November 1 - 4, 2007
Field Trip ～TOYOTA, Ninjya & Mt.Koya～
Last November, the ICC visited Nagoya, Mie, and World Heritage Site Mount Koya! Leaving Tokyo behind them for 4 days, international and local student participants made new friendships, and learnt more about not only Japan, but about different regions around the world though lively discussions and exchange with each other. The trip ended at Shin Osaka station, and as proof of the lasting bonds that were made during the trip, participants busily exchanged contact details before parting ways.
【Places Visited】
Toyota Factory, Toyota Kaikan Museum, Takada Junior and Senior High School, Moku-moku Tezukri Farm, Iga Ninja Museum, Mount Koya, Kongobu-ji Temple, Reihokan
【Highlights】
The Shinkansen, the production line at the Toyota Factory, meeting the Takada school students, the barbeque, outdoors bath, farm work, milking the cows, Iga beef lunch, staying at a monastery, watching the Buddhist ceremonies, Mount Koya.
●International Student, Female
I'm sure not everyone is lucky enough to have the opportunity to sleep in a monastery and be served by priest apprentices. Moreover, be able to enjoy traditional Buddhist ceremonies very early in the morning and typical Buddhist cuisine.
●International Student, Male
I can say that I met new people, learned a lot and had a great time during this trip; what else can I ask for? Maybe another field trip. Thanks for the opportunity, it was amazing!
●International Student, Male
During the field trip I was able to learn about Japan's cultural aspects including transportation, life at temples, Japanese companies, farm work, life at schools and attitudes from other native Japanese toward foreigners. I was surprised by the schedule because in a short period of time we were able to visit many places.
●International Student, Female
I thought the field trip more than exceeded my expectations. Not only was I able to make a bunch of new friends, but I was also able to experience things I probably would never have experienced had it not been for this field trip.
●International Student, Female
I loved the fact that we were mixed in with Japanese people, because back in the classrooms, we didn’t have that many opportunities to meet them. Meeting new friends was definitely a highlight.
●International Student, Female
Through this trip I was able to meet a lot of people from different campuses of Waseda University and formed closer relationships with some of the people from my dormitory who also participated in this trip. A big bonus that I earned on this trip is the chance to practice my Mandarin. Although I know that I should have tried to practice my Japanese only.
●International Student, Male
The whole field trip was just like a dream. Good weather, good company, and a good itinerary make the trip perfect.
●International Student, Female
Having Japanese to accompany me during the whole trip not merely enabled us to know more about one another, but also provided the chance to practice our Japanese in day-to-day circumstances. Not until then did I realize how limited my vocabulary was. After coming back from the trip, I actually felt that my Japanese has improved.
●Local Student, Female
Not being keen on English and having no experience in international exchange, I felt quite insecure about joining the trip alone. However, on the first night this anxiety disappeared. The Chinese student who became my roommate talked to me in Japanese. Although I am now studying Mandarin, her Japanese was so good that I had no chance to show my Chinese skills. If there was something we could not understand we used gestures, and used the dictionary as a last resort. That was all we needed to laugh a lot together.
●Local Student, Male
Regardless of whether you speak different languages, if you truly strive to understand each other you can cross any border. That is what I learned from this trip. These four days completely changed my views on international exchange.
●Local Student, Male
I could answer when asked questions such as why katakana is used when writing "Toyota" and "Honda" in Japanese. For us these things have become part of our daily life to an extent that we seldom think of them. This point of view was new for me and made me realize that there are many things I still don't know about the country I am living in.
●Local Student, Male
Getting closer to the international students in such a different environment was a real "cross-cultural exchange" experience. Going to places I had never been to and experiencing new things was also a kind of cross-cultural experience.
●International student, Female
While watching the production process at the Toyota factory I caught myself thinking that it would be good if I could work there even if it was only for a day.
●Local Student, Female
I experienced many new things and made many new friends during this trip. Talking to the international students made me realize many things I didn't know about Japan and I also could see how people from other countries see us.
●Local Student, Male
During the trip I could not talk to everyone and there were people to whom I could only exchange a few words. However after finishing the trip participants have had the opportunity to meet each other again, and even go out for dinner!
