Internship Program in Japan by SEKAIA

I wanted to visit Japan but wasn't interested in typical tourist activities, so I chose an internship instead. I ended up at a tech design company and my experience was fantastic! The flight there was not great but this was on me as I opted for the cheapest flight from the UK to China to Japan. Lets say next time I wont cheap out on this and if anyone is thinking about going there with a 18hr-ish flight I suggest you also spend that little extra for a better flight. Once I had moved in everything was great. I had about a week to explore and get use to Tokyo before the internship started. I mainly went to shops and tried new foods. I can't wait to go back to Japan!

I really enjoyed the opportunity to study abroad and do an internship in Tokyo. I was able to expand my Japanese culture and language knowledge while making lasting connections. I’m even considering coming back in Japan to work in the future!

Internship in Japan really helped to get my bearings here in Japan it has been a wonderful experience so far ! They accomodate your needs swiftly and answer all of your questions in an orderly fashion.

I thought that the process before and during the internship was very clear. There was always lots of support from my counselor, many engaging and useful activities, and a pleasant experience overall. During my internship I did tasks such as research and create data on competing firms, improve and update company databases, update and modernize power points and expense reports, and help prepare for company events. I would definitely recommend this program to my friends.

As I am sitting in the airport reflecting on the past six weeks, I first of all cannot believe how quickly time escaped but secondly and most importantly, I am proud of myself, and my growth. I am grateful for the people I have met and the incredible company I worked for. One of my biggest ambitions for the internship was to learn, learn and learn. That I did. Not only did I gain industry experience, I was exposed to valuable cultural lessons and knowledge on business in Japan. ICC was extremely helpful in finding a suitable internship in Japan, I was placed with an organisation that aligned directly with my studies and found that ICC offered great communication and support prior to and during the internship.

I had a great experience through IIJ! As a graduate student in a pure STEM discipline, I had been in the process of searching for internship opportunities outside of academia. I didn't think looking for international opportunities would even be possible, but I decided to give it a chance after coming across IIJ. While the matching did take some time, IIJ kept me informed during the entire process and I felt prepared for my interviews. This was my first time traveling out of the continental U.S. and it pushed me far out of my comfort zone. Despite this, I had a blast and, thanks to IIJ, I never felt alone. Settling in during the first week was the hardest, but everyone I met at my host company was nice and my IIJ contact checked up on me regularly during the transition. Given my specialized background and narrow time frame, I knew it would be challenging to find a suitable internship. IIJ exceeded my expectations and the company I was placed with proved to be an excellent fit. I spent a month in Tokyo working on exploratory data science with a startup tech company. While there, I gained invaluable work experience and mentorship. Even after completing the program, I've still been in contact with my host company. I'm hoping to present our research at a conference and possibly work together again in the future!

Internship in Japan gave me the opportunity to have an experience I never ever dreamt of having. Interning in Japan? This sounded way over my head till they brought it right to my door step. With every step of the application process, interview process, down to figuring out where I would be living for the period of the internship; there was so much assistance and constant support. Even after everything was settled Ethan (the Consultant helping me at the time) still kept in touch in order to be certain about my exact arrival and how to go around upon arrival. I had a very wonderful internship experience in Japan and I owe a huge part of that to Internship in Japan.

I worked with IIJ through my university program and had an amazing experience! Everyone at IIJ was very kind and worked hard to make sure our experience was great. They did this by checking on me and my classmates often. They checked in on the all of our experiences at our companies, asked for advice on how to make the weekly fun events even more enjoyable, and made sure that each of us was living comfortably in Japan. I appreciated all the fun field trips and business seminars that they held, and I believe that I truly developed some great business skills during my time with IIJ. I was selected for an internship at a Japanese start-up company, whose members were all very kind and compassionate. I may have lucked out with the company I joined, but I made some lifelong friends within this 9 week time frame. I didn't have to know any Japanese for this internship, which was great because I had wanted to visit Japan for so long, but every other Japan program available to me had a language requirement. I would recommend IIJ to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture and getting a true first-hand experience of life and business culture in Japan (without having to be intimidated about the language barrier)!

Great program. For foreigners trying to come to Japan it can be very tough. I was almost out of ideas on how I could transition into Japan without and existing network. Luckily after doing some "Googling" I came across ICC. I had reached out in 2017 and told them I plan to come to Japan in 2019. Even 2 years out they were very supportive and helpful while I was in my homeland. To make a long story short they helped me find a job suited to my business skill and the company hired me right away! I owe ICC a ton because I would not have made that connection without them. In short I am now living and working in Japan and I plan to do this for a long time. Thanks ICC and especially Ethan for all his support.

I highly recommend Internship in Japan because it can change your perspective and open your mind up to so many more opportunities! Exploring Tokyo was such a treat and the memories I made there will follow me for the rest of my life. My experience there was just so amazing and perfect and I wouldn't change anything about it! Internship in Japan handled everything very professionally and precisely and I am very grateful for everything they have done for me! And a very big thank you to Ivan Vilasuso for being the best adviser ever and such a great and supportive friend! I learned so much from this experience and I can't wait to go back to Japan someday!

I worked for an engineering company that manufactures small-scale robots and large-scale robots. I was working on a large-scale robot for the past four weeks. My company had designed it already, so I was manufacturing the robot. I was involved in the manufacturing process where I had to fix all the parts together and make the robot in assembly. I think ICC did an amazing job! They matched me with someone that I can really relate to, because he is an engineer and that was someone that I really wanted to meet while I was in Japan. He also spoke very good English, so I think ICC did an amazing job in matching me with someone that I could work with.

ICC Consultants were the best. I first contacted them in February 2017 and they helped me find an IT summer internship in Tokyo in less than a month. I spent 3 months in Tokyo, and the internship experience at a Japanese company was simply unforgettable. The placement process is just as explained on the website. They schedule an interview and learn more about you and your studies, they help you prepare a cover letter and resume, and then they will send you an email with a list of potential companies that are within your area of interest. ICC will then schedule an interview with the company for you. ICC seems to enjoy a great reputation in Japan since companies seek out ICC applicants. Once the company agrees to have you as an intern, you're pretty much set to come to Japan. ICC helped me find accommodation with a sharehouse company. It was a really interesting experience of its own as well. ICC was extremely helpful and supportive prior to and throughout my entire 3 months stay in Tokyo. Shortly after arrival, I had a comprehensive orientation session at ICC's office in Shibuya. They talk about the working culture of Japan, tips on fitting in and what to do in emergencies. They also hold a party for interns at least once a month - I met a lot of people from all over the world there and had a great deal of fun. I still keep in touch with them even after returning home, and if I come back to Japan, I'm sure I'll drop by to say hi.

Although my internship in Japan only lasted for a brief four weeks, it was one of the greatest periods of intensive learning and deep cultural immersion that I have experienced in my life. Having previously experienced a one year exchange in Japan, I had held the impression that I was already familiar most aspects of Japanese life. However, this internship opened my eyes up to a whole new face of Japan in the form of its workplace and corporate life. Throughout it all, my boss and colleagues were very kind and patient with me, making sure to explain every detail that I was unsure of, both in terms of the content of the work itself and cultural expectations. ICC was also extremely supportive from beginning to end, and I would like to especially mention that I had an absolutely fantastic time at the accommodation they found for me, which was a share house where I made friends with many amazing people! I would not have been able to experience this unforgettable internship without ICC, and I highly recommend them.

My name is Tyler and, as a senior in college in the United Sates, I wanted to spend one of the last available summers I had (i.e. before getting a job) having an extraordinary experience to remember. Rather than working or interning at home, I wanted to travel the world and discover what it was like to work in another country. I am someone who grew up being interested in anime, Japanese video games, as well as the Japanese language, so I ideally wanted to spend my summer in 2016 working in Japan. For those who are interested in working in Japan as well, I highly recommend pursuing the International Cross-Cultural Committee's (ICC) Internship In Japan program since there are many obvious factors that go into planning a trip abroad (i.e. finding internship placement, living spaces, etc.). I want to take this opportunity to explain how applying for this program enhanced my experience in Japan. First, while some might think that Internship In Japan expensive, the program actually saves you a massive amount of time in the form of applying to individual companies, for example. ICC helped me prepare my resume and cover letter for applications to Japanese companies and, most notably, the company actually helps you find an internship within your area of interest. For example, as someone interested in business and media, I had the chance to work for a marketing and content creation agency in Tokyo. Since ICC has a great reputation in Japan, many companies actually seek to hire ICC applicants. The company also helped me find the safest and most affordable housing. I had only been to Tokyo a couple times before for short school and family trips, so I was largely unfamiliar with the area and Japanese work culture. However, a day or two after settling in, I met with ICC consultants who gave me a variety information about utilizing Tokyo’s transportation systems and adapting to Japanese companies’ work styles, as examples. ICC also had a variety of social events, such as parties, through which I got to meet Japanese students as well as foreigners to Tokyo. In general, the ICC events were the highlights of my trip. The company organized trips to Mt. Fuji, boat rides, and visits to various museums. In short, going through this program allowed me to meet some of my best friends and make the most of my time in Tokyo. I also want to point out that ICC is extremely helpful when it comes to health and safety matters. The consultants are available 24 hours per day and can help applicants find hospitals or doctors’ offices that speak their native languages. For example, I tend to occasionally get ear infections from going to the beach (even in the U.S.), and ICC helped me find an English-speaking doctors’ office very early in the morning. This experience would have been a lot more difficult if I did not have experts to contact. In summary, Japan is a city that is extremely safe and filled with people who are extremely helpful as well as polite. For example, a local man spent two hours of his day helping me find a bank I was looking for and did accept payment in return for his help. However, the city can appear a bit imposing, especially to Westerners like myself, given the stark cultural differences and language barriers. ICC helps mitigate these difficulties, so you can have as much fun in Tokyo as possible with as few inconveniences as possible. Once again, anyone who is interested in studying or interning in Japan should contact ICC. Please see attached for pictures of my trip with some of my best friends who I met at ICC social events.

It has been a pleasure to work with Internship in Japan(ICC)! Everyone has been super nice and responsive throughout my 6 months here (as well as during the placement). I did this internship as part of my undergrad studies to receive credit for co-op and due to changes at my school, I was forced to find a new internship. ICC has been very supportive and helped a great deal to make sure I find an internship that matched my school's requirements. At first I was going to bring my cats with me to Japan, ICC was super nice and went the extra step of helping me find apartments that accommodates cats. Even though in the end I didn't bring them (there is a blood test that the cats must past that takes at least 180 days and I didn't have enough time) and chose to find my own accommodation (I ended up doing homestay, I really suggest it it was a wonderful experience), ICC has been super helpful the whole way! I can't speak for others but my experience with ICC has been amazing!

My internship company was perfect. I learn so much more than I expected. The staff from ICC was very nice and patient, I have many questions during the application period, they managed to come back to me with great answers.

I think ICC has done a great job before and throughout my stay in Japan. Thank you for replying to our enquiries promptly. That really helped me to solve many problems before my arrival in Japan. Also, thanks for organising international / local parties for us in Japan. That really helps us to make new friends with people of common interests. I think my internship in Japan was really an eye-opening experience.

Internship in Japan were very professional, prompt, and helpful during my search process. The advisors were all very kind and I ended up in an awesome placement. However, the payment was a lot for me.

IIJ provided support for finding my internship placement, proofreading my documents such as CV, cover letter and doing mock interviews so I was prepared for not only my internship but future careers. They also provided support with finding my housing, getting wifi and phone and constant support answering my questions about doing an internship in Japan. Although, I feel my skills may have been catered towards something slightly different than my internship placement, I really enjoyed working with the internship host company as they were extremely caring, helpful and allowed me to take on the role of Fashion Writer. I learnt a lot about working in Japan overall, working in a different culture and environment and have also provided articles for the company I was working with which makes the experience even better! I have also gained many new contacts and friends! Overall, if you're even just a little bit interested in doing an Internship in Japan at all, I think its a great company to get in contact with and asking them everything you'd like to know! They provide skype consultations, are fast at responding, very helpful and I feel its a great option for finding an internship with them!

Overall, it was a great internship experience. I have not only gained personal experiences and grown to be professional, but also I found myself loving Japan more then before. ICC tried to find a best company for me based on my personal experiences, and the company is a good fit. I personally enjoyed the small studio working environment and my jobs. The managers are all very experienced professionals and they are very nice to me. I enjoyed working on my company and made some friends. The internship also helped me develop my personal interests and career goals. Lastly, I wish I could work on Japan in the future!