My original contract with Makino was a 12-month internship from September 2019 to September 2020. Due to recent unforeseen circumstances regarding COVID-19, I’ve had to decide whether to return home or continue living in Japan.

After debating each side of the argument, I took on board the advice from the British government and university and chose to fly home whilst flights were still available. It was not an easy decision to make and with flights being cancelled every hour it wasn’t a decision I could delay either. I booked to fly home a week later to allow myself time to say goodbye to people, fill out necessary paperwork and because I wasn’t quite ready to leave Japan.

1^st April I booked my flights, planning to leave on the 7^th. The day after I booked, British Airways (the airline I was flying with) announced all flights after 7^th April out of Tokyo were cancelled. I was lucky enough to catch the penultimate BA flight from Tokyo to Heathrow.

Having safely returned home, I want to say another big thank you to Makino and Makino Design. The company understood my decision and were fully cooperative. My time at the company was unique, inspiring and one I took many lessons from! The work being produced at Makino Design is extremely exciting. Being a core member of the group was motivating and I’m proud to see how it develops. I have no doubt that future interns and employees only can make Makino Design bigger and better.

Haneda airport; not the best of welcomes.