10 Lessons Learned from Gaijin girl

Recent Olympic Games in Tokyo made me remember my 2 years of working for big automotive brand TOYOTA in Aichi prefecture at central Honshu island. If you think about studying or working in Japan, here are 10 lessons learned you can easily follow. These I summed up for you to enjoy your stay, rather than to survive it.

Are you ready? Well, let’s go then:

Remember your WHY you were first interested in Japan

Most of the people are attracted to Japan for reasons that are unrelated to their work. It was also in my case. I love Japanese life concepts, I love Japanese gardens where everything has its own meaning, and it makes you think behind of it and, I like the sense of “unspoken but felt”, that you will experience there every day. Do not ignore this your original personal interests since there are lots of organizations, events, classes, and clubs devoted to every kind of your interest, you can join. This is one of the pillars of your smooth accommodation in different country. I always learned more through my interests than in the office itself. And I made also more friends outside than inside of the company who are still in touch with me.

Keep working on your Japanese

You will recognize directly at the airport, that you will not be able to use your perfect polished English everywhere, so working hard on your Japanese will bring you more, since every day you will have the chance to speak up in the shop, restaurant, at the post office, municipality etc. It will give you hard times to deal with tiny details like if that milk is normal or sour, or if this is salted butter or not salted. Work on your Japanese!

Informal Learning counts 10 times

From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm you will learn formal content of the job, formal working company behavior. You might to hesitate to ask the questions all the time since you are going to work as professional. So being worry about not performing your competencies straight from the first day is the nonsense! Believe me. Do not stick too much on your feelings, just simply ask and you will get. This is the world of ambiguity you will face, so you need to react and not to be silent. And I can calm down you, Japanese are patient, very patient.

After 5:00 pm starts the live that you should be alert, because this is the chance to learn and absorb. You will be able to more understand some relationships that are not seen in the office but with glass of wine or beer you will see how your boss thinks about some working issues, items or even colleagues. This is the most honest time especially after many bottles of wine and beer during often drinking parties (nomikai). Everything what is said there, needs to be forgotten for the next morning. What happens during nomikai, stays at nomikai. You might see this as a time-consuming & not healthy process :-) that can be annoying for your family members waiting for you till the depth of the night, but this is the fact, and you should count with. And do not forget to settle accounts next day, because all team spending is divided by number of people and you must share your money (betsu betsu) no matter how much you ate or drunk.

Vulnerability is your everyday job

It was my first day, I was sitting excited in the company shuttle bus, we were waiting for departure once it is full. There was still one seat next to me, that was empty. When someone from male employees get on the bus and was seeing the seat next to me, then they immediately get off. Driver was annoyed by this situation, but he looked professional. He closed the doors, and we left the station. It was happened to me every day. And you know what, I felt completely excluded. In a time, new employees from India, China and Thailand joined the company and I finally had my mates for shuttle bus. When I was chatting about this during the lunch with my Japanese male colleagues, they told me: Japanese men are shy, so they are scared to sit beside you, especially when you are Gaijin (stranger in Japan). Only your work male colleagues or your boss would sit next to you. Well, that explains this situation that I would in current world describe as an issue from the area of Diversity and Inclusion. But it is not that case. From that moment I stayed opened to all the awkward stuffs that I was part of. I stayed vulnerable since I have the feelings. And you know what, I started to feel more authentic.

Your work team = your family

You will be invited to colleagues’ family for the wedding ceremony, funeral, birthday etc. cause in Japan when you are working you are the part of family that knows everything about you and your relatives. I could see touching moments how my boss was taking care about my colleague when earthquake came, and my colleagues’ mother got stuck in Tokyo’s subway or the other one whose parent´s house was splashed by tsunami during Big Tohoku earthquake in Sendai.

Many of fresh young students are passionate to work for prestige companies so called high brands so they are not hesitating to move thousands of kilometers to start their new life, living in shabby company dormitories, earning little money, and visiting their families only once a year. That is why their bosses are playing crucial roles in their lives. Boss is hierarchically someone who substitutes the head of family. Even though some bosses are not good fathers for these kids (workers), this is the concept that is lived formally in Japan.

Natural disaster possible

Japan as an island state which is placed on two tectonic plates, so often earthquakes are part of Japanese life same as typhoons, floods, tsunamis, and landslides. You will be part of many evacuation drills and trainings, so take it seriously, it can save your life. This is not a joke of mine. With my husband we experienced Big Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11^th, 2001. We could see enormous wave of solidarity everywhere with these affected areas across all Japan. And one fact is necessary to mention: enormous and breathtaking Japanese resilience which is expressed as Nanakorobi yaoki (Fall down seven times, get up eight times). After a decade from disaster the affected areas are completely rebuild.

Food, Food and again Food

Japan is world of the variety of tastes. Ume taste is something you need to try, and you will remember it for whole of your life. Also, cuisine and meals are the subject of easy opening conversations you can start everywhere. I will pick one example of all: Ramen is Japanese soul food. There are hot varieties for winter and those cold for summer. Here is the map of ramens, that are typical for every prefecture.

Tattoo in your brain forever

If you spend some time in Japan, especially if it is longer time, after than something happens with your brain. There will be built new synapses with something strange. You will feel differently what is said, you will have selected tastes, new perceptions of what is perfect, you will miss variety of complimentary services and servant behavior in shops and restaurants back in your home country. You will bow too much, will say many times thank you and sorry. You will be cracked by Japan. And this will stay - I guess forever.

Expect “JaNglish”, no more English

Since I am not native English speaker, my English was devaluated by many Japanese expressions that are so infectious (eto ne; nande; cho to mate..). You will have the same. Nobody will understand you except Japanese or those who also spent some time in Japan. This is the fact. You will feel that Japan is your second home forever.

Just Do it!

It was sometimes tough experience for me, but I can tell you openly, if you have any possibility to work in Japan or either else a broad (or study) – Do it! No matter how old you are, if you have family or not, just DO IT. It is worthy for several reasons and even after 10 years I can confirm that:

You will stretch yourselves every day through situations you have never experienced
You will become stronger, more vulnerable, and very authentic
You will be proud or yourself to live out of your everyday comfort zone and enjoy it

Promise you. You will become more of you and that´s what the life is about.

Yours Petra❤

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