Fascinated by Phoenix Bird-like Mindset through Books and Anime
When I was 13 or 14 years old, I read one Japanese book called Totto-chan(『窓際のトットちゃん』), written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. It was translated into my native language, which gave me a strong impression and was my first introduction to Japanese culture. The book is a biography of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, describing her elementary school life. She was a bit different from normal Japanese people, like talking to strangers during the class through the window, having difficulties during classes like normal kids, and getting along with people at school. In the book, she was sent to a special school that is unique to her parents, in which the classrooms are like compartments of a train. She was acknowledged and appreciated by the teachers at the school rather than being seen as a weird kid, which enabled her to develop relationships with others and enjoy her life as who she is. At the end of the book, it was described that her school got bombed due to the war with the US, and the school was destroyed, forcing her to flee. There were episodes about the war as well. In the book, I love how she enjoys her life without thinking too much about others and being who she is. She loves doing funny things and does not care about manners like normal Japanese do, but I was impressed by her frank personality. I also got to learn a lot of things about Japan and the Japanese through the book. I got to know that Japanese people are genuinely nice, hold time in high regard, and place great value on it. Moreover, the story made me realize that Japanese people never give up. In the book, even though the school was bombed, they never gave up, which was amazing. The mindset is like a phoenix bird rising from the ashes.
After that, I became interested in Japanese anime as well. I began to watch it, and I became more and more into Japanese culture. Anime attracted me a lot, and I began to have a kind of Japanese dream. Little by little, I got to know the Japanese working culture as well, not only through anime but also through the internet and other stuff. Although I knew that the lifestyle depicted in anime was different from reality, I could not help but be captivated by its fantastical allure. However, the real Japanese culture was more admirable to me. Particularly about work culture, I admire how Japanese people are dedicated to work, how people value time as mentioned, and how great the qualities of Japanese people are. It really made me want to work with Japanese people. I wanted to work in Japan and pursue my career in Japan.
Vague Dream Gets Real: Opportunity through Japanese Classes
With a vague longing to work in Japan, I entered college. Indeed, I have a dream to go to Japan, but I did not have any idea about how to realize it. Then, I got to know the FAST OFFER International program and its Japanese classes. I immediately decided to be involved in the program in my second year. I started to learn Japanese under the program but to be honest, I did not expect that much that I could get a job in Japan through it. But then, as time passed and I got used to using Japanese, I got selected and was given a chance to have a job interview for a Japanese company. At that time, I realized that I got an opportunity to be able to work in Japan. At that point, I was sure that I wanted to work in Japan. I also gave an interview for an Indian company, but it was like a practice for the upcoming interview with Japanese companies. (Though later I realized that the atmosphere and the basis of the interview were different from Japanese companies.) At that time, I was so excited because I could feel that I was closer to my dream.
For the preparation of the interview with the Japanese company via FAST OFFER International, ASIA to JAPAN assigned a mentor for me, and gave me a list of questions for the interviews. Though I had an experience of an interview, I had no idea what Japanese interviewers would expect. The mentor helped me a lot with that, who supported me in improving my answer and gave me advice from the perspective of the company. I still remember when he told me, “Your answer is good, but you should be able to convey your answer to your company in such a way like how you will be useful to that company and how your skill set and yourself contribute to society through working at the company.”, which really opened my eyes. Because in Indian companies, you will be asked only about technical things, such as the thing you learned during college, your project, your skill, etc. While in the Japanese interview, not only my projects but my personality and potential were in their criteria. That was quite difficult for me to deal with. Japanese was also a hurdle for me. Particularly when it comes to the explanation of technical terms, it was so hard to express the exact technical words that I wanted to say in Japanese. I went through every technical term in English, searching for 2 or 3 Japanese words that are close to the meaning, and then found each of the Japanese words to see its meaning as well as how it is used in what context. It really took time and I have worked very hard on it. For this process, my mentor also helped me, checking the words I was using and suggesting some words to me whenever I got stuck. It was difficult and I made a lot of effort. With my hardworking and support from ASIA to JAPAN and my mentor, I got an offer from the company I will be working at. I was so glad about that. I still remember how excited I was, and I am really looking forward to working for the company.
Message and Advice for Kouhai
I would say, please never give up. I have seen one of my friends give up working in Japan because he failed one company. It is really a pity because anyone can fail when it comes to the first try. I once failed a company too. My other friend failed 3 companies, but he did not give up and managed to get selected for the 4th company. You all are great enough to challenge yourself and try to get out of your comfort zone, so please be confident. You might fail, but if you have a positive mindset and keep trying, you will seize your success. Also, think about your motivation for working. Do not work only for money but think about your passion and work for your passion!
