From September 2019 to April 2020, I worked as an industrial designer for a global machining and milling company, based in Tokyo. Below are 5 lessons I discovered from my previous year.

1. Learn the culture, respect the culture, but still be yourself.

• There are lots of hidden rules & unwritten laws in Japan; no jaywalking, eating whilst walking in public is frowned upon and it can be seen as rude to single out a Japanese person for their opinion/ feedback in a group meeting. In a nation where everyone seems to conform to society and are afraid to be different, it can be difficult to be yourself. I felt like I couldn’t be myself in the first few months in Tokyo. Overtime, as long as I wasn’t breaking any strict rules or traditions, I started to become myself and felt more comfortable. Be respectful and understanding but don’t restrict your ability and determination because everyone else is scared to step outside the norm.

2. Listen and Observe

• I discovered that being alert and attentive is a lot easier when you don’t understand the language or country. It is also a key skill. Keeping a watchful eye & being aware of your surroundings is useful for learning. It’s important to listen to learn, not just to reply. Expressing your opinion, talking to others, and engaging in conversation can be fundamental for progression. However, there is so much you can learn when you listen and observe.

3. Be Selfish

• Care for your friends and family back home, but care for yourself and look after yourself first. I made this mistake by waking up throughout the night to message friends back home to make sure they were okay, staying up late, waking up early and staying in at weekends to skype. I learnt that it’s all about balance; finding what makes you happy and caring about others, but most importantly keeping yourself healthy.

4. Work hard and smart, not long and hard

• The Japanese have a stereotype that they are efficient and work long & hard. I also believed that working long hours and sacrificing sleep could achieve great results. BUT, is it the smartest or healthiest strategy? In my experience, no. Second year me and traditional Japanese work culture makes you seem busy, not productive. In the future I’m focusing on intense, deep work. Stay productive, not busy.

5. Document your Journey

• During this time, you’ll amass many memories and unforgettable stories. I wrote a diary every day for 9 months during my time in Nepal. My diary in Japan lasted 3 whole days. Instead, I created a scrapbook that involved tickets, stickers, drawings, leaflets, different flavoured kitkat wrappers, anything I wanted. I made it my own. It could be anything, a blog, journal, photography or video. You can show it to everyone, you can show it to no one. But, you’ll be thankful to have something to look back on in years to come.

After writing this, I realised these are fairly generic lessons and not that exciting either. In my defence, I never said they would be interesting or hugely life changing. I also realised they don’t have to relate to an international placement. The lessons I learnt can be implemented in general life and will hopefully help you either now or some time in the future.

Cheers for reading,

KP