skill to discuss, every participant didn’t complain
about me. Sometimes the discussion stopped when somebody asked me my opinion. I
could not say my opinion well enough. But they tried to understand what I wanted to say. I
really appreciated for their support. Finally, I noticed that the most important thing is to
speak out my opinion even I can only say a word instead of complete phrase.
Facilitation Skill
I was interested in this course. I have taken some facilitation lectures in Japanese, but it
was just the explanation of facilitation. So this course was first time to have practice of
facilitation. The facilitation skill is very
important skill and if I get this skill, I will
have the great time in the business.
We had a lot of fun in this course. This
course included many ICE BEAK games. So
participants were very relaxed.
I learned a lot of things, such as mutual
understanding, how to make a group
consensus, keep natural, time management,
give a response, active listening, and so on.
We also learned how to create the project,
project goal, super goal, and project
structures.
Others
We also had the seminars (Political System and Enterprise Strategy) and many field studies.
Through these activities, I learned a lot of things about the differences among ASEAN
countries.
Some of the activities were well-known activities and knowledge for the Japanese, but for
the ASEAN participants, it was first time to join these activities. They were very interested
in these studies. I heard lots of their questions and I realized what I didn’t understand
completely about Japanese culture. Sometimes the other participants asked me about
Japanese culture, but I could not answer for their questions. I wanted to learn about the
differences of the culture among ASEAN countries. But before that I need to learn about
Japanese culture again.
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Conclusion
Actually, I didn’t know about IATSS forum when I was assigned to go to IATSS forum. I
arrived at IATSS forum without enough preparation. But after I spent 2 weeks in IATSS, I
realized that this forum is very valuable opportunity for the global related worker.
I had many experiences that I could not have in the business trip. But without enough
preparation, we could not get enough effect from the forum. For the next participant from
Japan, I would like to recommend you to have enough preparation for the IATSS forum. If
you have enough preparation for not only about the IATSS forum and contents of activities,
but also learning about the Japanese culture, your life at IATSS forum will be more
effective.
I want to say thank you to all of the participants. Actually, I was very nervous for 1st week.
But every participant was very kind and friendly. With their kindness, I was able to relaxed
and had a lot of fun with them. I really had a very impressive and wonderful time.
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My Great Experience at IATSS Forum
Shinpei Yoshida
Japan
1. Why I joined IATSS forum 44th
One month has passed since I joined IATSS forum 44th for 2 weeks and my
hard working has been back. After one month, financial crisis in the world and
foreign exchange rate are creeping on Japanese industries and my work face
with strict recession. For a moment of my work, IATSS 44th DVD reminds me of
my wonderful days in Suzuka city and e-mail correspondence with IATSS
members gives me a relief.
In March 2008, my boss gave me introduction of IATSS forum and
recommended to join from the point of importance to communicate with Asian
members. Actually I had been business trip to some Asian countries but didn’t
have time to communicate with local people. So, this two weeks program was a
chance for me to have a discussion, to know an importance of culture and to
exchange Japanese thinking in Japan. I would like to report from the point of
view “Japanese and Asian”, especially focused on what Japanese should do for
Asian market.
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2. Cultural exchange day
A. Given-up
Cultural exchange day was held at TSU city in October and Exchange was
successfully finished and it seemed that all Japanese visitors were satisfied
with programs. On this report, I may write mainly focused on preparation for
cultural exchange day because I found some interesting things among IATSS
participants.
On the day, before the program began, I helped the display of Vietnam
because participant from Vietnam was only one. I gave some assistance to set
up Vietnam culture display. She wasn’t satisfied with Vietnam’s display in
detail and didn’t settle for anything less. To my surprise, she strained for
display even Cultural exchange day almost started. From these, I found an
importance not to give up if time is up, and this seems closes a mind of never
given up.
B. Logical thinking
One more thing I found was that Japanese tends to hesitate to carry their
points strongly and soon after discussion starts, we hesitate to insist.
Unfortunately I couldn’t insist my opinion also. When discussion started, most
IATSS participants could keep on discussing long, and I learned importance of
negotiation and logical-thinking. Generally speaking, Japanese, including me,
is not good at logical thinking and from IATSS we should learn logically and
strongly if problem is difficult to solve.
3. Notification from Indonesian IATSS participants “What should Japanese
play role in Asian market?”
During my stay at IATSS, I had chances to talk and exchange my opinions
related with my job. Some participants have driven cars or ridden motorcycles
in their countries and they know Honda mobility
When a lecture about environmental issues was held at IATSS, Indonesian
participants had a presentation about motorcycle pollution problems. I know at
Indonesian market motorcycle market is very huge, but didn’t know that bad
fuel-emission motorcycle caused bad pollution.
376
According to their presentations, motorcycles cause traffic jam when rush
our, and rush ours cause bad pollution and because of that, some people get
allergy and asthma. Their presentation rose how we should stop environmental
problems in Indonesia and all participants played role and suggested their
ideas and comments.
Honda Motor introduces a low-emission vehicle and programmed fuel
injection which emission is much cleaner than other competitor’s one, but non
of participants knew this action.
In my opinion, even if company has an effort of business to research and
develop low-emission vehicles and market share grows up, it is hard to let them
know our business toward environment. We are proud of doing business at
Asian market and being market leader, but I found that I need to more deep
and grass-roots action plan which make all Asian people satisfied.
So Indonesian presentation provided a “notice “for my thinking and
working style and I need to effort to think “what is the real customer
satisfactions for Asian?” and “What should we think towards Asian and Asian
market as one of Asian.
Past two years work at Honda Motor I should more research and study an
impact of our environmental effect for customers, but I found I couldn’t.
Indonesian IATSS presentation provides me most important thing in my life.
377

IATSS Forum

Transcription

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