Name (optional):
Age (optional):
Country of origin:
What company do you work for or own? what does it do?
Why did you first become interested in Japan?
How fluent is your Japanese (be honest). Did you need to speak Japanese to get your job?
How long have you remained in Japan?
What motivates you about Japan? why did you decide to work there?
Explain why you prefer working in Japan to your own country.
If you own your own business, what difficulties did you encounter starting up in Japan?
What do you think of the Japanese people? What do you like and dislike about them? - especially concerning the people you associate with on a day-to-day basis in your company.
Describe the circumstances that led to your employment in Japan. Or - if you own your own company in Japan, what gave you the idea that your company would work out in Japan?
Have you ever experienced any negativity towards you working/owning a company in Japan from Japanese natives or other gaijin?
How did you obtain a suitable visa?
What long-term plans do you have for your job/company?
Name (optional):Peter Payne
Age (optional):32
Country of origin:USA
What company do you work for or own? what does it do?Kris: Sorry I actually forgot to ask him that, but I believe it's exporting Japanese anime-related materials and 'naughty' stuff to the USA
Why did you first become interested in Japan? Hmm, Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot? ^_^
How fluent is your Japanese (be honest). Did you need to speak Japanese to get your job? Fluent, I have level 1 of the Japanese Ability Test (the highest level)
How long have you remained in Japan? 10 years
What motivates you about Japan? why did you decide to work there? Hmm, Japanese girls? ^_^
Explain why you prefer working in Japan to your own country. Better sushi here.
If you own your own business, what difficulties did you encounter starting up in Japan?Wow, that's a big question ^_^ Basically, Japanese banks and government mechanisms aren't yet in the 1990's, so we had to find many ways around them when we set up J-List.
What do you think of the Japanese people? What do you like and dislike about them? - especially concerning the people you associate with on a day-to-day basis in your company. They are wonderful people. They have some interesting opinions and complexes, especially about English, but every country is different in its own way.
Describe the circumstances that led to your employment in Japan. Or - if you own your own company in Japan, what gave you the idea that your company would work out in Japan? One thing just led to another.
Have you ever experienced any negativity towards you working/owning a company in Japan from Japanese natives or other gaijin?No, nothing that I've noticed
How did you obtain a suitable visa? Find a Japanese girl and marry her
What long-term plans do you have for your job/company? I'd like to do business well and serve my customers for 20 years, then I'll see.
Age (optional): 29
Country of origin: America
What company do you work for or own? what does it do? Freelance translator
Why did you first become interested in Japan? Minored in Japanese studies at University, and of course Japanese girls.
How fluent is your Japanese (be honest). Did you need to speak Japanese to get your job? Level 1 of the Japanese proficiency test; professional (?) translator.
How long have you remained in Japan? 5 years
What motivates you about Japan? why did you decide to work there? Who the hell knows?! On the serious side, travelling the archipelago and fishing for native trout in Gifu!
Explain why you prefer working in Japan to your own country. Because my wife is living and working in Japan.
If you own your own business, what difficulties did you encounter starting up in Japan? Just the long road to passing Level 1 of the Japanese proficiency test and reaching a level of Japanese ability that would set me free from teaching English!
What do you think of the Japanese people? What do you like and dislike about them? - especially concerning the people you associate with on a day-to-day basis in your company. There are a lot of things I don't like about modern Japan, but hey, there are tons of things I don't like about my home country as well so why be a whiner.
Describe the circumstances that led to your employment in Japan. Or - if you own your own company in Japan, what gave you the idea that your company would work out in Japan? Got tired of teaching English and wanted to do something more challenging. There are tons of "choku-yaku" native Japanese translators, which gives me the "right" to charge more for my work.
Have you ever experienced any negativity towards you working/owning a company in Japan from Japanese natives or other gaijin? Not yet.
How did you obtain a suitable visa? Married my wife. What long-term plans do you have for your job/company? Make enough money, buy a boat, and fish my way around the world!
Age (optional): 27
Country of origin: USA
What company do you work for or own? what does it do? I work for a computer software company. They make application development software.
Why did you first become interested in Japan? Martial Arts.
How fluent is your Japanese (be honest). Did you need to speak Japanese to get your job? My Japanese is fluent; Read/Write/Speak. Sure, from time to time a word comes up like "depleted uranium" that I don't immediately recognize, but a quick explanation in Japanese will usually suffice. I do translation,interpretation, and TV work on the side using my Japanese. My Japanese/English ability was a major reason why I was able to land a job here other than English Teaching. I do consulting, training, and pre-sales work in the IT field all in Japanese with Japanese clients, so it is very necessary to have an advanced level of Japanese.
How long have you remained in Japan? Been here almost 5 years. Plan to be here a couple more.
What motivates you about Japan? why did you decide to work there? I was an East Asian Languages major (concentrating in Japanese) in University, so it seemed the logical step to go to Japan. I wanted to become fluent in Japanese.
Explain why you prefer working in Japan to your own country. If you are a Native English-speaking Westerner with Advanced Japanese language skills, and just about any other business-related skill set (I marketed technology and educational skills) you can rake in the cash here. They may claim the economy is bad, but it is ripe for the picking if you can find your niche.
If you own your own business, what difficulties did you encounter starting up in Japan? N/A.
What do you think of the Japanese people? What do you like and dislike about them? - especially concerning the people you associate with on a day-to-day basis in your company.
Japanese people are generally sheep. They operate on precedent and not on logic. Understand this, and your place in Japanese society as a foreigner, and you can totally exploit your position to your own advantage. However, the sheep mentality does grate on the nerves from time to time. Only way to offset that is to remember the female species that inhabits this country is a major perk. And it is a MAJOR plus not to worry about sexual harrassment in the office! Hell, I see guys grab a chick's ass, and nothing ever comes of it. In the USA, you can't even look/talk to a girl for fear of a lawsuit or being fired.
Describe the circumstances that led to your employment in Japan.
Graduated University as a Japanese major (basically). Came to Japan on the infamous JET program. Taught English for two years in the country-side and became fluent. Got fired for being too "controversial". Marketed myself well for the IT industry and moved to Tokyo working for a Software company at 3 times the pay of any JET participant.
Have you ever experienced any negativity towards you working/owning a company in Japan from Japanese natives or other gaijin?
Lots of negativity in Japan by just being a foreigner. However, for working here? No. In fact, I get lots of oohs and ahhs about my work here. Most Japanese/Gaijin react positively towards the work aspect.
How did you obtain a suitable visa? Company sponsored a work visa. Although I had to do the research myself and teach them how to do it, since I was the first foreigner they employed who wasn't on a spouse visa.
What long-term plans do you have for your job/company? I plan to keep working at my present company for as long as they keep paying me the big Yen and as long as I live in Japan. I certainly never hurt for money.
Age (optional):
29
Country of origin:
New Zealand
What company do you work for or own? what does it do?
A Japanese software manufacturing company.
Why did you first become interested in Japan?
Studied Japanese at University.
How fluent is your Japanese (be honest). Did you need to speak Japanese to get your job?
Fluent. I started out here as an interpreter and sort of got conned into management!
How long have you remained in Japan?
8 Years
What motivates you about Japan? why did you decide to work there?
No real motivation. It is certainly no worse than anywhere else, the economy is good, and there is a certain "get up and go" about the place. I came here on the JET programme, and just stayed as it's a pleasant enough place to live with jobs aplenty.
Explain why you prefer working in Japan to your own country.
Professionalism. No one blames the govt, the neighbours, the weather etc for their own mistakes.
If you own your own business, what difficulties did you encounter starting up in Japan?
What do you think of the Japanese people? What do you like and dislike about them? - especially concerning the people you associate with on a day-to-day basis in your company. Like- a willingness to work, a respect for order and authority, and their constant sense of amazement at the world in general!
Dislike- The overemphasis on the way things "should be". A blind ingnorance of facts...
Describe the circumstances that led to your employment in Japan. Or - if you own your own company in Japan, what gave you the idea that your company would work out in Japan?
They called me at home and asked me to work for them!
Have you ever experienced any negativity towards you working/owning a company in Japan from Japanese natives or other gaijin?
None, although they do sometimes question whether or not gaijin can really be of service in Inter-company relations.
How did you obtain a suitable visa?
Business sponsored. I am married to a Japanese woman but haven't seen the need to change my visa.
What long-term plans do you have for your job/company?
They are posting me overseas as a manager.