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DAY 9: Back to the PH

by JJ Jalani

March 7, 2017, all delegates were bound to return to their respective countries. We, the delegates from the Philippines were the first to leave the hotel for the early flight. After the 4 hours trip, we were back in the Philippines.

Personally, I am thankful for the Japan experience. I am happy that I was given the opportunity to learn and to share. For seven days, I got to know not only Japan but including all other participating countries in the program.

Japan remains to be one of the very interesting places to visit in the world. More than the place, it was about the people. Japan is a strong nation primarily because of its people. Throughout history, Japan struggled yet they bloomed exquisitely. Despite the technological advancements, the Japanese retained their cultural identity. Close family ties, respect to elders, hospitability, were just few of the values that I personally had experienced. These qualities are very similar to us, Filipinos, but undeniably, we are far from being like Japan economically. Well, we still have a lot to learn as a nation. A nation’s fate will always depend on its people. It’s a shared responsibility among the government and the people.    

With a grateful heart, I say, thank you for the memories. The work is not yet done. It just started. See you around or Mata ne!

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 9 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

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DAY 8: Reporting Session and Farewell Party

by Love Gomez

We made our way to the train station the following day right after breakfast. This is really making me sooo sad. Half of the day was spent on the train, which meant sleeping and chatting. Observing everyone made me think how I’m going to miss all of them and this whole experience. Seeing some of our coordinators say goodbye and get off in different train stations made me even more realize how we’re really nearing the end of the programme. We’ve been saying a lot of goodbyes since yesterday I wanted the time to stop for a while so we can spend more time together. Right after we got off the train everything started speeding up. Soon we were all done with our 8-minute presentations and we’re all wearing out traditional clothes and we’re finally in our farewell party. As how it was with our farewell party in Akita, each presentation ended up with everybody dancing to a traditional dance they don’t even know how to dance to. Everyone’s group hugging, taking groupies, exchanging tokens and calling cards IT WAS MAKING ME FEEL REALLY SAAAD. JICE had a bit of difficulty sending us out of the venue group by group as it was getting a bit difficult to break the people apart. I went to Miho-san and Ikeda-san in a rush to thank them for all their kindness and for taking good care of us during our stay in Japan. On the bus I didn’t know who to go to first to give my tokens, receive theirs, exchange calling cards, and quickly catch up and talk about how to stay in touch after the programme. By this time, I’m already hugging anyone I get to talk to. SAD, SAD, SAD! Once we got back in Hotel Emion, we just changed into more comfortable clothes and then we set off into the night to enjoy our last night in Tokyo on our own. Funny how I ended up being with the same set of people who danced the Carinosa earlier that day. In a rush, we went to Shibuya and Akihabara, trying to catch the last few open stores before the trains closed. But of course the trains closed before we finished and we had to pay almost 11000¥ for a cab on our way back to Hotel Emion. By the time we reached the hotel, it was already 1AM. We were packing our clothes and the things we bought (which are a lot we didn’t realize despite the so little time we had to do shopping) until around 4AM. Our room - Mine, Pam, Diana, and Alyssa’s - was so chaotic it was so funny! Before we knew it our phone was ringing for the 5AM call time, and we were leaving the room with our big bags and OH MY GOSH SURPRISE! Friends from Thailand are downstairs in the lobby waiting to send us home. Oh my heart! I was really really sad! Like what Japanese would usually do, they waived their hands goodbye until our bus turned right and we lost sight of them :(

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 8 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

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DAY 7: Homestay Farewell Party & Workshop

by Maxine Chan

Huhuhu it’s time for family farewell We spent the last morning together visiting the samurai house. Afterwards, we had the farewell luncheon wherein we had to represent the PH in cultural presentation. Truthfully, we got confused with the queues and so our presentation didnt turn out as expected but we enjoyed nonetheless. 

 It was so heartwarming when all the host families, along with obasan and oneechan l, waved us goodbye as we left for Akita city. When we arrived, we had a workshop to decide as a group our impressions prior to JENESYS, after JENESYS, and the corresponding action plan for our respective home countries. It was really challenging trying to come up with one single group idea since we come from different cultures (Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines) though I took it as a learning experience wherein we must learn to understand where a culture is coming from to somewhat explain their behavior and approach. This stresses the importance of history and prior learning. In turn however, they must learn to adapt in a global stage as they grow to become more open to society. Afterwards, we were able to hang with fellow Thai delegates during our last night in Akita Prefecture. Truly, we formed a stronger bond and got to see how both cultures jive.

Click on the names of the participants for their report on DAY 7 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

[jenesys-energy-ph-blog]

DAY 6: Homestay

by Ae Arcilla 

The idea of spending an entire day with people who consider you part of their family filled my heart with anticipation. We woke up with breakfast already set in the dining area. Our foster family is very accommodating and they made sure that we are well-fed and that all our needs are attended to. After eating breakfast, Yukie-san and her husband, Kouji-san brought us to the ski resort to show us a good time. We went sledding and it was so much fun! It’s like we forgot about being adults and played like kids in the snow.

Eating with the Inaba family is such a pleasure. Although we have difficulties communicating because of certain language barriers, it is the thought of trying to reach out that made the interaction so special and meaningful. We make an effort to understand what message they are trying to send and we, as guests, also do the same. I also noticed that all the food they serve us is always fresh, healthy and very delicious. I know this is something that I will miss when I return home.

After lunch, they took the four of us to go shopping at a nearby mall. They showed us around Semboku, stopped at gift shops and took pictures at the Lake Tazawa, an iconic tourist attraction. The rest of the day we spent at home, chatting with one another, playing with Ikumi, drinking rice wine and just enjoying each other’s company.

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 6 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

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DAY 5: Luncheon Meeting with Local Business Persons and Meeting with Host Families

by Dexter Villarosa

The fifth day of the JENESYS program started with our breakfast at the hotel. After, the delegates headed to a conference hall for the final company immersion and for the luncheon exchange. The company immersion that happened was with Nippon SMT Co., Ltd, Hokuto Bank, and Dynamic Sanito Inc. The three companies shared their best practices and the existing mechanisms that each company possesses that made them very successful in their business, earning them privileges to extend their companies in Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines. 

From the company talk, I have earned so much most especially on how these Japanese companies open their operations in countries outside Japan. I was enlightened on how they are able to adapt to a different working environment in other countries, and on how they were able to flourish their businesses as much as how successful they are in Japan. During the luncheon exchange, we were given opportunities to talk with the CEOs and other executives of the companies present in the conference hall. We were able to hand out business cards and had conversations with the executives on various specifics on their businesses in Japan and in other countries. I was able to talk with businessmen on how they became successful in their careers and on what tips they can give for aspiring students like me. 

After the luncheon exchange, the delegates traveled to Semboku to meet the host families for the homestay. A program orientation was given before the official meetup with the host family. I was grouped with a fellow Filipino and three Thai delegates. My groupmates for the homestay were Kenneth Wilson Si, Mongkol Jiarapan, Suttinan Doungpummesr, and Ammarit Khunnatham. At first it was a bit difficult to converse with Akiko Chida from our host family because she could not speak or understand English, but good thing Ammarit understands and knows how to speak Japanese very well. We arrived at the house of the Chida family, and we got excited with the experience of snow outside the house and so we took photos and videos before we were invited for dinner. The father of the family hosted our dinner, Kaoru Chida, and we had a very delicious and traditional Japanese dinner. We talked about our experiences with Japan so far, and Kaoru-san told us about the activities for the next day. After dinner, we went into our rooms which was also traditional Japanese-style, because we slept in comforters and beds in the floor. Before going to bed, we took a bath. We had a very good rest with the welcoming Chida family.

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 5 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

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DAY 4: Akita Prefectural Government Courtesy Call; Visits to Noshiro Themral Power Plant and Kazeno Matsubara Wind Power Plant

by Cedric Dela Cruz

Highlights of Day 4, went to the different tours we had. Starting with the Akita Prefectural Government. The representative discussed the roles of local government in the city, the environment surrounding SMEs and efforts toward revitalization of regional SMEs, and most importantly relations between SMEs of Japan and participating countries.

We also went to Tohoku Electric Power Plant Co., Inc Noshiro Thermal Power Plant, where we get to learn the different energy generation facilities in Japan, and also had the privilege to have a dialogue with the different representatives.

And also we went to Kazeno-Matsubara Wind Power Plant to observe the renewable energy plant in Japan, and how significant these renewable energy facilities in ensuring the constant power supply to Japanese people. We also had dialogue with the representative of Kazeno Matsubara Wind Power Plant.

Probably one of the good thing I observed in the tour, is how active the government is in ensuring that where their people’s money were going were worth it. The government made a policy that there would be a constant Feed-in-Tariff scheme for all plants which sets the payment constantly through the years.

Click on the names of the participants for their report on DAY 4 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

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DAY 3: Keynote Lecture & Move to Akita

by Dana Eduave

March 1, 2017, Tokyo: Daily temperature check was at 6:50am before having our breakfast at the hotel resto, after breakfast we went to give some fliers (these are the DOT Philippine tourism fliers) to some delegates from other countries. Then went to Funabori hall to listen to Mr. Hideo Kimura the Executive Managing Director Strategic International Management Associates (SIMA) Tokyo, his topic was: Japan’s Economy Today. According to him, today there are 127 million Japanese, with single ethnic and language background.

They have a very unique religion exclusive for Japan: 80% Shintoism, they worship everything in this religion, they believe that everything has a god in it that protects them. And 70% of Japanese are Buddhist, for them it is okay to have two religion at the same time, so some believes in two religions. They had 125 Emperors for 2,670 years. 150 ago Japan opened doors from Feudal to Modern Japan then industrialization came. During the World War II Japan was defeated so they did reconstruction, and rise above it. Today Japanese company produce 70% of carbon fiber for the world consumption, Japan provides carbon fiber for Boeing. Japan works with practically no natural resources but produces some of the world needs such as steel, they import iron ore from other countries since they don’t have such natural resource. They patronize their own products to protect their industry. They have a declining population and projected that by the year 2044 they will only have 100 million people. Mr. Kimura was one of the best speakers I’ve ever listened to. I observed that he was always looking at his watch from time to time, probably a proof how time is very important to Japanese. After the lecture we went straight to a Japanese resto for lunch, we had Shabu-shabu.

The shiitake mushrooms on that hotpot was probably the best shiitake I’ve ever tasted to date (it just melts in your mouth). After lunch we had few minutes to walk around the area, then headed to Tokyo station to catch our train to Akita-shi.

Everyone was thrilled to finally see Shinkansen (bullet train). It was a 4-hour ride to Akita-shi, passing by prefectures (provinces) covered with snow, coming from a tropical country seeing snow for the first time was like a dream came true. It was past 7 when we arrived in Akita-shi, and headed to the Youth-center for a very sumptuous dinner followed by a welcome program/orientation.

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 3 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

[jenesys-energy-ph-blog]

DAY 2: Edo Tokyo Museum & Orientation

by AJ Brillantes

For our first night in Japan, we stayed in Emion Hotel in Tokyo. I got an impression that this was not just an ordinary hotel and true enough, it was proven by the breakfast we had during our second day. After taking our daily body temperatures first thing in the morning, which was an S.O.P. of the program, we proceeded to the dining area. We were greeted by a buffet which consisted of a motley assortment of dishes, most of which I had never seen. I did not know what to do at first since I had the impression that the Japanese were very particular with the way they did things. I realized that I was overthinking and decided to just enjoy the food.

After breakfast, we went on with the activities set out for the day which I was very excited about. Our first stop was the Edo-Tokyo museum which highlighted some artifacts and scale models of the different things that existed in Tokyo during the Edo period. I found it very interesting since it reminded me of what one usually sees in historical films. We then ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. It was the first time I ate authentic Japanese bento. The thing that caught my attention was how varied the different dishes were. More so was how healthy the food was. We were then allowed to go out for a few minutes before going to the orientation that was held in another venue.

Dinner was served at Triton which was akin to a food court setting and consisted of various food stalls. We were given tickets which amounted to 1000 Yen each and could choose from any of the stalls. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and had to pack our things that would be sent ahead of us to Akita City. Before bedtime, we went to a nearby mall where we met up with our co-delegate’s Filipino friend who told us about her life in Japan. It was a great way to end the day, sharing stories and experiences in a foreign land with a fellow Filipino.

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 2 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

[jenesys-energy-ph-blog]

DAY 1: Arrival in Japan

by Ronald Gil Bilang

Today was the first day of our 10 day long trip to Japan. I arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 hours earlier before the flight. It was my first time to ride a plane at NAIA Terminal 1 and to ride a foreign airline carrier, Japan Airlines (JAL). Even though we were still in the Philippines, one of the things I noticed is the promptness of their boarding time. We really boarded at the exact time written in the boarding pass. Moving forward, I was astonished with the interiors and services given by JAL staff. Most of the time, I kept on asking for something to drink.

We arrived past 6 pm at Narita International Airport. After doing all the necessary immigration requirements, we were welcome by a JICE staff. When we went outside the airport, I was really surprised how cold the weather was. The coldness does not even compare with the one I felt in Baguio. It was really cold. We were transported from Narita International Airport to Hotel Emion. During the travel, I kept looking outside because I was still having a hard time believing I was already in Tokyo. We arrived at Hotel Emion at around 8Pm and we were welcome by more JICE Staff and we’re given something to eat. After giving our room keycards, Mr. AE Arcillas and I were given orientation about the safety and emergency rules of the hotel. I was impressed because by experience, when we check in a hotel, there was no orientation. Japanese are very particular when it comes to safety. After arranging our luggage in our room, we decided to go around the area of the hotel. We noticed when we were in the streets that Japanese people are much disciplined. They cross the street in a pedestrian lane, wait for the street light to turn green, pass the pavement in an orderly manner. But because it was already 10 pm, a lot of shops were about to close, so we decided to call it a night and went straight to our rooms.

Click on the names of the participants for their DAY 1 experiences

Gil Bilang

AJ Brillantes

Dibby Mae Brillas

Maxine Chan

Camille Corcega

Cedric Dela Cruz

Diana Dizon

Alyssa Nifas

Pamela Jessica C. Roque

Kenneth Si

Dexter Villarosa

Ae Arcilla

Jerry Beseos

Ryan Bonifacio

Dana Eduave

July Fojas

Armand Garcia Jr

Love Gomez

JJ Jalani

Ron Noche

Nani Villasencio

[jenesys-energy-ph-blog]

DAY 9 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 8 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 7 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 6 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 5 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 4 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 3 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”

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DAY 2 by Nani Villasencio

/insert text/

Ernani D. Villasencio is a faculty member of the University of Southeastern Philippines – College of Engineering in Davao City. He is currently designated as the Program Head of the Mining Engineering Department. He served as an international collaborator to the University of Western Australia for a research entitled “Benchmarking the ‘Status of safety’: Safety risks, practices, and beliefs in developing countries” after his short course on Occupational and Safety Management to the said university in 2013.  Apart from his designation, he is also the Principal Investigator for an on-going USAID-STRIDE research grant entitled “Design, Development and Packaging of IoT Monitoring and Intelligent Control System for Crop Heat Stress”