Hailey recently got back from a pork industry related study abroad through Iowa State University. The group of 15 students and 5 adults went to Thailand and Japan. Here is a look into some of the things they did while they were there!
Day 1-4
After two days of traveling and settling into the hotel in Thailand, Hailey’s group was ready to take on their first official day. They first visited the Panyapiwat Institute of Management (PIM) at the CP All Academy. That night they went to a night market and got to experience different clothing and food vendors.
Day 5
Hailey got to make Pad Thai and Thai Milk Tea at PIM. After her cooking class, they went and toured the ancient island Kho Kret.
Day 6 & 7
Her next two days were busy, but good days. They visited Ayutthaya Ancient City, where they took a glimpse into the Buddhism culture and temples. To wrap up the day, they had the opportunity to participate in Elephant rides. Hailey said the elephants were her favorite part of the trip. The next day they toured the Grand Palace and visited the tallest building in Thailand.
Day 8 & 9
On these two days, Hailey toured the CPF Feed Research and Innovation Center as well as their food processing facilities. She then ended her last night in Thailand with a farewell dinner with CP and PIM.
Day 10 & 11
The group said goodbye to Thailand and hello to Japan! Right when they got off the plane in Japan they went for lunch at Katsumasa, visited the city capital where they could see Mt. Fuji from the 32nd floor, then had a presentation at Global Pig Farms, and ended the day at the Traditional Japanese Inn they were staying at.
Day 12
Hailey and her group had a sightseeing day in Japan. They went to Kegon Falls, took a tour of Toshogu Shrine, ate at a traditional Ramen restaurant, and ended their day visiting the Tsuruga Castle.
Day 13
The day Hailey’s group has been waiting for! They got to visit one of Global Pig Farms finishing facilities. After the farm tour, they had a barbeque with the workers. That afternoon they traveled to Nigata City where they compared Japanese prices for meat to the U.S. at a nearby grocery store and ended the night at the coast of the Japan Sea.
Day 14
The group was able to visit Global Pig Farm’s pork processing plant, Shibata Packers. While they were in town, the Mayor of Shibata wanted to give them a warm welcome at the city hall. Hailey then took a bullet train into Tokyo, which was a cool experience, because the bullet train was able to make it up to 200mph! They ended their night at Sukiyaki restaurant, where they got to try Wagyu beef shabu shabu. The experience was mouthwatering.
Day 15
Hailey got to visit the U.S Embassy and learn about the agriculture relationship between Japan and the United States. Fun fact about that day, they were at the U.S. Embassy the same time as President Trump was! They then stopped at the largest cold storage facility in Japan and saw some products that even came from Iowa! After that the group met with the Frieden Group to understand what their company does, as well as learn about how they have close ties with SGI. They then spent their last night in Japan with the executives at their restaurant having many different pork dishes. It was a great way to end our time in Japan!
