Though there are many sentiments I wish to express in this final reflection, the first and most important must be my overwhelming gratitude. Thanks to my host families for opening up your homes; thanks to businessmen who allowed us a rare view of their companies; thanks to the craftsmen who colored in my very rough outline of the Japanese aesthetic; thanks to our generous sponsors; and thanks, most of all, to Sumio and the Co-tech and Kawamura staff for giving us an experience that none of us will soon forget.

I certainly had no idea what was in store for me when I boarded the plane to Nagoya a little more than a month ago. We fellows had just finished our whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia; after much walking, excessive sightseeing, and the occasional Starbucks break, we were excited to get a flavor of something with a deeper significance than a mere tourist might experience. Throw in a little Vietnamese food poisoning, and we were all too happy to see the sprawling conurbation of Nagoya as our 747 glided slowly to the runway.

It is difficult to describe all of the experiences we have accrued since then, in part because there were so many of them (our schedule had more activity than JR's shinkansen), and in part because I couldn't possibly do them all justice. But in recalling the past five weeks, I can say that many of these experiences have excited me in a way that previous travel and cultural explorations have not. Although this fellowship is clearly an educational experience (I learned how to properly eat nigiri, how to make washi paper, and how to ceremoniously examine a business card), it has also fostered within me a profound respect for Japanese culture and the joy of knowing true hospitality, unwarranted generosity, and instant friendship.