JENESYS PROJECT 2017 DARSHANA PARMAR JENESYS … · JENESYS PROJECT 2017 DARSHANA PARMAR Fourthly, Technology in Japan is one of the fastest growing industry and the country is very

JENESYS PROJECT 2017 DARSHANA PARMAR

JENESYS

PROJECT

2017

FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE

GROUP 1C

DISASTER PREVENTION &

RECONSTRUCTION

By Darshana Parmar

Travel Dates: 29th November to 8th December


1. How you found the Program?

I absolutely loved the program and I am very grateful to JOCA and USP for giving me an

opportunity to experience the culture and the beauty Japan has to offer. The few days I was in

Japan was absolutely amazing and everything the program has to offer is probably the best

experience of every person’s life. All our accommodations and personal choices were well taken

care off. I’m very grateful that the program was mindful of our dietary restrictions and delivered

an excellent experience regardless of the differences.

The entire structure of the program was well coordinated and the punctuality was remarkable as

well. The program was very educational and the orientation kit provided was most helpful. We

always knew what we were doing and where we were. Every visit had meaning behind it and the

reason and story made the trip more fun. Rules were laid out clearly and the list of acceptable

behaviour was comforting as it reduced the chances of me upsetting someone or embarrassing

myself.

The culture and the people of japan are truly remarkable and the technology and development in

Japan is beyond great. The diversity I experienced while on the program was also a treat as I got

to make new friends and experience the culture and people from Australia, NZ and other Pacific

Island Countries. We all burst into tears when returning home as the group became a family and

I’m still not ready to leave Japan behind.

Thank You Jenesys for the best experience of my life.

2. New things you learnt?

There was a lot to learn from this trip. Firstly, I learnt about the cultural practices in Japan and

how to properly act while in Japan such as learning the table manner for eating meals, etiquettes

for drinking, how to use chopsticks and make payments. Also I learnt that Japan has restaurants

where customers can grill their own food. In one of the traditional Japanese restaurants that I

visited, shoes were not allowed and special lockers were provided to place shoes. The word

Ittadakimas is said before eating and the phrase Gochisou Sama Deshita is said after eating. The

Japanese people display a great deal of discipline and I feel they lead their lives with honor,

discipline and routine that shapes their lives.

Secondly, I learnt about the transportation industry in Japan mainly how to travel in trains and of

common practices of people in trains like sleeping. I also learnt that we have to maintain silence

in trains to avoid disturbing sleeping passengers and to maintain a single file to avoid causing

inconvenience to people at train stations who are trying to reach their destinations. I was

informed by our translator Mr. Alexandra that trains measure time of arrival and departure in

seconds. If a train departs a station 10 seconds early then that event becomes headline for the

newspapers.

Thirdly I learnt about the rich history and culture of Japan during my trip to Buddhist Kannon

Temple and the prominent religious believes and practices of Japan. On my visit I was given the


opportunity to view the temple from inside and see all the shrines and statues. Also the tour of

the emperor’s temple and cotton farming experience was very enlightening. On the cotton farm

we actually harvested cotton from the trees and cotton farmers make a living out of selling cotton

made products as well e.g. cotton dolls.


Fourthly, Technology in Japan is one of the fastest growing industry and the country is very

advanced in numerous aspects. Panasonic is one of the leading companies in Japan and they have

introduced numerous gadgets and devices that are widely used in Japan. The latest Panasonic

Television has 4000 pixels to cater for clearer and more detailed view. The working environment

at Panasonic is also very great and the first and ground floor is covered with displays of

innovative technology and ideas. Also toilets in Japan are very advanced as well as the seats get

warm and there are buttons to clean up as well. In terms of transportation, Toyota is the leading

National brand and Toyota also has a car museum in Japan.


Furthermore, I learnt about the coal mining in Japan and how coal is known as black gold is it is

one of the valuable energy sources in Japan. The coal and fossil museum in Japan houses history

of coal mining in Japan and contains valuable historic fossils excavated from Iwaki City. The

Fatabasaurus Suzukii is the pride of the Museum as it is placed in the entrance hall and is the

largest complete structure of a dinosaur skeleton found in Asia.


Finally, I learnt details about the great east Japan Tsunami and the level of destruction caused by

the natural disaster. After the Tsunami, there has been a dual defense system built and residential

areas have been developed on Hill sides. There has also been land readjustment projects

commenced in Usuiso district by Iwaki city. Toyoma and Usuiso districts have both used 2

procedures for the reconstruction program including utilizing the Urban Renaissance Agency to

recover the affected urban areas and introducing the construction management method to shorten

the reconstruction process. According to the employee that presented the progress about the

development project, the construction work has reached 93% already. The project has

constructed a 7.2 meter wall followed by more steps going up and a planation of trees and

mountain to prevent Tsunami waters from destroying homes. The general idea is that if a

Tsunami does strike then the people have enough preventative measures set in place to give

people time to evacuate.


3. What did you enjoy the most?

There were many enjoyable moments in my trip. I am a very huge fan of the Transformers

franchise and I absolutely loved the statues of the characters in Diver City and I enjoyed seeing

how they toys are manufactured and packed. I also loved how there are so many places to shop

from in Japan and the availability of a variety of brands to choose from was amazing. I really

like how there were good quality items sold at the 100 yean shops and I did a massive amount of

shopping from there. When we drove past Tokyu city, I also got to see showrooms for different

brands of cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini which was simply amazing.

Caption: Transformers displayed at Diver City



The Aqua Park at the Shinagawa Hotel and the Aquamarine at Fukushima was really beautiful

and I saw dolphins as well. The scenery of marine life and schools of fish swimming by was

simply breathtaking. I saw sharks as well which was both scary and amazing simultaneously.

Also at the hotel we had a Karaoke place so I went with my friends and we paid to sing for half

an hour. We sang old English and Hindi songs and had a great time.

Finally, my most memorable moment would be my first experience with snow. Thanks to the

Jenesys program I got to experience snow for the very first time in my life when I went to

Inawashiro city. The cold and feel of the area was absolutely amazing. Our home stay family

guardian, Mrs Chikako drove two hours from Iwaki city to Inawashiro city so my friend Sheemal

and I could see snow. We played for 10 minutes before the cold gave us head ache. Although

short our trip was absolutely magical.


4. Home stay experience?

The home stay family I stayed with were the friendliest and welcoming people I know. It was a

family of 5 including Mrs Chikako, the wife, her husband, and their 2 daughters, named

Sakurako and Momoko who are currently away for studies and Umeko their family dog. Aunty

was very nice to me and my friend and she even cooked Indian style chicken curry for us. When

we wanted to see snow she drove a total of 4 hours for us to play in snow. She took us out to

KFC for lunch and even found a Halal restaurant for me. The family treated us like their own and

I couldn’t have asked for a better host. They were very generous and opened their homes for me

and I became very close to them in a short time. I had a great time with Umeko as well which is

the cutest and probably the hungriest dog in the world. Aunty always said Umeko is always

hungry.


5. What recommendations would you make to improve this program?

The entire trip was great and I think the Jenesys program is amazing. The program was well

coordinated and catered for every aspect of travelling with absolute excellence. It’s filled with

new experience and an inside look at Japans finest arts, history and culture. Orientation is very

detailed as well and all necessary travel items are covered in the orientation kit. My first

suggestion would be to extend the trip a few days longer and include a day for shopping in

Japan.

Secondly, I would like to suggest that the program brings students from Japan to visit Fiji and

other participating countries as well. The alumni students who have visited Japan can be host to

the students and act as tour guides to show them the culture, cites and people of the country they

visit. If approved the Alumni students can also assist in preparing the orientation kits and student

guide for people while visiting the country. After all the great experiences that Japan and its

people have offered US all through the Jenesys program this will provide Alumni student with an

opportunity to give back to Japan and its people.

Documents

JENESYS PROJECT 2017 DARSHANA PARMAR JENESYS … · JENESYS PROJECT 2017 DARSHANA PARMAR Fourthly, Technology in Japan is one of the fastest growing industry and the country is very