Internship

So this is from quite a while ago (at least 2 years ago to be exact) but I still look back on the memories quite fondly. Back in 2017 I went to Japan to do an internship for a little less than 3 months. I had quite a few challenges during my internship in Japan. One being, I’m nowhere near fluent in Japanese but that actually turned out to be the least of my concerns. One of the most difficult things I learned while living in Japan was just how lonely it can feel.

Shibuya crossing

Everyone is often on their way to go somewhere and I found it rather difficult to make any friends. I think the only people I spoke to regularly outside of work was a group of sales clerks at one of the stores in the 0101 department store in Shinjuku. They often made my weekends feel less lonely since we’d talk about life in Canada vs. Japan with my very limited command of Japanese. But what surprised me the most about that group of sales clerks is when I recently went back to Japan a year later, one of them recognized me walking by and called out to me! I was so surprised since more than a year had passed, but somehow she remembered my name and everything. I even did an oopsie and forgot my receipt after buying something and she went out of her way to chase me down so I could get tax free!

Although my time in Japan sometimes felt lonely, i was also very fortunate that the place I did my internship at was filled with English speakers, and mostly Canadians too. It made the 3 months quite painless in terms of language barrier and they were very helpful whenever I needed help translating something.

Tempura Tsunahachi in Daimaru (Tokyo Station)

Also, words cant describe how much I miss Japanese tempura. It’s like a taste of heaven, the batter is so crisp yet light and airy, and there’s no weird greasy after taste. If you’re ever in Tokyo Station try going to the top floor of Daimaru where the restaurants are and go to Tempura Tsunahachi. I’m slowly counting down the months until I can go again, though probably not until after the 2020 Olympics has ended. My patience for crowded tourist places is not very good. If you do plan to visit Japan please remember to respect the culture and the environment!