Category Archives: Toyota City

Farewell to Spring 2009 Program 2 <(‘ . ‘)>

spring 2009 program 2 graduation


heart felt hugs

Toyota city was the end of the adventure for some as program two of the Spring ’09 came to an end. It will take some time to readjust back to their “real lives” and to understand their experience with the program. It might take weeks, months, or even years to fully reflect and truly appreciate the unique journey but that day will come.

Saying goodbye is difficult but World Campus – Japan always tries to limit the sadness with warm hugs, nifty thank you cards, and graduation certificates. Thank you all for sharing your whole selves with WCJ and the Japanese community. Your contribution and presence will be missed but never forgotten! <(‘ . ‘)>

Spring 2009 Toyota Company Visit

asking questions at Toyota visit


a Toyota hybrid car

A stay in Toyota city would not be complete without a visit to the mega car manufacturer that the city is named after. After a tour of one of the highly efficient automobile plants, World Campus – Japan members had a rare opportunity learn about the international corporation through a question and answer session at the headquarters of Toyota.

We learned a little bit about the company philosophy of Toyota that makes it one of most successful businesses in the world. Quality checks occur throughout the production process insuring that defects do not spread beyond one machine. This practice of jidoka is really effective as some defects can be hard to detect once the machine is completed. Toyota also uses the “just-in-time” production strategy. This allows the company to limit the production parts to what is require at the moment. In addition to reducing storage cost, this strategy also allows Toyota to quickly implement any changes to the actual part without having to clear out inventory first.

It was very interesting to hear about all the social projects Toyota is involved in. Even though it is not purely altruistic, it is still remarkable to see such a large company practice “corporate social responsibility” on a global level. Toyota gives back to society by heading up or supporting programs in education, environment, and arts and culture in countries that they have a large presence in.

Random Fun on Host Family Day

staying with a princess


going to class on host family day

Host family days are always interesting. Most of the time, the families are really excited and have extravagant plans to show you the most famous sites of the area, like a castle or amusement park. On occasion, you will just want to spend some quality time at home with the family, playing video games, watching a movie, or just hanging out. All family are different and such, all host family days are unique.

Even though I have experienced quite a few host family days in my time with World Campus – Japan, I am still surprised by the variety. In Toyota city, my host mother, Masako (Princess!), offered a rather unique experience for me on host family day. She is actually studying Mandarin, so in the morning I sat in on her class. Although I am also studying Chinese, I never expected to be in a Chinese class taught completely in Japanese in Japan. It was just so odd and unexpected but that is also what makes it so enjoyable and unforgettable. The randomness of it all continues to amaze me.

Guang Yeung (USA/China)

Toyota City, Aichi

As the name of the city suggests, Toyota City thrives on the automobile industry. In recent years, the central-Japan area has enjoyed the fastest growing economy within the country thanks to companies like Toyota Motor Corporation. Due to the high number of foreign residents in the region, Toyota city actively supports international NGOs.

On Sep.19th, part of the class visited the OISCA Training Center. At this multinational NGO, people from developing nations are able to take lessons in sustainable development as well as acquire skills in modern agricultural methods. WCI participants joined the trainees to help harvest rice at the paddy for a day.

“The most important lesson I leaned today through the harvest work, is that WE SHOULD CHERISH OUR FOOD! I really understand how difficult farming work is. It’s necessary to develop our techniques. Helping and training those people from developing regions and teaching them organic farming is very good”
-Lisa Wang, (China)

Another part of our class had the chance to have a tour in one of the Toyota plants to see their eco-friendly operations and later take part in the role-playing simulation facilitated by Toyota’s education personnel to experience how the well-known TPS (Toyota Production System) functions.

On Sep. 20th, the entire class had the opportunity to visit another Toyota plant as well as their exhibition center, and later had the privilege to have a lunch and a Q&A session with the PR director of the corporation to gain a better understanding of the secrets to their international success.

“Since childhood, I’ve been interested in everything with wheels and engines. I studied Industrial Engineering and Management with specialization in logistics at my university. I enjoyed the workshop a lot. This way you can experience their daily production method. I also saw the theory, I learned, I applied.”
-Bjorn Jurcka, (Netherlands)