Thank you very much for the delightful Christmas card from your family and your valuable letter the other day.

The birth of New Nippon Steel this spring, the issues surrounding its impact and the direction our company should take, the Sanyo Shock regarding productivity, personnel transfers...
There is nothing more welcome than such information.

Regarding the personnel changes, when I returned home on the evening of the 2nd, the Daido News had arrived, so I read it with great interest.
I learned about the establishment of the Project Headquarters, the appointment of the new General Manager Mr. K, and the promotions of Mr. M, Mr. O, and Mr. S. I felt a renewed sense of determination that the time has finally come for us to tackle our work with a sense of responsibility, and I feel a renewed sense of urgency.

I spent my winter break, starting on December 19th for about two weeks, in Minnesota, in the north-central United States. I visited Minneapolis and its twin city, St. Paul.

In St. Paul live Mr. Swanson's family, a missionary who looked after me for many years in Japan, and Mr. and Mrs. Eugene and Hideko Wald, whom I met this summer. I stayed with both families during the Christmas holidays.

There was record-breaking snow, with accumulations reaching up to 1 meter. Children were enjoying ice hockey on the frozen lake. Snowplows are constantly clearing the roads.

Thanks to the plans arranged by the both families of Mr. Swanson and the Walds, I stayed with each family for half the time. During that period, I was invited to more than ten different homes, attended church services and concerts, and thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas season.

It’s quite a distance—about a 30-hour one-way bus ride from State College to St. Paul (costing $40)—but it was well worth the trip.

	Background: University Club (my dorm)
I have five months left in the U.S. Here is a brief update on what I’ve been up to so far.

Academics

I took Marketing and Introduction to Business over the summer and fall semesters.
As Professor Taiyoji from Hitotsubashi University predicted, “You won’t understand a thing for the first six months,” and he was right.

Professor Junichi Taiyoji specializes in social policy. He is also the head of the kendo club.

Front row, left: Professor Taiyoji; back row, right: me

I love everything—alcohol, nights out... you name it
My thesis for Professor Taiyoji’s seminar
“American Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining”
Requirements for passing the thesis
At least 110 pages of manuscript paper; content is irrelevant It might seem surprising, but it takes some time to keep up with the fast-paced lectures filled with specialized English terminology.

The daily reading requirement is about 50 pages. Homework and quizzes come one after another. Naturally, if you can’t speed-read, you won’t have time to write your answers on the quizzes.
Here is my advice for those planning to study abroad:

1. Listening skills
2. Speed reading
3. Technical terms in English
4. Review high school-level math—especially calculus, probability, and statistics—and memorize them in English
5. Basic computer skills

I’m also thinking of focusing almost entirely on golf during the spring semester. My finances are a bit of a concern, though.

The winter semester starts tomorrow. In addition to Marketing and Introduction to Business, I plan to focus on Business Statistics. Since I’ll be returning home partway through the spring semester, I’m trying to pack in as much as possible.

Overall, my academic results will likely be “zero.” At the very least, I intend to observe how American students live and prepare to enter the business world before I return home.

Part1 Reading (7:46) on