Problems encountered with life in Japan

I get asked this question often, but I can't think of anything in particular. In Finland, we have a draft system, which requires you to be drafted into the military for one year. I acquired the ability to have strong patience during my service in the military, and I also learned about leadership, being thoughtful of others, and working in cooperation with others. Individualism remains strong in the worldview of the European countries, but perhaps because I experienced service in the military, I didn't have any negative reactions to Japan's distinct collective mentality, and was able to adjust quickly. I also loved Japanese culture, such as anime and drama, so I didn't encounter much cultural shock. What I felt strongly after coming to Japan is that if you can't understand the local language, you can't understand the local culture in the true sense. Before I acquired a deep understanding about Japanese language and culture, I thought Japan was a mysterious country with many strange things. But by studying in Japan, I learned to have a deeper and closer affinity towards the appeals of the country and people of Japan.

About my studies

Right now, I am in the midst of writing my thesis, in which I do a comparative study of the economies in Finland and Japan during the mid-20th century. The summer Olympics in 1940 was supposed to be held in Tokyo, but because of World War II, that never happened. Coincidently, the city that was supposed to host the Olympics after Tokyo was Helsinki, in my homeland of Finland. However, just as with Tokyo, the Olympics could also not be held in Helsinki because of World War II. I am doing my research on how the cancellation of the Olympics in these two cities affected the economic developments in Finland and in Japan.

About student life

I am enjoying my student life very much. Basically, all of my hours are spent in research. All hours other than those spent at my part-time job are spent holed up in the research room and writing my thesis. The Graduate School at Kansai University is kept to a small number of students, so we are able to have in-depth discussions. The school also has good environment to support our studies, such as a library and the IT center, and I am very happy with the facilities. They also have a co-op store on campus, so that I can purchase everything that I need for my daily living. I never thought I would find a barber inside the campus! At the Senriyama Campus, there are many stores for students in the campus surroundings, so I never had problems with my daily living. Japan also has good public safety, so I went out and tried many different things. For example, this summer, I went on a trip to Tokyo, but instead of using the Shinkansen or the airplane, I used the "Seishun 18" train ticket to go to Tokyo. This is a ticket where you use the local trains to travel between Osaka and Tokyo, riding on trains that stop at every station counting a total of approximately 130 stations. But the slowly changing views from the trains were magnificent, and it became a memorable experience. I think it is important in life to never forget your adventurous spirit. I always think that I want to challenge my possibilities, to see how far I can go. I don't really like the word "dekinai" (meaning, "I can't do it"). I hope that people who say "dekinai" wouldn't say so, but would make the effort to believe in their own possibilities and take action to try anything.

Future dreams

After finishing my Master's Program, I am planning to work at a major Japanese company that is developing its business globally. Compared to European countries, the method of management at Japanese companies places more focus on the customers, which appeals to me because it has a sense of human touch. I'm excited to see what I can do and how much I can grow after entering the company. I could advance smoothly in that company and become a President, or, I may encounter a major obstacle and leave, and then take on a completely different challenge on the other side of the world. I heard that in the United States, management personnel of bankrupted companies have a competitive edge in the job market. That is because they are thought to have experienced many failures, and would thus use the experiences they had gained by those failures to bring positive influences to the company. Even if you have a negative experience, I believe that experience can be changed into a positive one by what kind of mentality you have after that. While working for a Japanese company, I would like to learn about Japanese-style management that could be applied globally, and I myself would like to become a person of the world and work actively at a global level.