Zhu Xiaofei (Project Promotion Manager (Tourism), Management Office, Keihan Electric Railway)

Winning first prize at a Japanese speech contest

Ms. Zhu is from a town called Danyang, located near Nanjing in China’s Jiangsu province. At 5 years of age, she moved to Jinan in Shandong province and later entered a well-known integrated junior and senior high school that placed an emphasis on foreign language education. “In addition to being difficult to get into, the school was also very expensive, but the top 92 scores on the entrance examination had their entrance fees waived. I was lucky enough to be within the top 92 scores on the test. From then on, Japanese was my second language.”

When she was in her second year of high school, she won a Japanese speech contest that saw entrants from all over China. Her prize was a trip to Kyoto and Osaka through Nippon Travel Agency. She was quite impressed with Kyoto University’s Centennial Clock Tower, and during her time as a student at Shanghai International Studies University, she spent a year studying abroad at Kyoto University. After graduating, she decided to enter a Japanese university as a full-time student. She originally considered entering Kyoto University, but “Osaka University’s entrance examination was given earlier than Kyoto University’s, so I thought I’d give it a try and ended up passing. There was a good atmosphere at the university, so I entered OU, and I’m so glad that I did. At the Graduate School of Economics, the counseling and student affairs staff were incredibly kind to me.” Ms. Zhu had to pay her way through school this time around, so the information she received about part-time jobs and scholarships was very reassuring.

At the Graduate School of Economics, she studied business administration in Professor Toshio KOBAYASHI’s study group on the research theme of “Localization of Nikkei Distribution Companies in China.” “There are a variety of corporations that have opened branches in China, but it doesn’t always necessarily go well. So, I did research on what should be improved to better the situation for these corporations. Professor Kobayashi was very strict, but he supported my research, which allowed me to perform field studies at branches of major distributors in Beijing and Chengdu.” Ms. Zhu has fond memories of making her own appointments and going on survey trips together with professors and her upperclassmen in graduate school.

An unmatched devotion to her company

Ms. Zhu intended to continue on to the doctoral program, but Professor Kobayashi encouraged her to search for a job, which was a large turning point in her life. One business person took particular interest in Ms. Zhu, who had studied business management and was highly proficient in Japanese, and suggested she pursue a part-time job at Keihan Electric Railway. Wanting to expand overseas, Keihan Electric Railway had been attempting to attract visitors from abroad, including Ms. Zhu’s native China. Her hard work was highly praised, and she was eventually hired as the very first foreign career-track employee at Keihan Electric Railway.

Ms. Zhu entered Keihan in 2011, which was the 101st anniversary of Keihan Electric Railway. “I entered the company as the first foreign career-track employee in a milestone year for Keihan,” she said. Keihan Electric Railway places emphasis on tourism and considers expansion of inbound travel as one of its corporate strategies. Ms. Zhu’s workplace is the Management Office, which undertakes the promotion of these kinds of projects.

Working in a foreign country, especially at such a storied corporation with its unique inner working, has left Ms. Zhu feeling that there are some things that she can’t quite understand. “It’s likely that I’m seen as a bit peculiar by the people around me because I have different ways of thinking and acting. But my devotion for Keihan is unmatched.” In Chinese, there’s an expression that means “Perseverance will prevail.” Ms. Zhu said, “As long as I’m in Japan, I’ll be a part of Keihan. I want to more fully understand how the company works and grow as a part of it.”

Writing a blog in Chinese as Keihan Keiko

Ms. Zhu loves Keihan so much that she has also applied to become Okeihan , the poster girl for Keihan Electric Railway, which started taking applications from the public last year. Unfortunately, she didn’t make the cut. She currently works as a blogger under the name “Keihan Keiko” delivering information about Keihan Electric Railway in Chinese. Ms. Zhu goes into great detail on her blog, covering topics such as sightseeing spots along the Keihan Lines, primarily those in Kyoto city, and saijiki , or seasonal words, used in haiku poetry. She also interacts with the readers of the blog. “In China, the internet is definitely the most-used method of obtaining information regarding travel. What the people want is a blogger who can give specific information while retaining a sense of originality. In Taiwan, there are ‘power bloggers’ who have a lot of influence on their readers in deciding where to go when traveling to Japan. I want to take advantage of the fact that I live and work nearby the places that I talk about in my blog in order to be able to compete with these power bloggers in delivering information that is both fresh and unique.”

Recently, readers of her blog who have traveled to Japan have posted comments such as “I had a wonderful time thanks to Keiko” and questions like, “Can I bring my children to this store?” which has made her really feel the effects of her blog. She gives polite responses to these kinds of reactions as well. Every day is a busy one for Ms. Zhu, who often serves as a Kyoto tour guide for individuals from tourism agencies and travel guide editors.

Ms. Zhu is thankful to Keihan for something in particular. Around the time she entered the company, she had to find a place to live but was rejected by a number of landlords for various reasons. After a hard-fought apartment search, she eventually found an apartment with Keihan serving as the guarantor. In addition, "Keihan told me that from now on, whenever a foreign employee rents a place to live, the contract will be signed in the corporation's name, not the employee's. This took a huge weight off of my shoulders."

Don’t lose your identity

“Being in Japan so long has changed me,” says Ms. Zhu, but she also cherishes her Chinese identity. “I do feel as though I need to fit into Japan, but I also feel that I mustn’t change my way of thinking to match that of the Japanese. If I can’t get a hold of the mindset and challenges of both China and Japan swiftly and concisely, then I feel I will have lost what has made me special.”

Finally, when asked if she had any advice as someone who has spent an extended period living overseas to young people about to go out into the world, Ms. Zhu answered, “I want you to give it your all without holding any prejudices.” She is also giving her best effort for friendly relations between Japan and China, saying, “There are many biases between Japan and China, but the Chinese base their way of thinking on people; to us, people are a treasure. I think you can make some really good Chinese friends,” Ms. Zhu said with a smile.

This is a reprint of the article posted in the Osaka University NewsLetter No. 62 (December 2013).