−随想−●Ｍｙ Ｉｎｔｅｒｎｓｈｉｐ Ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅ
高分子材料研究所

Victor Leung

When I arrived at Nagoya Centrair fourteen months ago

In this project, we took a building-blocks approach in

I was excited about starting a new chapter in life. I was

which before any polymer samples were made, we firstalso very nervous because I arrived with no experience in

identified the properties of each of the potential chemical

Japanese conversation and with many precautions given from

species and determined how each of them will or will not be

previous intern students on the dos and don’ts in Japan. On

useful in wetting and stabilizing the calcium carbonate in

my first day, I anxiously greeted and introduced myself toslurry. This approach, compared to the usual aim-for-the-others using the same Japanese lines I have prepared andgoal approach, allowed us to gain more knowledge on thepracticed beforehand. I was taken out for an Italian dinnerfactors that affect the performance of our product. It also

soon after my arrival in Japan, during which I was able

helped in developing my logical thinking which will be usefulto chat more freely with others. From that point on I wasboth in school and in future work. Moreover, this internshipgreatly relieved because everyone was very friendly andallowed me to gain experience in polymer science through acommunication was much easier than I expected.

chemical approach, which is an interesting new aspect to mystudy because back in school, I have been approaching thisOver the next two weeks I was introduced to thefield from a more physical viewpoint.

va rious a spect s of my work at the Macromolecula r
Materials Laboratory, including the people, knowledge, andexperimental techniques. I was tense during the first few
weeks at work because unlike internships in Canada, I was
not interviewed before coming to Toagosei, and so I did notknow what qualities or knowledge my supervisors expect me
to have, especially when my major is materials engineeringrather than chemistry. Because of that, I was studying
hard from the literatures that I was given, and making
note of everything that others say. To my great relief I
was able to get used to my work very quickly, as I started
understanding more about my work I was also able to giveadvices and discuss with my supervisors about my view on
the research I was doing.
Working in Japan is also very different from working
I worked under the Polymer Group on the development ofin North America. One of the most obvious differences isa special-grade dispersant for ground calcium carbonate.

the team-oriented nature in Japan, as work is conducted

Some tasks that I performed include polymerization, SEC

as a group rather than individually. Group meetings areanalysis, and pigment grinding. As an intern student, I

a lot more often in Japan, where people can understandwas very fortunate to be able to oversee the development

better what their colleag ues are doing. I personallyfrom its beginning to actual production at Nagoya Plant. I

prefer this style because it allows members in a team towas also able to have a deep involvement in discussing thesupport one another more easily than in North America.

technical aspects and planning the research. Furthermore,
I had the opportunity to meet with our clients to get new
information, which is not common even for internships inNorth America.

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For example, a problem regarding an experiment can berather than contracting the task out, which to some people

quickly answered by a colleague without having to explain

may be able to increase the employee’s sense of belonging

the entire background of the task, because that colleague

to the company. Weeding the company ground is new andalready knows what is being done and what the target is.

very surprising for me because it is not usually done in

Also, in Japan, everyone in a department, including section

Canada where many will find it counter-productive. It may

chiefs and managers, share the same office, which is very

also interfere with one’s schedule or experiment, which candifferent to North America where supervisors usually getdelay the completion of a task or lead to overtime work.

their own rooms and others get their own partitions. This

Another surprise I had was the hours that Japaneseconfiguration, although sacrificing privacy, allows easierpeople put into work. Despite having heard numerous times

communication between colleagues, which I think may

about the working hours in Japan, I was surprised as

improve productivity.

the actual hours were much longer than what I expected.
However, I found that when I do stay longer at work, I canLaboratory safety is also treated differently. Northlearn a lot more since many technical discussions takeAmerican employers focus more on written rules and theirplace after hours, which is also helpful to my dispersant

enforcement, whereas in Japan, safety rules are decided on

development because there is more time for me to expressa group basis, mainly through the monthly safety meetings

my opinion to my supervisor and other members and also

which are usually not held in North America. In my team,more time to ask for their opinions. Besides the technical

we have morning meetings in which members will explain

aspect, the longer working hours may also help to form

their tasks for the day and point out the potential dangers

stronger bonds between coworkers personally, due to theas well as the respective safety measure. Most importantly,increased level of communication.

other members will add to the safety measures if they findany missing spots.

The strong bond between colleagues is also what I like
about working in Japan. During my internship I was able
to enjoy various events with my colleagues. From theseactivities I was able to learn more about the culture andalso improve on the language very quickly, but the mostimportant benefit is to be able to make valuable friends withmy colleagues. At first I found the language barrier to bea great difficulty as it was hard for me to understand many
conversations in meetings or breaks. During this period,
I usually listen to the conversations and try to interpretthe conversation through the vocabularies I know and theoverall atmosphere of the conversation. I learned many new
expressions and ways of speaking from these situations andfound myself quickly improving in the language. However,Japanese employees are also very devoted to their

due to this style, I often appear to be able to understand thecompany. It is very common to see people working at thelanguage more than I actually do, so there can be situations

same company for their entire career, which also allows

where people overestimate my listening skills and speak atcompanies to make more long-term goals compared to thosea level that I cannot understand.

in North America. Although the life-employment system
in Japan has been changing for the past decade, JapaneseOutside of work, I have joined a language exchange groupcompanies are still providing employees with more personal

and also a badminton circle to fill my free time. Throughcare compared to those in North America, for example

these groups I met many people whom I was able to have fun

dormitories and meals during the weekdays. One example

with and learn from in terms of the cultural and language

at Toagosei in which the devotion can be seen is when weaspect. My weekends are usually consisted of these groupweed the grounds of the Research Institute by ourselves,

events, badminton practice, and having parties, dinner,

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or karaoke with colleagues from work or members of theeither of the three group mentioned above, for example

circle. Life in Japan is more fast-paced than in Canada.

cardboard, clothing, and magazines.

Personally, I found the Japanese style suits me better for
now as it can motivate me to a greater extent both during

During the 14 months in Japan I had many opportunities

and outside of work to talk more and do more. I haveto travel around Japan. Travelling was made convenient due

also found myself becoming more active throughout thisto the advanced transportation system in Japan, such as theinternship which I consider a positive personal development.

Shinkansen and the extended yet reliable train network.
I have travelled west to Gifu, Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji,

One aspect of Japan that I like the most is the focus that

Wakayama, Koyasan, and east to Hamamatsu, Fuji, Tokyo,

people put in keeping the harmony. In such a society, people

Chiba, as well as north to Sendai, Sapporo, and Otaru. It

are polite and courteous in general, and erratic behaviour

was also very easy for me to travel in Japan because ofis rarely seen. In North America, people are educated to

the number of public holidays, almost one day per monththink more freely and maintain their individualism. This

with longer vacations in May, August, and January. During

difference in culture often leads to the view that people insome public holidays and ordinary weekends, festivals areNorth America are more assertive in general and sometime

very common events where people gather up and celebrate.

even erratic whereas people in Japan are milder. JapaneseI always admire how lively the hosting neighbourhoods

people are also very organized, and put much focus onor cities can become and how both the spectators andmaking and following plans. For example, they will start

performers are so dedicated to the event. Moreover thereplanning long before a trip or a party and make sure things

are often lots to see during the festivals in Japan, suchgo well. In North America, however, people like to be moreas booth games, food stands, parades and performances.

flexible and not be bounded by solid plans. Furthermore,In Vancouver, celebrations of such calibre only take place

improvising is much more common in North America

once or twice a year and the events are more monotone

especially among the youth, with the only exception forcompared to those in Japan. For example, one of the largest

formal business situations. Personally, I prefer to be morecelebrations in Vancouver is called the‘Celebration ofdefinite in terms of plans and less on being eccentric, so I

Light’which is basically a series of fireworks competitions

think this is another point which I think we can learn fromand the only focus is on the fireworks.

the Japanese people.
Having lived in Hong Kong in the past, I found adapting
to Japan easy because there are many similarities in many
areas of the two cultures. For example, the table manners,
the basic social rules, and interaction between people aresimilar. However, there are also some areas which I had
difficulties getting used to. In Japan, shoes must be taken
off in various places such as restaurants, bath houses,
certain stores, and people’s rooms. I had to always force
myself to remember to remove my shoes, and even so, it
can sometimes be a challenge to find out where the“noshoes”zones are. Another difficulty I had was with thegarbage disposal system, where garbage must be divided
into burnable, non-burnable, and recyclable. Even the nonburnable and recyclable groups are very strict with a wide
range of garbage that they do not accept. I find it confusing
at times when deciding which garbage belongs to which bag.
Also, the way the system is set up makes disposing several
types of trash very difficult because it is not accepted as東亞合成グループ研究年報64

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第 11 号Over the course of my internship I was able to see
much more outside my country. On top of gaining valuable
technical knowledge and developing my logical thinking,I was able to broaden my perspective in many aspectsof everyday life. Moreover, through interactions withcolleagues, fellow interns, locals, and other foreigners, I
was also able to develop a new insight to communication
between people. Most important of all, I have created someof the happiest memories in my life throughout this year
in Japan. Also, having made many friends here that I will
surely keep in touch with, I will always feel connected tothis country.
Lastly, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude
to everyone at Toagosei for all their help throughout
my internship. I have received a lot of help on coming toJapan and ensuring that my stay here remains smooth.
All problems that I had in terms of living were able to bequickly solved. Also, I have learned a lot from everyone,from experiment technique, safety attentions, to difficult
concepts that I would never be able to figure out on myown. On top of that, everyone was very patient with mylack of knowledge, and helped me tremendously in learning
the basic concepts and developing a logical mind. Finally,
I really enjoyed the various events and parties we held
outside of work, and those were some of the best memories
I have.

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