I’ve never been a fan of being stared at, but when I’m naked in a group shower full of Japanese men (3-4 days a week), “not being a fan” doesn’t quite cut it…
So the joys of the Engineering course’s industrial experience requirement have this year led me to an internship in Japan. Of course, I cannot complain about the opportunity, but it is 8 weeks long, so byebye summer vacation…
Hello working life, amongst people with whom communication is a rare and difficult activity. I am working at Fujitsu (electronics, IT), in the suburbs of Tokyo, and I am 4 weeks into the placement. It would be unfair to say that my Japanese colleagues (they are of course all Japanese) do not speak English; fortunately, my boss worked in an office in America for 5 years so his English is usually fine. Generally however, the language barrier is significant. For example, I was given a tour of one of Fujitsu’s sites last week, and several times my guide made claims that were literally impossible by either laws of physics or other reality based limitations, to which eventually I had to nod and give a sort of “ooooh OK” just to avoid further confusion and silent stalemates.
In honesty, I am enjoying my time here. I am very busy during the week, as despite being knackered at work I usually need to do some sort of exercise afterwards in order to avoid letting the combination of a carb heavy diet and sitting on a chair all day take its toll on my waistline. This means that really I only get one day a week to go sightseeing, but with the cost of travel (note: high), this is enough! So far, I have been typically British with my approach to sightseeing, only really making the effort once or twice to see something traditionally or famously Japanese, such as the Senso-ji temple and the Skytree. Otherwise, I have fallen victim to the less than justifiable need to get drunk and do something stupid in Tokyo.
People are excruciatingly polite here, and their social rules and mannerisms are so rigid that from time to time they do something that would seem pretty rude back home. For example, snorting loudly in a sweaty, crowded and quiet elevator. Every day. I even watched one guy (I sometimes get a little bored) have a notably thorough dig in his right nostril, for at least a minute and a half. I recognise I have no right to judge though; I often feel bad for having come to Japan knowing how to say hello, apparently NOT knowing how to say thank you (there’s so many different ways), and little else. I am trying to learn Japanese, I really am, but from the perspective of someone to whom numbers make more sense than words, the language just seems illogical.
If you ever find yourself severely lacking friends, you should go to Japan. The natives (there are very few other people around, in fact) are incredibly friendly, and will try to help English speaking tourists however possible. I’m beginning to get used to being looked at like I’m some sort of criminal, as I assume it is because most people are simply not used to seeing westerners around in work gear. Or maybe they just think I’m a criminal. Most Japanese people seem to believe that English is THE language to learn, and the busy train routes usually have signs and make announcements in English. Perhaps one of the reasons they try so hard to be helpful is that they’re after some free-of-charge-from-the-source English. Almost selfish really.
I must apologise for having posted absolutely nothing for so long. During a busy yet uneventful academic year, it has been difficult to find any of my experiences interesting enough to write about. Poor writing skills limit this further; something has to be standalone interesting for anything I write to be worth a read!
This is very long, so further apologies for that. Thank you for reading, and I hope it was interesting. Again, I’m here for 4 more weeks, and I hope to write an update before my flight home. Watch this space, if you’re at all bothered of course.
