How do I even begin to describe what it’s like to travel to Japan?
It is an experience. It surrounds you. Every moment of every day is filled with new discoveries and cultural difference and utter delights. I can’t describe it beyond that, but everyone who has been knowing exactly what I’m talking about.
If there had been a word to describe Japan as a whole, it would be reverent. It is a nation where every action displays a culture of deference, respect, and obedience. It encompasses daily life.
Some experiences and journeys are worth remembering, and Japan International Immersion is one such. The pep started when I came across that we are going to visit Toyota Production Plant and the thought of witnessing JIT, Kanban, Poka-yoke & Kaizen left me in exuberance.
The learning started with our WhatsApp group having 12 classmates cherry-picked by the institute and our Marketing Professor Mr. Rahul Sett who has been an IIM-A Alumni. Tough remembering the names was a strenuous activity we kept on browsing about the organizations and places in Japan.
As it was my first non-native trip, it kept me wondering how things would be different there.
I boarded the flight on the dusk of 25th August 2018, and the serendipity of running into Pandora’s box (my meal box) left me dumbstruck. This instance where I had no clue how to have Japanese food made me realize that it’s not going to be all fun in Japan.
The process of immigration in Japan was an epitome of systemization and Omotenashi (Philosophy of Japanese Hospitality). It was an alien country to us which made to continually wonder about the buildings, Places, shops, people and importantly the use of technology at God level. My stay at Nihonbashi Bay Hotel (Capsule) was an enthralling experience of 7 days with my peers where we shared food, prepared for next day visits and partied after coming back at night.
Peanut Butter bun & diet coke was my rescuer for two days, and then I started discovering Indian restaurants around me where I just loved the food and kept on disregarding the cost.
Some of the visits to world-class organizations such as MUFG, Toyota, Nissan and Rakuten along with top Japanese organization like JR-East HQ, Seven Eleven, Hakkaisan Brewery, and Eco-Cycle Corp. was an indelible learning escapade.
The visit to Indian Embassy on 31st August 2018 in Japan was the one where we got to meet top government executives from both the countries and the session helped us to know various government initiatives on strengthening the ties between the two friendly nations by leveraging the expertise of each other.
As per my discussions with top executives from these organizations and a professor from Chuo University ageing population & lack of skilled management professionals are some of the unwieldy challenges that Japan is facing at the moment. One of the key takeaways from the Immersion program was working passionately and keeping your business customer-centric is zeitgeber to success.
Apart from these professional meetings I did spend my Japanese yen well by shopping in Bic Camera, Forever 21 and Uniqlo mall. The sight of the streets of Tokyo, Nihonbashi, Shinjuku, and Shibuya was a must go and watch thing.
Once you have been, you can never get enough. The friendliness of the people over there, the vibrancy of the cities, the fantastic cuisine and for us, the incredible variety of great empiricism.
I am greatly thankful to IIM Nagpur for giving me this learning opportunity along with experiences that I would always cherish upon. I would also like to thank Mr. Trivikramarao Lagadapati (Academic Associate at IIM Nagpur) for planning the tour and taking care of various formalities to make our stay comfortable in Japan.
Special Thanks to my professor Mr. Rahul Sett who persistently encouraged me and others with his wisdom and planning the tour adeptly.
In all this, I missed my loved ones, i.e., my family and friends a lot who kept me nagging about buying stuff for them and consistently asked me to share what happened each day.
