Kurojica

19/07/2025

မြောင်းထဲသို့ ဆီလောင်းပါက ပိုက်အတွင်း ခဲသွားကာ ရေများ စီးဆင်းကာ လျှံသွားမည်ဖြစ်သည်။ မွန်ဆန်း (သူ့အမည်ရင်းမဟုတ်) နဲ့ Numazu မှာ ဆီစွန့်ပစ်နည်းကို မြန်မာကနေ လေ့လာကြည့်ရအောင်။

油を排水口に流すとパイプの中で固まり、水が流れずにオーバーフローしてしまいます。ミャンマーから来たモンさん（仮名）と一緒に、沼津での油の捨て方を勉強しましょう！

油を排水溝に流すとパイプの中で固まり、水が流れずにオーバーフローしてしまいます。ミャンマーから来たモンさん（仮名）と一緒に、沼津での油の捨て方を勉強しましょう！ #ミャンマー #分別 #国際交流 #沼津 #リサイク...

05/06/2025

हामीले तेल कसरी व्यवस्थापन गर्ने भनेर सिक्न नेपालबाट गीता (उनको वास्तविक नाम होइन) लाई आमन्त्रित गर्यौं।
जब तपाईं तेलयुक्त भाँडा वा भाँडा धुनुहुन्छ, के तपाईं तिनीहरूलाई नधोइकन त्यत्तिकै धुनुहुन्छ?
वास्तवमा, यसले तपाईंको पाइपहरूमा अवरोध निम्त्याउन सक्छ।
गीतासँगै अध्ययन गरौं!

ネパール出身のギータさん（仮名）を招き、油の捨て方を勉強しました。
油のついた食器や鍋を洗う時、そのまま洗ってしまっていませんか？
実はそれ、配管の詰まりになる可能性があります。
ギータさんと一緒に勉強しましょう！

29/02/2024

GGA Pre-Graduation Presentation

We got invitation from Grandeur Global Academy for their pre-graduation presentation event held at their school.

They have shown us unique pictures and topics of Numazu in general, such as of related famous persons and/or of sightseeing places.

History of Numazu and unique views of Numazu from the stand-point of foreign students living here have given us new insights. Moreover, we found it impressive having been given presentations in well-learned Japanese with smiles on their faces.

We do appreciate this opportunity!

18/02/2024

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Dear Our Valued Customers,

It's our pleasure to announce you that we have relocated our office to the following address as of 2024/02/16.
We all look forward to welcoming you here.

Yours Sincerely,

Address: 1F, 10-30 Takashima-cho, Numazu-shi, Shizuoka, Japan

22/01/2024

We conducted a lecture on what to be mindful of when looking for accommodation for graduating students of GGA, Glandeur Global Academy, on January 19th. Many students listened attentively, and it made us feel like the gap of culture and rules in different countries was slowly closing.
Thank you all for the time, GGA students!

February and March are times when many people search for their accommodations. If you don't act quickly, you might find limited options for moving. Instead of waiting until the last minute, come visit a Real Estate Agency quickly!
Kurojica helps you find apartments in Numazu and Shimizu-cho anytime!

19/01/2024

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗘𝗡 (𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

— 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁! 𝗦𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗘𝗡 (𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂) 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?

I'm Cheryl, half Australian and half Filipino, born and raised in Australia. Influenced by my brother, I started reading business books and aspired to be an entrepreneur. I studied economics and management at Griffith University.

While attending university, I also worked about three times a week as an assistant to a financial planner.

— 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴?

The hardest part was memorizing the law-related aspects…. There were six three-hour exams per year, which were quite tough. Looking back, it was a good experience though.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴... 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

After graduating, I planned to start working immediately, but I was exhausted from pushing myself hard to study. I decided to do what I really wanted. Having heard good things about Japan from Japanese friends, I took a working holiday in Japan for a year. I loved it so much that I made up my mind to stay even once my working holiday ended. You see, now I came back to Japan and still live here.

— 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

My dad was supportive from the get-go, but my mom was strongly against it, to be honest. So when I returned to Australia for job hunting, I told her I was mainly focusing on Australia, but I was actually looking for a job in Japan and attending online interviews (laughs).

Luckily, my mom is supportive and says, "It's great you can speak Japanese when we visit Japan" (laughs).

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

I worked at Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture for about four months.

— 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻?

It’s natural of you to assume that and I also thought I was hired because I could speak English. Surprisingly, 99% of the customers were Japanese! It was tough to learn the job and communicate in Japanese, but I'm very grateful to the staff who kindly taught me.

— 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱?

I taught English at an English conversation school in Nagoya.

— 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲?

At university, I was part of an international exchange club called "Onigiri Club," where we taught English whereas Japanese students taught us Japanese. It was so much fun that I thought teaching English could be a good career. I still have one-on-on private English lessons for my students!! Looking back, it might have been the precursor to LEN.

— 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂! 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗘𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂?

When it gets warm, we do sports events like Ultimate Frisbee, which combines soccer and Frisbee. Currently, we are hosting board game tournaments, playing games like "7 Wonders." once a month.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿?

We're still in the phase of planning, but we're considering a mini-seminar on hair care. Just a few days ago, I asked my hairstylist to come in and give individual advice while checking everyone's hair condition in the seminar because I think that she’s very sophisticated and that many people have minor concerns about their hair.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁! 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?

Our international interaction events are not only about language study; it's mainly about making friends and communicating. Most participants are bilingual at different levels, so they can help if you're having troubles in terms of languages.

In LEN, Language Exchange in Numazu, we have a rule where we speak English for the first 15 minutes and Japanese for the next 15 minutes. If you don't understand English, however, you can speak Japanese. Your group members might help you say it in English then. Even those who don't speak either language, have fun!

— 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀. 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

I understand the difficulties of living in a country where you don't speak the language. If you're struggling, think of LEN members as your family. Even if you're not interested in events but just need someone to talk to, you're always welcome!

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆! 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗘𝗡? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

22/12/2023

𝗪𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗶𝗯, 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻. 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟳-𝟴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀.

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

— 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

I'm Maharajan Rajib from Kathmandu, Nepal. Currently, I am the manager of a ramen restaurant in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. I came to Japan about 16 years ago, attended a Japanese language school, then a vocational school, followed by university, and have been working for 7-8 years now.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗶𝗯?

My father was involved in importing used printers from Japan. It was a Japanese business contact who invited me to Japan, which initiated my journey here.

— 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿?

I hadn't really considered it before, but I saw it as a good opportunity to study and work abroad. Despite being anxious about going to a country where English was not widely spoken, having friends from the same language school in Japan was reassuring.

— 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

I initially lived in Chiba Prefecture. Back then, we couldn't simply search the internet, so my only image of Japan was high-rise buildings. However, when I arrived at my residence, I was surprised to see mostly two-story buildings and thought, "Is this really Japan?" (laughs)

— 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻?

I remember there were very few foreign students in Japan at that time, and the selection criteria were strict. Only six of us from my region managed to study abroad. Therefore, encountering someone from the same country was a rare and joyful event.

𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?

Even after studying at a language and vocational school, I struggled with reading and writing and lacked confidence in my Japanese skills. A friend at university advised me that universities have more international students and offer support, which led me to pursue further education.

— 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆?

Influenced by my father, I always wanted to be a businessman, so I entered an information technology department and studied IT.

— 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀?

Yes. However, unlike now, we needed a "Registration Certificate" to work, which took about a month to get! During that time, I couldn't work part-time. Also, there was a limit of 28 hours per month, so I had to balance school and work within that time frame.

— 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

While working part-time at a restaurant, I grew to love cooking and thought I could make it on my own. That's why I decided to pursue this career.

𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻?

Actually, I was the first Nepalese person they hired! Initially, I was a bit anxious, but the manager who trained me was very kind. Even when I made mistakes, he took a positive approach. His support was a key reason I continued.

Having struggled as a newcomer myself, as a manager now, I focus on making instructions clear and avoid being condescending. Thanks to these efforts, many of my staff members have stayed with us for a long time.

— 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳! 𝗜 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆!

— 𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁?

To address staff shortages and provide job opportunities to international students in Japan, we're somewhat focusing on hiring foreign students. By carefully training each individual, we aim to create an environment where staff can thrive and sustain a cycle of new people joining. We'll continue to serve delicious ramen and make our customers smile and energized, building a fan base for our restaurant.

— 𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆! 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁! — 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

Communication is vital in daily life. If you can't speak Japanese, it becomes challenging to manage. Start studying Japanese while in your home country and continue learning at a school once you're in Japan. Working part-time at a restaurant, like the students at my restaurant, not only helps you earn money but also improves your Japanese skills. I encourage you to take on this challenge.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗶𝗯! 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘆!

07/12/2023

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗴, 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘇𝘂𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲.

𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀.

— 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

I'm from Myanmar and have been studying at a Japanese language school in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture since last October. I majored in Japanese at a university in Myanmar and was an exchange student at Saitama University in 2020. Now, I'm attending school while working part-time at Lawson.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗜 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲, "𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲."

Oh no, I'm still learning.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱?

I'm from a small town far from Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. Like Numazu City, it's surrounded by nature, so while we don't have mountains or the sea, the atmosphere feels similar.

— 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀?

Yes. When I was attending university near Mandalay, the capital of Myanmar, it was all buildings and noisy with cars and motorcycles. It wasn't relaxing at all.

— 𝗦𝗼, 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

I recently went to Tokyo, and the trains were packed, the streets crowded. When I came back to Numazu, I felt relieved. So yes, I think Numazu is good fit for me.

— 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗿. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲?

I've loved Japanese anime since I was a child. A friend suggested, "If you love anime so much, why not study Japanese?" That's how it all started.

I'm not great at studying from textbooks, so I learned Japanese by watching anime. Understanding emotions through characters' expressions and speech was easier for me. Studying in a way you love really helps.

— 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁; 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

It was in the middle of COVID, so most classes were given online, and I couldn't go out much, which was to be honest, disappointing.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴... 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄?

For example, I had completely forgotten phrases like "〜Nimo Mash*te" (something is more than usual), so I try to use them in everyday conversation to make everything I've learned a part of me.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲...

I'm also studying idioms like "Atama ga Sagarimasu" (I'm impressed at something), which are great for expressing feelings in a short phrase.

— 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱! 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲?

Of course! I was so nervous that I was shaking while scanning items. But seeing the crew(In Lawson, we call workers this way) working energetically and happily inspired me. Thanks to them, I enjoy my work every day.

— That sounds like a wonderful workplace! Any memorable experiences?

Well, when I made mistakes at work, the crew helped me out and told me not to worry too much. They are like a family, helping me overcome difficulties.

During a local festival this year, customers were non-stop. A simple "Sorry for the trouble, you must be tired" from a co-worker made all my fatigue disappear.

— 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

There are a few from Myanmar. They joined after me, so sometimes they ask for help at work. But I try to encourage them rather than doing it for them.

— 𝗦𝗼, 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺!

Maybe (laughs)! Honestly, the wage at convenience stores is lower than at many restaurants, so friends sometimes say, "With your Japanese skills, you could work somewhere with a higher wage." But I enjoy the work and feel like I'm growing, so I always reply, "I want to work here."

— 𝗜𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲?

Well... (laughs) It depends on whether they're looking for a higher wage or job satisfaction.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹?

I've taken the transfer exam for Saitama University's Japanese-Asian Culture program. If I pass, I'll join asa third-year student.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿?

I want to use my Japanese skills to support international students and foreign workers.

— 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗿!

I hope so.

— 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀?

If you're living in Japan and facing troubles or challenges, don't keep it to yourself. Seek help from your school teachers or organizations that assist foreign workers. Let's all enjoy life in Japan together.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗴! 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻, 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹!

24/11/2023

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆(𝗚𝗚𝗔) 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀, 𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘇𝘂𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗚𝗔 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

I worked as a Japanese language teacher in South Korea for four years. After returning to Japan, I wanted to continue teaching Japanese to foreigners, so I decided to become a Japanese language teacher.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼., 𝗟𝘁𝗱., 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗚𝗔?

I joined in October 2018, a month before GGA Numazu Campus accepted its first international students. However, I left the job after three months.

— 𝗢𝗵, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆? 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲?

Although both jobs involved teaching Japanese, the roles of an instructor and a full-time teacher were completely different. As a full-time teacher, there were numerous responsibilities, including guiding students' lives and supporting their visa applications. The gap between reality and my expectations was shocking, leading to my resignation.

— 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴?

I worked in customer service at an apparel shop. The job was enjoyable, and the staff made the environment very comfortable. Yet, leaving GGA Numazu Campus nagged at me, leaving me feeling unsettled. When the president, Ueda, asked me to give it another try, I rejoined GGA Numazu Campus in April 2022.

— 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸! 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Having previously worked there, I was mentally prepared for the challenges. Knowing how demanding the job was, I felt ready to take it on again.

— 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

Yes, we invite volunteers proficient in traditional Japanese arts like spinning tops, kamishibai (paper play), rakugo (comic storytelling), and koto (Japanese harp) to let students experience Japanese culture. This initiative is crucial because living in Japan shouldn't just be about attending classes, returning to the dorm, eating, and working part-time. We want our students to engage with Japanese culture through these special activities. In summer, we hold an event called 'G-Fest,' where we invite locals to the school and students present their countries through exhibitions, songs, dances, and presentations. This year, we even had special guests performing Japanese drums and magic.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹! 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Some locals may have preconceived notions about our students or be unsure how to interact with them. By increasing opportunities for engagement, we hope the locals will recognize each student as an individual.

— 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Indeed. The impact of these events seems to be gradually taking hold. Locals are becoming more accepting of our school. For example, locals have helped our students who fell off their bikes or got lost. We aim to build a relationship where they see our students as diligent, polite, and part of the community, and are willing to lend a hand when needed.

— 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻! 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗚𝗔 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀?

Compared to cities like Tokyo or Osaka, Numazu City, where our school is located, lacks distinctive features. Therefore, we need to make our school itself valuable to attract students. We plan to increase our progression rates and JLPT pass rates and enhance our promotional activities.

— 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹?

Our strength lies in our use of ICT in education. Students submit assignments digitally, and we focus on digital-based learning. The relationship between teachers and students is built on mutual trust. We fully support diligent students but are strict with those who cause trouble. We have clear guidelines and hope our students enjoy and benefit from their time in Japan while adhering to the rules.

— 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗚𝗔 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁

16/11/2023

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀, 𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘇𝘂𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀?" 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻.

— 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

I am Takahashi, part of the teaching staff at Grandeur Global Academy Numazu Campus, a Ministry of Justice-designated Japanese language school in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. I am mainly responsible for the Japanese language education of international students.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘇𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀?

Grandeur Global Academy Numazu Campus, motivated by the desire to energize the region, began accepting international students in October 2018 to nurture globally capable talents, marking our fifth year now. We mainly teach not only Japanese language but also Japanese living habits and culture to students who wish to proceed to Japanese vocational schools, universities, and graduate schools and then seek employment in Japan. Additionally, we provide Japanese language instruction tailored to the needs of local company employees and those aiming for employment in the area.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

We also teach Japanese laws and rules for living through the Japanese language. For example, we educate our students outside of Japanese class hours about rules in Japan, like the prohibition of riding a bicycle with two people or not entering someone else's property without permission.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.

We also appreciate the lectures on garbage disposal methods given by Mr. Kurojika at the entrance ceremonies.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲! 𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

Most international students have studied in their home countries until high school and then come to our school with the hope of furthering their education in Japan and working for a Japanese company in the future. As for the locals, they include people working for Japanese companies, their families, and housewives.

— 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

For international students, most are enrolled in our "Advancement Course," so their primary goal is further education. However, many students started learning Japanese because they like anime or Japanese games.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had students from various countries like Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, South Korea, and Mongolia. After
the easing of entry restrictions, about 80% of our students are from Nepal, but recently, there has been a surge in students from Myanmar.

— 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

There are many Japanese language schools in the home countries of international students, aimed at learning Japanese for studying in Japan. We reach out to these schools or get contacted by them for student recruitment. Our staff also travels to these countries several times a year to introduce our school to those interested in studying in Japan.

— 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

Usually, our public relations staff make these trips, but I might be involved in the future.

— 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

First, applicants send us their application documents. We then conduct document reviews, written exams, and interviews to select students who meet our admission requirements. After passing the admission process, we apply on behalf of the student to the Immigration Bureau for a "Certificate of Eligibility for Resident Status." Once the Immigration Bureau approves and issues the certificate, the applicant can proceed with the necessary procedures at their local embassy or consulate. Once the visa is issued, they can enter Japan.

— 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶?

Grandeur Global Academy Numazu Campus distributes iPads to all students and aims to provide high-quality education using ICT. We strive for mutual learning and growth among students and teachers while deepening our engagement with the community.

— 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗶'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁!

28/10/2023

Mark, who was born in the Philippines, is currently working at a convenience store in Japan(when we interviewed him in mid July). His near-future dream is to tour Japan with his parents and siblings who are still in his home country.

It is also to support the future of his beloved.What kind of future awaits him as he moves forward, one step at a time.

ー 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

Yes, likewise

ー 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?

Sure, my name is Mark Anthony Beliaisa.

ー 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸'𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁? 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀?

Mindanao, Tagum City, Southern part of Philippines.

ー𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

I never met my blood father, but I have a stepfather, mother, sister, and brother in the Philippines.

ー𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗲!

Oh, it’s not all good (laughs). Now my sister is 20 and my brother is 16 years old. I am a Filipino, but my two siblings are half Japanese because my stepfather is Japanese. My sister is planning to come to Japan next year.

ーAt what age were you when your parents got married?

I don't remember the details, but I think it was probably around 9 to 11 years old.

ー𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱?

Actually, my mother went to Japan right after giving birth to me, so I had not seen her much. My grandmother raised me. I think I met my mother for the first time when I was in the second grade of primary school.

ー𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲. 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

It was my primary school’s sixth grade summer.

ー𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?

I felt out of place in class. There were no Filipinos around, so I had no one to talk to.

ー𝟭𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬・・・ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻?

Consulted... I was rather tricked into it (laughs).

ー𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁!? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?

I was told that I was going on a trip to Japan. A month passed and I wondered if we were still not going home. After a year, I wondered why I was still going to school. After five years, I thought, "Oh, I'm not going back" (laughs).

ー𝗦𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.

Yes. When I arrived in Japan and went to school some months later, I did not understand the language at all and had a lot of trouble.

ー𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁?

Now I think about it, it was thanks to the friends I made in junior high school. I can't get in touch with them now, but I'm sure we will meet again someday. After high school, I worked partーtime while attending a part-time secondary school, where I studied architecture.

ー𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

At the high school I attended in Japan, I had a choice between mechanical engineering and architecture, and I chose architecture.

ー𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

I found that the structure of houses in the Philippines and Japan are different.
At university, I was able to learn CAD (computer aided design).

ー𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.

I studied at a liberal arts high school in the Philippines and then went to a university near my parents' home.

ー𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀?

Although I had more options, I decided to study CAD at the Faculty of Architecture because of various living conditions. I was interested in it, and I had heard from others that it was relatively easy... The first and second years were good, but...

ー𝗦𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱?

Yes, it was very difficult. But I didn't want to end up halfway, so I repeated a year and graduated successfully. Now I am working on getting the qualifications to be a professional.

ー𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱?

Yes. Architecture used to be a five-year course, but under the new system it is now a four-year course.

ー𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

I had fun playing with my friends. And the assignments were difficult, but I was serious about them.

ー𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗔𝗗?

Yes! There were assignments, for example, let's build a 3ーstory building using CAD and other software. There are a lot of detailed calculations.

ー𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

Calculations using manuals and inspections of structural parts took a lot of time, and sometimes I had to stay up until morning then go to school.

ー𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.... 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵!

Thank you very much.

ー𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆.

I come and work in Japan and transfer the money to the Philippines.
I respect and am very grateful to the fathers who raised me.
While my father is still alive and well, I would like to repay him for all je have done for me.

ー𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

Yes, that's right. It is not to get hired as a foreigner, but I would like to make use of my CAD experience and learn on the job if I am given the opportunity.

ー𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀.

My near-term goal is to take my younger sister and brother, and hopefully my father and mother on a trip to Japan.
Although my father seems to have given up, I wish I could plan for him to come back to Japan while he is still healthy.

𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼. 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!