University at Buffalo, SUNY
December 2023
Urban Planning Development Program in Kanazawa
Everything about this trip exceeded expectations
The program was held in December 2023. Out of 7 participants, 5 answered the questionnaire.
How would you rate your overall experience with the Kanazawa trip?
Evaluation on a 5-point scale
This was definitely a great trip that provided an opportunity to see a foreign culture and also to bond with my peers.
- I also liked working with the students of Kanazawa University however the language barrier was a bit tricky to navigate but I expected this.
- The trip to Kanazawa provided cultural and educational enrichment to my graduate career. It provided me with chance to see good planning practices and what their outcomes are on the urban fabric, but also on the population living within the city.
The trip to Kanazawa was a good mix of exploring the city on our own and interacting with and learning from the Kanazawa University
- I had a wonderful time exploring the food, culture, interacting with the people as well and walking through both Kanazawa and Tokyo. I loved learning about how they plan for historic preservation and disaster prevention in addition to planning for an aging population. Everything about this trip exceeded expectations.
How valuable did you find these trip components?
Evaluation on a 4-point scale
Would you recommend this exchange to other UB students?
Evaluation on a 4-point scale
- Yes absolutely, I had a wonderful time in just a week
- One week in Kanazawa was a dream.
The ability to walk around, and interact with this culture was truly beautiful and made me think about our applications of urban planning in the States in comparison to Japan.
- This was a trip of a lifetime thank you for everything and I would go back in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.
What most valuable lessons or experiences did you get from this trip?
This trip expanded my vision to a place where I am reassessing my next future steps.
The most valuable lesson/experience that I got from the trip was the urban planning meeting with the Kanazawa planning department.
Some interesting takeaways was that other than the issue with declining population, urban planning is somewhat similar to the US. Perhaps there are some deeper elements that are different that we didn’t explore but the same process seems to apply. I also noticed that Japan is very traditional in some regards and they take pride in maintaining their environment and ensuring that it serves everyone to the best of their ability. The differences between Japanese cities versus American cities seems to reflect cultural preferences rather than politics and finance which I previously assumed had more of an impact.
Getting to interact with the students in an unstructured way allowed both parties to loosen up and get to learn more about one another. I enjoyed that they showed us their favorite spots and places to eat in Kanazawa. Their hospitality was wonderful in the way they tried to make us feel accommodated and welcome. One of my favorite aspects of this trip was just getting the freedom to explore through walking and public transportation both Tokyo and Kanazawa are very accessible in that aspect. I loved being able to try new foods and customs in a way that made me feel more like a local rather than a tourist.
The conversations with the students during our tour—getting to know them, their experiences, their educational backgrounds, and how these relate to life in Japan—were very valuable in understanding how urban planning and related fields are defined in their education system.