The Japanese have a reputation for being conscientious, hardworking people, valuing their traditions and culture, and having great civic pride. That reputation is well deserved, as a recent two-week trip to Japan showed. In Chiryu prefecture, for example, each resident and shopkeeper is responsible for the cleanliness of the sidewalk outside his or her home or business.
The Japanese are also hospitable people who pay great attention to the smallest detail. Utmost importance is given to honor and trust, and nothing is taken for granted. "It is very important for us to always be on time", said Kuniko Motoya. "If we are late for a meeting, we are showing our hosts that we cannot be trusted."
Kuniko was assigned to me by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to facilitate my visit. She kept track of my meetings, translated for me, made travel arrangements and did things for me before even I thought of them. She answered all my questions about Japanese tradition and culture as well as the ins and outs of Tokyo.
Kuniko and I attended several meetings and demonstrations put together by Japanese companies highlighting their interests and activities in Saudi Arabia. JICA had put together a program highlighting activities which promote cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Japan. They arranged for me to tour their facilities in Yokohama, Tokyo and Nagoya and arranged meetings with Japanese companies with business and cultural interests in Saudi Arabia and the Middle-East.
In Nagoya, Kuniko and I visited an elementary school and a junior high school with the delegation of curriculum developers from the ministry. The students at these schools were genuinely interested in what they were learning. School in Japan is disciplined, yet fun. A great deal of emphasis is put on cultivating a student's creativity and harnessing it to make learning enjoyable. At Riyohuku Junior High School, several students had expressed an interest in becoming firefighters when they were older. So the school arranged for the students to try their hand at putting out fires. The fire department set up a controlled fire at the school and the students put it out using the fire truck's hoses.
One day each week, girls learn how to perform traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. The next they learn how to throw their opponent over their shoulder during Judo class. The boys learn how to make pancakes and quiche in cooking class one day, then practice Japanese stick fighting the next.
The list of things Japanese children are exposed to at Japanese schools is endless. I was particularly impressed by the team-teaching method applied to all math classes. Two teachers stand together in a math class. One teacher helps students who fall behind during the lesson, coaching them immediately so they can catch up to the rest of the class being taught by the other teacher.
Virtually no students fail the grade in Japanese public schools. So much attention is given to each individual student that anyone struggling with a subject will be recognized immediately. They then receive individual tutoring after school and on weekends to bring them up to par. Students are simply not allowed to fail because it is seen as a failure on the part of the school if a student can't make the grade.
We spent four days in Nagoya, then made our way to Tokyo by bullet-train, which travels at an average speed of 200 km per hour - the ride from Nagoya to Tokyo took under two hours. That day, the sky was clear and the sun shining which made for a great view of Mt. Fuji, Japan's largest mountain and its national symbol.
Tokyo is extraordinary, not least because it is so clean. Not only were the streets free of any trash, but the buildings were all relatively new looking. No buildings were in a state of disrepair. There seemed to be construction going on all the time. Kuniko explained: "With the boom in the Japanese economy, many new structures are going up. However, not all the construction is new buildings; a lot of it is retrofitting to make the buildings more earthquake-proof." - A reminder that Tokyo does get hit by earthquakes on an almost daily basis, though most are too small to be felt.
Known as the most expensive city in the world, Tokyo did not strike me as too pricey - as long as you didn't have to pay for a hotel. Those, I understand are expensive. I was on a $120 a day budget and my accommodation was provided by JICA. That paid for three square meals a day, with some McDonald's in between, movies, tours of Tokyo's sites, and a little souvenir shopping. There is a five percent sales tax on all purchases.
But as I took a walk through "Electric Town', a large mall of electronics retailers, I had visions of my budget going out the window. I walked wide-eyed past store after store of new and used gadgets that I had never seen before - mobiles, DVD players, cameras, computers, robots, stereos, gadgets for your gadgets, everything state-of-the-art, even the toilets.
The toilet in my room was decorated with knobs and dials, and it surprised me to see that it was plugged into an electrical outlet. The seat is always heated, which is controlled using a knob. Other knobs and sensors control water pressure and various electrical robotic arms which extend and spray water in the exact place you want it to, depending on selections you make. This alone demonstrates how advanced Japanese gadgets are.
I was amazed by Japan. But what makes the country such a success and gives it its international charm are the people. I was impressed by them in every way. Proud of their heritage, they are a people embracing the future. Building on the foundation of tradition, I feel the Japanese are using the lessons of the past and carrying them forward.
