Amy Goetz and Jill Siegel | March 12, 2008
“It’s so much easier to get up on a Monday morning if you are doing what you love,” said Simon Sproule, Vice President of Global Communication and CSR at Nissan Motor Company. As part of our experience at Nissan, we were treated to a tour of the headquarters and manufacturing plant. At the headquarters, Simon Sproule, along with Gina Pasco of the emerging markets division, presented the group with a glimpse into Nissan’s communications strategies and tactics. They spoke about the globalization of business and its effects on corporate communications. Sproule, a UK native, spoke about the language and cultural barriers that he has faced in his time overseas, and how he coped with and overcame these hurdles. We not only learned about business and public relations in Japan, but even got to witness a Japanese fire drill!
After the Nissan experience, some students explored China Town in Yokohama where classmate Matt Beuoy entertained the crowd with impressions of Professor Bright. Others shopped the streets of Shinjuku and dined at an izakaya (traditional Japanese restaurant).
On Wednesday, the group traveled up the countryside of Japan to the mountains of Nikko, an ancient city outside of Tokyo. There
we explored Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines, including the famous Toshogu Shrine. Lindsy Wise explained that she had been hoping to experience this side of the Japanese culture since we arrived on Saturday.
Marsha Dawes, who is currently studying Zen Buddhism at IU, said, “It was interesting to see the temples and shrines that I have been studying. It really puts everything into perspective for me.”
After visiting the shrines, we set off to explore the old town of Nikko, dining in local restaurants and shopping in the numerous antique and souvenir shops. We then took the two and a half hour train back to Tokyo, where we all split up for dinner and touring of the city.
Tomorrow is a big day for the group. We are visiting Bloomberg Tokyo, the U.S. Embassy and the Foreign Correspondence Club of Japan.
Sayonara!
Amy-san and Jill-san
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