Trip Japan Report Dicky Muchamad Ramdan
LAPORAN
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL DAN KUNJUNGAN PERUSAHAAN
(Individual Assigment to Review Best Practices in Japan)
Disusun Oleh:
Dicky Muchamad Ramdan : 120820160065
UNIVERSITAS PADJADJARAN
FAKULTAS EKONOMI DAN BISNIS
PROGRAM STUDI MAGISTER MANAJEMEN
2017
MARKETING ANALYSIS
NAKAMISE STREET
Nakamise-dori is located in Chome Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo-to. Nakamise Street which
connects Kaminari-mon Gate and Sensoji Temple is a large shopping area. There are many
traders who sell a variety of foods and souvenirs.
The route to reach Nakamise Street is easily accessible. The nearest station of Nakamise
Street is just 2-minute walk away.The railway station is the access to the city in Japan,
because train is the main means of transportation there.
This famous Nakamise-dori is the most suitable place to shop for typical Japanese cakes
because it is said that the shops lined up on Nakamise Street have been established for a long
time and are known throughout Japan even worldwide.
Traders on Nakamise Street are on average entrepreneurs or merchants with a small microbusiness type. In some stores that sell food and Japanese cakes there are traders who are
making and baking the food they sell one by one. Cakes and snacks at Nakamise Street vary
and the prices offered are very affordable. The price of one small cake ranges from
approximately Rp 8,000 to Rp 10,000, there are also packages that consist of several different
types of cakes.
The food sold on Nakamise Street looks fresh and tasty and the packaging is made by the
merchant who looks very clean and neat. In addition, there is also a shop that uses a very
unique food packaging where when the rope contained in the food container is withdrawn,
then the food container will release hot air so that food can be eaten in warm condition.
The price of food around Nakamise Street is relatively cheap when compared with other
places around urban Japan. In addition to cakes, there are also a variety of souvenirs that are
sold here. All foods or souvenirs on Nakamise Street have an average Price Tag or pricing
information, so it's easy for buyers to know the price of foods or souvenirs to be purchased.
Some shops even add a discount for the price of food or souvenirs they sell. It is clear that the
traders in Nakamise Street area are very transparent in the matter of price.
The most expensive and most easily found food is ramen. One serving of ramen is sold for
about Rp 50,000 to Rp 80,000, depending on the topping of the ramen. Another food is
Yakiniku with chicken or beef meat of which price is more or less equal to the price of one
serving of ramen.Other unique foods are chicken or beef satay and egg satay which of course
have taste and packages that are different from those in Indonesia. There are also snacks
made from taro, seaweed, and sea fish such as salmon, tuna and other fish species. Many
other snacks are also easily found and affordable such as corn and bean snacks, chocolates
with unique packaging, typical Japanese pastries, breads and fruits. One pack of peanut snack
is sold for approximately Rp10,000 to Rp 20,000.
The most well known Japanese food in the world is Sushi, a lot of food traders provide
various forms of Sushi with very good tastes. Sushi is very suitable with the taste of
Indonesian people because it contains rice. Besides, the fish contained in Sushi in Nakamise
area are very fresh. One serving of the dish containing of 6 to 8 pieces of sushi is sold for
approximately Rp 50,000 to Rp 80,000.
Japan is a country in Asia which is the most visited tourist destination for vacation. In
addition, since Japan is one of developed countries, it also becomes a business destination.
That's why so many foreign visitors come to Japan including those from Islamic countries or
1
of which majority of the population are Muslims. Quoted in Tribunnews.com (Tuesday, May
30, 2017), the number of Japanese tourists coming from Indonesia when viewed from data
for the first four months (Jan-Apr) in 2017 increased by 45.5% compared with those from
other countries. In April 2017, the number increased by 45% over the previous year to 45,200
people. The increase is because Japan heavily promotes tourism in Indonesia, supported by
the promotion of airfare to Japan with a very cheap price. The number of tourists increases
due to the new direct flight from Indonesia to Japan which is very economical/cheap. With
this potential, the number of tourists from Indonesia between January and April 2017
amounted to 121,700 people or increased by 45.5% over the same period in the previous
year. With this percentage, the number of tourists visiting Japan from Indonesia is the largest
compared with the number of tourists from other countries. When viewed from the
percentage increase in April 2017 alone, the increase in the number of tourists from Indonesia
to Japan is the 7th largest compared to other countries. The number of tourists from Indonesia
to Japan in the previous year reached 271,000 people or increased by 32.1% compared to the
year 2015. According to the data of UNWTO in 2015, the number of tourists visiting
Indonesia amounted to 10.4 million people, while the number of tourists visiting Japan was
19.74 million people. France held the highest record with 84.52 million tourists per year,
followed by the United States, Spain, China, Italy, Turkey, Germany, England, Mexico,
Russia, Thailand, Austria, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Greece.
Seeing the increasing number of tourists visiting Japan, especially tourists from countries of
which majority of the population are Muslims, it is necessary for Japan to have facilities that
can accommodate Muslim tourists, especially in terms of halal/kosher food. For this purpose,
some food traders already sell kosher food products (halal). In this Nakamise area, we find
some kosher food shops, most of the traders look like coming from the middle east. They sell
Kebab, or other kebab-like foods using beef and chicken. Some kebab sellers can even say
welcome in Indonesian language, probably because many kebab buyers come from
Indonesia.
The traders in Nakamise Street area are quite friendly in selling their merchandise. Some
traders can communicate in English which helps them to explain the benefits of the food they
sell, but most traders do not speak English, so that foreign tourists have difficulties in
communicaing with them.
Japanese society preserves its culture. On Nakamise Street, we can see many Japanese traders
wear kimonos as traditional Japanese clothes. In addition, the architecture of the shops
located on Nakamise Street depicts the typical traditional building architecture in Japan, so
that tourists can feel a very different atmosphere when walking along Nakamise Street.
The souvenirs at Nakamise are very diverse, consisting of traditional items such as fans, key
chains, masks, traditional clothes and accessories for men, women and even children which
are very easy to find.
The fan with the typical Japanese fan shape is very popular in summer, almost all the tourists
buy the fan because the air temperature can reach 32 to 35 degrees centigrade. The fan size
ranges from small size for children up to large size for adults. Shades or pictures on the fan
are diverse, made as attractive as possible so that tourists can be interested to buy. One fan is
sold for approximately Rp15,000 to Rp 20,000.
In addition to the fans, we can also find many kinds of keychains and magnetic patches, the
shapes of the keychains vary such as Japanese food Sushi shapes, the symbols of buildings
that are famous in Japan such as Sky Tree Tower as well as traditional Japanese buildings.
There are also shapes of people wearing kimonos, cherry blossoms, miniatures of traditional
2
Japanese sports athletes namely Sumo, and Fuji mountain drawings or shapes that are well
known throughout the world. One keychain or magnetic patch is sold for approximately Rp
15,000 to Rp 20,000.
Various clothing can be found in this Nakamise area, from traditional to modern clothing are
sold in this area. Traditional clothing such as Kimono for men and women completed with
Japanese wooden clogs are widely marketed. In Nakamise, tourists can also rent Kimono and
its accessories. If necessary, tourists can also request services to dress up like a Japanese. A
lot of tourists dressed in Kimono take a walk around this Nakamise Street. Modern clothing
is also widely found and suitable for souvenirs. One shirt is sold for approximately Rp
100,000 to Rp 200,000 depending on the material, picture or paint.
Male and female accessories sold at Nakamise also vary which include wooden bracelets,
rope bracelets, necklaces, earrings, men's and women's purses, wallets, gadget accessories
(Mobile, Tab), unique rings, and other knick-knacks. Wooden bracelets, rope bracelets,
necklaces and earrings is sold for approximately Rp 20,000 to Rp 50,000, while bags is sold
for approximately Rp 200,000 to Rp 500,000 depending on the size and material.
In addition to accessories, there are also a variety of unique toys, including small dolls,
squishy, ninja dolls, rubber samurai, puzzles, flats, action figures, small robots, and other
children’s toys.
On Nakamise Street, we can also find shops that sell every merchandise at the same price of
¥ 100 or for approximately Rp 12,000. The shops sell a variety of souvenirs, toys, accessories
and other merchandise at the same price of ¥ 100 per item of goods.
CULTURAL ANALYSIS
ASAKUSA KANNON TEMPLE
Tokyo is a metropolitan city crowded with people and their activities. To get away from
Tokyo metropolitan crowd, tourists usually come to Asakusa district which is located not too
far from downtown Tokyo. Although quite crowded and flooded with tourists, Asakusa
shows a different face of Tokyo with its traditional culture.
Asakusa is located in Taito district on the west side of Sumida River. Asakusa was once used
as temple city, with Sensoji Temple as its main attraction. According to legends, this temple
was made by a number of fishermen brothers who found the figure of Kan'non (Goddess of
Fertility) and followed it upstream of the Sumida River around year 628. Next, a temple was
built in the area where the Fertility Goddess was told disappeared.
One of the highlights of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is its gate. It is said that this gate is
guarded by Furai-jin namely the God of Wind and the God of Lightning. Another iconic
feature of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is the presence of Kaminari-mon namely the Lightning
Gate with a gigantic size. Kaminarimon or the Gate of Thunder God which is equipped with
large-sized red lanterns is the main gate or entrance to the area of this Asakusa Kannon
temple. The Japanese believe that this gate separates life in a mortal world from a religious
life. Many tourists visit and take pictures in this temple area because of the uniqueness of
traditional culture that is well preserved.
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Asakusa Kannon Temple is a temple that has a record as the oldest temple in Tokyo. Ever
since its discovery by the fishermen, Asakusa Kannon Temple was built and enlarged several
times so that its temple becomes magnificent as it is today. According to the story, the
original Kannon statue found by the fishermen in antiquity is buried under a golden plate that
is also a sacred place located in the area behind the main altar in the main hall.
Right at the end of the road, a smaller open-sized door is being used as an access to a fivestoried pagoda area and also has a main hall. Near the building there is a spring where
visitors can take the water with the dippers provided. Many visitors wash their hands and
mouths before entering the temple in order to purify themselves. Visitors are supposed to
wash all their sins before entering the temple.
Right next to the fountain, there is a place to burn incense, where according to the story the
believers simply wiggle the incense burning to their bodies so that the disease in their body
will heal, or the smoke can also be used to prevent various diseases. There are many people
who go up the stairs in order to pray to Kannon or Goddess of Mercy. The condition of the
room is slightly dim in this very beautiful temple.
Right near the altar, there are places where many people throw wooden sticks in order to
know their luck. After depositing a number of coins, visitors can shuffle a container that
contains wooden sticks until one falls out. The fallen stick has a number that will be adjusted
to the piece of paper obtained in a cabinet. The piece of paper contain the forecast of the
future.
Right in front of Sensoji Temple, there is Nakamise-dori Street, which is a market or trading
area with many Japanese food shops and souvenir stores on the street. In addition to temples
and souvenir centers as its main destination, Asakusa is a place or home for various cultural
festivals that are routinely performed like the Sanja Festival, i.e. a festival with the
characteristic of showing large lanterns and many being paraded around the city.
Wikipedia provides information about asakusa district: In the 20th century, Asakusa was a
major entertainment district in the city of Tokyo. Rokku or "Sixth Region" was once famous
as a theater district. Rokku exposes famous cinemas like Denkikan. Asakusa's golden era is
also depicted in Yasunari Kawabata's novel titled 'The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa'. Asakusa
area was severely damaged during the US bomb attacks during World War II. After the war
ended, this area was rebuilt.
Asakusa is on the north-east fringe of central Tokyo, approximately one kilometer east of the
Ueno railway station or subway interchange. Asakusa is a central area for Shitamachi, which
means "lower city," referring to the relatively low altitude of Asakusa city, on the banks of
the Sumida River. The atmosphere in Asakusa feels more traditional than in the other parts of
Tokyo.
In Asakusa area, there are many religious activities, one of them is Matsuri (Shinto religious
celebration) in almost every season. The most popular activity is Sanja Matsuri performed in
May, the street is closed from dawn until late in the evening.
The buildings in Asakusa are built in the 1950s and 1960s, unlike the rest of Tokyo. In
Asakusa, there are many traditional buildings (guest houses), residential houses and other
small traditional buildings. Senso-ji Temple is located next to the oldest park in Japan. Many
elderly local tourists come to visit here.
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COMPANY VISIT
SHIN-KOTO INCINERATION PLANT
Tokyo is a large city with a dense population. The density leads to increasing public
consumption, resulting in the increase of waste. The increasing amount of garbage of course
must be managed properly in order to avoid bigger problems in the society.
Japan enacted the Act on Recycling Management in 1991. This was done with the aim of
reducing the amount of waste and improving the management of waste recycling. Through
this law, a company that produces goods should try to design the product in such a way that
in due time the product of which use has expired will be easy to recycle. One way of
recycling management by producers of goods is by giving a mark or characteristic on cans
whether they are made of steel or aluminum.
In 1997, the Law regulating recycling for containers or wrappers took effect. It was used to
regulate the disposal of packaging or container. Citizens consuming the product are required
to separate bottles (Polyethylene Terephthalate), glass bottles and cans (from steel and
aluminum). Manufacturers are required to collect and reuse (recycle) packaging of their
products, including glass bottles, PET bottles, and other products. In April 2000, the Japanese
government reissued another law regulating packaging of paper and plastic wrapping in
addition to PET bottle types.
All households in Japan have been arranged for orderly garbage disposal, they can not just
put all the waste into a garbage dump. Garbage must be sorted first and put in separate
garbage bags. Basically garbage can be divided into burnable and non-burnable garbage, and
other types of cans, bottles, and large-sized garbage.
Large-sized garbage is used goods that certainly can not be put into the garbage bag in
general because of its large size. But there are also certain types of goods that although the
sizes are not too large, they are still categorized into large-sized garbage. So it can be
concluded that large-sized garbage can not be stored and put together in landfills in general.
Therefore, the disposal requires earlier agreements, the pickup is done by a special agency
appointed by the local government, and the disposal process is charged separately.
The local government basically wants stores and businesses to take care of their own waste
disposal and pick-up through garbage pickups and unused recycling companies. However,
local governments are finally willing to handle garbage from shops or businesses on terms of
less than 50 kg/day, and must be marked with a special sticker.
In terms of recyclable goods, the Government recommends that the townspeople adhere to
the 3R principle, namely:
1. Reduce (avoid buying unnecessary items),
2. Reuse (to maximize the item’s utility. Example: Use a bottle many times),
3. Recycle (sort items and return them for recycling).
The sorted waste should be disposed of at the designated place at 8 am, in specified day as
well. In Shinjuku area, garbage is divided into several categories: burnable garbage (kitchen
waste, small pieces of wood, cigarette butts, small papers, diapers, etc.), non-burnable
garbage (metal, leather, rubber, plastic bag, small gas cylinder, for small gas stove placed on
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the table, etc.), and large-sized garbage (including TV, air conditioner, refrigerator, freezer,
computer and washing machine). For large-sized garbage, the disposal required earlier
aggreements, while for garbage in the form of large electronic appliances there is a separate
procedure related to the management of the manufacturer of the relevant electronic appliance
or agent.
For recyclable waste, the disposal is organized by sorting it into 6 categories, with different
disposal or shelter:
1. Used magazines, old newspapers and the like (including brochures, envelopes,
wrapping papers, notebooks, milk boxes, candy boxes, cardboard) must be neatly tied
and separated by type. This category excludes tissue paper, plastic, etc.
2. Cans and Bottles (for food and drink) must be cleaned first. Bottle is discarded in
yellow containers whereas cans in blue containers. Wrapping them in plastic bags is
prohibited. Small bottles are excluded from this category because they are treated as
non-burnable garbage.
3. PET plastic bottles (clear plastic bottles for drinks, soy sauce, sake, mirin) must have
their caps removed, the labels are rinsed and flipped off. Bottles are dumped in
special boxes provided at convenience stores and supermarkets.
4. Used batteries. There are pick up points for flat batteries, dry cells and nickelhydrogen (rechargeable) or nickel-cadmium batteries.
5. Milk carton boxes. Take out the contents first, rinse, cut open the box, let dry, then
tied with string. There is a special place that provides shelter, for example local
government facilities and supermarkets, etc.
6. Used styrofoam containers. They are usually accommodated first in the boxes
provided at cooperative stores, supermarkets, and so on. It may be removed after
cleaning.
Garbage collection has been determined and done in rotation, for example household waste is
picked up as frrequent as 3 times a week, garbage container and plastic wrapping are taken
once a week, etc. All households are obliged to place their garbage bags or waste bags
without pockets like old newspapers with ties into the various containers already provided in
designated landfills. Certain used goods, such as batteries, must be collected or disposed of in
a designated location.
In certain locations often held activities to repair furniture items that can still be used as an
effort to support the realization of recycling. The goods that have been repaired are then
resold with a lottery coupon system.
Housewives Association in certain places often organize the magazine, newspaper, cardboard
carton and bottle collection movements, to be forwarded to the recycling centers of each type.
Local people in certain areas often organize the cleaning of tourist destinations, for example
in the mountains, lakes or by the beach invloving groups of people to pick up beer bottles,
used tins, and so on. Activists always carry large plastic bags in their activities.
Shin-Koto Incineration Plant is one of the many waste recycling processing factories spread
across several districts in Japan. The garbage that has been sorted in accordance with local
government regulations is then taken to a waste processing plant such as the Shin-Koto
Incineration Plant. The garbage is picked up according to the schedule specified or arranged
by the local government, to be further processed and recycled at the Shin-Koto Incineration
Plant.
The Shin-Koto Incineration Plant runs a modern waste treatment, has a large and clean area,
as well as professional and disciplined workers. In this place, there are also learning facilities
6
related to the overall waste processing, so that visitors can understand how waste is managed
and recycled into something that can be utilized in the future.
The initial phase of waste processing is collecting garbage in a very large space to be
destroyed. After that, the garbage is burned with a very hot temperature. The burning process
produces ash which can then be used to make "paving blocks" for road layer. Asphalt roads
and paving blocks in the sidewalk area of Tokyo are mostly made from household waste that
is disposed of every day. In addition to making paving blocks, burning garbage can also be
utilized as power source Liquid waste is processed through water distillation to clean the
water from waste, before being flowed back to the river.
The waste recycling system in Japan consists of two basic steps. First, the sorting of garbage
material followed by garbage collection. Second, the processing and recycling of waste. Both
of these things can be realized due to the mutual cooperation between the
community/household and the government. Every household in Japan is disciplined and
conscious in taking the first step. While the local government consistently performs the
second step. Awareness and good cooperation between the government, citizens, and all
elements of society make the process of waste processing in Japan run smoothly.
Compared to Japan, the waste management system in Indonesia is still far behind. The
implementation of waste sorting can not be realized well. Some waste recycling/processing
factories are already widely available in Indonesia, but they are not supported by a good
waste management system. The factor that determines the success of waste management is
the awareness of society and producers of products/companies of the importance of waste
management. Such awareness is still low, even throwing garbage in its place alone can not be
implemented perfectly.
The key determinants or success factors in waste management are public awareness and
government firmness in undertaking waste management systems. The government as the
policy-maker must be able to make regulations and firmly oversee their implementation in
relation to waste management such as the regulations on sorting of garbage, waste disposal,
producers of products or companies that contribute to increasing the volume of waste, and the
construction of waste processing plants in each region. Meanwhile, awareness of the
community is also very important in encouraging the creation of a good waste management
system, for example by disposing of waste in its designated places, reducing the purchase of
products that potentially increase the volume of waste, sorting waste into categories
according to applicable regulations.
If it can be realized, then waste management in Indonesia will be aligned with the waste
management in Japan. But the most important result is that it can overcome the garbage
problem as well as other problems caused by the poor control or management of waste.
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FOTO FOTO
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SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL DAN KUNJUNGAN PERUSAHAAN
(Individual Assigment to Review Best Practices in Japan)
Disusun Oleh:
Dicky Muchamad Ramdan : 120820160065
UNIVERSITAS PADJADJARAN
FAKULTAS EKONOMI DAN BISNIS
PROGRAM STUDI MAGISTER MANAJEMEN
2017
MARKETING ANALYSIS
NAKAMISE STREET
Nakamise-dori is located in Chome Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo-to. Nakamise Street which
connects Kaminari-mon Gate and Sensoji Temple is a large shopping area. There are many
traders who sell a variety of foods and souvenirs.
The route to reach Nakamise Street is easily accessible. The nearest station of Nakamise
Street is just 2-minute walk away.The railway station is the access to the city in Japan,
because train is the main means of transportation there.
This famous Nakamise-dori is the most suitable place to shop for typical Japanese cakes
because it is said that the shops lined up on Nakamise Street have been established for a long
time and are known throughout Japan even worldwide.
Traders on Nakamise Street are on average entrepreneurs or merchants with a small microbusiness type. In some stores that sell food and Japanese cakes there are traders who are
making and baking the food they sell one by one. Cakes and snacks at Nakamise Street vary
and the prices offered are very affordable. The price of one small cake ranges from
approximately Rp 8,000 to Rp 10,000, there are also packages that consist of several different
types of cakes.
The food sold on Nakamise Street looks fresh and tasty and the packaging is made by the
merchant who looks very clean and neat. In addition, there is also a shop that uses a very
unique food packaging where when the rope contained in the food container is withdrawn,
then the food container will release hot air so that food can be eaten in warm condition.
The price of food around Nakamise Street is relatively cheap when compared with other
places around urban Japan. In addition to cakes, there are also a variety of souvenirs that are
sold here. All foods or souvenirs on Nakamise Street have an average Price Tag or pricing
information, so it's easy for buyers to know the price of foods or souvenirs to be purchased.
Some shops even add a discount for the price of food or souvenirs they sell. It is clear that the
traders in Nakamise Street area are very transparent in the matter of price.
The most expensive and most easily found food is ramen. One serving of ramen is sold for
about Rp 50,000 to Rp 80,000, depending on the topping of the ramen. Another food is
Yakiniku with chicken or beef meat of which price is more or less equal to the price of one
serving of ramen.Other unique foods are chicken or beef satay and egg satay which of course
have taste and packages that are different from those in Indonesia. There are also snacks
made from taro, seaweed, and sea fish such as salmon, tuna and other fish species. Many
other snacks are also easily found and affordable such as corn and bean snacks, chocolates
with unique packaging, typical Japanese pastries, breads and fruits. One pack of peanut snack
is sold for approximately Rp10,000 to Rp 20,000.
The most well known Japanese food in the world is Sushi, a lot of food traders provide
various forms of Sushi with very good tastes. Sushi is very suitable with the taste of
Indonesian people because it contains rice. Besides, the fish contained in Sushi in Nakamise
area are very fresh. One serving of the dish containing of 6 to 8 pieces of sushi is sold for
approximately Rp 50,000 to Rp 80,000.
Japan is a country in Asia which is the most visited tourist destination for vacation. In
addition, since Japan is one of developed countries, it also becomes a business destination.
That's why so many foreign visitors come to Japan including those from Islamic countries or
1
of which majority of the population are Muslims. Quoted in Tribunnews.com (Tuesday, May
30, 2017), the number of Japanese tourists coming from Indonesia when viewed from data
for the first four months (Jan-Apr) in 2017 increased by 45.5% compared with those from
other countries. In April 2017, the number increased by 45% over the previous year to 45,200
people. The increase is because Japan heavily promotes tourism in Indonesia, supported by
the promotion of airfare to Japan with a very cheap price. The number of tourists increases
due to the new direct flight from Indonesia to Japan which is very economical/cheap. With
this potential, the number of tourists from Indonesia between January and April 2017
amounted to 121,700 people or increased by 45.5% over the same period in the previous
year. With this percentage, the number of tourists visiting Japan from Indonesia is the largest
compared with the number of tourists from other countries. When viewed from the
percentage increase in April 2017 alone, the increase in the number of tourists from Indonesia
to Japan is the 7th largest compared to other countries. The number of tourists from Indonesia
to Japan in the previous year reached 271,000 people or increased by 32.1% compared to the
year 2015. According to the data of UNWTO in 2015, the number of tourists visiting
Indonesia amounted to 10.4 million people, while the number of tourists visiting Japan was
19.74 million people. France held the highest record with 84.52 million tourists per year,
followed by the United States, Spain, China, Italy, Turkey, Germany, England, Mexico,
Russia, Thailand, Austria, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Greece.
Seeing the increasing number of tourists visiting Japan, especially tourists from countries of
which majority of the population are Muslims, it is necessary for Japan to have facilities that
can accommodate Muslim tourists, especially in terms of halal/kosher food. For this purpose,
some food traders already sell kosher food products (halal). In this Nakamise area, we find
some kosher food shops, most of the traders look like coming from the middle east. They sell
Kebab, or other kebab-like foods using beef and chicken. Some kebab sellers can even say
welcome in Indonesian language, probably because many kebab buyers come from
Indonesia.
The traders in Nakamise Street area are quite friendly in selling their merchandise. Some
traders can communicate in English which helps them to explain the benefits of the food they
sell, but most traders do not speak English, so that foreign tourists have difficulties in
communicaing with them.
Japanese society preserves its culture. On Nakamise Street, we can see many Japanese traders
wear kimonos as traditional Japanese clothes. In addition, the architecture of the shops
located on Nakamise Street depicts the typical traditional building architecture in Japan, so
that tourists can feel a very different atmosphere when walking along Nakamise Street.
The souvenirs at Nakamise are very diverse, consisting of traditional items such as fans, key
chains, masks, traditional clothes and accessories for men, women and even children which
are very easy to find.
The fan with the typical Japanese fan shape is very popular in summer, almost all the tourists
buy the fan because the air temperature can reach 32 to 35 degrees centigrade. The fan size
ranges from small size for children up to large size for adults. Shades or pictures on the fan
are diverse, made as attractive as possible so that tourists can be interested to buy. One fan is
sold for approximately Rp15,000 to Rp 20,000.
In addition to the fans, we can also find many kinds of keychains and magnetic patches, the
shapes of the keychains vary such as Japanese food Sushi shapes, the symbols of buildings
that are famous in Japan such as Sky Tree Tower as well as traditional Japanese buildings.
There are also shapes of people wearing kimonos, cherry blossoms, miniatures of traditional
2
Japanese sports athletes namely Sumo, and Fuji mountain drawings or shapes that are well
known throughout the world. One keychain or magnetic patch is sold for approximately Rp
15,000 to Rp 20,000.
Various clothing can be found in this Nakamise area, from traditional to modern clothing are
sold in this area. Traditional clothing such as Kimono for men and women completed with
Japanese wooden clogs are widely marketed. In Nakamise, tourists can also rent Kimono and
its accessories. If necessary, tourists can also request services to dress up like a Japanese. A
lot of tourists dressed in Kimono take a walk around this Nakamise Street. Modern clothing
is also widely found and suitable for souvenirs. One shirt is sold for approximately Rp
100,000 to Rp 200,000 depending on the material, picture or paint.
Male and female accessories sold at Nakamise also vary which include wooden bracelets,
rope bracelets, necklaces, earrings, men's and women's purses, wallets, gadget accessories
(Mobile, Tab), unique rings, and other knick-knacks. Wooden bracelets, rope bracelets,
necklaces and earrings is sold for approximately Rp 20,000 to Rp 50,000, while bags is sold
for approximately Rp 200,000 to Rp 500,000 depending on the size and material.
In addition to accessories, there are also a variety of unique toys, including small dolls,
squishy, ninja dolls, rubber samurai, puzzles, flats, action figures, small robots, and other
children’s toys.
On Nakamise Street, we can also find shops that sell every merchandise at the same price of
¥ 100 or for approximately Rp 12,000. The shops sell a variety of souvenirs, toys, accessories
and other merchandise at the same price of ¥ 100 per item of goods.
CULTURAL ANALYSIS
ASAKUSA KANNON TEMPLE
Tokyo is a metropolitan city crowded with people and their activities. To get away from
Tokyo metropolitan crowd, tourists usually come to Asakusa district which is located not too
far from downtown Tokyo. Although quite crowded and flooded with tourists, Asakusa
shows a different face of Tokyo with its traditional culture.
Asakusa is located in Taito district on the west side of Sumida River. Asakusa was once used
as temple city, with Sensoji Temple as its main attraction. According to legends, this temple
was made by a number of fishermen brothers who found the figure of Kan'non (Goddess of
Fertility) and followed it upstream of the Sumida River around year 628. Next, a temple was
built in the area where the Fertility Goddess was told disappeared.
One of the highlights of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is its gate. It is said that this gate is
guarded by Furai-jin namely the God of Wind and the God of Lightning. Another iconic
feature of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is the presence of Kaminari-mon namely the Lightning
Gate with a gigantic size. Kaminarimon or the Gate of Thunder God which is equipped with
large-sized red lanterns is the main gate or entrance to the area of this Asakusa Kannon
temple. The Japanese believe that this gate separates life in a mortal world from a religious
life. Many tourists visit and take pictures in this temple area because of the uniqueness of
traditional culture that is well preserved.
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Asakusa Kannon Temple is a temple that has a record as the oldest temple in Tokyo. Ever
since its discovery by the fishermen, Asakusa Kannon Temple was built and enlarged several
times so that its temple becomes magnificent as it is today. According to the story, the
original Kannon statue found by the fishermen in antiquity is buried under a golden plate that
is also a sacred place located in the area behind the main altar in the main hall.
Right at the end of the road, a smaller open-sized door is being used as an access to a fivestoried pagoda area and also has a main hall. Near the building there is a spring where
visitors can take the water with the dippers provided. Many visitors wash their hands and
mouths before entering the temple in order to purify themselves. Visitors are supposed to
wash all their sins before entering the temple.
Right next to the fountain, there is a place to burn incense, where according to the story the
believers simply wiggle the incense burning to their bodies so that the disease in their body
will heal, or the smoke can also be used to prevent various diseases. There are many people
who go up the stairs in order to pray to Kannon or Goddess of Mercy. The condition of the
room is slightly dim in this very beautiful temple.
Right near the altar, there are places where many people throw wooden sticks in order to
know their luck. After depositing a number of coins, visitors can shuffle a container that
contains wooden sticks until one falls out. The fallen stick has a number that will be adjusted
to the piece of paper obtained in a cabinet. The piece of paper contain the forecast of the
future.
Right in front of Sensoji Temple, there is Nakamise-dori Street, which is a market or trading
area with many Japanese food shops and souvenir stores on the street. In addition to temples
and souvenir centers as its main destination, Asakusa is a place or home for various cultural
festivals that are routinely performed like the Sanja Festival, i.e. a festival with the
characteristic of showing large lanterns and many being paraded around the city.
Wikipedia provides information about asakusa district: In the 20th century, Asakusa was a
major entertainment district in the city of Tokyo. Rokku or "Sixth Region" was once famous
as a theater district. Rokku exposes famous cinemas like Denkikan. Asakusa's golden era is
also depicted in Yasunari Kawabata's novel titled 'The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa'. Asakusa
area was severely damaged during the US bomb attacks during World War II. After the war
ended, this area was rebuilt.
Asakusa is on the north-east fringe of central Tokyo, approximately one kilometer east of the
Ueno railway station or subway interchange. Asakusa is a central area for Shitamachi, which
means "lower city," referring to the relatively low altitude of Asakusa city, on the banks of
the Sumida River. The atmosphere in Asakusa feels more traditional than in the other parts of
Tokyo.
In Asakusa area, there are many religious activities, one of them is Matsuri (Shinto religious
celebration) in almost every season. The most popular activity is Sanja Matsuri performed in
May, the street is closed from dawn until late in the evening.
The buildings in Asakusa are built in the 1950s and 1960s, unlike the rest of Tokyo. In
Asakusa, there are many traditional buildings (guest houses), residential houses and other
small traditional buildings. Senso-ji Temple is located next to the oldest park in Japan. Many
elderly local tourists come to visit here.
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COMPANY VISIT
SHIN-KOTO INCINERATION PLANT
Tokyo is a large city with a dense population. The density leads to increasing public
consumption, resulting in the increase of waste. The increasing amount of garbage of course
must be managed properly in order to avoid bigger problems in the society.
Japan enacted the Act on Recycling Management in 1991. This was done with the aim of
reducing the amount of waste and improving the management of waste recycling. Through
this law, a company that produces goods should try to design the product in such a way that
in due time the product of which use has expired will be easy to recycle. One way of
recycling management by producers of goods is by giving a mark or characteristic on cans
whether they are made of steel or aluminum.
In 1997, the Law regulating recycling for containers or wrappers took effect. It was used to
regulate the disposal of packaging or container. Citizens consuming the product are required
to separate bottles (Polyethylene Terephthalate), glass bottles and cans (from steel and
aluminum). Manufacturers are required to collect and reuse (recycle) packaging of their
products, including glass bottles, PET bottles, and other products. In April 2000, the Japanese
government reissued another law regulating packaging of paper and plastic wrapping in
addition to PET bottle types.
All households in Japan have been arranged for orderly garbage disposal, they can not just
put all the waste into a garbage dump. Garbage must be sorted first and put in separate
garbage bags. Basically garbage can be divided into burnable and non-burnable garbage, and
other types of cans, bottles, and large-sized garbage.
Large-sized garbage is used goods that certainly can not be put into the garbage bag in
general because of its large size. But there are also certain types of goods that although the
sizes are not too large, they are still categorized into large-sized garbage. So it can be
concluded that large-sized garbage can not be stored and put together in landfills in general.
Therefore, the disposal requires earlier agreements, the pickup is done by a special agency
appointed by the local government, and the disposal process is charged separately.
The local government basically wants stores and businesses to take care of their own waste
disposal and pick-up through garbage pickups and unused recycling companies. However,
local governments are finally willing to handle garbage from shops or businesses on terms of
less than 50 kg/day, and must be marked with a special sticker.
In terms of recyclable goods, the Government recommends that the townspeople adhere to
the 3R principle, namely:
1. Reduce (avoid buying unnecessary items),
2. Reuse (to maximize the item’s utility. Example: Use a bottle many times),
3. Recycle (sort items and return them for recycling).
The sorted waste should be disposed of at the designated place at 8 am, in specified day as
well. In Shinjuku area, garbage is divided into several categories: burnable garbage (kitchen
waste, small pieces of wood, cigarette butts, small papers, diapers, etc.), non-burnable
garbage (metal, leather, rubber, plastic bag, small gas cylinder, for small gas stove placed on
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the table, etc.), and large-sized garbage (including TV, air conditioner, refrigerator, freezer,
computer and washing machine). For large-sized garbage, the disposal required earlier
aggreements, while for garbage in the form of large electronic appliances there is a separate
procedure related to the management of the manufacturer of the relevant electronic appliance
or agent.
For recyclable waste, the disposal is organized by sorting it into 6 categories, with different
disposal or shelter:
1. Used magazines, old newspapers and the like (including brochures, envelopes,
wrapping papers, notebooks, milk boxes, candy boxes, cardboard) must be neatly tied
and separated by type. This category excludes tissue paper, plastic, etc.
2. Cans and Bottles (for food and drink) must be cleaned first. Bottle is discarded in
yellow containers whereas cans in blue containers. Wrapping them in plastic bags is
prohibited. Small bottles are excluded from this category because they are treated as
non-burnable garbage.
3. PET plastic bottles (clear plastic bottles for drinks, soy sauce, sake, mirin) must have
their caps removed, the labels are rinsed and flipped off. Bottles are dumped in
special boxes provided at convenience stores and supermarkets.
4. Used batteries. There are pick up points for flat batteries, dry cells and nickelhydrogen (rechargeable) or nickel-cadmium batteries.
5. Milk carton boxes. Take out the contents first, rinse, cut open the box, let dry, then
tied with string. There is a special place that provides shelter, for example local
government facilities and supermarkets, etc.
6. Used styrofoam containers. They are usually accommodated first in the boxes
provided at cooperative stores, supermarkets, and so on. It may be removed after
cleaning.
Garbage collection has been determined and done in rotation, for example household waste is
picked up as frrequent as 3 times a week, garbage container and plastic wrapping are taken
once a week, etc. All households are obliged to place their garbage bags or waste bags
without pockets like old newspapers with ties into the various containers already provided in
designated landfills. Certain used goods, such as batteries, must be collected or disposed of in
a designated location.
In certain locations often held activities to repair furniture items that can still be used as an
effort to support the realization of recycling. The goods that have been repaired are then
resold with a lottery coupon system.
Housewives Association in certain places often organize the magazine, newspaper, cardboard
carton and bottle collection movements, to be forwarded to the recycling centers of each type.
Local people in certain areas often organize the cleaning of tourist destinations, for example
in the mountains, lakes or by the beach invloving groups of people to pick up beer bottles,
used tins, and so on. Activists always carry large plastic bags in their activities.
Shin-Koto Incineration Plant is one of the many waste recycling processing factories spread
across several districts in Japan. The garbage that has been sorted in accordance with local
government regulations is then taken to a waste processing plant such as the Shin-Koto
Incineration Plant. The garbage is picked up according to the schedule specified or arranged
by the local government, to be further processed and recycled at the Shin-Koto Incineration
Plant.
The Shin-Koto Incineration Plant runs a modern waste treatment, has a large and clean area,
as well as professional and disciplined workers. In this place, there are also learning facilities
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related to the overall waste processing, so that visitors can understand how waste is managed
and recycled into something that can be utilized in the future.
The initial phase of waste processing is collecting garbage in a very large space to be
destroyed. After that, the garbage is burned with a very hot temperature. The burning process
produces ash which can then be used to make "paving blocks" for road layer. Asphalt roads
and paving blocks in the sidewalk area of Tokyo are mostly made from household waste that
is disposed of every day. In addition to making paving blocks, burning garbage can also be
utilized as power source Liquid waste is processed through water distillation to clean the
water from waste, before being flowed back to the river.
The waste recycling system in Japan consists of two basic steps. First, the sorting of garbage
material followed by garbage collection. Second, the processing and recycling of waste. Both
of these things can be realized due to the mutual cooperation between the
community/household and the government. Every household in Japan is disciplined and
conscious in taking the first step. While the local government consistently performs the
second step. Awareness and good cooperation between the government, citizens, and all
elements of society make the process of waste processing in Japan run smoothly.
Compared to Japan, the waste management system in Indonesia is still far behind. The
implementation of waste sorting can not be realized well. Some waste recycling/processing
factories are already widely available in Indonesia, but they are not supported by a good
waste management system. The factor that determines the success of waste management is
the awareness of society and producers of products/companies of the importance of waste
management. Such awareness is still low, even throwing garbage in its place alone can not be
implemented perfectly.
The key determinants or success factors in waste management are public awareness and
government firmness in undertaking waste management systems. The government as the
policy-maker must be able to make regulations and firmly oversee their implementation in
relation to waste management such as the regulations on sorting of garbage, waste disposal,
producers of products or companies that contribute to increasing the volume of waste, and the
construction of waste processing plants in each region. Meanwhile, awareness of the
community is also very important in encouraging the creation of a good waste management
system, for example by disposing of waste in its designated places, reducing the purchase of
products that potentially increase the volume of waste, sorting waste into categories
according to applicable regulations.
If it can be realized, then waste management in Indonesia will be aligned with the waste
management in Japan. But the most important result is that it can overcome the garbage
problem as well as other problems caused by the poor control or management of waste.
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FOTO FOTO
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