Helen moved to Tokyo to go to graduate school and now works as a web designer in Tokyo. As the interview went on, topics related to Japanese rules and manners were often brought up. Her realizations cover various aspects from make-up to workplace.

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Name: Helen Age: 25

Helen was born and brought up in Sichuan, China. She entered University in Tianjin, also spent 4 months studying in Spain. After graduating, she moved to Japan and entered graduate school at Keio University in April 2015. She received her Master’s degree in 2017, and then started to work in a design company in Tokyo.

Background of moving to Japan

—————What is the city of Sichuan like?

Helen: In China, the image people have for Sichuan is relaxing and not very serious. People are always making jokes or laughing. Also, Sichuanese people walk slowly compared to people in other big cities.

When I lived in Tianjin, it was hard keeping up with others while walking.

—————You went to University in Tianjin.

Helen: Right. I majored in English in University. The north of China, where Tianjin is located has the image that the people there is more or less strong. Whereas down South such as Sichuan, people are slower and kind.

In Tianjin

—————What made you decide to go to graduate school in Japan?

Helen: I always had this interest in arts and design. I loved Japanese design, as it is beautiful and filled with imagination. I found this course for design in a graduate school in Japan and wanted to try it.

My parents always wanted me to become an interpreter. That is why I had studied English. Though before trying to work as an interpreter, I wanted to study something that I was truly interested in. If that would change my path, I thought that would be good too.

Even if I couldn’t eventually work in design, if I studied in Japan, I thought I would be able to speak Japanese and expand my prospect as an interpreter.

—————It is great that now you have a job in design.

Helen: Yeah, it actually changed my path.

—————Did you study Japanese before coming to Japan?

Helen: No. Then at graduate school, there were not many classes that used Japanese actually. Just 4 hours a week. After I started to work, I use Japanese everyday at the office so I may have become better at it by now.

At the university

Expectation for life in Japan

—————Did you have any expectations before you came to Japan?

Helen: Yeah sure, there is a plenty. Food to start with! I loved Japanese food, such as Sushi and Ramen. I could not wait to have real Japanese food over here.

Also I had this big expectation for the city itself. Starting from the city design and how signs are presented, I imagined it would be very user-friendly.

—————What did you think after you came here?

Helen: Food is good exactly as I imagined. I gained weight after moving here. Also I found it very interesting that people eat Ramen, dumplings and rice at the same time. People never do that in China.

I came to really like the city itself too. Though some things are different from what I imagined. It felt a bit older than I thought. For instance, many stations don’t have any walls on platforms. I see that they don’t because infrastructures were built in Japan before China.

Concerns for coming to Japan

—————Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?

Helen: Firstly, the Japanese language, as I could not speak it at all. Using English didn’t work in Japan much. I needed to use Japanese wherever I go and it was challenging. These days I can work it out most of the time.

—————Among people from abroad I know, some says “ In Tokyo, it is okay to only speak in English.”

Helen: I am guessing that they may look Western? I am Asian, and I got this impression that if I spoke in English, people would wonder why I would use English as I am Asian. I feel that everyone expects me to speak in Japanese.

In the former interview article, Marcel was talking about “playing the Gaijin(foreigner) card”. Asians can’t play the Gaijin card. Like they think, “You are not so Gaijin”.

It’s interesting and good for me though, as it challenges me.

I was a bit worried in the cultural aspect as well, if I could communicate well. There is this stereotype that Japanese people don’t say what they think, so I was not sure if I could act as I did in China. People overlook the details more or less in China.

————– Have you actually changed your communication style somehow?

Helen: Nothing changed after all. I realized that when I become friends with someone, it depends on the personality of the individual. It is not about their nationalities.

To be honest, I had this concern that people may not like me because I was Chinese. But that was not true at all. In Japan, press about China is not very good, so I worried. In China as well, sometimes press about Japan is not good.

Though what I believe is that, when you meet someone, it is important to see the person as he/she is, not the country he/she is from. I believe the people I met in Japan didn’t judge by stereotypes either, but communicate as an individual.

Rules and manners in Japan

—————What were the challenges you had after moving to Japan?

Helen: What surprised me was that every woman wears make up.

I lived in China till I was 23 and never really did any make up. It feels like a rule to wear make up in Japan. If not, then you have to wear a mask. It is not like that in China at all, it’s been tough to get used to it for me.

Why do women all wear make up?

————— Some people don’t though, I guess it is considered as a part of having manners.

Helen: In Japan, people care so much about their own image, like their faces and clothes, it appears to be uneasy. In schools they have uniforms from shoes to socks, and there is a specific type of suits for job hunting. This seems tough.

Also what I found interesting was that, there is this rule in my current company that you have to fold the toilet paper into triangle.

Also, in China if your working hour starts from 9am, it is okay to turn up at 5 past 9. Though in Japan, you have to be there by 8:45. It is not easy, really.

Though if you acquire the strict way of being, you hardly get into trouble when you are abroad, behaving in a certain discipline for yourself, which is good.

At one of Helen’s favorite spots in Tokyo

Experience in Japan gives confidence

—————Do you notice you change after moving to Japan?

Helen: Yeah, a lot. Now I care more about how I behave and how people see me. I never thought about it before.

In Japan, people don’t say what they want to say directly to avoid conflict. So I have to be careful to behave and follow the rules and be disciplined on my own.

Sometimes I think too much about the things that I don’t have to.

—————What do you miss the most about being back home?

Helen: Of course my family but, Chinese food too. it has not been easy to find Chinese food I like as it tastes different here. I miss the Chinese language too. Nowadays I only have a chance to speak it once every 2 weeks.

Also, I miss the environment that it’s not necessary to wear make up. These days I have one day a week that I don’t wear make up at all. I feel so happy and free.

—————Would you consider relocating yourself again?