Excursions

Industrial Tour of Denso Corporation in Aichi organized by Toyohashi University of Technology

A message from Mr Ermansyah Sitorus, a short term exchange student from Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia who stayed at Toyohashi Tech from May to October 2011.

Visits to industry are an important element of education at Toyohashi Tech. These tours give students a valuable insight into the working environment of companies.

Toyohashi Tech arranges a wide range of industrial visits each year. For me the visit to Denso Corporation was really instructive and memorable.

During the visit, we were first given a presentation about the Greater Nagoya Initiative (GNI) by general manager Mr. Tetsuo Hirayama and assistant manager Ms Kiyono Watanabe. This presentation gave us a good overview about the GNI before entering the plant.

After lunch we went by bus to the Takatana Plant of Denso Corporation. Before entering the Takatana Plant, we were given a tour of the Denso Gallery, which included information about the company's history, as well as its key technologies and products. Inside the Takatana Plant we were given a direct look at the production process of the plant from the stage of part manufacture to final packaging. I was impressed with how the humans interacted with advanced equipment and technology during the manufacturing process.

This trip complemented my lecture courses, and I learnt and experienced things that would not have been possible in a classroom. As a student I realized how engineers improve technology and how technology improves the skills of engineers.

Further information

Denso Gallery: http://www.globaldenso.com/en/aboutdenso/hall/gallery/

Toyohashi Festival 2011

Wu Xiangqin is an international student from China studying for a master's degree in Environmental and Life Sciences at Toyohashi Tech. Here, she recalls her experience of taking part in the Toyohashi festival in October 2011.

I am a first year master's student studying environmental and life sciences. Six months have passed since arriving in Japan from Jilin Province in northern China. Coming to Japan was the realization of my dream to study at one the finest technology-based universities in Japan.

In the beginning, I was very excited about studying and living in Japan. However, I was also worried about my poor Japanese language ability and sometimes wondered whether I would be able adapt to life in Japan. Fortunately, the administration staff, teachers, and my new found friends at Toyohashi Tech were extremely supportive, in not only academic matters but also for my daily life. The University support enabled me to feel very comfortable at Toyohashi Tech.

Toyohashi Tech and the international association organize regular activities for international students, including opportunities of experiencing Japanese culture and enriching our academic life. I have enjoyed participating in almost all of those activities. On October 15 the Toyohashi festival was held in Toyohashi Mae Odori; the main street adjacent to Toyohashi Station. Around 1000 people take part in this annual festival, with some participating in traditional Japanese dancing. Many girls—including me—wore yukata, the traditional Japanese cotton kimono. But some girls dressed up in funny costumes of monsters or animated character costumes. When the musicians started beating their drums and playing their music the participants along the road of the festival started moving and dancing. Even the slight rain towards the end of the festival did not dampen the spirits of the participants who continued to dance and enjoy the event.

I had a wonderful time dancing to the music. The Toyohashi festival was a truly wonderful experience that will live with me forever.