Takenaka Program combines English , Business , and Construction
By David Krise The Takenaka Corporation of Japan was started in 1610 , and is the oldest and one of the largest architecture , engineering , and construction companies in the world , with offices in 18 countries . For the last 15 years , the company has sent some of its employees from Japan to the ELC each summer to prepare for work in other countries .
In 2016 , seven Takenaka employees were here for the summer semester to study language , culture , and construction management . They included engineers , architects and designers , and managers . To improve their English , they studied English in the ELC . They also had several seminars with MSU faculty about construction management , urban planning , and green building procedures , including trips to the FRIB construction site at MSU and the MSU recycling center .
Highlights of the summer included an architectural tour of downtown Detroit and a Detroit Tigers baseball game , a weekend in Niagara Falls , Canada , and a trip to Chicago for a boat ride and city architectural tour . The men also traveled on their own , including trips to New York City , Pittsburgh , and Houston . Their trips combined architecture , construction , and culture , including Broadway plays and visits to NASA and Frank Lloyd Wright buildings . One of the last things we did as a group before they returned to Japan was singing karaoke at Crunchy ’ s in East Lansing .
We wish the seven Takenaka men the very best in their futures , and they will forever be Spartans . Go Green ! Go White !
2016 Takenaka Trainess Left to Right : Masaki Matsuura , Ken Matsumoto , Eiji Okura , Tetsuya Mori , Shohei Kobayashi , Tomoyasu Kawasaki , Hiro Kawashita
At a seminar with Dr . Sayal from the MSU Construction Management Department
David and Hiro eating cheeseburgers at The Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago
On a tour of the MSU FRIB construction site with Dr . Sayal ( FRIB = Facility for Rare Isotope Beams )
At Greenfield Village