Many international students may want to experience an internship while studying in Japan. Participating in an internship at a company for a period will not only allow them to experience the skills that they need in the working field but also to understand the working culture in Japanese companies. However, international students are often unsure of how to find an internship company or what an internship in Japan is like. In this article, one of our international students shared her internship experiences in Japan.

Student Name: Vanessa LIN, an exchange student from Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture de Paris la Villette, Paris

How many and what kind of internships did she do?
Vanessa is a student majoring in architecture, so she did her internships at architectural design companies. The following is a list of companies where she had internships.

1) ICADA, Fukuoka
2) Atelier Koma, Fukuoka
3) Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA), Tokyo

All the internships were for 4 weeks. After taking classes in Japan for a year, she participated in these internships before returning to France. They were jobs related to architecture, and the companies offered different experiences in working cultures and types of projects.

What are her motivations?
The primary reason she wanted to do internships in Japan was that she wanted to know the working culture in Japan, which could be different from France, and to have working experiences. In addition, she wanted to work at Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) because her master’s thesis was related to Kengo Kuma’s work, so she wanted to have first-hand experience working at his firm’s work.

Why did she intern at a few companies?
She wanted to know what kind of working style and companies would suit her. Therefore, she wanted to experience both small and large companies. As a result, she had internships with three different types of companies.

How did she find and become involved in the internship?
1) Atelier Koma: She first heard about the company because a friend of hers had an internship there. According to the friend’s testimony, the working culture in the company is good, so she selected this company.

2) Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA)
This company was recommended by students around her too. Also, her thesis was related to Kengo Kuma’s works. For these reasons, she wanted to do her internship with them. Actually, this company only accepts interns who can work for 3 months or more, but Vanessa wanted a 1-month internship. Hence, she talked to her supervisor, Assistant Professor Iwamoto, about it. Thanks to Assistant Professor Iwamoto, the company accepted her request for a 1-month internship, and she was allowed to take the selection test.

Both companies required her to submit her portfolio. This is the same in France and Japan, where a portfolio is required for internship selections. She spent several months preparing her portfolio. She has also applied to several other companies. She said she was lucky because some of the international students around her had applied to many more companies before they could get their internships.

How was her experience?
Atelier koma is a small architectural firm in Fukuoka with 3 or 4 employees. It is a homey, family-like company. She gained experience in proposing housing projects and various types of work, from research, development of ideas, and creation of models to presentation to clients (This was a real case of competition between two companies). She told me that she could experience “real architectural work”. She enjoyed spending a lot of time using her brain. Also, she won the competition.

KKAA is a 300-person firm where interns have one-to-one mentoring, and the interns work on assignments given by the mentor. For example, research, creating visuals such as models and images, and so on. She also learned a lot about the company’s systems and experienced teamwork.

How did she communicate with her colleagues?
In Atelier koma, her colleagues spoke little English, but a friend of Vanessa, who was participating in the company as an intern, acted as an interpreter between her and the other members. Also, she drew pictures as a way of communication.

In KKAA, most of the employees speak English because the company does a lot of international projects. Also, her mentor speaks English fluently. This company has developed their own internship system that supports good communication and mentoring. Also, there are many international students, so they were able to work together and support each other.

What were some of the challenges she encountered during her internships?

• Fixed starting hour and desk bound

The starting time of work was fixed and she had to be seated at her desk for a long period of time.

• Working till late hours

Compared to France, she worked longer and went home later at night. And even if she was allowed to go home on time, she didn’t know if she could go home, and sometimes she willingly　stayed late to finish her work.

• Accommodation and expenses

There was no allowances/salary given for the internship, except for a little support for the accommodation and transportation fees was provided. Hence, she stayed at a friend’s house in Tokyo.

• Differences in the architectural design process

One of the advantages out of this internship is to experience different design approaches. The approaches taken by companies in Japan and France are different. In France, a lot of time is spent on research and rationality is important. The reason for the architecture design is important. There is a strong emphasis on analysis. For example, an analysis of the types of materials and ecology of the site is done to determine its suitability.

In Japan, on the other hand, there seems to be more emphasis on visualization. The concept of architecture is more important than research and reason, and conceptual architecture is more common. In other words, the design is emphasized. It seems experimental. This is a difference between the architectural process in Japan and France, which she also felt the same when she was studying at Geiko.

• Differences in software used

The difference in the architectural process affects the type of software used.  She had to learn new software that she had never used before in France.

What were the differences between internships in Japan and France?
From the above, you can see the differences in the architecture process. There are also differences in the way of working. In France, the company gives more responsibility to the interns. The interns participate in more meetings and are treated more like employees. And the working style is easy-going. There are coffee breaks. Of course, there is overtime work too, but basically, if the end time is 7 pm, people simply stop working at 7 pm and enjoy personal time.

Vanessa’s experiences revealed the many benefits and challenges faced during internship in Japan as a foreigner. Although, there were some difficulties, it seems that what Vanessa gained from her internship in Japan exceeded those challenges she faced. I believe this article may bring interest to international students to try an internship in Japan.

Whether you are eager to try an internship in Japan or are just curious about it, you can start by asking Japanese students for recommendations for internship company! They will be happy to share with you.

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About the Writer
I am a master’s student. I’m Japanese, but I really love foreign cultures, especially Chinese culture. It’s fun for me to hear the stories from international students because it broadens my horizons. If you also become a Geiko student, you can expand your creativity as well as your international horizons.Why don’t you join us? We are waiting for you!

Megumi Hasegawa
Graduate School of Design
Human Life Design and Science Course