My Experience in Kobe- An insightful transfer of ideas, knowledge, and experiences through the use of experiential education

My Experience in Kobe- An insightful transfer of ideas, knowledge, and experiences through the use of experiential education

Sharma Shakshi
University of Delhi
Bachelor of Business Administration - Financial Investment Analysis Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies 2年

The Kobe Program was an extraordinary experience that allowed me to interact with and build relationships with individuals from various countries who shared cultural diversity. This Inter-University Exchange Program was specifically designed to foster entrepreneurship among bright minds across five countries: Japan, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The program also aimed to improve research collaboration and establish a strong, innovative talent pipeline.

Kobe is a charismatic city that is most famous for its beef, but I enjoyed exploring it from the very first day. The Ikuta Shrine was a divine place, and China town was the most eventful street, with its diversity of food. The Sannomiya-Motomachi tour was very informative and taught me a lot about the amazing Japanese culture. I also gained a lot of insights and new knowledge from the site visits to TBC and Shinki Bus. The KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC), Japan's largest biomedical cluster, possesses a very extensive network and is consistently working towards innovative medical technology, which was astounding to see as I had never witnessed such a thing before. We also had a chance to visit Awaji Island, where we visited the PASONA Group, which is working towards revitalizing its surrounding areas by creating new jobs and drawing human resources to the city's more rural neighborhoods. They are working towards the goal of making it easier for rural communities to achieve sustainable development.

One of my favorite days during the program was our visit to ‟KOBE Harborland". The waterfront near the Ferris wheel of the Mosaic shopping mall and the Anpanman Museum offered one of the best viewpoints. The Kobe Port Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum are on the opposite side of the harbor, making it an ideal spot to take in the scenery. The cruise tour was the best experience of them all, and I truly enjoyed it.

Moreover, the ten-day journey was a complete package full of learning, fun, and personal development. The main agenda was to pitch our startup ideas on the final Global Conference Day, which required several days of preparation. Through this process, we learned a lot about how to brainstorm, validate and pitch a business idea in front of industry professionals. This was an unparalleled experience that provided me with a global mindset to think about various things.

Kobe has set an ambitious goal of becoming Japan's most prominent center for the startup industry by stimulating the ecosystem for new businesses to an unprecedented degree. The city is continuously offering assistance to startups in their early stages to foster an environment that encourages innovation and the development of new technologies. It was impressive to learn that the city of Kobe has developed "the Hydrogen Smart City Kobe Plan" to foster technological advancements and create initiatives that broaden the application of hydrogen. Kobe is a bustling metropolis that features cutting-edge technology.

I believe that Kobe has a significant amount of potential in terms of its resources, developed infrastructure, and technological support. This potential could allow the city to experience significant growth if all of its resources are utilized to their utmost potential.

This program resulted in an insightful transfer of ideas, knowledge, and experiences through the use of experiential education. The program had the potential to increase the number of startups originating from participating institutes and promote interaction even after the duration of the program had passed. It resulted in the development of critical thinking skills and exposure to key knowledge areas, both of which would help in the adoption of innovation in the dynamic environment consisting of changes in technology and disruptions in the market.

Lastly, I would like to mention that Innovation Dojo Japan (IDJ), an organization that specializes in providing support for innovative businesses, led this program. The entire team helped me a lot and motivated me to come out of my comfort zone and provided me with a fresh perspective on working, expressing my ideas and working in a team. I am incredibly grateful to the team.

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