Today, I gave an interview to Laura, who is studying Japanese in Tokyo. She is brave enough to live alone in abroad and try to de a part time job in a Japanese restaurant. Her interview will encourage you to make advance.

Going to the University from a shared house

Sari “Nice to meet you. I’m Sari who are writing articles on “Share Parade”.”
Laura “Nice to meet you too. “
Sari “Can you start by telling us about yourself first?”
Laura “Sure. I’m from Spain and now studying Japanese at University of Mejiro, in Tokyo. I’m a scholarship student of JSSO (Japanese Student Services Organization) and going to stay here until next year. I wished to experience Japanese lifestyle and decided to live here.”
Sari “Thank you. How is your life in Japan so far?”
Laura “Pretty cool. I’m really enjoying life in a shared house with Japanese. I can see and experience the real Japanese life because of this shared house.
Sari “Really? How?“
Laura “I can see how Japanese act since when they get up and to when they go to bed. And I can practice Japanese in the conversation with share mates.”
Sari “That’s nice. Didn’t you have concerns to live others who have different cultures?”
Laura “No. Rather than concerns, I feel happy because I can see friends everyday when I get back to home. And I can keep a private time in my room.

Key Ingredients of choosing house is…

Sari “Why did you choose this house?”
Laura “Budget, place, security, and design. This house has good access to my University and the neighborhood is quiet. Also I can go to convenience store by few minutes walk.”
Sari “What do you like about the design?”
Laura “I have “Tatami mats” and “Shoji” in my room! Also my room has veranda and big garden. I really loved the Tatami mats and liked this room at first sight. “
Sari “Wow. It’s rare that houses recently built has tatami or shouji.”
Laura “Right? I didn’t find them in other houses. I feel comfortable when I sit the veranda and see the garden.”
Sari “Sounds good. Then, how is the management company like?”
Laura “They are very nice. If I have any troubles, I just email to them. They deal with it very quickly.”

Trying the harder one if I have two choices

Sari “How do you like Japan?”
Laura “Very nice. I love “Onsen” and really enjoyed one in Yokohama that I can see a ferris wheel from the window. Also I really like Japanese food like Ramen, Sushi, Shabushabu… I am very happy when I am eating.”
Sari “You really like Japanese food!”
Laura “Yes. And I can enjoy nature in four seasons in Japan. In this spring, I enjoyed cherry blossoms everywhere in Japan. I look forward to going to Kyoto to see autumn foliage.”
Sari “I see. Then, what were the difficult things you have experienced in japan?”
Laura “Well, polite expressions of Japanese were so hard for me. I’m working at Japanese beef restaurant as a part time worker and I have to speak Japanese to take orders. I was confused because it was the first time to use polite expressions.”
Sari “I understand. The phrases for service industry are different from daily conversations. How did you find the part time job?
Laura “I applied for it from a website and took part in an interview. I found an offer from Spanish restaurant, but I tried to Japanese one because it’s more challenging.”
Sari “You are brave!”

Future plans

Sari “What are the future plans?”
Laura “Well, I will go back to Spain next year and find a job related to engineering or IT that I got a bachelor of. I am interested in working in Japan though. Anyway, I want to keep traveling all over the world.

Please check the Laura’s house below.

☆Ogikubo North

12 minutes by a train to Takadanobaba. This house is popular from both Japanese and foreigners because of good atmosphere coming from traditional construction. You can enjoy your private time because private rooms are bigger than other shared houses.