Blog

Dr. Lutfun Nahar
Photos, memories, travelogues and sharings got carefully created through the eight days of meticulous travel across Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka as part of a Study Tour with a group of nearly 35 academicians.

For a country that has seen war, nuclear bombing and more, it is a wonder how it has thrived in the decades post 1945, excelling in the fields of technology, innovation, enterprise, quality and manufacturing. A country that lives its quality mantra, it believes in laying out processes and systems and following these to the T.

Interestingly, the Japanese education system that was reformed after the second World War has succeeded in not only eliminating illiteracy but in equipping its young people with a refined system of knowledge that translates into their being a very civilised and cultured society. They demonstrate an intellectual honesty that is rare. In practically every aspect of their life, they show you how they have imbibed a certain genteelness, that has to somewhere be attributed to their DNA.

There is an air of self discipline with everyone following the rules that are laid out and understood. No one needs to demand these to be followed. They just do it because they know they must. Tipping is an absolute no. With a sense of immense satisfaction and pride they say they are there to do their job for which they are paid. Tips are therefore redundant and unnecessary. Punctuality is sacrosanct. Trains run on time, appointments are always kept and everything works according to precision. Each person knows what he or she has to do and they do it without reminders or hawk like supervision. If a train is delayed by even a minute there is an apology on the public address system.

Respect for others’ time, space, privacy and individual choices is a given. In the academic arena, they are still struggling with the English language. However, it was interesting to meet some Indian scholars pursuing research and PhD, learning the local language and eulogising the environment that promotes real learning. Not surprisingly a young scholar from Andhra Pradesh was pursuing his second Ph.D.

Concerns about an aging society are real in Japan. While busy cities like Tokyo do not reveal this anxiety, towns and villages in the other prefectures are worried. Some universities may even shut down by the year 2020 since they do not have any students! Looking outwards, finally, and reaching out to friendly nations like India, Japan is now trying to invite investment, partnership and cooperation.


Soaking in every interaction and vision that presented itself, I was fortunate to freeze some of this in my mind’s eye, taking notes and converting them into a travelogue in Assamese. The same has received very good response from students and fellow teachers with many of them putting Japan now on their bucket list. Another thing that I decided to do, post my trip was to hold sharing sessions in College, inviting students and professors/lecturers to hear about what I and my delegate friends had experienced. I was surprised with the number of questions the audience put up to me: “Are women in Japan empowered?”; “Who is the bread winner in the family and how are the male-female roles played out?”; “What is the job scene like?” “Is the government protectionist in its approach”? “How competitive is the situation for students to seek admission to university and then to find suitable jobs?” “What does the country do to enforce law and order?”; “What are the kind of sops that the government dishes out to maintain equality and social justice?”.

While I could mobilise answers to some of these what became apparent was that I needed to make a repeat trip to Japan. Indeed, with its inviting natural beauty and four distinct seasons, the country has an immense draw, compelling you to visit again. So it is indeed Sayonara for me.

Dr.Lutfun Nahar is Principal I/C of Dikhowmukh College in Sivasagar, Assam and has participated in several of The Quest’s study tours to China, Japan and UK.