How to Japan – A Manual
Preparing our doctoral researchers for extended research visits in Japan is crucial to the successful realization of our International Research Training Group.
Our partner institute Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) is located in Nagoya, in the Aichi prefecture. Aichi is located in the center of Japan, and is known as the center of Japanese technology. NITech and FAU are departmental partners since 2009, and University level partners since 2011. The IRTG is specifically designed to bring together scientists and research groups from Germany and Japan with complementary expertise to facilitate internal and international collaboration, thus the GRK 2495 will strengthen the partnership.
As such, the IRTG is working closely with Prof. Fabian Schäfer, head of the Japanese Studies Institute, FAU, and Ms. Tamara Fuchs, who developed a condensed preparation course custom-made for the IRTG doctoral researchers in preparation for their research stay at NITech. Through this condensed course our students can extend their knowledge about Japanese culture, communication styles, and working environment. Moreover, the training is offered to the participants in order to deepen the recognition of how differences in values can result in differences in patterns of behavior, working style, or the way of conducting international research projects. This training will help prevent culture shock and ease the transition process as well as develop intercultural communication skills. The participants are encouraged to identify and review personal approaches to different intercultural situations and build their capacity as facilitators in intercultural research teams.
Furthermore, Prof. Schäfer and his team have developed manuals to provide doctoral researchers from both sides with a written guide for extended research visits. Those manuals include important information about medical care, traffic, emergencies etc., but also offer tipps for the university workplace and going out. (Manuals Text: Tamara Fuchs, Manuals Layout & Illustration: Maro von Rotenhan)
