Hello! from Japan

About Japan and music

life in japan

Online Interview with Haitham-san from Egypt【English subtitles】

by

Hi, how are you doing?
We had an online interview with Haitham-san from Egypt and asked about life in Japan. It is always fun to meet someone from different countries!
Below is what we talked about:

0:06 Introduction 

0:50 When did you move to Takayama? 高山にいつから移住したの？

1:09 Where in Japan did you live before? 以前は日本のどこにいたの？

1:50 What did you study in school? 学校では何を勉強したの？

2:09 How many Egyptians are there in Japan? 日本にいるエジプト人はどれくらい？

2:23 Is learning Japanese popular in Egypt? 日本語を学んでいるエジプト人は多い？

3:15 Why did you decide to study Japanese? なぜ日本語を学んだの？

3:50 Was it hard to get used to life in Japan? 日本に慣れるのは大変だった？

5:10 Any difficulties after moving to Takayama? 高山に来てから苦労はあった？

5:50 Why did you choose to move to Takayama? 高山に来た理由は？

6:55 Any things you want the city to work on? 高山で改善して欲しい事は？

8:55 Any plans for the future? 今後やりたい事は？

11:14 Advice for new-comers! これから日本に移住予定の人にアドバイス

13:12 After the Interview インタビューを終えて

We will keep on making connections online/offline.
About our organization, Family Planet Japan, please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/familyplanetjapan

See you next time!
Taka

英語ができると世界が広がる！
自宅で学べる英会話アプリはこちらがおすすめ↓↓
スタディサプリENGLISH（新日常英会話コース）

3 Tips to make a good impression at a new workplace in Japan

by

How’s it going?
It is the rainy season and very humid in Japan right now.

It seems that Japanese government is starting to welcome travellers and business people from Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand again soon (from Aug if things work well). For those who are coming to work in Japan for the first time, I’m giving 3 tips to make a good impression at your new workplace.

You might get nervous and worried if you have no experience working in Japan, but don’t panic! With these 3 tips in mind, you will be able to start off well at your new work.

1.Take notes

It is very important to bring a note and a pen and take notes at your new office. It is of course to memorize what you learn there, and also to show others that you are carefully listening to them.

Japanese workers tend to worry about a new colleague thinking if he/she can work well with their team. By taking notes as you listen what they say, people there will know that you are trying to learn the ropes. It is a good way to build trust with your new teammates!

2.Say “Yoroshiku onegai shimasu”

The next tip is to say “Yoroshiku onegai shimasu” to people you will be working with. We often use this phrase when we introduce ourselves and also at work. It is like saying “Let’s work together!”. The phrase is polite enough, but if you want to be more polite, add “Douzo” and say “Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu”. Casual way of saying this is to simply say “Yoroshiku”.

Instead of shaking hands (of doing shaking hands), we often say this at work.
[Slow Speed]よろしくお願いします/Yoroshiku onegai shimasu
[Natural Speed]よろしくお願いします/Yoroshiku onegai shimasu

3.Say “Osakini shitsurei shimasu”

We use this phrase when we finish working and go home. It means “I’m going home (before you)”. Most Japanese people work as a team and always concern teammates. You can use this phrase to show that you care others that are still working in the office.

[Slow Speed] お先に失礼します/Osakini shitsurei shimasu
[Natural Speed] お先に失礼します/Osakini shitsurei shimasu

These are 3 tips that will help you start off well at a new workplace in Japan. Unlike many western countries where people think and work more indivisually, people in Japan always think and care others (that’s why everyone’s so polite and crime rate is low here).

Good luck with your new life! And enjoy working in Japan.

See you next time.
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my music below.

Multicolors
Free Somebody
Skyhigh

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: [email protected] 

How’s your life in Japan? (Online interview with Sean)

by

How are you doing?
We had another online interview with a foreign resident in Japan.
It was really fun talking with him and we got some interesting opinions about life in Japan.

He came to Takayama city about 3 year ago!

0:13 日本に来たきっかけは？
What brought you to Japan?

1:29 日本に馴染むのは大変だった？
Was it hard to fit in the different culture?

2:08 日本が外国人にとっても住みやすい場所になるには？
What should Japan work more on for foreign citizens?

3:35 どうやって日本語を習得した？
How did you learn Japanese?

5:11 日本の幼児教育について
About early child education in Japan.

7:23  先輩移住者としてアドバイス
Tips for new-comers

9:06  今回インタビューをしてみて
After the interview

I hope this will be helpful for someone thinking about coming to Japan in the future!

See you next time!
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my music below.
Multicolors
Free Somebody
Skyhigh

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: [email protected]