Day 07: From Tokyo to Kyoto

Tokyo, where was my first destination in Japan, which brought initial understanding of Japanese culture and distinctive business experience to me. Today, it was our midterm for the trip, but I had to say goodbye to Tokyo, my favorite city in Japan and then moved to Kyoto. When I left, I just realized that I began to love this city although it has crowed city layout and high consumption. I love Tokyo without any reasons because of the special feeling it gave me, which is hard to be explained by using words.

We woke up so early today and moved to Kyoto by train. On the way to Kyoto, I am inspired by good teamwork in this group. Because we had to carry up so many luggages on the train, team work made it possible to move some many luggage. I was really glad to be able help my classmate to moved their stuff on train station. surprisingly we could apply the logistic theory on our teamwork. This made me understand that good application of logistic theory could allow us to work efficiently. In addition, I was so glad to know that we had free time after the check in to our hotel because our schedule was so tight and we do need time to take a rest. However, we did not spend a lot of time in hotel, we took our chances and went out to go shopping and explored Kyoto. We were fascinated by everything in Japan!

Depending on my initial observation, Kyoto is fairly small city by comparing to Tokyo. Subway system in Kyoto is much easier to figure out than Tokyo. There is less population than Tokyo. In the afternoon, I went shopping with Theresa, Amy, Mashawn and Wenbin after lunch. We went to the main shopping area in Kyoto. Although Kyoto is a smaller city, there are still more people there than in East Lansing. It is amazing for me that girls can walk long timeless when they go on a shopping spree . We almost spend more than 4 hours shopping!! Even though this was the longest time I spent on shopping, we had a fantastic fun time. Theresa and i finally found out our favorite green tea ice cream in the pretty coffee shop. This made me enjoyed that afternoon even more although I was exhausted.

I was exhausted so far, but had so much fun with other group members. We spent our limited time to explore most of Japanese's culture and business experiences. We also went to lots of parties together in Japan. In addition, my respected for Dr. Ross whom always had motivation on his job. I think he also was tired like us, but still led us to our plant tours. Our group always was well organized under his leadership. Also, he always encourages us to get in another culture. This is really important for us, especially for me whom still has language barriers in discussion. Dr.Ross not only is our professor, but also is our friends. Thanks

Actually, we were moving from the current capital to ancient capital of Japan. Even though i had a little understanding of Japan through research, it can not match up to the real culture experiences we had in Kyoto. First time I known the term of “Kyoto” was when I read the news about “Kyoto protocol” trip!

Day 07: Warehouses

Today is the busiest day in our trip of Japan so far. We visited three different companies in one day and studied a lot of supply chain management in the part of warehouse. This is what I expect because the plant tours provide us opportunities to learn how supply chain operates. Even though I am still tired today, I am so excited for companies visits because we can visually and practically understand different types of warehouses by visiting DHL, KRT, and IACT.

First of all, we visited IACT in the morning after 30 minutes of driving to Narita international airport. I am impressed with the big and organized warehouse of IACT which located in Narita cargo terminal. Because Narita cargo terminal is important in Asia’s cargo transportation, it involves organized layout and efficient operation. Cargos are storage in different areas according to bar code and they were stacked on different pallets. We could find out information about certain cargo and their tracking by scanning the bar code. This really improves the efficiency of the operation because we can find the location and information of cargo by scanning the bar codes. Plenty of the labels and signs on the cargos also left deep impression on me. These label and sign allowed the workers to move and storage cargo in the right way.

After lunch we took a plant tours in DHL and KRT. Both of them had long history and rich experiences, which provide us deeper study in supply chain management. DHL provides value added services and offer inventories management for different companies such as ERICSSON and FUJITON. Warehouse of DHL is large which allowed great potential for capability of inventory management. DHL was impressive because there are only a few people who could manage such a big warehouse, reflecting their high efficiency and ability. DHL also emphasize on the flexibility of inventory capacity, which allowed them to provide various services.KRT look like a traditional Asian company. By my observation, its worker and staff really pay attention to their task because safety concentration and efficiency are required in some occupation. Furthermore, KRT focused on building good relationships and networking with the other companies such trucking companies. This will reduce some costs of their operation.


After the plants visits today, I realized that companies operated their business by using different strategies. This diversifies my perspective on supply chain management.

Day 06: JCMU visit

This is the longest day in our trip so far. We got up extremely early in the morning and took the bullet train to MAIBARA, the Japan center for Michigan universities was located in. Were here for JCMU 20th Anniversary. MAIBARA is such a beautiful place and there were not skyscrapers like Tokyo. Although I was tired from the train, I was so excited for taking the bullet train because it is one of the fastest trains in the world. The Bullet train looks sharp and its seats are comfortable, reflecting the Japanese’s advanced technoledge and design on trains.

After 2 hours, we arrive in MAIBARA and had breakfast at the coffee house. Then went to JCMU for the anniversary. First, we are taught Japanese Custom in the lobby. I was so happy that I can learn IKEBANA, one of Japanese customs, in JCMU. IKEBANA seems like an easy task, but was so hard to arrange the flowers well. With the assistance from the teachers, I spend about 30 minutes to finish my work. This is a great opportunity for me to better understand Japanese culture. Then we attended the lecture from Dr.Ross about supply Chain management. I learned some important theories that were applied in our plant tours. This made the concept of supply chain more clear. Although the lecture is 4 hours long, I still paid attention to the speech from Dr.Ross because he was so passionate and motivated when he spoke to us. This kelp me through his speech and I made me do not want to lose any important points of it. After the lecture, we were invited to attend JCMU 20th anniversary. There are many representatives who came from different Michigan universities. Some of them give us speeches about the development of JCMU and how they benefit from JCMU.

We returned to our hotel by taking the bullet train at 10:30 pm. Although I am sleepy after returning to the hotel, I am glad to attend JCMU 20th anniversary todday. In addition, Dr.Ross's lecture enable me to be more clear on the operation of supply chain and made me more interested in this major and gave me motivation to expolre more about it in the rest of trip.

Day5- Tokyo: Fish market!

Fish market!!! This was the most interesting plant tours ever. We woke up at 4 am in the morning and took the bus to Tsukiji fish market. Although Tokyo is still quiet in the morning, buyers and suppliers are busy with fish transaction. As we arrived, we can witness so many trucks outside the market which were ready for delivering fish to restaurants. Meanwhile, we can smell the fish filled the air of the market. This was my overview of Tsukiji fish market when we arrived.

It amazes me that Tsukiji fish market is still keeping traditional way of transaction in Japan, the company have advanced business system and experiences. This is why I am really interested in this case, which push me to explore why it keep auction in transaction and how its operation is affected by Japanese culture. Tsukiji fish market is located in a place close to downtown of city and river, which could reduce logistic cost. This is necessary for Japanese companies because of the high transportation cost in Japan. In addition, according to my observation, they are making transaction by using auctions between wholesalers and authorize buyers instead of using internet system like what EBAY does because buyers can immediately inspect and test the qualities of tuna fishes. I suppose that this is affected by the fact that Japanese really care about the quality of the product and so their products usually involve short expired time range. All of auctions are efficiently done in less than 3 minutes. There are also trades between wholesalers and intermediate wholesalers where tuna fish are delivered to restaurants and consumers. This process is efficient. The other interesting thing is that price of tuna fish is totally set by auction reflecting free market concept of economy. So this market greatly affects the prices of tuna fish in Japan.

After lunch, we took the second plant tour in Super Freeze Company. The process of fish cutting and packaging is impressive. In the first floor of the warehouse, worker process tuna fish by using different machines. Different procedures are specialized by different groups of worker in cutting, sewing and skinning. They are working efficiently, so obviously they were trained before. In the second floor, workers categorize tuna fish depending on their types, shapes and qualities. This could satisfy different requirement of customers. Then went into the freezer which holds at about -60C. This one special experience for us!

After the plant tours today, we had a great dinner together. We ate the fish from Tsukiji fish market. I can not stop eating during dinner because everything was super delicious. I love Japanese food! Higuchi San and Dr.Ross really made a great welcoming dinner for us. Dr.Ross and Higuchi San always are parts of us. They were really nice guys that made me enjoy my trip in Japan even more!!!!

Day04-Tokyo:KIKKOMAN

We take our first plant in KIKKOMAN soy sauce company. Soy sauce is necessary seasoning in Asian food culture, which was used in everyday meal in my family. KIKKOMAN is the only soy sauce I use to cook in America because I have not yet found the actually Chinese soy sauce in East Lansing. It is amazing for me how a little bottle of KIKKOMAN soy sauce becomes more and more popular in the world. Which then made me think how Japanese soy sauces became so popular in the world, but Chinese soy sauces did not. By considering these questions, my objectives of this plant tour are clear.

In the morning, we arrived in the factory of KIKKOMAN and managers very welcoming for us. First of all, there was a presentation for us which introduced the history of soy sauce. KIKKOMAN was found in the 17th century in Tokyo. The soy sauce was accepted by western people with the internalization of Sushi. As intergradient of Japanese dishes, people eat sushi with soy sauce. Obviously, prevalence of Sushi is one of important factors leading popularity of soy sauces. KIKKOMAN, the most popular soy sauce in the world, not only did they focus on growth of firm, but also the development of Japaneses food industry. Although soy sauce is a little part of intergradient in cooking, KIKKOMAN make a great contribution in promotion of Japanese food in the world. If more and more people accept soy sauces in the world, the revenue of firm then will increase. This is why KIKKOMAN engages in promoting food culture of Japan in the world. Japanese companies always think the development of firms in long term, which brings great differences from Chinese companies. Every firm should make contribution for their industries.

Soy sauce is made by ingredients of soybeans, salt, wheat and water. After 4 different steps of soy sauces making: Shoy koji culturing, fermentation, pressing and boiling, soy sauces are brought into market. After purchasing the soybeans from distributions in Japan, fermentation process will happen under the monitor by computer system. The temperature and humanity in fermentation are controlled by computer. These soybeans are storage in 40,300 gallons tanks and the whole process of fermentation requires 6 months. The following steps are pressing and boiling.

After lunch, we went to the headquarter of KIKKOMAN for presentation of supply chain management. Beside the research on soy sauces, KIKKOMAN also emphasize innovation in supply chain management. For example, it condenses down 5 distribution center and set up 40 transfer center, which reduce the cost of logistics. The innovation on logistic management may be an important reason why Japanese companies are highly competitive in the world. They minimize their cost by using advanced supply chain management.

Day 3-Tokyo: Alumni reception dinner and Harajuku

Today, went to Ginza for the MSU alumni reception lunch in Japan with telecommunication group and advertising group who also study abroad in Japan. Ginza is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping destinations in the world. Many upscale designers' flagship stores are in Ginza. The restaurant for reception dinner is really nice and looks luxury. Many alumni who were in Japan came to the reception dinner and some of them were graduated from MSU long time ago. There are no words that could describe how excited i was to meet with the Spartans in Japan. After talking with some of them, I realized the experiences from studying in MSU was very memorial to their life and help brought success to their career. Every Spartans should be proud of them.

Reception dinner provide us a great opportunity to share experiences and build network with alumni and students from other group. In the trip of studying broad, we not only learn from different culture experiences, but also had the chance to listen to the stories from alumni and other group members. Both of them brought great benefits to my study experiences. After talking with Theresa and Robert, I realize that there are a lot of things yet require me to learn and to improve on. Being able to listen to those stories was an important part for me in this trip. In addition, as an international student, I also can experience some American culture from other group members in Japan.

After the reception lunch, we head to Harajuku, the dreaming area for most of young Asians. Harajuku is also a well-respected fashion capital of the world renowned for its unique street fashion. Many prominent designers and fashion ideals have sprung from Harajuku and incorporated themselves in to other fashions throughout the world. As a fan of Japanese urban style, I had the desire to buy everything there because most of the goods in store matched up with my style. In addition, there were lot of urban brand that we rarely could find in other countries, such as BAPE MILO and COMME DES GARÇONS. In Harajuku, we can see how colorful and distinctive clothes Japanese younger dress in which they show their understanding of current trend of fashion. There was high population density because many younger are shopping there and we saw different style of trend that was influenced from American culture. This is definitely a great experience of learning culture of Japanese teenager's fashion. Which gave me lots of fascination!!!

Tokyo:Day 1 and Day 2

After a million miles flight from Chicago to Tokyou, I finally landed on Tokyo narita internatinal airport on May 15th. First of all, I had the change to meet rest of group member in airport and introduced myself with them. Then we took the railway and the subway to our hotel, Hotel Asia Center of Japan, which was located in downtown of Tokyo. After checking in at 10:00 pm, everybody went to their rooms because we were so tired after flight.
May 16th was actually our first day to start off our trip in Tokyo. I still have not yet recover and adjust from jet lag thus, this forces me to wake up 2 hours before the time I set my alarm clock. In the morining, we went to Asakusa, which is on the north-east fringe of Central Tokyo. Asakusa is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva kannon, which has long history. Pilgrims and tourists were flocking to the shops that were opened on the streets in front of temple. There is countless small stuff shops on the street of Asukasa. They sell many traditional stuff and gifts, such as cell phone chains, kimonos, and crafts. So many foreigner bought the traditional Japanese handcraft there. These handcrafts are worth and affordable because they relfect Japanese culture, but in somewhat low price. There are crowds of people in the street but surprisingly walking orderly. Most of them walk on left side of street, which was oppoiste to American style.
After Asakusa, we went to akihabara by taking the subway, also known as Akihabara Electric Town. Akihabara Akihabara is a major shopping area for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods, including new and used items. We saw a lot of famous electronic brand there, such as Sony, Nikon as well as Panasonic etc. Even I had my eyes on this really new Sharp cell phone that can not be find in China. We also saw a lot of products of Japanese's animation. Which brought me in totally excitement because I was a fan of Japanese animation when I was a little kid.

Summary of Londo's lecture

Mr.Londo's lecture mainly introduces the history of Japan and mentions its social issues and conflicts existing in Japanese society. This enables me to be able to have a better understanding how Japanese's culture could have affects towards my study of global supply chain management in Japan.
In the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Londo mentions two primarily important events in early history of Japan. Takugawa samurai family took control of Japan in 1600 and Emperor Meiji was installed in 1868 as well as following significant historical events such as Sino-Japansese War, Rosso-Japansese War as well as annextion of Korea, which have great influences on the Japanses history. Mr.Londo generally describes Japan's geography, social issues, political system, religion, and its relationship with world. His lecture also emphasizes on Samurai's position and how it have influences the Japanese history and society. It also focuses on Tokugawa regime in relation to its origin, society, emperor, culture and the rest of the world. Mr.Londo also explains the reason why and how the Takugawa regime ended. After Takugawa regime, Mr.Londo focuses on Meiji reform in details which includes egalitatrian society, pursuit of western technology, universal education, taxation, infrastructure, and constitution. The next lecture was about the current economy and society. Which introduced the cycle of boom and bust, city life, modern infrastructure development and increasing political activity. At the end of the lecture, Mr.Londo explains descent of militarism , mentions the allied occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952 and the developments from 1960s to the present.
Although Mr.Londo's lecture can not reflect the whole situation of Japan, this will provide valuable information for us when we study in Japan. When studing abroad in Japan ,we will not only learn the academic knowledge, but also the culture and history of Japan, which will diversify our life experirence.