Reflections On Japan

By Cheyenne Keeler

It has been 4 days since we have returned from Japan, and I am already missing the people, culture, Tokyo, and Kumamoto. I already had the pleasure of confessing my feelings in the blog post of our last day in Japan, so my sentiments are already well known. So I will just talk about the things I have learned and reflected on in the last several days.

The JICE program allowed us to have a first-hand look at the issues the Japanese are facing in their economy. Visiting Kumamoto made these issues more evident with the city being largely surrounded by, and largely dependent on agriculture.

The average age of farmers in Japan is 65 years old. The younger generations do not care to work on farms and would rather make their living in the city. This impacts the agricultural industry, which in turn impacts the Japanese economy. Kumamoto was struggling to find ways to market its products and help promote Kumamoto as well as boost the local economy. However, the earthquake that occurred earlier this year has made this job considerably more difficult, especially with investors.

On the bright side, the people of Kumamoto are resilient and are making a comeback. I also admire their strong environmentally friendly businesses which should be an inspiration for companies in the United States. The people of Kumamoto show the strength of the Japanese as a people.

When it comes to issues such as the country’s “brain drain” and the population decline, there are no definite solutions to the issues. With the rapid globalization of the world, the younger members of the Japanese work force are finding jobs in countries that tend to value individualism in society versus the collectivism of Japanese society. Neither Japan nor these young workers are at fault. It is just a difference in values. I believe that Japan could start retaining more of its young workers if it reevaluated the benefits its country offers to its younger workers. Of course, that is not as easy as it sounds and may take a long time to implement such changes.

These problems are by no means easy to fix. That is why it is important to support Japan and help the country. I have already told my friends about the how amazing it was to travel to Japan. Many of my friends have already expressed interest in visiting and or living in Japan in the future. Every day I continue to think about how I could make a difference in the future myself. I always think about possibly joining a business that does a lot of transactions with Japan. I also consider participating in the JET program to live in Japan and teach English to students. Both paths are an option and I have a year to decide what I want to do. Either way, I know I will do my part to help support Japan.

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