“I’m from Turkey. I came here with my wife to find work because business is more lucrative here. No, my wife isn’t Japanese. She’s also Turkish like me. This place has been around for 12 years. I’m just one of the kitchen staff, but it’s like one big happy family of Turks in this kebabContinue reading
“We’re all from Cambodia. It’s famous for Angkor Wat, a temple complex with religious monuments. Have you ever been? We came to Japan to study because Japan is a famous destination and getting a degree here means a lot.” Guy wearing a mask: “I’m majoring in electrical engineering. I hope to apply my knowledge andContinue reading Cambodia Festival 2019
“Working with machines as an engineer for 6 years didn’t let me meet new people much. I was confined to a lab most of the time. The only time I got to talk to clients was when something went wrong and I had to apologize. It got repetitive so I switched careers and found myselfContinue reading
“I was born and raised in Luxembourg. It’s a tiny country in Europe, between Belgium, France, and Germany. But my mother’s Japanese so after graduating from university, I decided to move here and work. My first job was at a German car company. I worked in HR as an intern, interviewing other interns. Then IContinue reading
“I will always be a minority in every country I go to. I’m Punjabi but I was born and raised in Birmingham, England. My parents are both from East Africa, grandparents all from India. If I go to India, I’m a Brit. In the UK, I’m British Indian or British Asian. In Japan, I’m aContinue reading
“I’m surrounded by successful people in my family and it’s tough because there’s this expectation to be great. Then I come to Japan, put on a suit, and I’m trying my best, but I don’t know, the pressure to be something is a lot (especially being African American). I came here with no expectations, butContinue reading Social Stigma
“My whole life, I have been body-shamed for being too small for my age. After graduation, I had an interview with a radio station, and it went well. But then they told me the position wasn’t available to someone like me. They said I was too small. At first, I thought they were referring toContinue reading Size Doesn’t Matter
“I’m a bit of a control freak. But for someone who needs to plan everything, I just went with the flow when I came to Japan. I was considering two options after finishing university back home in Spain: unpaid internships that may lead to an actual position or go abroad and learn languages. I remember thinkingContinue reading Stick to Your Guns
“The job-hunting process in Japan is so outdated. It’s especially hard for foreigners. There’s only a small window of time to do it, which usually starts in the second semester of your junior year. You have to follow a schedule, otherwise you fall off the radar of prospective employers. In my case, I was inContinue reading Sclerotic and Antiquated
“Whenever people ask me if my life in Japan is tough, I tell them it is when you don’t have money. But compared to when I was growing up in Nepal, life here is cushy. We didn’t have water, electricity or gas on the mountain where we lived, and I used to walk for twoContinue reading Twist of Fate
“I had difficulties finding a job in the beginning and I knew it would be tough for me to fit in a Japanese working environment. One problem being my nose piercing. At my first job, my superiors didn’t appreciate me working in customer service with a nose piercing. So I had to go through ridiculousContinue reading Foodie Tours
“I want to help my own people because I’m noticing there’s two systems at play in America, where I’m from. It’s set up to reward those who have connections. It’s not what you know, but who you know. So, you can be the best of whatever field but they’re always going to go with someoneContinue reading I Got Your Back
