Tokyo and Mazda

Tokyo is a crazy city! After spending a few days in Japan, I still don't know how to describe it. Time has been flying by because of how busy we've been lately. This is a city where history is mixed with the future, where skyscrapers and temples are neighbors. There are many other foreigners (or gaijen, as the Japanese say), so in a strange way, we seem to fit in. A huge variety of people can be seen entering or leaving the subway, many of them wearing suits and on their way to and from work. We arrived on Thursday, March 23^rd, ready for the second half of our study abroad trip.

The pictures above are from the Tokyo Tower, a beautiful building in Tokyo that me and some friends happened to go to on our first night in the city, simply because we could see it from so far away. The observation deck, 150 meters high, gave us an amazing view of the city. On all sides, we could see this vast metropolis and its many districts which we would explore in the next few days. The following day, in Akirabara, the famous electronics district, we got our first real taste of the big city. It was very busy on this Friday night, and there are countless electronics stores with multiple stories. Dozens of pretty girls line the street corners, advertising their restaurants and maid cafes. We ate dinner at the American Diner to get a little familiarity, where I had a pizza.

 The Shibuya district the next night was even busier, with thousands of people enjoying the night life. The crosswalk we traveled across is supposedly the busiest in the world! We ate at a fancy, traditional Japanese restaurant this time. We each ordered a dish, such as chicken scewers or cheese potatoes, and shared our food with each other. Afterward, we found a karaoke bar, where we just happened to sing in the same room that was filmed in the movie Lost in Translation! 

Before I knew it, we were on a train headed to Hiroshima (more about Hiroshima in my next entry). When we rode a subway to Mazda, I had no idea what I was in for. The Mazda factories and buildings encompass a huge area, the size of a small city! From the main headquarters, we got on a bus with a beautiful tour guide and drove through the concrete jungle of this car manufacturer. We were told not to take pictures, except for in the museum area we would soon explore.

 During a 10 minute ride, we were taken on one of the largest bridges owned by a private company. We saw how Mazda has complete vertical integration – they own every aspect of their car business, from manufacturing to distribution, with huge sea vessels on the Hiroshima shore that can carry from 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles to be taken all over the world. What's impressive is that all of these different divisions are located on the same land, which must be very convenient and cost effective!

The Mazda Carol, perfect for the Carol in our group

Inside the museum, we saw the history of Mazda cars and motors. Although I've never been much into cars, it was interesting to see the progression of Japanese automobiles and the design process involved. We saw a variety of small, efficient cars. Some are growing in size and all are growing in efficiency, as Mazda shows off its Skyactiv engine technology - which are four cylinder engines with power yet are 15% more efficient on gas.

 As we were taken on the production line, I was given insight by the 2 guys in my group who work for GM. It was fascinating to see just a few people work on dozens of cars. We saw the "body-frame marriage" process, where the car is essentially put together for the first time. I watched from above as workers installed the dashboard, seatbelts, and carpet. Then, the cars were lifted up onto another conveyor as robotics installed the windshield. It was especially fascinating that no two cars on the assembly line appeared to be the same - the line is designed to work on multiple cars at once, with vans followed by four door cars followed by sports cars, all different colors with varying features. It has given me a greater appreciation for the price and the complexity of an automobile.

 A Mazda prototype, the type of car we may see more of in the future

Taiwan Reflection

After leaving Taiwan, I can't imagine never returning to the beautiful island. I don't think I can go the rest of my life without coming back and seeing how the “isla formosa” is doing. The people there made me feel at home and have convinced me that Taiwan has a very bright future! I have discovered them to be very genuine, hardworking people who have left a forever positive impression on my heart. I truly was not expecting to make such good friends in Taiwan. I instantly got along with many of the students we met. Most of them spoke English very well, some of them impressively fluent in both Mandarin and English. We shared many laughs and exchanged many gifts.

I will not just miss the people – I miss the island itself and all her gorgeous mountainous terrain. Our last Saturday in Taiwan, we traveled to the gold ecological park along with some “old towns”, Jiufen and Shifen. It was cool to leave the big city and explore the mountains. There was a former gold mine we got to explore and a museum with a giant brick of gold as the main attraction. In Shifen, we got to participate in the “sky lantern experience”. We each wrote wishes on the sides of a giant paper balloon, which then was given to the sky by lighting a fire inside like a hot air balloon. It was awesome and meaningful for everyone.

On our free day in Taiwan, some of my friends and I met up with 4 of our new Taiwanese friends and went to the Taipei Zoo! I was probably the most excited of the bunch, for I had wanted to go here since I had heard about it. They had cool animals, some I had never seen before, like pandas, the Asian black bear, and exotic birds. They also had signs pointing to slightly mundane animals for Michiganders, such as raccoons and squirrels.

At one point at the zoo, I got separated from the group because I was determined to see some monkeys. We had a misunderstanding about where we were to meet up, and I went back to the zoo entrance hoping to find them. After searching for them in the humid heat, I went to the visitor center and had them called over the intercom. She said it once in English and once in Mandarin – and it was the Mandarin that my group heard! Soon we were reunited. My experience getting lost only proved how helpful and friendly the Taiwanese people are and showed me how good of friends I have in Taiwan.

That day, we had to say goodbye to our new friends. It was hard, - they really are awesome, funny, caring people. I really hope to see them again, and now that I know good people in Taiwan, I don't see why I can't return someday. The companies we visited, such as HTC, Giant, and Asus, proved that Taiwan is a great place to do business and I learned some valuable lessons. These companies displayed a genuine sense of corporate responsibility. I think they really believe that by improving their products, they are improving people's lives. All of their facilities fit in with the beauty of Taiwan, with bountiful gardens and trees. When I own a business someday, I'll remember the hospitality and passion for people that is prevalent in Taiwan.

Last day in Taiwan

  Wednesday was our last full day in Taiwan. I woke up and had no idea where we were going, as the schedule did not show what the morning had in store. But, as usual, I was down for anything. I hopped on the tour bus and found out we were going to a company that makes packaging for make-up, BottleMate. Okay, not the most exciting visit, but I looked to the future with my usual sense of optimism. And, as it turned out, the BottleMate factory was actually pretty cool.

The company tour began on a humorous note. A representative began speaking to us in Chinese and this continued for several minutes until our professors realized he had no intention of speaking in English. So, our faithful Professor Peng stepped up as the translator. It was a pretty awesome spur of the moment kind of moment. Afterward, we got in the largest elevator we've seen yet. And we've ridden in a large variety of elevators on this trip. If I've learned anything from studying abroad, it's that no two elevators are the same. Some of them have music, some of them speak to you, and some of them even have constellations on the ceiling (the elevator in Taipei 101, the world's fastest elevator!).

Well, I have learned a lot more but we'll save that for the “Taiwan reflection” blog post (coming soon). Now – back to the story. As we entered this make-up bottle factory, I realized that I have never given much thought to how make-up is packaged. It's actually interesting whether you're a guy or a girl. There are huge machines used to make bottles, caps, and to paint these products.

The first floor we explored was the painting area, which we could tell immediately by the smell. The company was producing thousands of one of its products – Hello Kitty containers! We watched as just a few workers ran these plastic cat faces through a machine to paint noses on them and subsequently dry them. Dozens of these Hello Kitties were disposed of for the smallest of mistakes, such as small paint spots in the wrong places. I was surprised with the amount of waste, but the company was evidently adamant about perfect products.

Next, we explored the cool part of the factory – where the bottles are made in a plastic injection / plastic blow process. Hot plastic is squeezed out of the machine in the shape of a small cylinder, which is then blasted with air to expand it into the shape of a bottle. Just watching the machine in work could keep one entertained for hours. A single worker broke off excess plastic attached to the bottles, which would eventually be used to produce more bottles. The man showing us the factory explained that this excess material can only be used to produce darker bottles.

At the end of the tour, we were even given free shampoo and body wash as gifts! They were called “White Musk”. Although I got the sense that these products would have been thrown away had they not been given away – they had the typo of “green tea erxtracts” written in the ingredients – it was still a very nice gesture. This company helped me realize that there are unlimited opportunities to go in business – here was a business I had never heard of that was supplying goods for companies everybody has heard of, such as Gucci! I wondered how the owner decided to go in the make-up packaging business, and I suppose it was simply because there was an opportunity to do so. It's possible to create great products just to support other larger businesses, and that's a very refreshing realization for a future businessman.

After BottleMate, we traveled to a saxophone company and museum. Immediately, the women executives at the company wanted volunteers to try playing a saxophone. As no one else was willing to do so at first (and like I said, I'm down for anything!), I stood up. At first, I played what sounded like bird calls with my saxophone. But after I understood how to breathe into it, and the employee showed me a few notes, I belted out a few melodies that didn't sound horrible. The following picture I like to call my “Bill Clinton impression”.

Next, we explored what is essentially a saxophone museum. There were dozens of different saxophones, including one of the first saxophones ever created. The lights hanging from the ceiling were even made from saxophone parts. I found out that saxophones aren't a very old instrument – the first one was created in 1841 by a Belgium man named Adolphe Sax. This man was even featured on Belgium money for his creation, which reveals that you don't necessarily have to be a leader to get your face on a bill, and that not all men named Adolphe are bad.

At the end of the tour, we got to design a key chain. We cut out pieces of paper with adhesive laced backsides, which were put through a staining process – the same process used to engrave saxophones. I tried making a dragon face, but the mouth is so big and odd, it looks like a dragon fish. It's a perfect reminder of our first day in Taiwan and Harrison Lee, the tour guide at the Confucius Temple who warned us not to become dragon-fish. This goofy keychain will always remind me of my last day in Taiwan.

YungShin and Giant bicycles

 Yesterday our group went to two very different businesses. One was a pharmaceutical company called YungShin; the other is a well known bicycle manufacturer called Giant. Both companies market themselves as healthy, trustworthy brands, although their processes and products couldn't be more different. Both businesses are located in Taichung, the city in central Taiwan we are currently staying in. Touring and getting the chance to compare these two companies was very intriguing.

YungShin welcomed us into their factory and warehouse and allowed us to see many of the steps that go into producing pharmaceuticals. We were able to see pill production, as each pill gets created and packaged into bottles. Most of the processes are automated, with people in protective clothing monitoring each step along the way. We were assured of a clean, sterile environment, and this was evident. However, the brand manager only spoke Chinese and he had a translator that wasn't excellent at English. For this reason, many of our questions did not get answered adequately.

At one point, an automated forklift drove past us! Later, we watched as a forklift slowly moved around the huge warehouse, moving a pallet of products. We were told that in this warehouse, robots essentially do all of the work obtaining the products in storage. We saw a few people monitoring the processes and waiting for the machines to deliver products. This was modern business technology at work before our eyes.

YungShin has 3 factories that produce human and animal drugs, health supplements, and cosmetics. I don't quite agree with the philosophy of using drugs to heal the body; I prefer the natural Chinese medicine approach that we learned more about a few days ago. For this reason, I was a little skeptical of a company whose growth relies on doctors prescribing more medication. However, I must acknowledge that this company seemed focused on safety and quality. I was surprised at the amount of pills we saw go into waste – apparently these did not meet the high standards of the company. I am grateful we got to see so much of the company, and I learned that the entire drug creation process can take more than 10 years! It's reassuring that so much testing is done on their products and on the people using them before they hit the market.

Our next stop was Giant bicycles. It's safe to say that we were all impressed with what we saw here – from the company presentation to the manufacturing floor. The company's marketing is truly inspirational – the culture is centered around a healthy lifestyle that simply encourages people to get exercise by riding a bike. We were told the story of the company's founder, King Liu, who made his first big bicycle trip around Taiwan at the age of 72. A few years later, he continues to challenge himself to ride bigger distances. He takes company executives along with him on these bicycle tours, including a yearly 8 day ride around Taiwan. His story was very motivational, and it reminded me of how much I used to love riding my bike everywhere as a child.

After the presentation, we were taken to the on site bicycle factory. My fellow students who work for GM confirmed that it's designed just like a car factory. Every step along the assembly line is done by hand, and the workers are responsible for completing a few steps per bike at a pretty quick pace. The company produced 6,300,000 bikes in the year 2012. What's impressive is that Giant has achieved total vertical integration – meaning that every step, from bicycle production and assembly to retailing, is done by the company. Some bicycles are sold by outside retailers, but many are sold directly through the company's own brick-and-mortar stores.

I owned a Giant bicycle as a teenager and when I get another bike, I will most likely buy another Giant. I was very impressed with the entire company. Their motive is very positive – to get more people to be healthy by riding a bicycle. The company started a free bike rental service in Taipei, and also supports bicycle tours throughout Asia. They sponsor different bicycle riders in competitions, and when I asked if they were involved in the X-Games, the spokesperson implied that they were not, but asked me if this was something they should do. I thought it was very cool that the company is willing to take recommendations from average users of their products. The story of King Liu inspires me to continue to challenge myself and to keep doing the things I love!

Staying at Tunghai University

 During our time in Taichung, Taiwan, we are staying on the Tunghai University campus. Before our arrival I was told it's the most beautiful campus on planet Earth. Although I later found out that the professor who said this previously attended this university, I have found that it is indeed a very beauteous place. There are probably as many trees as there are students! There are large outdoor gardens and indoor plant life as well. Being here truly makes you feel “one with nature”.

Our first day here, we received a tour of the campus from a professor from Belgium. It was an incredibly peaceful tour. As we walked down a hill lined with trees, hearing about the history of the college, the environment was very calm and soothing. Part of the reason is because students living on campus are not allowed to own vehicles, so there was virtually no traffic on the streets. With so many buildings, paths, and railings surrounded by nature, the campus feels like a beautiful level out of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. It would be awesome to skateboard here, if I was any good at skateboarding.

This university began as a Christian college. It has a huge, stunning chapel that was designed by I.M. Pei, the same architect who designed the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. This is awesome because I've been to the museum, and it's crazy to see another building (a real work of art) designed by the same man halfway around the world. I also found out that Richard Nixon attended the ground-breaking ceremony when this university began. Small world.

In the morning, we attended a lecture on the Taiwan financial market. We learned more about the Taiwan stock market, in which the eccentric professor described the Taiwanese participants as “shopping cart” buyers – saying that the average person regards stocks like sports in this country. It was an interesting lecture, informing us about Taiwan's GDP and reminding me that there are very intelligent professors all around the world.

In the afternoon, the university treated us to an excellent dinner which included some “American foods”, such as fries and chicken nuggets, as well as good Taiwanese food and great deserts like strawberries with pudding. We met some students from this university and exchanged stories of our school experiences. Although the students didn't seem as comfortable speaking English as some of the people we met in Taipei, we still shared a good many laughs.

There is a night market very close to our hotel with dozens of businesses and street vendors. I bought chicken hearts on a stick, which were covered in spices and were very delicious. I also bought some pig's blood cake, which was not so awesome. In fact, I tried feeding it to a dog and he wouldn't eat it! A few friends and I bought a basketball at the market and played a few games of 21 on the nearby basketball courts. Afterward, we found some pool tables in a building where students were practicing dance moves. It was a very fun night, one of our last in Taiwan. Overall, I have been very impressed with this beautiful, peaceful university and have been sleeping very well here.  

Great People, Great Times

Last night we said goodbye to the capital city of Taipei and traveled via high speed rail to Taichung, the 3rd largest city in Taiwan. At one point on the train, we were traveling 150 miles per hour! It was hard to say goodbye to the new friends we made. In just a few days, I've met some great people and had a plethora of laughs. Fortunately, at least 2 of our new friends will be coming to Michigan in the fall to study. We promised to show them a good time, like they did for us.

I've had a very busy past few days. On Thursday, I was at Taipei 101 once again for a presentation at the Taiwan Stock Exchange. It was very interesting to see the differences in the Taiwan stock market compared to the NYSE and even the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For instance, there is a 7% daily limit on changes to a stock's value - meaning that a stock cannot increase or decrease by more than 7% in a single day. This is a reassuring factor that makes me interested in investing here. Also, almost 40% of Taiwan's population invest in their stock market as individual investors, which is cool because it shows how much Taiwan's people and its businesses are interconnected.



On Thursday, we also went to Franz, a porcelain company that makes vases and other artistic, yet practical, gifts. What's interesting about Franz is that they don't use traditional marketing to advertise - instead, they create value for their products by winning awards, displays at trade shows, and hosting guests such as ourselves. We got to tour many floors and see how art meets business and old meets new. Some people were designing porcelain on computers while others worked with clay to shape the molds that will be used to mass produce a product. Then we saw a small museum of the company's beautiful products, including an "Emperor" dinner table set with a value of 2,000,000 NT$!



On Friday, we went to Tamkang University in a previously unexplored area of Taipei. Here, we were treated with the utmost respect and met many more friends. The campus is beautiful, surrounded by trees and with a gorgeous garden where we saw goldfish and turtles. We played a fun "culture communication" game in which a phrase was whispered to 7 people to see how much the phrase changes. Our team did very bad, although it was all U of M Flint students! It showed that even within our own culture, communication problems are possible unless steps are taken to avoid them.



The students gave us a tour of the Tam Sui "old town", which has many historical buildings, temples and churches. There was a statue of a bearded British man who had come to the island as a missionary and built the churches. Finding the statue was a very happy moment, when all of the students decided that I looked just like him and snapped many pictures. The students were very nice and knowledgeable, and although a few of them had little experience speaking English and I have very little experience with Chinese, we got along very well. I learned a few new words, such as "how-lurr" (which means hot), and I taught a few of the students some new phrases and words, like "awesome!" We walked along a riverside pier with a beautiful view of the mountains.

It's amazing how many great people we have met so far. It was hard to say goodbye, but they now know that they have a good friend in Michigan, and I have many good friends in Taiwan. Many of them found me on Facebook, and I told each of them that now we are friends for life. Today we'll be at Tunghai University in Taichung, and I look forward to meeting even more new friends and learning even more.

Chinese Medicine & Taipei 101

Yesterday was such a fun and busy day, I slept very easily when we got back to the hotel! Our day started at the National Taiwan Normal University, to attend a class in Chinese medicine. As we waited for the professor, we practiced Mandarin tongue twisters – and even taught the assistant teacher one we knew ("How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?") As the class began, we learned a lot about the effects of various foods on the body and how particular foods can heal ailments. The professor was very knowledgeable in natural medicine and demonstrated his meditation and acupuncture techniques. Each student in our group got an acupuncture needle placed into their hand to relieve pressure and build strength. I enjoy the eastern philosophy on medicine - it has a very natural approach rather than immediately resorting to drugs or surgery like the western approach. 

Afterwards, two nice (and cute) students from the National Taiwan Normal University gave us a tour of the campus. It is very beautiful, with many modern buildings and art that is symbolic to the school. For instance, different “hats” don the doorways, which symbolize graduation, and some of the roofs represent the wings of birds, “protecting” the students and encouraging them to soar. Seeing students study in the elegant library and the student council passing out fliers outside, you get the sense that college life is not much different in Taiwan than in America.



Our major visit today was at HTC, the smart phone company. Walking into the business is like stepping into the future. It was designed to be spacious, with bright white floors and kung-fu sculptures in the lobby. The workers treated us like family and showed us around the facility. There was a workout room, complete with punching bags and a boxing ring. Workers are allowed to come work out at any time, or enjoy free food at the cafeteria. Next, we were given an impressive demonstration about HTC smart phones and found out how the company got to be so large and profitable in just 16 years – through innovation and a focus on “quiet brilliance”, which was described as doing great things in a humble way. The company was so impressive, we were even awarded small gifts on our way out!



In the evening, we went back to Taipei 101, the third tallest building in the world. This time our goal was to reach the top, and fortunately I was feeling much better than the day before. We rode the world's fastest elevator to the observation deck on the 89th floor. The view is just awe-inspiring. With all of the buildings lit up against the night sky, we could see the entire city of Taipei. Such amazing lights and incredible architecture. There is a giant steel ball suspended at the top of the tower to keep it from swaying the wind. 

This was the perfect way to end our day. After eating dinner at the Taipei 101 food court, we came home. Today we get to go to the Taiwan stock exchange - and luckily, I feel better than ever!