2017 Taiwan
Discover the similarities and differences between Japan and Taiwan through fieldwork in the city and student exchanges!
Period: Monday, April 3rd to Friday, April 7th, 2017
schedule
| 1日目 | Departing from Narita Airport to Taipei |
|---|---|
| 2日目 | Visit to Martyrs' Shrine and National Palace Museum Fieldwork in Taipei City with students from National Taipei University of Business |
| 3日目 | Visit to Taiwan Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Fieldwork in Shifen and Jiufen |
| 4日目 | Visit to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Student exchange event at National Taipei University of Business From Taiwan Taoyuan Airport to Narita Airport |
| 5日目 | Return to Narita Airport |
Learn about Taiwan's history - National Martyrs' Shrine and National Palace Museum
To learn about Taiwan's history, we visited the National Palace Museum and the Martyrs' Shrine, which honours the war dead. Many of the more than 690,000 items in the National Palace Museum's collection were transferred from the Palace Museum in Beijing by the Kuomintang, who retreated to Taiwan after the civil war. It can be said to be a culmination of Chinese art and culture. Learning about the historical background of these items in Taiwan deepened my understanding of the relationship between China and Taiwan.
Experiencing everyday life in Taiwan: Fieldwork in Taipei City
The participants visited tourist spots in Taipei City with local students as their guides. They communicated with the local students by asking them questions in English about the cultural significance and popularity of the places they visited. They also rediscovered the appeal of Taiwanese tourist destinations such as Shilin Night Market, experienced everyday life in Taiwan, and realized the differences between Japanese culture and Taiwan.
Learning about Japanese companies expanding overseas - Visit to Taiwan Yamaha Locomotive Industry Co., Ltd.
We visited Taiwan Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., a local subsidiary of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., a major motorcycle manufacturer. We spoke with the general manager (president) about the differences between the Japanese and Taiwanese markets and the products sold in Taiwan, a motorcycle powerhouse. We also learned about important aspects of Japanese companies and their employees working locally.
Learning about Japan-Taiwan relations: Visit to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association
I visited the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, a public interest incorporated foundation that serves as the liaison office for Taiwan in Japan. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association is an organization that maintains private exchange relations with Taiwan, with which Japan does not officially have diplomatic relations, and performs the functions of an overseas diplomatic mission such as an embassy or consulate. I spoke with the Leader of the Cultural Affairs Division about Japan-Taiwan relations, the situation in Taiwan, and the work of the Exchange Association, and gained a deeper understanding of the relationship between Japan, Taiwan, and China.
Exchange event with local students ~ National Taipei University of Business
The students visited National Taipei University of Business and held a networking event. Following self-introductions, each team presented the results of their fieldwork in Taipei. While the students and local students prepared for their presentations primarily in English, there were many parts that they struggled to communicate. This made them realize how difficult it is to communicate their intentions in English, and served as an opportunity to increase their motivation for future studies.
Taiwan was a place where I was constantly surprised by how much more developed it was than I had imagined, with streets without a speck of trash and trains that run every second. Also, through my interactions with local students, I was made painfully aware of my own lack of English ability and felt the need to study. At the same time, I realized that it was important not only to study a language, but also to actually get out of Japan and experience foreign cultures and communicate with local people.
Yuriko Tamaki (graduated from Ichikawa Higashi High School)
At the exchange event with Taipei Business University, although I struggled with English, I was able to have fun communicating by making full use of gestures and facial expressions. As a result, I ended up joining a group with local students, who I hit it off with and who I still keep in touch with today. I realized that it's important to have fun talking rather than trying desperately to communicate.
Misaki Usuzawa (graduated from Morioka Chuo High School)
Hearing from the Taiwanese students about the wonders of Japan's technological capabilities and the appeal of the country, it was an opportunity to learn about Japan from an outsider's perspective. I also realized that there are differences in lifestyles, working styles, perspectives and ways of thinking between countries, and it gave me a renewed appreciation for the meaning of "different cultures." I also realized that understanding different cultures is necessary when communicating with people from other countries.
Saito Izumi (graduated from Narita International High School)
What I felt in Taiwan was that what we Japanese consider to be normal is not common sense around the world, and that there are many people with completely different ways of thinking across the ocean. I felt that it is important to think and absorb many things with a broad perspective, without being bound by fixed ideas. I would like to aim to become a global talent with a multifaceted way of thinking through various learning experiences, not just language study.
Shota Izumi (graduated from Kimitsu High School)