Lessons on being good neighbors

Jim Cummings

A quiz offered by Ball State University during the recent fair showed many Decatur County residents have at least a rudimentary knowledge of some things Japanese.

The 10 questions were prepared by Sadatoshi Tomizawa, Ph.D., professor of Japanese at Ball State and were intended to get local people thinking about what it will be like to have Honda come to the community.

Of the 113 fairgoers who answered all of the questions, nearly half proved they have some global knowledge.

“I was pleasantly surprised. It looks like the people of Decatur County are willing to, or have already started to, learn about Japanese culture,” said Tomizawa. “No one got all 10 questions correct but many got at least half right. That was a nice number. I admit, these were very difficult questions, especially for people who have never studied Japanese culture.”

Four of the 113 respondents got eight of 10 questions correct. The final four were put into a random drawing and Fred Miller of Greensburg won the $100 grand prize.

“I was fortunate because I have worked at GECOM for 11 years. I learned a lot there about the Japanese culture and it has always fascinated me,” Miller said. “I went to Japan on a company trip and loved it. The people are very friendly and honorable. That goes for all of them from the cashiers at stores to the people on the street. I hope Decatur County embraces our new neighbors and makes them feel welcome.”

Kami Alexander, 24 and a graduate of South Decatur High School, was one of the other three who answered eight correct. Her father Dave said she lives in Osaka, Japan and teaches English.

“I went there to visit and loved the culture,” Dave said. “It was amazing and everything worked so well. I think this community can benefit a lot by having Honda here.”

While the professor and Miller said the questions were hard as an introduction, they should soon become common knowledge in this area.

“The questions asked about Japanese weather, currency, driving habits, population and, of course, automobiles,” he said. “They were great examples of things people here in Indiana should know if they want to make their new neighbors feel comfortable.”

Tomizawa spent part of this week visiting other Japanese auto makers in this region. He and Dr. Maria Williams-Hawkins, also of Ball State, visited the Toyota plants in Princeton and in Georgetown, Ky., in order to learn a few lessons they could bring back to Decatur County. Ball State, in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Education, Greensburg Community Schools and the Greensburg Community Learning Center, plans on offering workshops to local teachers, students, business representatives and elected officials to help them better understand how to help the Japanese immigrants assimilate into the area.

“Japanese companies all operate in much the same way. They are absolutely good to their communities and they bring a huge economic impact as well,” Tomizawa said. “The people at Toyota were very glad to see us start this fact-finding mission. They told us we were doing a great thing for Honda and for Decatur County.”

Tomizawa also said there was no hint of competition between the people at Toyota and their soon-to-be state mates from Honda.

“They just want to see another successful Japanese and global company in this region,” Tomizawa said. “That would make them happy.”

Another thing the Toyota execs said they would appreciate seeing is for Decatur County to embrace their newest employer right from the start.

“The most interesting, and probably most important, thing I heard was that Toyota executives are finally starting to move in Georgetown after the plant has been there 20 years,” Tomizawa said. “Toyota people recommended we put on a workshop for city and county elected officials early on in the process. They believe that will make a huge difference. If the officials at the top embrace the Japanese culture it will have a positive trickle-down effect.”

He went on to say, the Toyota managers wished there was a workshop for officials in that area because early misunderstandings and a lack of communication hardened the hearts of those involved with the plant. This, in turn, wasted a lot of time and delayed their migration into Georgetown.

“I think, I learned a lot at those two plants. I want to share that information with Decatur County. I am serious about this,” Tomizawa said. “What took Georgetown 20 years to do, Greensburg can do in less than five years. Once the executives decide to live here, they will pay taxes, use the banks and the economy will see a huge and amazing benefit.”

Anyone interested in learning more about Japanese culture or who has questions for Tomizawa can contact the Greensburg Community Learning Center by e-mail at jcummings@greensburg.k12.in.us.

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