Learning Japanese: From Lockdown Lessons to Language Proficiency
Back in 2020, my older sister who’s also my best friend, started learning Japanese. Since we were roommates and it was in the middle of the pandemic, I was constantly overhearing her classes. It was a little weird and off-putting, to be honest, to be stuck in a room hearing so many words you can’t understand in the background. I thought I might as well start learning along with her, and listen in intentionally. On top of eavesdropping, I also followed along with the fun homework of watching recommended anime. I’ve watched anime since I was a kid so this couldn’t have been a more fun assignment. From being stuck in a room of unintelligible noise, it suddenly became an enjoyable learning experience with me in our pandemic-locked room.
In 2021, I got to formalize my Japanese studies at university. I attended an orientation about FAST OFFER International and Hirameki Japanese classes. I enrolled and stayed in the program until I had conversational N3-level Japanese. It was also around that time that I got to see my sister find work in Japan. I watched my sister’s Japanese lessons pay off as she got a job in Japan through her University’s placement program. So, I knew, firsthand, how learning Japanese could open the door to possibilities.
Starting the Journey: First Visit to Japan
Last 2023, I booked a 21-day trip to visit my sister who’s already settled in Japan. I wanted to see what it was like—was it everything it promised?
It was my first time flying. Everything felt new. Instead of being nervous about it, I decided to make an adventure of it. Wanting to use the little Japanese I knew, I asked my sister not to pick me up from the Narita airport. Instead, I would find my way to her place in Kanagawa prefecture.
I did my best to navigate with my N4 level Japanese. Admittedly, I used my phone’s translation app as I couldn’t read most of the Japanese signage. Another thing that helped me was approaching the friendly staff at the airport and train station, which felt vital to getting a train ticket. Arriving at my sister’s place felt so rewarding and set the tone for the rest of my trip. My sister would only be available to accompany me on the weekends so I explored Japan all on my own during the weekdays.
I got to have a lot of quintessential Japanese tourist experiences:
- I saw snow for the first time! My sister booked me for the GALA Yuzawa snow resort so I could go to a part of Japan that still had snow during very early Spring.
- I learned how to ski! I didn’t just see and touch snow, I used it for sport, gliding down icy white slopes.
- I rode Japan’s famous Shinkansen! These efficient, beautiful, and awe-inspiring, high-speed bullet trains connected distant Japanese regions, making every corner of Japan feel within reach.
- I ate vegan ramen! As a vegetarian, I couldn’t eat most of the local cuisine, but thankfully there were delicious options for me still. I did make some mistakes during my trip, accidentally eating delicious but non-vegetarian dishes like soba.
- I visited Nagoya, Nagano, Enoshima, Kamakura and Tokyo! Getting around so many cities wouldn’t have been possible without Japan’s amazing public transportation.
- I visited the Matsumoto Castle in Inaka! Considered a National Treasure of Japan, this historic architectural feat was first completed in the 16th century.
- I experienced the early Sakura season! Is there a more iconic Japanese experience than a picturesque walk down a park being gently rained on by pink petals?
- I enjoyed Japanese hospitality! I was so impressed by how they treated foreigners. Some countries price items and services at a premium for foreigners. But in Japan I was paying the same prices as locals.
- I practiced beginner Japanese with locals! At that time, I could only speak N4 Japanese but none of the locals minded. They’re incredibly tolerant of every level of Japanese skill, and always helped me even as I struggled to communicate.
- I reveled in Japan’s amazing tech industry. There are not a lot of big tech shops in India, but I found so many in Japan.
Witnessing Japan’s Prowess in the Cyber Security Industry Inspired Me as an Engineer
What impacted me most from that trip, though, was how easy it was to imagine working in the cyber security industry in Japan.
Growing up, watching my computer engineer uncle work got me hooked on the industry. I found myself constantly watching YouTube videos on software engineering and cyber security. That’s where I chanced upon the exciting lives of ethical hackers and how White Hat hackers worked. It pushed me to take my Computer Science Engineering degree at Savitribai Phule Pune University where I took up an ethical hacking course during freshman year.
So, when I heard about the cyber security convention happening in Japan while I was there, I itched to know more. The conference was focused on how the Japanese government could enforce and tighten cyber security. I couldn’t join the convention, but followed news articles about it. I read so many participating big names: Burp suite, Wireshark.
Support from FAST OFFER International in Job Preparation
With my experience in Japan, I felt Invigorated to pursue my career there. I was inspired to learn more Japanese. A year after that trip, I improved to N3 level of Japanese. I also made sure to make my resume attractive by bolstering it with 4-5 internships—including one with FAST OFFER International during my second year in university. By February 2024, it was finally time to catch the wave of job opportunities in Japan.
I was pretty scared, having no experience with Japanese interviews. My internships let me experience going for and succeeding in several interviews, but none were in Japanese. I couldn’t fully imagine what it would be like to do a technical interview in Japanese. Thankfully, FAST OFFER International was right there with me, giving me a mentoring session, helping me refine my resume, and teaching me everything I needed to know. A month later, I got three companies interested in interviewing me.
Comparing Job Interviews: India vs. Japan
My first interview went miserably. It happened online before I flew to Japan. I was really disappointed in myself. But then I learned from my mistakes and used them as lessons for the in-person interviews. From that experience, I saw the difference between Indian IT Job interviews and Japanese ones.
In my experience with applying for jobs in India, there was an emphasis on your technical skills. It begins with an online screening, then a coding round, and then we’re given questions to solve. We’re also given a task we have to mail the solution to. Only then do we do a face-to-face interview. It would finish off with another technical interview before being placed. Interviews usually revolved around technical questions and technical exams. There would be some HR-related questions and some about what you’d do in certain situations.
For the Japanese job interviews, though, it was wildly different. They asked a lot about my final year project and my personality, but a lot less about any technique. The lack of technical questions for a technical job shocked me. I was so shaken that it affected my performance. I grounded a lot of my confidence on my technical skills. I wasn’t prepared to talk about my personality.
Flying to Japan for Job interviews
My prior failure allowed me to pivot in my succeeding interviews. I decided to take a different approach. I wanted to be more relaxed and natural. I did my preparation and prepared ideal answers for all the questions, but then I didn’t memorize my answers word for word. Instead, I answered questions on the spot and used my preparation as a loose guide.
From Pune, I was flying to Japan with two other candidates from FAST OFFER International. Both of them were pretty serious and in a studying hole. They were studying even during the flight and the layovers. I was the only one not doing a thing.
When I landed in Japan, I called up my sister to meet. It was a holiday in Japan, so she was thankfully free to visit me at the hotel I was staying at. We went for dinner while everyone else was studying. I was a little anxious, seeing how everyone seemed to be in the thick of it and I was just chilling.
Thankfully, at the orientation with FAST OFFER International the next day, my mentor told me not to worry about it because I had everything prepared after all and I just had to go with the flow. Because I was less neurotic about my preparation, I was more present and honest. I trusted everything I studied was enough. Instead of reading off a script in my head, being less strict with myself helped me listen better, and answer better.
One thing I had to do which I really didn’t want to do though, was shave my facial hair to appeal to Japanese sensibilities. I put it off as much as I can. An hour before I needed to sleep, I shaved it off and spent some time just sitting, looking sadly at myself in the mirror. When I woke up the next day, I got over it, as I focused on the interviews. There was a company I wanted to get in because it was near my sister’s office.
The Japanese Job Interviews
I was interviewing for two companies. I was able to pass the first round with both of them.
For the second round with one company, everything was going well until they talked more about the position, and it dawned on me I wasn’t quite a fit. My passion was in software engineering but they needed someone handling hardware. When they asked me to take a hardware test, I flat-out said no.
With one company off the table, I was a little nervous with just one last chance. But I continued in the same vein: to be honest and relaxed. It was, in my head, the right thing to do anyway, to pass up on a job that I didn’t want to do. Thankfully, the job position offered by the last company seemed a perfect match for me. They were actually happy when I asked about cybersecurity development.
Convinced it would be the right company, I rode a Shinkansen to Osaka to visit their office on my last day. That really cemented that wish. Everyone was nice, and friendly, as they gave me a tour. Come lunchtime, they went above and beyond accommodating and joined me in eating vegetarian food alongside me.
Celebrating Success: Receiving the Job Offer
They seemed keen to work with me that day, but I didn’t have an official offer yet, so I was a little nervous. I was afraid I’d be coming home empty-handed. Before I flew to Japan, I had to manage my life around this trip. I even asked permission to delay my University tests to make room for this big opportunity. If I failed, I didn’t know what I’d say to my college.
On the next and final day in Japan, I went to FAST OFFER International’s farewell party, feeling all the pressure. It was at that party I found out I got the job offer! All the pressure dissipated and I could breathe again. Plus, the farewell party suddenly felt like a real celebration. It was perfect timing. What were the chances? It was unbelievable.
Preparing for Life in Japan: August Trip and Future Plans
I’m nearly all set for my life in Japan in a few months. I’ve submitted all the documents my company needs for now. When I’m closer to the date, I’ll be hoarding some vegetarian ready-to-eat meals which are cheaper to buy here into pack into my luggage. As a vegetarian, I’m lucky to already be a pretty good cook so food won’t be a problem. I’m so excited that I’m set to visit my sister again. I’m already imagining my life in Japan, picking up a new hobby like boxing once I’m settled.
Tips for Aspiring Professionals: Overcoming Challenges
If there’s something that I learned from this experience, is that things are easier than they seem. Your biggest hurdle is yourself—that voice in your head that’s telling you it’s too hard, or that you can’t do it. Just do it! You might stumble, but what matters is that you start. It gets easier.
Because I threw myself into different experiences, I’ve seen myself adapting to surprising situations. It’s made me confident to keep at it in the future: to pursue my dreams fearlessly, take on new challenges eagerly, and learn new things diligently.
