Mitsui Forest

This weekend I had the pleasure of participating in a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) event for Mitsui.  I knew it was an all-day trip to the Mitsui Forest, but I didn't really have a clear understanding what we were going to be doing there. 

We met just before 8am (which is incredibly early for Japan) and took a 2-hour train ride to Kii-nagashima in Mie Prefecture (a neighboring state).

Mitsui owns the third largest forest area in Japan (based on private companies only), and they started the business over 100 years ago.  They have 73 locations in Japan, and 80% are located on the northern island of Hokkaido.  The total area is over 100,000 acres.  Originally, the forest area was acquired to support for the Lumber division of Mitsui, but in the early 1980's the price of lumber fell and the business was no longer commercially feasible. 

Now Mitsui maintains their Forests for 4 reasons:

1. 
   
   Conservation - water, nature, and wildlife
2. 
   
   Replenishment - oxygen and natural resources
3. 
   
   Education - programs for employees and school children
4. 
   
   Recreation! 

We have arrived at the picturesque Mitsui Forest.

 The center area which is devoid of trees was actually caused by a landslide.  This is the rainiest area of Japan, with an annual rainfall of 157 inches.  (Nagoya gets an average of 59 inches, and Michigan gets only 32 inches per year.)  They are particularly prone to typhoons, which can erode the land.

Here's some construction to prevent more landslides.

 Mesh fences were up all over the place.  The purpose is to keep the rising deer population from grazing on the young trees.  I couldn't help thinking that if Mitsui needs help "thinning the herd", Dad and his cronies would be happy to take a trip over here and reduce the deer population for them...

There are also plenty of bears and monkeys that live in the forest, but they are not as much of pests to the young trees.

After they clear one section of the forest, new trees are planted immediately to start the root growth and prevent landslides.

Breathtaking views every where I looked!

 

 One thing I keep forgetting about Japan is that it's rarely flat, so I had to climb a bunch of mountains to explore the forest :(  At least they took a lot of breaks to lecture us, so I could rest.  The lectures were in Japanese, so I relied on others to translate for me, or I just took in the grand beauty.

 This is the third year for this employee program, but the first time they've eaten lunch in the forest.  They asked everyone to pick a stump and use their 5 senses... taste, see, smell, hear, and touch!!

 Our bento (lunchbox) and green tea.

 Kerri in her required uniform: long pants, long sleeves, hat, hiking shoes, and nylons (for the women) to prevent bloodsuckers from getting you!!  Yes, they are super paranoid about leeches here, and I was warned about them at least 12 times during the day!

 The group after our lecture and lunch! 

On to our next adventure of learning to "thin" the forest!  Periodically, they have to cut down the small trees that are not getting enough sunlight or that are curving in order to reach the sunlight.  This allows more room for growth for the healthy trees.

We were split into small groups, equipped with gear (do-rag, hard hat, gloves, and saw), and sent to find some trees to hack down!  The guys in green hats are the Mitsui Forest professionals, while all of the amateurs are wearing the yellow hats.

First, they mark in the direction they want the tree to fall, and we cut out a large piece there.

I was assigned to a group with the Director of the Nagoya office, Mr. Hanagata.  He likes to test out my progress with the Japanese language by talking to me in the elevators and hallways at work.  Thankfully, he talked to me mostly in English today and even did a bit of translating during the multiple lectures for me. 

My friend Ema goes next.

 

Everyone gets a turns.  (Even me, but I don't have any pictures of me on my camera!)

Do you see how she is now sawing from the back of the tree?

Being a lumberjack is hard work.  The men were much better at this than the women.

Four of us pulled on the rope attached high in the tree, and it finally fell over!!  What a cool feeling :)

My crew is proud of our forestry skills!!  Or maybe just tired... I'm the only one who looks happy to be there!

Next we measure the fallen tree, and cut it into pieces each 2 meters long.  The first tree was over 50 feet tall, and we did 2 more, which were even larger!!

Here are the shoes worn by the real lumberjacks.  They are traditional Japanese tabi shoes, and even the guys who pull the rickshaws wear them.  I have a hard time believing they are comfortable and protective, but both of these hard-working professions wear them, so I guess they know something I don't...

At the end of our session, the professionals cut each of us a slice of the fallen cedar tree as omiyage (souvenir) to take with us.  (It smelled really fresh and was damp!) 

One last look at the Mitsui Forest before it got dark, and we had to head home.

They even had plenty of streams and waterfalls.

It was a really great educational CSR program, and we had excellent weather for it!  Each participant had to pay $22, but that was relatively cheap considering the train tickets alone were $116 and we had lunch provided and were transported to & from the forest by a chartered bus.  I will be sure to brag to my co-workers in the office who didn't join the event!

Japanese Nicknames

When Japanese people live abroad (in Canada, America, and elsewhere), they often adopt a nickname.  Thanks to a suggestion from Gavin Marshall, I decided to investigate this practice.

Before I reveal my findings, let's review a few nicknames as an example:

• Areki = Alex
• Daijiro = Danny
• Masazumi = Matt
• Takeshi = Tag

As it turns out, the people listed above really like their nicknames.  If the person selects his own nickname, introduces himself with it, and even lists it in his email signature, then feel free to call him by it!!  In fact, some people like their nicknames so much, they try to continue to use them even when back in Japan!  Think about it... It is kinda of like picking your own name :)

In addition, the names listed below aren't truly considered "American" nicknames:

• Hiromitsu = Hiro
• Kentaro = Kent or Ken
• Shinichiro = Shin

This is simply shortening their Japanese name, and I'm told that it is common in Japan, especially when you are a child.  So, these too are completely acceptable, and they may already have been using their shortened name even before moving abroad.

Lastly, here are a few Japanese people I know that chose NOT to change their name:

• Masao
• Satoru (sometimes called Steve)
• Yosuke
• Yuiki (sometimes called Yogi)

Not everyone likes nicknames, and these guys above are great examples.  In fact, they even said it was insulting that people would call them Steve or Yogi, and try to make up a nickname for them.  They take pride in their names given by their parents, and they would appreciate a little respect and a sincere attempt to get it correct.

I found it interesting that at all other Transfreight locations (India, China, Europe), they call their Japanese managers by their last name +san, which is the proper Japanese way to do it.  I'm wondering why North America dismisses this tradition?  Does it have to do with the way people introduce themselves, or could it be that we see people's first names and automatically want to call them that?! 

Whatever the reason, now you know the rules!! 

Try not to get too down on yourself if you were one of those people pushing someone to adopt a nickname.  Remember that Japanese people can't pronounce all American names perfectly either.  Here's a few tricky ones:

• Anything with a "TH" ends up sounding like "su", so Heather becomes Heasure and Matthew becomes Matsu.
• Don't forget about the whole Kerri/Kelly confusion.  They think R & L make the same sound, and therefore, are the same name.  (Why a Japanese company named their best-selling car the "Corolla", which they can't pronounce, I will never know...)
• If you really wanna stump them, just say your name is "Squirrel" and wait patiently to see what happens!!  Even if they can figure out the R's and L, the SQU is damn near impossible for most Japanese people!!

Poland: Wieliczka Salt Mine

Our Europe trip isn't over yet!  We still had a few hours to kill on Saturday morning before our flight left for Japan.  We decided to do something truly touristy... just don't tell our boss that we had so much spare time!!

We thought about going to Auschwitz, the former concentration camp that is nearby, but we weren't quite up for such a depressing event and we heard it's more of a full-day experience.  Instead, we settled on the historical Wieliczka Salt Mine!

Wieliczka Salt Mine was in operation for over 900 years and claims to be the biggest & most profitable industrial establishment ever.  Back in the day, salt was the medieval equivalent to today's oil industry!

The Krakow area of Poland used to be part of the sea.  When the water receded, it left rich and vast deposits of pure salt.  The Wieliczka mine was in operation from the 13th century to 1996.  It closed due to low salt prices and floods in the mine.

Here are authentic sculptures made purely from salt.  All of the works we saw were done by professional miners over the past several hundred years, not professional artists!!

This is what happens when there is moisture in the mine: it turns into cauliflower-like salt deposits.  This is caused by a water leak and is one of the reason why mining was discontinued in 1996.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is made up of 2,040 caverns, is over 300 kilometers long, and is 327 meters deep.

The 2-hour tour consisted of descending 378 steps to a depth of 135 meters, and then a 3.5 kilometer walking trail.  (That means less than 1% of the entire mine is open to the public!) 

Here is our tour guide who gave us all of these brilliant facts. 

Horses were even used to help run the mining apparatuses!  Once a horse descending into the mine, it stayed there for the remainder of it's life.  Even though the mining ended in 1996, the last horse lived in the mine stables until 2002! 

Here is a dimly lit salt staircase.  I am thankful they also built a wooden staircase next to it for visitors!!  They used only wood in the construction underground because wood absorbs the salt and becomes harder than steel!

Old mining shaft.

A ladder leading up to another mining shaft.  Ladders were much more popular and less dangerous than the salt staircases.

One of the underground chapels.  The miners got together every day to pray because it was such dangerous work that they needed God's protection.

The most impressive Chapel of Saint Kinga, not surprisingly this is the world's largest underground chapel, and it entirely made out of salt from the staircases, railings, sculptures, and even to the chandeliers!! 

The Chapel of Saint Kinga is a very prestigious wedding spot in Poland.

Keep in mind this entire thing was created by the miners!!

Salt railing that looks and feels like granite.  (Unless, of course, you licked it, and that was completely acceptable if you were in doubt.)

The Last Supper based off of Da Vinci's masterpiece.  Still blows my mind that the creators were miners by day and did this for a hobby at night when they were done working!!

The floor was one of my favorites... you would have never guessed it was pure salt!!

I told you they loved their Pope John Paul II!

 

Kerri getting ready to leave the mine and leave Europe for good!

Poland: Krakow & Slawkow

The last stop on our European itinerary was Poland to visit a railroad terminal. 

I am fascinated by any operation that deals with international shipping containers, so I thought this place was great!!  Here is the rail yard of the EuroTerminal.

Do these railroads below look the same to you?  Because they are not.  The one on the right is the European rail, and the one on the left is the Russian rail, which is 10cm wider.  Thus, all freight that travels between Russia and Europe needs to be transferred at a terminal.

Ironically, the two different sized railroads made this area the perfect location for the notorious concentration camp of Auschwitz.  It was easy to round up the Jews and bring them to one central place.  Poland was full of sad tales of history.

Silly Pepsi ad.  I do like this guy's name featured at the bottom left of this ad: Kaka!

After the visit to the rail terminal, Krakow isn't exactly a thriving airport, so there were no flights going home that evening.  We had some free time to explore the city center, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here is the Town Hall Tower, which leans 55cm since a strong wind storm in 1703 made it unstable.  Honestly, I couldn't really tell it was leaning.

Creepy sculpture in the Grand Square of Old Town.

The Grand Square is probably quite grand, but everything was under construction the day we were there.  I was disappointed to see so much scaffolding and very few beautiful buildings.  We did go inside to Cloth Hall, which is claimed to be the world's first shopping mall.

St. Mary's Basilica (a.k.a. Mariacki Cathedral) built in the 13th century.  It is famous for it's bugler who plays an abbreviated tune at the top of every hour from the taller of the two towers.  Accordingly to legend a bugler was warning the city of approaching danger in the 1300's and was shot in the throat during mid-tune.  But the villagers still awoke and defended their town.

Close up of St. Mary's Cathedral.

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. 

The sculptures of the 12 disciples standing out front were breathtaking!

Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral.

The former pope is from Poland, and lived in Krakow for many years.  The city is very proud, and we saw many references to Pope John Paul II.

This is the hotel that Nishimura stayed at last time he was in Krakow.  I'm still trying to decide if I'm disappointed or relieved that we didn't stay here.  Disappointed because I love old stuff, it's in the heart of the city center, and most likely has old world charm.  Relieved because it's in the heart of the city center, theefore might not have been able to get any sleep since there were tons of people milling around waiting for a concert to start.

Polish meat-stuffed pierogis for dinner.  I still wasn't very hungry, but these were so yummy!  Poland is also known for an excellent soup called, Zurek with sausage and egg in it.  We had to walk around for over an hour finding the perfect restaurant with the perfect Zurek soup for Kawakami!!

I was getting tired of all the crazy beers, so when I realized Poland was known for vodka, I gladly ordered a cocktail instead!

Served with a crazy green cherry!!

But oddly my dessert was served with a red cherry!

Nishimura with his after dinner vodka shot.  Apparently it aids in digestion.  But I feared that if I had a bite or sip of anything else, I might explode!!

To me, Poland was a sad place.  They have such a terrible history related to the Nazis, and everything you read about was rather gruesome. 

In addition, I was puzzled by the complete lack of vowels in most of their vocabulary.  How they pronounce anything is beyond me.

When driving between Krakow and Slawkow, I noticed that every house and every window was covered in sheer white curtains.  A few had patterns on them, but none were pulled back to let the sunshine in.  I was trying to decide why every single house was like that.  Maybe a preference for privacy, but why not regular curtains then?  The fact that they were all so bizarrely similar was somewhat unsettling to me.

Kawakami also noticed several billboards for push lawn mowers.  We realized that most people in that area didn't mow their yard, and basically had overgrown grass every where.  Perhaps it's a new status symbol to be able to afford a lawn mower and care for your yard?!

Also rather odd, every thing in Poland was served in a glass bottle, even water.  No plastic could be found any where, even in convenience stores!

I noticed that short hair for women was very popular, while many of the men had long hair!

Since Poland was our last stop on the map, I was tired of trying to convert zlotys into a currency value I could understand.  I am always thinking in terms of dollars and yen, then throw pounds, euros, and krohns in the mix all week... I was exhausted!!  (Which bring me to another point of contention: Why is it called the Euro when 3 out of the 5 European countries I visited did not use it as currency?!)  As it turns out, everything in Poland was super cheap!!  When I looked at my credit card bill this week, I was shocked by the charges for some of the things I purchased.  I should have done more shopping, especially since they are known for amber jewelry!  I remember giving our taxi driver my last 150 zlotys when dropping us off at the airport, thinking we probably just got hosed.  But he had driven us around for the last 3 hours for like $50!!  Deal!