Tourism and Sumo Wresting in Tokyo

by Alex Lopez '15

During the winter term, while many Dartmouth students were facing the below freezing temperatures of Hanover, Ting Cheung Cheng ’16 had the opportunity to live and work in Daikanyama, Tokyo. His employer, TOKI/Timexperience, is a sightseeing startup specializing in tours for foreign tourists in Japan.

Member of a team of four people, Ting was able to explore his marketing interests as well as working on website layout, design, content management and presentation materials for the startups. He was also able to assist in the translation of company materials into English which provided a unique opportunity to put his Japanese language skills into practice. Apart from working on the business side of the startup, Ting had the opportunity to pursue Japanese cultural research.
“The company offered programs in sumo wrestling, geisha dinners, sword making, tempura making, and sushi making, among other activities, so it was my responsibility to look up the history, manners, and other interesting facts about each and compile them into PowerPoint presentations to give to the customers in advance of the tours in case they wanted some background knowledge before the day of activities,” said Ting.

Ting had the opportunity to work closely with the founders of the company due to the small size of the start-up and found that his input was highly valued. Pursuing the program after a half year of study at their Keio University in Tokyo, Ting found that adjusting to the cultural and work life proved to be a smooth transition. Japan continues to be a country of interest for Ting and due to his positive experiences there (both studying and working) he hopes to pursue employment in Japan after Dartmouth.