Home Sweet Home

After an overnight stay in Osaka we all started the long journey home. I was very tired and not feeling good so I was ready to come home. It was definitely a bittersweet journey since little by little we said goodbye to those that had started out with us. Professor Peng and his wife Jessica as well a Chu-Ting all staying in Japan for few extra days of siteseeing prior to going back to Taiwan for some additional time with their families. Kathryn stayed at JCMU since she was not ready to return home yet. Professor Mehdian said his goodbyes after we reached Chicago since he had different flight arrangments than the rest of us. Those of us remaining had some lunch in Chicago and eagerly anticipated the last leg of the trip to Detroit. Once we all had our baggage in Detroit it was time for one more group photo and then we all went our seperate ways. I made some new friends on this trip, both from our group and in Taiwan, that I would never have expected to find I had so much in common with. This trip was beneficial for me because I was able to experience some vastly different cultures due to geography but also due to highly diverse makeup of our group. This was definitely the trip of a lifetime.

Day 13 - Hikone Castle

On our last day in Hikone we headed off to see the local castle. I must say I didn't know what to expect from a Japanese castle and since I was feeling under the weather I was considering skipping this activity. Boy am I glad I went though, what a beautiful castle and surrounding area. We were treated to a guided tour of the castle grounds as well as the museum. We even were able to get a group picture taken with the Hikone mascot in front of the castle. After our visit to the castle we went to downtown Hikone for a farewell lunch. I think the highpoint was when we each were asked to speak for a moment about what our favorite "one moment" was on the trip. For me it was our trip to the beach in eastern Taiwan. We had been out for a long day and when we stopped for the beach I don't think anyone was very excited. I was only going to walk out and see what was there but after a few steps from the bus I thought - wait a minute, I am in Taiwan standing on the beach and that is the Ocean out there how many more times will I be able to do this. So with that thought in mind I headed right down to the water and enjoyed the surf. What I found so special about this moment was that is was not long at all before everyone else was playing in the water too, skipping rocks and chasing the tided. After we were done in the water we took a series of "jumping" pictures that were a lot of fun. I think this was the event that sealed it for me that we were all there to make as much as we could out of this trip and the fact that such a diverse group enjoyed themselves as much as we did is a great feeling

g. Of course I can't leave out the part about Suyash bring that horrible smelling hot dog on the bus that he bought from the street vendor - talk about trying everything that comes your way.

Day 12 - Toyota Plant

Today we went to Nagoya by bus and visited a Toyota vehicle assembly plant. The bus ride took about an hour and on the way there we stopped and ate lunch at one of the infamous Japanese rest stops. This is where you can purchase a ticket for the desired food item you would like and then take it to the counter where they will prepare your food. The tour of the Toyota plant was very interesting and I have to say the biggest surprise to me was that the workers were not frantically running around working at 100MPH. Everyone seemed to be very relaxed and had plenty of time to accomplish what they needed to. I have been to several assembly plants in the U.S. and it struck me that the Toyota line actually seemed to run slower in Japan than those in the U.S. The key is in the Toyota production system where the focus is on making the parts right the first time so that no re-work is required. It was nice to see this philosophy in action since it made apparent that quality was the primary objective on this assembly line.

Day 11 - JCMU 20th Anniversary Celebration

Today we stayed at the JCMU and were guests at the 20th anniversary celebration for this great establishment. In the morning we were treated to Japanese culture classes and I was able to try my hand at flower arranging, writing in Kanji, and playing the Koto (Japanese Harp). This was a lot of fun. After the culture classes we had an excellent bento box lunch provided by the school. There was a formal presentation in honor of the school and all of its supporters in the evening followed by a nice reception and some great buffet food.

More Photos from Kyoto

Day 10 - Kyoto, Japan

Today we caught the train to Kyoto which turned out to be a fantastic day. We were extremely busy but there was so much to see it was worth it. When we first arrived ti was time for lunch so we ate at the Kyoto train station. I think I ate the best food I have had the entire trip at this meal. After lunch we caught the bus and headed to the Kyoto castle that served as the capital of Japan for many years. They don't allow you to take pictures inside many of the museums over here so I don't have anything to show except the outside but that is pretty grand in its own rite. After the castle we headed over to the golden shrine which was absolutely stunning. This was heaven for taking pictures. After the shrine we headed back to the train station for a relatively quick dinner and then off to the Gion corner where the geisha's are. We attended a performance at the theatre there in Gion that demonstrated many of the traditional Japanese arts. After that it was back to the train station to catch a ride back to Hikone. We had a short bike ride back to JCMU which provided for some excitement, especially since we didn't have our guide, and then it was off to bed.

Day 8 - Taiwan / Japan

This is our last day in Taiwan and everyone is feeling a bit of sadness that we have to leave. Before we head off to the airport we head over to the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial plaza so we can see the changing of the gaurds at teh C.K.S memorial Hall. We were also treated to a visit by WanChun from NTPU who wanted to come by and hang out with us one more time. The memorial plaza is quite a grand structure and the changing of the gaurds was fun to watch. After this was done we all headed back to the hostel to get our things and board the bus to the airport. Before we left Wan Chun gave each one of us a personalized note based on a conversation that she had with us at some point during our trip. I am constantly amazed at how friendly everyone was to us and I will never forget the fun we had hanging out with our new friends.

The trip to Japan was uneventful for the most part but there is definitely a difference in culture between Japan and Taiwan. It only took about five minutes in the airport in Japan to realize that, for better or worse, everything has a procedure in Japan. We took the 3 hour train ride to Hikone City and the Japan Center for Michigan Universities, our home for the next week. Once we arrived it was almost comical because Japanese taxis are not very big and we had a group of about 15 with complete luggage trying to make arrangements to travel. It was quite a spectacle to see passengers and bags juggled between cars to make everything fit. In the end our guide, Suchia-san, pulled everything off and we arrived at JCMU tired and ready to sleep.

Day 7 - Taiwan (Free Day!!!)

Day 7 was our day to do as we please in Taiwan. A group of us decided to return to the electronics store so we could spend more time shopping for some gadgets. In the end we found that the prices for most brand name electronic items in Taiwan are about equivalent to those back in the U.S. so nobody bought too much but Bob did pick up a pair of excellent headphones. This took up most of our morning and as we began discussing our lunch options we all decided that a good old American lunch would really hit the spot. Someone remembered seeing a sign for Chili's back when we were at the Taipei 101 building so we were off to hunt it down. We eventually stumbled on the building but not wihtout the help of some very friendly locals that were kind enough to keep pointing us in the right direction along the way. After lunch it was a mad dash back to the hostel to meet up with Doug, Henry & Josy from Tamkang University because they graciously offered to take us to the zoo. The zoo was very beautiful and they are very proud of their Panda bears. I was looking forward to seeing the bears but when it was our turn to go through the exibit it must have been feeding time and all I was able to see was the bear making a run for the back of the enclosure to go to its feeding room. We were not allowed to hang around to see him when he came out because if they take one thing serious there it is making sure the line keeps moving. With the Panda exhibit out of the way we took the rest of the afternoon to stroll through the zoo and had a great time goofing around. On the way home we decided to keep with the American food theme and Doug took us to a great little hot dog shop that would rival anything in the U.S. That food really hit the spot and after we got back to the hostel it was pretty much lights out for me.

Day 6 - Eastern Taiwan Excursion

On Day 6 we went to visit one of the aboriginal tribes that still resides on the east coast of Taiwan. We were treated to some great singing and dancing as they celebrated their heritage of Taiwan and there appreciation for their country. After they performed their show we had lunch at their facility and we spent some time shopping their various products.

On the way to the tribe we came across a luanch point for hang gliders that was pretty neat. It must take somes serious internal fortitude to make that first jump.

Day 6 ended with our return to the hostel in Taipei and anticipation for our "free-day" in Taipei. A bunch of us decided to make one more run out on the town and went to the Longshun Buddist temple and it was well worth it. This temple was gigantic and it has the most intricate carvings all over every square inch. There were dragons and phoenix and all kinds of great images. The place smelled of incense like you would not believe. I also found it very comforting that cats have a symbolic status in the temples and they are allowed to raom at will, I believe they may even be considered revered since I saw some folks gathering around a particularly regal looking black cat at one point. We also went to the Longshun night-market and this market was definitely a bit darker than the previous ones we went to. This is where we saw such foods as snake soup for sale - you could even pick out your snake right in the walkway.

Day 5 - Eastern Taiwan Excursion

Day 5 is one for the books. Our main event scheduled for the day was a rafting trip down the Xioguluan river. This was about 3 hours of laughing and paddling like crazy. We definitely got a work out and I think at least half of us wound up with serious sunburns.

After the rafting we headed to a little resort in Kuanshan that is famous for its bike trails. This was a very nice break and opportunity to relax a bit. Some of the folks even used the opportunity to take an herbal bath but my legs were so burnt that hot water was out of the question for me.

Day 4 - Taiwan - Eastern Coast Excursion

On our fourth day in Taiwan we took off for a three day excursion to the eastern coast of Taiwan. This side of the island is nowhere as developed as Taipei and is home to some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We loaded up and took the train to Hualien to begin our adventures. Once we arrived in Hualien we had a very nice lunch. I believe Monzer referred to it as Cuisine International (said with zee heavy French accent). After lunch it was off to the Taroko National Park. We started out with a couple mile hike along the river that had a beuatiful rest area about half way through. We were able to actually go down to the absolutely crystal clear water and wade around in between the gigantic bolders. Our tour guide (Mike) told me that the water was so clear because the rocks in the area were very high in calcium carbonate and it had this effect on the water. In any case it was beautiful. After our hike we went for a tour of the Taroko gorge. This is probably the mose magnificent natural formation on the planet. We essentially were able to walk right along the edge of a gorge that was about 10,000 feet tall and it goes on for miles. This took pretty much the rest of our day and it was great. At the end of the gorge there was a set of shrines built to honor the 212 military men that died while the roads were being constructed. Fatima, Bob, Levi and I all took off for one that was way up on the cliffs overlooking the gorge. What an areobic workout, they really make you work to pay your respects. My legs were so tired when we got back to the bus that I couldn't keep them from shaking. It was worth it though and I was able to sleep on the bus back to town.

We stopped by the beach on the way back into town which turned out to be very interesting. This beach had absolutely no sand to speak of anywhere (see picture). It was all rocks of various sizes, I felt like I was in a gigantice fishtank with all of those little rocks in the bottom. When the tide came in we had to keep moving because the ground would literally wash out from under your feet while you were standing there.

That night we checked into the best hotel we have stayed in so far and wound up taking an adventure through Hualien to find dinner. After a crazy cab ride and some fantastic dumplings we all made it back for a good nights rest.

Day 3 - Taiwan / Taipei

Our third day was probably the most hectic so far. We started out commuting across town with a group of 15 that meant we had to all cram onto the subway and even worse the bus to the Taipei campus of National Taipei University. We attended another lecture here on management sciences which I found interesting since we were able to ssee that Taiwanese companies are facing the same challenges that U.S. companies are back home. After our time at NTPU we headed over to the American Chamber of Commerce in Tapei. Here we were given a presentation on the role of the chamber of commerce and there goals for the upcoming year. After our visit to the chamber of commerce we stopped at a McDonalds to get a quick lunch and got to experiment with the slight variations that were unique to Taiwan. I think the Wasabi sauce for the mcnuggets probably caught most of by surprise. This was only the beginning - we then headed up to Tamkang University not knowing what fun we were in for. After we attended a brief introduction to the staff we were ushered up to a business class that was already in session. We were paraded in a introdued as a group of students from the University of Michigan. What we didn't know was that they were ready for us. We were assigned to groups of students and got to participate in a case study discussion that ended with four groups presenting their conclisions. It was really good to see that students everywhere are pretty much the same. After a few awkward minutes my groupmates became comfortable trying out their English and William, Ruby, Rita & Antsea we all very fun to work with. After the group session we went outside and were treated to a tour of the university campus by the best hosts ever. Josy, Fanny, Henry, Super and probably half of Tamkang universities student body took us around the school and then ushered us down to the riverfront for the highpoint of the evening. When we arrived at the plaza we were told that we would be participating in a littel scavanger hunt for our dinner. Our hosts had prepared about a dozen different postcards with photos of different vendor stands and we had to find the stand, buy the food, and then take a picture of us eating it. Everything (except possibly the iron eggs) was excellent especiallt the fried mushrooms and the fried chicken. After dinner we went ona real brief shopping trip to get some duffel bags to pack for our excursion to the eastern side of Taiwan.

Day 2 - Taiwan/Taipei

For our second day in Taiwan we went to the new National Taipei University Campus and were treated to a Kung Fu demonstration as well as a brief introduction to calligraphy. We also attended a lecture on inventory management. We also met our great hosts for the next couple days - Carol, Sunny, Vicki & Wonjin. After out visit to NTPU we went over to a technology park that contains a huge number of high tech companies and a research center sponsored by the government. It was very interesting to see how the Taiwan government has worked to encourage technology industries and to hear about how they are shifting their focus to green industries. After the technology park we went to a very nice dinner that can only be described as family style. We had shrimp that came with the everything still attached, stonefish, dumplings, chicken, spare ribs and more stuff than I can remember. I have to say that the food has been a pleasant surprise and it is nowhere near as challenging for a westerner to adjust to.
After our dinner we made a mad dash for the "electronics" shopping district and it was like a flea market that was 5 stories tall and dedictaed to nothing but electronics hardware. The only thing that prevented us from spending all of our money there was the fact that we only arrived there 5 minutes before they closed. I think the plan is to revisit this place on our free day.

Day 1 In Taipaei

For our first day in Taipei we started off with some breakfast at a local fast food place. The food was great and made for a great start. After a little primer on how the train works we were off to the Tower 101. What a great piece of architecture. We went up to the top and viewed Taipei from the observation deck, pretty impressive. After the tower we went to the national museum and saw a great collection of artifacts from the emperors collection in China. The place was spectacular. From the museum we were off to the night market and a free for all dinner. I can't saw that I ate everything but I did try the stinky tofu and decided that it is not my favorite thing in the world. We did find some great fried chicken that really hit the spot. After that we walked the market for a while before heading home.

This was a great day in Taiwan.

Update

Success!!

In case you have been wondering why no posts and we have been here for 3 days....let's just call it technical difficulties. Levi is the man and figured out the issue so now you can expect to see some daily updates. I will also give you an update on what we have done so far but right now it's off to breakfast and and another day of adventures in Taiwan.

Brian

Getting Ready

Well, time is getting short and there is a lot to do. Looks like I am going to spend all week getting things packed and making sure I have thought of everything. Friday is going to come quick!
I'm heading to the bookstore tonight for my travel guides to Taiwan & Japan as well as some other reading materials to help make that flight bearable.