Studying Away as a NYU Stern Student in Japan

Another common experience was seeing the past and present interact with each other in Tokyo.

One of my favorite moments while studying away was walking through the Asakusa Shrine and wandering around Shinjuku City. The contrast between the traditional and modern was awe-inspiring. I loved seeing that the past and present can literally co-exist together.

On the streets, I often saw traditional mom and pop stores right next to a 7/11.  My study away experience showed that respecting heritage can fuel innovation, not hinder it.

In Japanese culture, there is a concept called “wa” (harmony) that I witnessed while studying away. In public places, there is an expectation that everyone will be quiet. For example, no one speaks on the train and there are signs to silence cellphones. Initially, this was a cultural shock to me. However, I grew to like having these little moments of silence whether it was taking the train or the bus back to the airport. These chances to thrive and explore multicultural environment are a core part of the NYU experience.

Internationally, Japanese customer service is known for excellence because there is a focus about genuine empathy, not just efficiency. On my last day in Japan, I needed help finding the Muji store in Ikebukuro mall. Most of the people in Tokyo do not speak English. However, they still took effort and guided me to the right location. The level of politeness was overwhelming because I was used to people treating me in a more direct manner back in NYC. Studying away exposes you to different ways of thinking–while the level of politeness might be overwhelming to me, it might be a normal phenomena in Japan.

Tokyo is organized in districts that are known for a specific purpose. While NYC has districts like the Meatpacking District, meat is not literally sold there much anymore. On the other hand, Tokyo’s districts will typically sell a particular category of items.

Akihabara is an excellent example of Tokyo’s infrastructure. Tokyo is a vertical city because many stores and restaurants are above ground in buildings or below ground in train stations.

Train stations in Tokyo are huge. Shinjuku station is one the most complex stations in the world with close to 100 entry and exit points. On the other hand, NYC is a horizontal city meaning that restaurants and stores are above ground and next to each other. These observations while studying away sharpened my awareness of urban design, customer experience, and global retail cultures.

As a business student, the company visits were a required part of our trip to learn about Japan’s business values. One company, Marubeni, a financial trading firm, took pride in their history and office location which was close to the Emperor’s Palace. Respect and hard work were consistent themes in our speaker’s address to my class. In NYC, achieving social presence and recognition are considered good business values so it was interesting to see the stark contrast.

We also visited Nissan’s global headquarters which was my favorite company visit. During the Nissan visit, we witnessed how Nissan blended its history with its future. In Japanese culture, there is another concept called “monozukuri”, or excellence in craftmanship. Nissan’s models such as the X-trail and Skyline GTR are great examples of how Nissan has adapted to the evolving trends in the automotive industry through monozukuri.

As an American business student at NYU, this reshaped how I view corporate values and long-term impact. This also creates an important reflection opportunity on whether I will always want to stay in NYC for a future career.