Japan University of Commerce and Business

Global Leader Program Fall 2012

(Student number: 240718) On 3th of September 2012 I was on plain heading towards Japan unaware what kind of country was waiting for me. I had never been very enthusiastic about Japan and its culture was in many ways unfamiliar to me. It turned out not to be the love of my life but indeed very instructive experience. I have tried to gather here the most useful information about my experience and observations. A lot is not said, so if you have any questions about Japan, Nagoya or NUCB, don't hesitate to contact me via exchange coordinator.

1. Preparations

1.1. Paperwork

As one might expect there is quite a lot of paper work included in applying to a Japanese school and for a residence permit in Japan. After being accepted to exchange by Aalto I was required to apply separately to The NUCB Graduate School. The school required a long list of documents, but after sending the application package the rest of the process is rather easy.

Here is a list of documents that was required to be send to NUCB by airmail. • Application form (Original) • CV/Resume • 2 copies of Passport • Document for proof of English Proficiency (TOEFL550/TOEIC800) • Essay " Details your reasons for choosing to study at NUCB • Official transcripts from your school • Application for Certificate of Eligibility (Visa document) • Resume for visa • 3 photos (colour copy is NOT acceptable ) • Bank statement or Financial statement • Application for Certificate of Eligibility (Visa document)

In addition: • Application for scholarship (and residence).

As I study in an English speaking program in Aalto I did not have to take TOEFL or other tests; a letter from exchange coordinator proofing my ability to study and communicate in English was enough.

I had to wait for a reply for a long time and I finally got an acceptance letter with a Certificate of Eligibility about a month before my departure to Japan.

The Certificate of Eligibility is needed when you apply for Japanese Visa. Once I had the Certificate of Eligibility, applying for visa it self was easy in Embassy of Japan in Finland. Visa can be done while waiting or at least during one day. Embassy gave me a document for the residence card. It is important to have this document to the airport upon arrival.

Here is a list of items needed for visa application: • Visa application • Certificate of Eligibility • Passport • Pictures for Japanese visa application (differ from the ones needed for Certificate of Eligibility) • Name and phone number of a contact person

More information on: http://www.fi.emb-japan.go.jp/fi/konsuliasiat.htm

Few weeks before the departure I received information about orientation, residence card, directions from the airport, rental agreement and a bill for my whole stay at the residence. I was required to pay the full amount before arrival which came as a surprise. This practice, varied based on residence and scholarship. Some students were only required to pay one month in advance. All the actual agreements of courses and accommodation were done after arriving to Japan.

Documents needed on the airport at arrival: • Passport • Visa • Document for the residence card • Letter of acceptance from NUCB • Rental agreement/ address • Name and phone number of a contact person After arriving to Japan the school wanted to see proof that the students have travel insurance. Thus, it is good to take your insurance papers or proof of insurance (in English) with you. We, as other residence card owners were also obligated by law to register our addresses at the ward office. University gave us the address of the office and we went to do the registration as a group. This was a good choice as one needs to have at least one Japanese speaking person to get the process done.

The accommodation arrangement was at first a little unclear to me. The application for scholarship is actually a application for residence at the same time because your placement depends on which scholarship you receive. All the students are expected to apply for scholarship. After everyone had send the application NUCB decided who will go to which residence. Residence placement depends on how big scholarship one receives and that depends on ones school performance. Students with Jasso and higher NUCB scholarships are accommodated to Global Center. Students with smaller NUCB scholarships or no scholarship are placed in Chiyoda. NUCB has additional two residences: one for Japanese students and one for Hong Kongese students. If the rent in exchange student residences is too high for your budget it might be possible to switch to one of these residents after arriving to Japan.

Room in Global Center 1.2 Getting there

Finnair has a straight flight from Helsinki to Nagoya. I bought my tickets from Kilroy travels. With student discount the straight flight was well priced. NUCB offered two options for arriving dates (to school) and directions on how to get to the school from the airport. On arriving dates there were meetings at the school at certain time. From school NUCB offered a ride to the residence. I would recommend on arriving to Japan at least a week before the starting day, because school starts with such a drive that dealing with jet lag and culture shock at the same time is very difficult.

2. Studying in Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (NUCB)

The orientation day was held on 6th of September. It was announced earlier that the school would officially start a week later. However, those who wanted to take Managerial Marketing course started school already on 8th. This was announced on orientation day. The courses were selected on orientation day for the first and second term. It was not possible to add courses after this but it was possible to drop them. Both of the terms had marked exam weeks but if there was no exam normal class was held on that day. The second term ended on 20st December when the last examination was held.

All the courses offered to exchange students were MBA-level and thought in English. All the courses were worth of 2 local credits which equals 3 ETCS. Thus, I had to choose eight courses to get the total of 24 ECTS required for master exchange.

The course selection is quite narrow and the work load changes from course to course even though they earn you same amount of credits. All the courses offered were just for students studying NUCB Global Leader program, so in practice for exchange students. No courses outside the program were available. Overall there was a lot of studying involved in NUCB exchange. Generally the visiting professors offered best quality of teaching. NUCB uses a case study -method in teaching but unfortunately in many courses this seems to be quite unfamiliar approach to professors and use of cases is really shallow. Most of the classes still rely on presenting frameworks and facts, but discussion is however encouraged.

2.1 Courses

Behavioural Finance (GLP201_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: 誠一郎 岩澤

This course offered a review to behavioral finance. The application of behavioral finance theories were considered from the point of view of investment strategies in the financial market. Counter- intuitive observations, anomalies were discussed. This course is useful for those who are considering of investing in financial markets.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Mid-term exam (40%), in-class group presentation (25%), class participation (10%) and term paper (25%). Term paper consisted of quantitative analysis of investment strategies. Conducting the term-paper took a lot of time.

Course required some intellectual thinking but was possible to study with minimum knowledge of finance (e.g. Basic finance course in Aalto). Japanese professor spoke in understandable fashion.

Consumer Behavior (GLP210_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: 昌孝 山田

Course touched on different consumer behavior issues without going into deep analysis. Some cases were presented. Mostly course consisted of student presentations on certain matters, theories or companies.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Take home quiz times three 20%, midterm exam 30%, case presentations 20%, final group project 20% and final take home exam (essays) 10%.

It was sometimes hard to understand what the professor was trying to say. Especially the assignments were badly communicated. This course had a big workload even though the assignments were quite easy. The course involved a lot of reading material but it was possible to skip most of the readings.

Creative and Critical Thinking (GLP111_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: Nigel Denscombe

The goal of this course was to learn thinking business issues critically and finding creative solutions as well as seeing the bigger picture. Course relies heavily on case studies. Frameworks supporting thinking were introduced and used.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Class participation 50%, Group work 30%, pre-class homework assignments 20%.

There was homework for each lesson and a lot of group work during the class. Class participation was essential. The course was thought by a western professor. I recommend this to people who want to be able to do better business decisions based on overall view of the issue at hand.

Elementary Japanese I（GLP011_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: 菜穂子 山本

At the start of the course students were divided into two groups according to their previous knowledge of Japanese. It was possible to take part without any previous Japanese studies. I was in the beginner group. The class focused on being able to communicate in everyday situations. All the learning was done with roman alphabet. No kanji, hiragana or katagana was learned. There was a quiz on every class.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Attendance and Class Participation 20% and exams (mid-term exam, final exam and quizzes) 80%.

Human Resource Management (GLP102_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: 武彦 伊藤

General human resources issues were touched upon. Some cross-cultural issues were discussed. Honestly, after a month of finishing this course I could not remember single thing discussed or presented at the class. Course was evaluated with following criteria: The evaluation criteria was voted on a first lesson. We ended up having class participation 40% and final report 60%.

Easy to pass, not heavy workload. Japanese professor's language is at first some what hard to understand but after a while one gets used to his grammar mistakes and understanding becomes easier.

Leadership & Organizational Behavior (GLP108_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 4X full day. Professor: Stefan Lippert

In this course few leadership frameworks were presented with examples. Self-evaluations were done and results were elaborated. We took a look into few good case examples of leading. Class participation is vital in this course.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Group research project 40%, individual examination 30% and class participation 30%.

Course is an intensive course. Professor Lipper was without a question the best professor I had in NUCB. At the examination one needed to know the material very well as there is barely time to answer all the questions.

Managerial Marketing (GLP117_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 4X full day. Professor: Stefan Lippert

Course offered an overview to world economy and markets and presented many basic marketing themes and frameworks. However, I can recommend this class to people who have already had some marketing courses. Class participation is vital in this course.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Class participation 30%, marketing plan in groups 40% and final examination 30%.

Course is an intensive course. Professor Lipper was without a question the best professor I had in NUCB. At the examination one needed to know the material very well as there is barely time to answer all the questions. Persuasive Presentation/Discussion (GLP205_G12G) 2 credits/3 ECTS. 7x3,5hours. Professor: 武彦 伊藤

Course focuses on giving general instructions of building a good (power point-based) presentation and practicing the guidelines in person.

Course was evaluated with following criteria: Class participation and individual and group presentations.

There was homework for each class. Japanese professor's language is at first some what hard to understand but after a while one gets used to his grammar mistakes and understanding becomes easier.

3. Life in Nagoya

Japan is a very expensive country. This holds true in all areas: food, accommodation, traveling... Especially fruits and vegetables are costly. If one is looking forward of buying electronics from Japan, it soon proves to be uneconomic. Eating out and going to clubs can however be surprisingly affordable. For example most times there is an entry fee to a club, but it includes few free drinks. In karaoke open bar is often included to the room rent. Alcohol in general is comparatively cheap.

No school fees were required during my stay in NUCB. We needed to buy the school materials which were sometimes relatively expensive. The accommodation offered by school is also expensive and thus it is good to get a scholarship. Accommodation options in the free markets can be even more costly and often hard to find. The monthly transportation was around 50 euros per month and the route was limited. If living in Global Center, one should take the subway card from Higashiyama to Nagoya Station. School building is one station before Nagoya Station (Fushimi) but the price is the same and Nagoya Station is vital to travel outside Nagoya.

Nagoya, like Japan in general is very safe city and one don’t have to look out for pickpockets or other troubles. Even if a wallet is left somewhere it will most likely be found from lost and found. 3.1 Free time

Nagoya is not a lively city like , but one can find a decent selection of clubs, bars, restaurants and sport options. Most foreigners go to same places as it is sometimes hart to fit in in local clubs, etc. In the places in favor of expatriates one also finds Japanese who are willing to socialise with westerns. Karaoke is one of the must activities enjoyed with a group of friends.

It is quite easy to get to know the other exchange students since you are sharing the same accommodation, classes and often a karaoke room. Interacting with locals is hard especially when the university does not organise any socialising activities with Japanese students.

I personally did not visit the main campus even once, so NUCB is not for the once looking for campus life. The sports clubs in campus are, most part, not easily accessible either.

3.2 Weather

During the autumn term the weather went from +30 degrees to almost 0 degrees. Due the humid climate temperatures feel more hot or cold than in Finland. Because of power saving campaigns in Japan the school building was hot in summer and cold in winter. I recommend backing fine and loose-fitting clothes for summer and warm winter clothes for later autumn.

3.3 Cultural differences

Nagoya is a conservative city, which is seen in behavior and clothing. Japanese don't show shoulders or use low-cut shirts even during the summer. Short dresses and shorts are never the less ok. We received a dress code from school at the point where many of the student were already departed from home. Students are not supposed to wear things like short pants or sandals at campus, but at least for girls shorts were ok. For some business visits and other occasions it was advised to have a business suit. Quiet and polite behavior is appreciated all over. However, foreigners are often forgiven for being different.

One could write a thigh book of the cultural differences between Japanese and Finns but I will just mention few 'good-to-knows'. Firstly, Japanese are afraid of loosing their face and thus always behave according to rules, regulations and norms. Indeed, it often seems that they have a rule for everything. Unfortunately, this often means that there is no room for common sense. So it might be that you can not buy three scoops of ice-cream as the ice-cream bar only sell sets of one or two. Secondly, Japanese don't say 'no'. They might say that it is difficult or that they only have a little. This practically means no. They might also say that they will do something about your issue, but don’t be surprised if nothing ever happens. Japanese also say 'yes' a lot. However, it most often does not mean that they agree with you, it just means that they hear what you are saying.

3.4 Traveling in Japan

Nagoya is well located in terms of exploring Japan. The city is in cross roads for trains to south and north. There are more affordable buses from JR Bus and Willer Express departing from Nagoya Station to many locations. The school did not have a big holiday, but by choosing the courses to my convenience I was able to have long week-end trips. Peach-airline offers affordable flight tickets to many parts of Japan. Departing from one is able to fly for example to Okinawa with around 50€. In addition to Tokyo, at least and Takayama are worthwhile to visit. Japan guide -website is useful tool when planning trips.

3.5 Nice to know

If you prefer to use any specific brand of toiletries, medicines or cosmetics I advise you take them with you from Finland. Even though Japan is highly civilized country the product selection is quite different. In addition, it it often hard to understand qualities of specific products.

It is very hard to be a non-fish-vegetarian in Japan even though one would eat eggs and dairy products. One can survive but it is not easy and the diet is not balanced. I definitely can not recommend Japan to people with sea food allergies. Japanese put fish in almost everything and in surprising places. Most often the sauces contain fish. In many places in Japan it is hard to communicate about the contents of the food and even if that would be possible Japanese themselves often don’t realise that something contains fish.

For vegetarians there are few options in Nagoya to enjoy a nice dinner. There is an Indian restaurant Akbar in Sakae (Hirokoji-dori avenue on the way to Fushimi). A bar called Shooters near Fushimi campus makes all the dishes in vegetarian version if asked.

If you find yourself missing things from west there are few options to release the pain. There are two foreign food stores in Sakae, one called My in Hirokoji-dori avenue next to Maruei department store and another in underground floor of Lachic department store. Maruei sells English books and magazines on seventh floor.

4. Final words

I can recommend NUCB as an exchange destination to those who wish to visit in Japan, but do not necessarily speak Japanese and are not looking forward on socialising with locals. The facilities are in place but this is not a place just for travels and parties. If you are looking for an easy exchange, this is not your place.

For Aalto the requirements to apply to NUCB was at least 2 years of relevant work experience since NUCB is a MBA program. However, most of the exchange students and thus the students of the whole program are from France where the students send to NUCB are actually undergraduates and do not have work experience. This means that in the class the discussion is mostly not based on experience and that most of students are younger.

Studies at NUCB have given me new perspectives for business as well as international point of view. I have accrued knowledge in the fields of marketing, consumer and financial behavior as well as leadership. My general understanding of business processes has improved and I have learned to think more critically the business problems at hand.

I was either looking forward a more relaxed study time or really world class teaching. Unfortunately neither was offered, so if I had to choose again I might not choose to come to NUCB. On the other hand, I was never really a Japan enthusiastic and that no-doubt affects my feelings. Nevertheless, all the experiences are good for personal growing.

NUCB offered some academical growth but mostly I learned about myself. Having traveled a lot and being an open minded person I thought I would be tolerant to cultural differences but Japanese ways proved to drive me crazy from time to time. This was a place for serous self-reflection. Obviously I also learned a lot about Japanese (and Asian) ways of living, their ways of thinking and rules of society. Time at NUCB also gave me a good idea of how to develop my career. Especially, Professor Lippert's classes and a voluntary extra class about self-branding contributed to my career planning.