— Automotive Industry Course & Tea Industry Course —
The Shizuoka International Business Association (SIBA) organized a company-visit bus tour as part of a project commissioned by the The Consortium of Universities & Local Communities in Shizuoka , providing international students with opportunities to visit local companies and experience Shizuoka’s industries firsthand.
The tour consisted of two courses: the Automotive Industry Course and the Tea Industry Course.
The program aimed to help students better understand Shizuoka’s industries, companies, workplaces, and career opportunities, while encouraging them to consider building their future careers in Shizuoka.
Through company visits, workplace tours, presentations, hands-on experiences, and interactions with employees, students were able to learn things that cannot be fully understood from company websites or brochures alone.
September 3ʳᵈ– Automotive Industry Course
Experiencing Japanese Manufacturing Firsthand
In the Automotive Industry Course, students visited automotive-related companies in the Hamamatsu area.
Students had the opportunity to observe the actual manufacturing processes of automotive parts up close. In addition to manufacturing technologies, they learned how quality control, workplace safety, production efficiency, robotics, and AI technologies are used in actual workplaces.
Students also gained a deeper understanding of the important role played by local manufacturing companies in supporting Japan’s automotive industry. One student was particularly impressed by seeing how smaller local parts manufacturers contribute to the larger automotive industry through their specialized technologies and production capabilities.
In the survey, students shared comments such as, “I gained a better understanding of Japanese manufacturing” and “By seeing the actual factory, I was able to understand the workplace atmosphere in a way that I could not through the company website alone.” Some students also said that seeing foreign employees working at the companies helped them more clearly imagine working for a Japanese company as a foreigner.
One particularly memorable aspect of the tour was learning about the role of local parts manufacturers that support the automotive industry, rather than focusing only on automobile manufacturers. Students commented that they realized how local small and medium-sized companies support the automotive industry through their high level of technical expertise.
Students also visited the Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House, where they learned about the history of manufacturing in the Hamamatsu and western Shizuoka areas and the development of Japanese industry.
Students shared comments such as:
“By seeing the actual workplace, I was able to understand the workplace atmosphere in a way that I could not through the company website.”
“I learned about precision, quality control, safety, and teamwork in Japanese manufacturing.”
September 4ᵗʰ – Tea Industry Course
Discovering the World of Shizuoka Tea
In the Tea Industry Course, students learned about the production, processing, and sales of tea, one of Shizuoka Prefecture’s most representative industries.
Students visited companies involved in tea production and processing and observed actual production sites. They also listened to explanations about matcha and Japanese tea and had the opportunity to taste tea themselves.
At Suzuki Choju Shoten Co., Ltd., students visited the tea production site and learned about tea and matcha production. They also had the opportunity to experience Japanese tea culture firsthand.
At Yamama Masudaen Co., Ltd., students received explanations about tea fields and production facilities and learned about the company’s wide range of activities, from tea cultivation and processing to sales and overseas exports.
Students learned how tea leaves are processed and eventually sold as products. They also deepened their understanding of the differences between matcha and sencha, as well as quality control and storage methods.
Students were particularly interested in the various efforts made to maintain tea quality. They learned about storage conditions, temperature and humidity control, and the use of fans in tea fields to protect young tea leaves from frost. Through these experiences, students discovered that the tea they normally drink is produced through a combination of many technologies and careful efforts.
Finally, students visited the Fujinokuni Tea Museum, where they learned about the history and culture of Japanese tea and the development of Shizuoka’s tea industry.
They also learned that Shizuoka tea is exported not only within Japan but also overseas, giving them a better understanding that tea is not only a local industry but also a global industry connected to markets around the world.
Students shared comments such as:
“By seeing the actual production site, I learned that there are many more processes involved than I had imagined.”
“I learned about tea production, processing, sales, and overseas exports.”
“Listening to a foreign employee talk about their work gave me an opportunity to think about working in Japan in the future.”
Thinking About a Future Career in Shizuoka Through What We See
The survey responses showed that the tour provided students with an opportunity not only to gain knowledge about companies and industries, but also to think about working in Japan and building a career in Shizuoka.
Through the Automotive Industry Course, students learned about Japanese manufacturing, quality control, technological expertise, and workplace environments. Through the Tea Industry Course, they learned about the history and culture of Shizuoka tea, as well as its production, processing, sales, and overseas exports.
Hearing directly from foreign employees working at Japanese companies also gave international students an opportunity to feel more familiar with the idea of working for a Japanese company.
Students also expressed interest in visiting companies in other industries in the future, including research and development (R&D), agriculture, fisheries, and other fields.
The bus tour provided students with an opportunity not only to learn about Shizuoka’s industries, but also to think about their own future careers.
Thank You to All the Companies and People Who Supported the Tour!
Many companies and individuals kindly supported this bus tour and provided students with valuable opportunities to learn about workplaces and the work carried out there—experiences that they would not normally have access to.
For the students, being able to see, listen, and experience things firsthand became an important learning opportunity for understanding companies and careers.
SIBA will continue to create opportunities for international students to connect with companies in Shizuoka and provide opportunities that help connect “studying in Shizuoka” with “working in Shizuoka.”
Thank you to all the students who participated and to all the companies and people who supported the bus tour!