How I Moved from Myanmar to Japan for Work: My Story

Why I Decided to Move from Myanmar to Japan for Work 

Early Passion for Mechanical Engineering 

I’ve loved toy cars since I was a child. Rather than remote-controlled cars, which other kids were fans of, I love the manual, mechanical kind. Playing with them was fun, but what’s even more exciting is understanding how their mechanisms worked.  I tried to understand how my toys worked by repairing and experimenting with them.  

At the same time, I also love mathematics. Putting those two together is why I thought that engineering field suited me well. That’s how I ended up choosing Mechanical Engineering as my major.  

First Exposure to Japanese Work Culture in Myanmar 

When I was studying mechanical engineering, I came across an interesting opportunity. I was given a chance to visit a Japanese company’s factory in Myanmar. It was a factory making agricultural machines, specifically agricultural transport machines. They explained the machinery manufacturing line, the Japanese way of working, discipline, kaizen, and more. Just one day of the visit left a deep impression on me. This visit opened my eyes to the idea of working in Japan and ignited the desire in me to learn Japanese.   

How I Discovered Opportunities to Move from Myanmar to Japan for Work 

Coincidentally, in 2024, my university senior received a job offer from a Japanese company. I became curious and decided to ask my senior about it. It was through him that I got introduced to the FAST OFFER International program, an agency that helps foreign talents land job opportunities in Japan.  

Inspired by my senior, I took the first step towards my goal to move from Myanmar to Japan for work, learning Japanese through AJMMC (Association of Japan Myanmar Mutual Cooperation). While attending the classes, I realised that I had a lot of friends who, just like me, were on their way to achieving the goal of working in Japan. We were excited for the opportunities ahead of us, till a tragedy struck. 

My country was unfortunately thrown into political chaos. With restrictions on leaving the country for work, I realized it would be difficult to achieve my dream of living in Japan.  

Facing Political Challenges in Myanmar 

With the ongoing political chaos, another challenge arose. I was unable to go to university and had to take a break from learning. I was heartbroken, but decided that just waiting for the situation to resolve was not good. Instead, I started job hunting and eventually worked as a computer programmer. At my work, I created and designed websites for different companies and businesses.  

While it was disheartening to take a break from university, earning money gave me hope and helped me to plan. After a year-long wait, I was finally able to return to the university. Though initially worried, I was pleasantly surprised that I caught up to my studies easily.  

Deciding to Move from Myanmar to Japan for Work 

With the ongoing political chaos and restrictions, I made the difficult decision to move to Japan earlier than I intended by applying to a Japanese Language School. The course that was available for admission overlapped with what I had already learnt in AJMMC. It was not ideal, but it was one way I could learn Japanese more effectively and keep applying for Japanese companies. 

The visa application was a challenging process. With the new restrictions and changing rules, the amount of documentation had doubled. Documents were scanned with stricter regulations. Despite all the challenges and constraints, I managed to secure admission and a visa for the Japanese Language School.   

Life at a Japanese Language School 

The school provided a balanced approach to learning — focused yet fun. Even though some of the courses covered material I already learned at AJMMC, what made it different was that we practised conversing in Japanese.  

I also improved my kanji vocabulary. In my two years of learning Japanese, I found writing kanji to be the most challenging part. It’s quite hard to figure out the meaning because some kanji look similar. One effective way I practiced kanji was by ignoring the furigana (hiragana written above the kanji) while reading textbooks. I intentionally covered the furigana while reading and checked it only when I really could not figure out the kanji character’s meaning. Luckily, the grammatical structure of Japanese is similar to that of the Burmese language, so understanding the construction of sentences was easier for me. 

Beyond improving my Japanese, attending language school gave me the chance to meet people from different cultural backgrounds. This made the experience even more enriching. 

The Reality of Moving from Myanmar to Japan for Work 

Adjusting to Life in Japan 

After about 6 months of living in Japan, I slowly noticed how Japanese culture and society did things differently compared to my culture. What impressed me was that they value punctuality. The transportation system in Japan is impressive. The trains follow a fixed schedule and are always on time. Whenever I have to go somewhere, I know exactly which train to take and the time it takes to reach my destination. This was not really an option back home. 

Working Part-Time in Japan and Building Skills 

I worked part-time in a Chinese restaurant. Initially, I was assigned the task of taking orders from customers. Being a small establishment, soon I was assigned to all kinds of tasks: taking orders, calculating money, cutting the fruit, and even washing dishes. 

The more I worked, the more I became used to being an all-rounder. The biggest learning from my part-time job is that I’m capable of getting things done, even when the work is difficult or life is tough. 

Job Hunting in Japan as a Part-Timer and International Student 

My First Job Interview Failure and What I Learned 

My first attempt at job hunting with FAST OFFER was back in November 2024. Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed in the interview stage. Looking back, I realised that my Japanese fluency fell below the standard expected in the interviews. I simply couldn’t understand what was being said during the interviews. I had just prepared for questions regarding my final year project and did not prepare for any other questions. That failure made me more determined to improve my fluency.  

Now that I’ve attended the Japanese language school in Tokyo, I’m more confident in my Japanese language ability. Finally, I reattempted job interviews with the help of FAST OFFER in 2025.  

Reattempting Interviews with a New Strategy 

When I first heard that I was selected for interviews, learning from last time, I immediately got to work. One of the biggest changes I observed in myself compared to 2024 was that my way of thinking and speaking during the interviews had changed. With my mentor’s help, I noted down all the frequently asked questions during the interviews and prepared the framework for the answers.  

During the job interview, the questions were more about my personality and what I thought about the company. The interviewers wanted to know if I was interested in learning new things and studying as part of my work. Surprisingly, they also asked me about my part-time job in Japan and what I liked or disliked about my job. 

Honestly, I mentioned that I wasn’t too fond of accounting at my part-time job. Initially, my interviewers were taken aback by my answer. Realising that I may not have been strategic in answering, I became nervous but pushed on with the remaining interview. Looking back, I should have shown a bit more tact. Even so, surprisingly, the company president was satisfied with my interview. 

Receiving My Job Offer from a Japanese Company 

On the day of the results, I waited with bated breath. When I opened my FAST OFFER account, at first, my results were not displayed on the website. Nervously, I contacted the staff and waited for the website to refresh. When I finally saw the results, I could not believe my eyes. I had passed the final interview and gotten the job offer! All my studies, hard work, and more than a year of effort had come to fruition! 

Looking Ahead: My Future in Japan 

I was slated to graduate from the Japanese language school in 2027 April with my classmates, but I plan to graduate early in 2026 April to join my company as early as possible.  

This will be a new start for me in many ways: first time in a Japanese company, first time living alone, and first time to cook every day! Until I was in school, I was living in the school dorm with a friend. The two of us shared all the chores. I usually buy supermarket bentos or end up taking food from my part-time job. Soon, I need to prepare for living alone. I am not at all ready for all the cooking! Every time I cook, it does not taste good at all. Maybe I will keep on buying supermarket bento till I learn to cook well. 

Once I get a bit more free time, I want to try hiking and travel across Japan. I also want to visit my family and spend time with them before I start working. This will be my first time working in a Japanese company. So, I don’t really know what to expect. I am nervous and excited about the new life ahead of me!