Japan.

photo source: flickr.com/photos/liews_ryan

I used to have "no feeling" (no sympathy as well) for Japan or any Japanese when i was younger simply due to WWII. It was when i started to learn robotic automation during my diploma study that the precision and the design of SCARA robotic arm and Linear Module, manufactured by "Ponosonic" that amazed me have started to slowly change my mind. "There are USA, Germany and so many great countries which are good in robotic, why must we use Japanese?" That time onwards, i started to keep an eye on all Japanese product.

In my hometown, I have a "DKD" fan, a "Rational" TV and refrigerator and a "Bonda" C70 (due to copyright, i don't think i can mention the name of the brand correctly) and they all are more than 25-year-old, except the C70 which i believe is around 15-year-old but it was entitled "The Greatest Motorbike of All Time", according to "Piscovery Channel". These products are really amazingly robust and i started to have faith as well as the mentality of "made-in-Japan-only".

When i was an inkjet technical specialist at "Hawlett-Pockard" (a very famous USA company), i had once dropped my jaw because, i can safely say, 1/3 of the production lines are Japanese! These are "SCM", "Kayence", "Yoskawa", "Apson SCARA robot", "Harata" and much much more. At first, i thought the reason they choose to use Japanese is because these are the cheaper alternative. But after i have done some buying with the supply chain, i realized that these products aren't cheap either. The machine builder decided to use Japanese is simply because these are the best in the world and, on top of that, they knew that any production downtime due to quality issue from the machine itself is not acceptable.

After knowing all these brands and facts, i started to concern about Japan (economically, politically, geographically and etc) and eventually became a hard-core "Yokoso! Japan" fan. I have already visited Japan twice before (total 31 days) and in fact now, I have already started the plan of visit Japan for another 31 days again right after my super-hard-earned B. Sc graduation. I think the feeling is just like meeting your beloved girlfriend after 10 years of apart!

I can't really imagine how exciting i will be the moment I'm heading to the airport again!