Interview

My name is Zaw and I'm from Myanmar. I've been living in Japan for 10 years and majored in Japanese Language and Culture at the University of Tsukuba. I'm currently the leader of the Myanmar sales team at "Fujiinfox Career".

My name is Kou and I am from China. I joined Fuji Infox in April as a new employee. I graduated from Tama Art University and have been living in Japan for 4 years. I will be in charge of creating social media content and design in the production team of the Fujiinfox Career Division.

I'm Lee from Korea. He is an IT engineer and works in system administration. He recently got his driver's license, so he wants to take up driving as a hobby.

My name is Lily and I'm from Thailand. I'm a sales representative at Fujiinfox Career. My hobby is eating food from all over the world.

I first became interested in Japan because of Japanese anime and movies. I wanted to work at a Japanese company someday, but Japanese language learning became a boom in Myanmar, so I started studying Japanese in earnest. Gradually, I came to love not only the Japanese language but also Japanese culture, and wanted to further improve my Japanese language skills, so I decided to study abroad in Japan. I ended up working in Japan.

I had a dream of studying art deeply, so I went to an art university in Japan to receive a high-level art education. I fell in love with Japan, which has an excellent balance between cities and nature, and decided to work there.

Ever since I was in high school, I had wanted to work overseas someday. There, I studied English and Japanese, but Japanese seemed to be a better fit for me, so I went to a Japanese vocational school with which our high school had a sister school. Compared to Europe and America, the cost of studying abroad in Japan was low, and it was also attractive because it was close to Korea. I started working at Fuji Infox Net after graduating from vocational school.

At first, I studied abroad in China. At that time, I made a Japanese friend, and as a result of that, I became interested in Japan. After that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, I was unable to return to China, so I decided to take the plunge and move my base to Japan. I also decided to work in Japan.

To begin with, I thought that living in a country in Asia with a Buddhist culture would be easier than in Europe or America. One of the biggest reasons why I chose Japan is its safety. Since it is safe for a woman to live alone, her parents also recommended that Japan would be a good place to live overseas.

I was also attracted to Japan's safety. In Thailand, it is dangerous for women to go out late at night, and it is not safe to take a taxi.

In my case, my first goal was to study art in depth at university, so I focused on Japan, where you can receive high-quality art education. In China, exhibitions are only held in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, but in Japan, fascinating exhibitions are held in a variety of locations, regardless of their size. I took a museum internship at a Japanese university to obtain a curator's qualification, and I was able to experience for myself how meticulously preparations are made to create even better exhibits. Japan was the best choice for me because I thought I could enjoy art to my heart's content even on weekends when I have a day off from work.

I like mahjong, so if I was going to work overseas, I thought it would be nice to live in Japan, where I could easily find friends to play with (lol).

In Myanmar, you can easily eat food everywhere, but I was shocked to learn that in Japan, there are places where this is allowed and places where it is not. It was surprising to see lines forming at popular restaurants. In Myanmar, it is not customary to wait in line for hours to get into a restaurant. At first I thought, ``No matter how delicious the food is, I can't wait for an hour!'' But now I'm standing in line as a matter of course (lol).

In China, when lining up at a popular store, you first enter using your smartphone, and when it's your turn, a message is sent to your smartphone. I think it would be great if systems like this were more popular in Japan. I was also surprised to see that many people still use cash to pay at restaurants. Cashless payments are the norm in China.

Speaking of food, I was a little disappointed that while Korean companies have a corner stocked with free sweets in their offices, many Japanese companies don't have one (lol).

The distance between my home and work is a little difficult. In Thailand, commuting takes 20 to 30 minutes at most. It currently takes me an hour and a half to commute to work, so I wish my home and work were a little closer.

When I tried to find a place to live, I had a hard time finding properties that even foreigners could rent. I would be happy if there were more properties for foreigners. On a different note, in Japan, people attend coming-of-age ceremonies wearing kimono (traditional clothing), right? I was surprised because China doesn't have this kind of culture, but I thought it was wonderful to see how they cherish their own country's traditions.

I haven't had much experience since joining the company, so I'm sure I'll experience a lot of things in the future, but what I can say for now is that all the employees around me are kind. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn not only about the work but also about the company's culture.

I honestly find it amazing to see all the senior employees working together with a shared sense of purpose. I learned that it is important to coordinate with members of the various departments involved and move forward while gaining consensus, rather than proceeding with things based on my own ideas. Although I am still learning, I am consciously trying to reach out to the people involved.

I think teamwork is valued in Japan. Since sharing information and checking progress is essential, I feel that my own communication skills have naturally improved. My personality itself may have become more sociable than before (lol).

I find it appealing that I can meet diverse people in different cultures, constantly receive new stimulation, and grow as a person. Even just within "Fujiinfox Career," there are staff from many different countries, so every day is very stimulating. I'm already looking forward to working with people from even more countries in the future.

Of course, there are cultural differences, so there are times when opinions differ. However, Fujiinfox Career has a culture that accepts diverse opinions, so I feel free to consult with them whenever I have a problem. We also have a consultant who deals with international human resources (Mr. Munakata, the facilitator of this roundtable discussion), so I am always able to receive useful advice, which is helpful, and I enjoy my work.

Indeed, Fujiinfox Career has an atmosphere where people can freely express their opinions. I was surprised at how close the relationship between teachers and students is, even at Japanese language schools and universities. Whether it's at school or at a company, I think there is an open atmosphere that is unique to Japan.

In Myanmar, where there are many devout Buddhists, there is a strong tendency to respect superiors and value courtesy, so it can be difficult to express your opinions to older superiors. However, now I even worry, ``Is it okay to say this to my boss?'' (laughs) Good ventilation definitely has a positive effect on work.

My colleagues are very helpful in teaching me even the smallest details. It's reassuring to know that if I have any problems in the future, I can feel safe and consult with them.

In my case, the first company I worked for as a working adult was Fuji Infox Net. I didn't have an established way of working, so I followed the company's traditional way of working, but I haven't had any problems so far. However, when something bothers me, I try to express my opinion frankly, and I'm grateful that I have an environment where I can do that.

I think you need patience and a spirit of challenge. After all, when I first started studying abroad, I had a really hard time understanding Japanese, and I also had a really hard time getting into university entrance exams in Japan. Also, I had to balance my part-time job with my studies, and at times I felt like I was giving up. However, once I entered university there was a scholarship system, and by that time I was used to life in Japan, so I was able to overcome it. I want them to have the strength to persevere through difficult times and not give up too soon.

One point to consider may be whether or not you have the curiosity to seek out new cultures and various encounters. When you start working in Japan, you will meet not only Japanese people but also people from various countries. People who are full of curiosity will enjoy living in Japan, as they will be able to absorb a variety of knowledge through a series of discoveries every day. It is true that studying Japanese is difficult, but if you make Japanese friends, you will improve quickly. Personally, I think the time I spent playing games with my Japanese friends was the most helpful for learning Japanese.

Even if you have come to Japan, it may be difficult to learn Japanese if you can only communicate with your fellow countrymen and friends. Even at the vocational school I attended, there were many people who clustered together in groups based on their country of origin. I deliberately did not belong to such a group, and instead made an effort to make Japanese friends and speak Japanese with them.

Learning Japanese is difficult, but if you are someone who can tackle something with confidence, or someone who is looking for new experiences, I think you will definitely be able to successfully live in Japan.

It may be difficult to get used to cultural differences at first, but once you overcome these difficulties, you will gain new stimulation and encounters. Personally, I'm glad I took on the challenge, so I'd encourage anyone with a strong sense of curiosity to come along.

At first, I was thinking of working in Japan for about 10 years and then returning to Japan, but it has already been XNUMX years since I came to Japan. I have made many mistakes, but when I compare myself to when I was in Myanmar, I feel that my horizons have definitely broadened. I was able to have many irreplaceable experiences and am really glad I came to Japan. If you want to take on a new challenge, please come to Japan!

There are many fun things to do in Japan, not just work. There are many places to go on your days off, so we are looking for people who want to have fun together!

I am very happy that I was able to work in Japan because of my Japanese language studies. If you are interested in studying Japanese, I think one option is to actually come to Japan.

Although "Fujiinfox Career" has just started, we would like to invite people from many more countries to Japan and provide as much support as possible. "Fujiinfox Career" values ​​the individuality of each and every person. We also have staff who can speak multiple languages, so you can rely on us with confidence.

I want to be a bridge between people who want to work in Japan and companies that want to hire international talent. The staff at Fujiinfox Career are working hard together to support foreigners in finding employment. Please feel free to ask us anything. Personally, I studied art at university, so I would be honored to be able to use my skills in the design of content for social media and other media.

When I first joined the company, I worked on my own as an IT engineer, but now my responsibilities have changed and management is one of my main responsibilities. As someone who runs a business, it can be more difficult to think about how to get the vendors working with you to act and how to develop the deliverables than it is to do it yourself. However, I would like to gain more experience and get involved in bigger projects.

I am in charge of sales at "Fujiinfox Career", but I would like to broaden the scope of my work by acquiring marketing knowledge. In addition to my native language, Thai, I can also speak Chinese, English, and Japanese, so I would like to utilize these language skills in my work. I hope you will join me in working and studying in Japan!