Twenty-four SSC students go on enlightening study tour to Tokyo in May
A group photo taken before the imperial palace.
There is a time for learning in classrooms, and a time for relaxing and absorbing new culture through everyday activities. While chatting and laughing with students, Dr Lawrence Ho (far right) talks about the hierarchical features of Japanese society during dinner.
Twenty-four students taking various programmes at the former Department of Social Sciences (SSC) participated in academic exchange activities at Waseda University of Japan and visited various attractions in Tokyo in late May 2023. At Waseda University, a famous private University in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Dr Hirai Arata and Professor Umermori Naoyuki gave an overview on Japan’s history, politics, economy and society. Our students’ minds were profoundly stimulated as they reflected upon the differences between their cultures.
“Although the idea of organising a study tour to Tokyo appeared as early as 2019 when I and a former colleague attended an academic meeting in Waseda University, the pandemic rendered it impossible to realise. As soon as we knew the pandemic had been mostly subdued and the situation had grown permitting once again, we contacted our counterparts at Waseda University. The tour was finally made possible with the kind assistance of Dr Hirai and Professor Umermori from Waseda. I also want to thank EdUHK’s Global Learning Enhancement Fund (GLEF) for supporting the tour,” said Dr Lawrence Ho, coordinator of the study tour and Assistant Professor from SSC. SSC and the Department of Asian and Policy Studies were merged in July to form the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS).
Themed “Lessons from Japan’s Experience”, the seven-day study tour included guest lectures delivered by the two Waseda scholars on Japan’s politics, economy, society and international relations, followed by small-group discussions among students from both SSC and Waseda University. The tour also arranged visits to a number of attractions with great learning value, including the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (Gaikaku), Showakan and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), and so forth. On the fifth and sixth days of the tour, students had a chance to see some of the most famous tourist attractions of Tokyo, such as Tsukiji Market, Toyosu Market, Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories, and Shibuya.
The study tour did not conclude upon the departure of the students’ return flight at Narita airport. As a final assignment of the tour, each participant is required to submit a short reflection on what they have learnt from the visit. “Our students are very impressed by what they have experienced on the tour. Many have said they now understand more about Japan, with some growing more aware of the dissimilarities between their own culture and that of Japan. Some even began to make sense of the differences between their preconceptions about Japan and what they have learnt from the Japanese scholars, and from their own personal observations of the country,” Dr Ho said.
Jay Chung shares his perspectives on social movements after listening to the guest lecture given by Professor Umermori Naoyuki (in the background) at Waseda University.
On behalf of SSC, Dr Lawrence Ho presents a souvenir flag to Professor Umermori Naoyuki.
Dr Hirai Arata of Waseda University explains the different meanings of the “best before date” (賞味期限) and “expiry date” (消費期限).
Dr Hirai Arata, a fluent Mandarin speaker, explains the essential features that a civilised and developed society should possess.
Jay Chung Chak-hong, now a third-year major in sociology, said, “The exchange tour gave me a wonderful academic exchange experience. Dr Hirai’s lecture taught me more about Japan. He is very polite and kind. When he was posed with challenging and sensitive questions on international politics and Hong Kong’s political environment, Dr Hirai answered them judiciously. From Professor Umemori’s brief lecture, l learnt about the Anpo Protests and the unfairness of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security signed between the US and Japan. The after-lecture discussions with my groupmates from SSC and senior-grade students at Waseda University were also thought-provoking. I learnt about what the political atmosphere of Japan was like in the 60s from the Japanese students, and about the injustice of the treaty.”
Liu Ziyang is a fifth-year student of the Global and Environmental Studies programme. He found the lecture by Dr Hirai on Japanese culture, politics, economy and Sino-Japanese relationships inspiring. “The most enlightening part of Dr Hirai’s lecture was about Japanese resistance of patriotic rhetoric. This is a lesson the Japanese have drawn from the fanatical patriotism and worship of the emperor during World War II, which eventually led to military expansion and the indelible trauma of war inflicted on the people of other nations and its own people alike. In today’s Japan, patriotism has evolved into requirements for personal qualities of its nationals; for example, a strong sense of hygiene and a high awareness of environmental protection,” Liu said.
Besides academic exchanges, students also learnt from visits to places of substantial historical, social or cultural value. Michelle Tao Man-ching appreciated the visit to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation very much. “It is an excellent showcase of Japan’s innovation and technological advancements. The exhibits were engaging and interactive, and I found Japan’s commitment to scientific research and development very impressive. Through the exhibits, I gained a better understanding of how science and technology impact our daily lives too,” Michelle, who has just graduated from the Global and Environmental Studies programme, said.
Liu Ziyang responds to the lecture given by Dr Hirai and Professor Umermori about social and student movements in Japan.
Michelle Tao Manching, second right, poses with her fellow groupmates in front of the huge globe at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. She is impressed by the exhibits of the museum which showcase Japan’s innovation and technological advancements.
Liu Wenqing poses in front of one of the must-see destinations for literature lovers: The Waseda International House of Literature, aka the Haruki Murakami Library.
Students not only acquired new knowledge from prearranged lectures and visits, they also learn through their own eyes. Liu Wenqing, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Geography), made observations about how Japanese people behaved during the tour. She wrote in the report, “I noticed that commuters observed the escalator etiquette strictly, standing on the left-hand side of the escalators and leaving the right-hand side for those who were in a hurry. They lined up for boarding the escalator, even during peak hours of work. I also learnt from Japanese students that a plastic bottle is separated into three parts – the cap, the film and the body – before recycling, reflecting a more sophisticated system of recycling than that of my home city of Shanghai. When I visited the Toyosu Market, I was impressed to see that even a vegetable market like it could be kept so clean and tidy.”
“As a social scientist and an educator, I always believe in the power of learning through idea exchanges among people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and through personal observations. Despite the short duration of the trip in Japan, participating students were greatly inspired by the academic lectures, the small-group discussions that followed, visits, and even contacts with servers while shopping and dining. This is the essence of a study tour: an opportunity to stimulate us into thinking deeper about a place—its history, people and culture—through exchanges of ideas and first-hand experiences,” Dr Ho remarked.
