Trip to Asia: A Different Vibe
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
This August, I spent 3 weeks visiting 5 locations and speaking 4 languages. My first stop was in Osaka, then I went to Hong Kong, Guangdong, Macau, and Taiwan. I wanted this graduation trip as a way for me to relax after 6 years of hard work pursuing my degree and career goals. As a supporter of diversity and inclusion, I have always been open to learning about different cultures and meeting new people. Aside from that, I wanted to experience the business, design, and tech environment on the other side of the world.
The highlight of my trip was visiting Japan for the very first time. I have always had an admiration for Japanese design and styles when it came to art, fashion, products, and architecture. I started off, like many people around me, following Japanese animation and artworks. In high school, I studied Japanese for 4 years and also took a course in university. I was so excited to finally immerse myself in a different culture and environment.
When I was there, I noticed all the vibrant colours in some areas and all the minimalist styles in others. Majority of my experiences with products, customer service, and store designs were great. The most shocking moments I noticed about Japanese culture was the use of “smart” toilets, complex ticketing machine interfaces, and beautiful packaging for many products. I have to admit that I usually take pretty brochures and business cards back with me so I can study their designs!
Enjoying the view in Osaka, Japan
When I got to Hong Kong, it was again very different from Vancouver. Lots of tall buildings, vibrant signage, and crowded streets. I was told because people live so close to each other, messages spread around very quickly.
Getting around wasn’t hard for me as I knew Cantonese. Everything was very fast paced here, from restaurant service to dining. I noticed some restaurants liked to use tablets for orders, although the interfaces weren’t the best. There were too many options cramped together. It was hard not to notice and get carried away thinking about these things. I’ve always been drawn to the lifestyle of people in Hong Kong. People work very hard but also have many entertainment, products, and food choices.
The rest of my trip to Guangdong, Macau, and Taiwan was very enjoyable as well. In the small area I was from in Guangdong, everything became very high tech and fancy. My biggest shock was that majority of payments were being made on WeChat, even grocery purchases. Also, I didn’t get to use Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and Twitter as expected. China is very strict with their privacy.
The biggest player here is Tencent and I heard they are disrupting many big American tech giants. Most of the action was happening in Shenzhen which I didn’t get to visit. In Macau, it was mostly visiting grand casinos, malls, and hotels. Although I don’t gamble, I really enjoyed the exteriors and interiors of the buildings. Finally, in Taiwan, my last stop, I loved going to the night markets. I also got to visit my friend’s mom who I helped design a logo for. She showed me the packaging of her products and it further confirmed my passion for bringing ideas to life.
Thinking about where to eat in Macau
Reflecting on my trip, I learned so much about the practices of other cultures and the way they make use of technology. I also brought back with me a greater awareness of various design styles and trends that I can apply to my work. I read a lot of articles and news about the world but it’s always best to actually immerse yourself in the area. Although I’d like to travel around the world, that probably won’t happen all at once. My next trip destination goal would definitely be Europe and also other locations in Asia.