This program was implemented in collaboration between Toyama Business College and Taiwanese students, with the cooperation of Itosho, a long-established company founded in 47. By utilizing the marketing techniques that the students have been studying on a daily basis and gaining the perspective and cooperation of Taiwanese students, they came up with a concrete plan to popularize Toyama's specialty, Motsu Nikomi Udon, in Taiwan.

◆ Bringing the aspirations of a long-established company to Taiwan

In the five classes held between October and December, students not only learned about each other's regional cultures, but also heard directly from Itosho about the appeal and passion behind "Motsu Nikomi Udon." By actually tasting the product at the store, students strengthened their passion to share this flavor with the world. They also interviewed Taiwanese students about Taiwanese tastes and similar udon products in order to popularize Motsu Nikomi Udon.

The final presentation of marketing plans based on these findings resulted in very unique proposals that reflected the real perspectives of the local students.The multifaceted strategies presented included collaboration with Taiwanese popular street food, spicy flavors tailored to local tastes, and affordable pricing, as well as joint promotions with local beverage and confectionery manufacturers.

Student Voices

・By proposing market ideas with Taiwanese students, I gained the ability to understand other countries and cultures. Before the class, I didn't have much knowledge about Taiwan, and I didn't feel like I could come up with a good proposal for Taiwan's expansion into the Japanese food "Motsu Niku Udon." However, by deepening my interactions with the Taiwanese students, I was able to discover that the location, the needs of Taiwanese people, and the local food culture may be a good fit for "Motsu Niku Udon." Through this class, I learned a lot, not only by communicating with Taiwanese people, but also by learning about local circumstances.

・I found it difficult to communicate with the Taiwanese students in English, but I was pleased that we were able to reflect our opinions within the group and connect them all through to the final presentation.We often make marketing proposals when collaborating with other companies, but it is difficult to translate them into English and I was unable to clearly communicate what I wanted to say, which made me realize once again how difficult English is.

・I haven't had many opportunities to communicate in English with local people overseas, so this was a good opportunity. I think I've developed a bit of an attitude of trying to speak English myself, because I can't get my point across unless I speak in English.

The students' comments revealed their sincere attitude in taking on the challenges, despite the difficulty of communicating in English. Some also commented that they were able to gain practical experience in overseas marketing through the process of popularizing Japanese food in a foreign land like Taiwan.

◆The class was featured in various media outlets.

The final presentation was widely covered by many media outlets, including Toyama Television, Toyama Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Kita Nippon Shimbun, and Hokuriku Chunichi Shimbun. Toyama Television's broadcast also showed the students tasting Itosho's products prior to the international exchange, conveying to the local community their enthusiasm for connecting local flavors to the world.

For more details on the publication, please see the link below.

https://withtheworld.co/online-collaborative-urayama/

Conclusion

Through this class, the students collaborated with Taiwanese students in English and, through trial and error, developed a marketing strategy to popularize "Motsu Nikomi Udon" locally. All of our staff hope that this experience will broaden their global perspective and serve as a valuable resource for them to play an active role at the forefront of society in the future.