A DAY IN THE LIFE

Kon’ban’wa (kon-bon-wa), or for all of you 13 hours behind us, ohayoo gozaimasu (o-hi-o go-zi-mus)! O-gen’ki deska (o-gen-ki-desk-a). I just asked you, “How are you?” From what I understand, the Japanese language does not use question marks, but the ending “ka” typically signifies that a question was just asked. So for this example, you might respond, “hai, gen’ki desu (hi, gen-ki-des-ka),” which means, “Yes, I am fine,” unless of course you are not, in which case I have no idea. I guess people generally say that they are in a good mood here, which makes sense because the Japanese rarely use the word no. To help with your pronunciation, remember that each syllable is pronounced. So, Hajimemashite, which means “how do you do (more polite)” contains 6 syllables that are all pronounced, kind of. Ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.

So, I have been thinking about what to write about for this entry and the truth is, I really don’t know, hence the language lesson in the beginning. Also, the last few days have been extremely exhausting, so needless to say, my creative skills are not at their best. In addition to drinking more than I ever thought I could, getting very little sleep, and attending long classes early in the morning, I am finding that it is very tiresome trying to communicate with people here. Please, understand that I am thrilled to talk with students and strangers in Japan, especially at Rikkyo University, but that it is simply mentally strenuous and can therefore lead to the occasional shutdown of one’s cognitive functions. For example, today I mistook a tiled-ledge in front of me for a smooth wall, meaning that I was so out of it for a second that I had not realized my eyes were crossed. Shortly after that, I looked a blank piece of paper and saw a distinctive blue ray of light only to realize that I my eyes were playing tricks on me. I hate to admit it, being that I am in the city that truly never sleeps, but I resorted to taking a 45-minute nap this evening. It certainly helped, because now, I am only seeing curved walls and light orange hues when glance quickly at the computer screen... clearly, I’m cured.

Yesterday, I think Tuesday, we spent the afternoon taking a consumer-oriented tour of Panasonic, which is officially known as Matsushita, and then had the unique opportunity of being presented to by an executive of engineering resource planning and allocation, whose name is Hoshi son, regarding Panasonic’s distinctive strategic business practices. Even for a non-business person, I honestly think it would have served as a rewarding experience. Hearing how the Japanese think compared to westerners is just so... well, cool, I guess. To say the least, it is usually very different and can be stimulating if that kind of stuff interests you. However, what was more exciting was the 45-minute tour we took of some of Panasonic’s latest technological developments. In addition to cameras, 1000-inch televisions, and the wall-sized Lifestyle TV (cannot recall the official name), which does everything from creating indoor landscapes, educating children, having multimedia functions, and anything else you can possibly imagine, we took a tour of one of their EU Homes. This spacious model home, was easily the coolest thing I’ve ever witnessed and Im sure that most of the group would fully agree. I will leave it to a professional, more knowledgeable writer to explain it in detail, so PLEASE, read this brief article at http://www.japantoday.com/jp/feature/1035. All I will say is that it essentially creates its own power, has a sound proof home theater that puts the IMAX to shame in some respects, and has absolutely no corners or edges that are not rounded smooth for safety purposes. This is all accomplished while still maintaining a sense of comfort and tradition. Honestly, I could go one for hours, so just read the article, book a flight to Tokyo, and then apply for a tour of the EU House. Incredible! For those of you who are aware of the ecological/sustainable group that some of us MBA students are active in, Net Impact members were stunned and finally saw an example of what we believe in. Word.

Back to learning the language and immersing myself in the culture, the trip to Matsushita also served as a great atmosphere for such activities. To assist us in our travels and translation, which is barely necessary because so many people in Tokyo speak English fairly well, a group of highly competent and cool Chinese peers accompanied us to Matsushita. Throughout the day, I spoke with a somewhat shy Chinese female, who did not speak English all too well, but could certainly hold her own, in addition to being fluent in 2-3 other languages. She taught me how to pronounce so many words and gave me insight on the Tokyo lifestyle, all while I would try and do the same for her with regards to English and North America. Now maybe she’ll have a Rochester, NY accent, like I do... HA! Seriously though, these three students are incredible individuals, who in a matter of 8 hours or so, felt like lifelong friends to most of us. That aspect was the highlight of the day for me. I will never forget it, ever.

Okay... there is much more to write, but I must try and get some sleep. It’s weird how exhaustion and insomnia can coexist. I will try and write more soon, I promise. Lastly, for those of you how do not personally know me, sorry if this entry was a bit more personal. Like I said, the last few days have been so busy and tiring that I struggled to settle on a focused topic and resorted to rambling instead. Hopefully it made sense and was enjoyable. Try and find comfort that in general, my descriptions are representative of the others’. At least that’s what they tell me. Falling asleep... Oysuminasai.

P.S. Mom and Dad, just so you know, I have decided that when I return to the States, I plan on taking Japanese speaking, writing, and reading lessons. I think it’s just something I need to do. Worry not though; at least I will be coming home with the rest of the group on Sunday. The others here joke that I will end up staying... if only.... kidding, kind of. I do love it here, really, but home will always be home. Love you all.