What we could learn from cultural exchanges

JAPAN is a country that is well known for its cultural habit of respect. This is the explanation given for the country boasting the cleanest public toilets in the world, often resembling or bettering washrooms in 5-star hotels in other countries. It is a nation known for an education sector that specialises in teaching smallest of children to take responsibility for their actions and perfecting each and every task they set about to do.

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This is seen in how this country has no caretakers for the canteens of most education centres, where the maintaining of the classrooms and schools are done entirely by the students.

The children are taught though play activity authentic values of respect and most importantly learn to transform it to action in practical ways in their general life. It is a country where each second matters — where teams clean out trains in minutes with a perfection and speed which is astonishing at a global level. It is a country where one finds zero garbage — not even a scrap of paper in public roads and no garbage dumps. It is a nation where policy makers work for their voters and where creativity and innovation are excessively encouraged and often put to very practical use everywhere — where simple and unique solutions are found to make life a better experience. It is a country where knowledge and values are transformed into practice.

Garbage dump transformation

This writer was recently researching on Japanese contacts who may be interested in investing in garbage dump transformation in Sri Lanka. Meethotamulla and the large garbage dump in front of the Vavuniya University are two main points that need immediate attention in Sri Lanka, alongside many, many other spots right across the country, including the dump en route to Vaddukodai in Jaffna. While in the midst of researching the garbage disposal and recycling expertise of Japan, it was learnt that there was a team of university youth from Japan from academic streams such as economics who would be hosted at the Peradeniya University through its Social Reconciliation Centre (SRC).