How My Internship in Japan Helped Me Grow
As many who grew up with the influence of Japanese culture, traveling to Japan had always been a dream of mine. And after deepening my connection through the study of the language and history during my university years, slowly a new thought started to form: I would like to live in Japan someday. But I also knew that admiring Japan from afar, wasn’t the same as experiencing it, so I tried to stay realistic, that even though I was fond of the country’s culture and language, it could still turn out that living there wasn’t actually for me.
So, the question became: how could I do a sort of trial living without taking the full risk? That’s when the idea of doing an internship came up. I needed to complete one to graduate anyway, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
That’s how, one random night, I gathered my courage and decided that if I didn’t make it happen, no one else would. So, after a little bit of research on internships in Japan, I reached out to Zentern, and with their help, I was able to turn the idea into something real: a three-month internship that gave me the chance to experience exactly what I was looking for. It challenged me, inspired me, and ultimately gave me the clarity I had been searching for.
That experience turned out to be much more than just a way to test whether Japan was right for me, it became a turning point. Living and working in a completely new environment pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me realize I was capable of doing things I never thought I could.
Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone and Building Confidence
I was going to be working for the next three months in one of Tokyo’s newest buildings, right in the heart of the Minato business district. It sounded exciting, and it was, but as the day got closer, my excitement started to get clouded by worry: Can I really do this? What if I can’t keep up? What if I’m not actually helpful at all? I had no idea what to expect from working in a completely different country, and those doubts stuck with me right up until my first day.
But I’m really glad I pushed through them.
And in the blink of an eye, my first day as an intern was here. I was so nervous that first morning that the lady at the welcome reception actually asked if I was feeling okay, and that was before I even made it to the team introduction! Even though I had prepared myself for it, as someone who doesn’t enjoy public speaking, it was still pretty nerve-wracking. But even just getting through it gave me a small sense of relief, like I’d already passed the first test.
Thankfully, the team I worked most closely with, including fellow interns, and especially my internship manager, were incredibly welcoming and easy to talk to. That helped ease a lot of my worries during those first couple of weeks, and over time, small things started to make a big difference. Being complimented for my work during team meetings, having people ask for my input, and even getting feedback on tasks helped me start seeing myself as someone who could actually contribute.
Because of that, I started being more honest about what I really thought and felt more confident sharing my suggestions. I wouldn’t have imagined it at the start, but by the end of my internship, I found myself speaking up more often, not just because I had to, but because I wanted to.
It’s completely normal to feel nervous before starting an internship, especially in a new country. Doubts about your ability or usefulness are more common than you think, but they often fade once you step into the environment and start contributing!
Confidence doesn’t appear all at once; it builds from small moments like completing a task, hearing positive feedback, or being trusted with responsibility. Surrounding yourself with people who support you, like coworkers, fellow interns, or a good manager, can make all the difference. If you’re open to the experience, those early nerves can then transform something else: a quiet kind of confidence you didn’t know you had.
Becoming More Outgoing in a New Place
I’m not an outgoing person at all, so during the first few weeks, I usually passed on after-work outings. But as I started to feel more comfortable, I began saying yes more often: to weekend activities with other interns, events organized by Zentern, or plans I made on my own. I’d look up new places to visit every weekend (of course I had to make the most of my time here!), and even though I was still a little nervous about going too far from my usual home-to-office route at first, that changed quickly. Soon, I was hopping on trains to explore anywhere that caught my attention (and I’m proud to say I never got lost!)
Something that helped was searching online before I traveled for my internship in Japan to see if others had felt like me. I came across so many comments saying that, even if it might not seem like it, Tokyo (and Japan in general) is actually great for people who aren’t naturally outgoing. So before leaving, I made a list of peaceful spots where I could go to if I ever felt overwhelmed by the chaos of the metropolis; every weekend, I made it a point to visit a new garden or park. Those became my little escapes: places where I could sit, read a book, relax, and enjoy the view.
Tokyo is huge (it’s honestly impressive seeing it from the airplane!), and there’s something for every kind of personality. You can easily find places where things feel calm and slow but also places full of movement and energy if that’s what you’re looking for.
You don’t have to be super social to enjoy your time interning in Japan. Sometimes, stepping outside your comfort zone just means saying yes to something small like visiting a new neighborhood, joining one group dinner, or finding a park that becomes your personal sanctuary. Japan has plenty of room for introverts, explorers, and everyone in between! The key is finding the pace that feels right for you and allowing yourself the space to grow in your own way.
Leveling Up My Language Skills
Although I had studied Japanese for three years at university, interning in Japan was the first time I had to actually put those skills to use in real-life situations rather than a classroom, and yes, I was pretty nervous about that too! So nervous, in fact, that during my very first full interaction in Japanese (with the cashier at the local supermarket near where I was staying), my tongue completely twisted. I ended up sounding like I had just translated what I wanted to say and made a very poor attempt to mimic the robotic voice of the translator app and, unsurprisingly, the cashier didn’t understand me.
But I knew I’d regret it if I traveled all the way to the country of the language I had been studying, and loved, and didn’t make the effort to speak it just because I was afraid of making mistakes. So even when people saw I was a foreigner and automatically talked to me in English, I always tried to respond in Japanese. Eventually, after a cheerful 「あ、日本語が話せますね！」 (“Oh, you can speak Japanese!”), they’d continue the conversation in Japanese, something that made me really happy.
Bit by bit, and thanks to the Japanese lessons included in my internship program, I went from struggling to say, “Can I pay with card?” to having a full conversation with a pharmacist (where not only was I understood, but I was able to fully understand her too). It wasn’t a linear progression, though. Some days, I still struggled to understand what a konbini cashier was telling me (I blame my poor knowledge of sonkeigo!).
And it wasn’t just my Japanese that improved, my English did too! I’m not a native English speaker, but since the team I worked with was international, our main language at work was English. Even though I now consume more content in English than in my native language, I had never used it in a business or professional setting before. So, it was really encouraging to see how it became easier to express more complex ideas and how my fluency improved over time.
Don’t let the fear of messing up hold you back, using a second (or third!) language in real life can be intimidating, but it’s also the best way to improve. People in Japan are often very encouraging when they see you’re making the effort, and the more you use the language, the more confident and natural it becomes. And if English isn’t your first language either, working in an international environment can boost that skill too, often without you even realizing it!
Still Wondering If You Can Do It? You Can!
If you’re anything like me, the idea of doing an internship in Japan might seem exciting but also overwhelming. Traveling far from home, stepping into a completely different environment, one where the language, customs, and even the pace of daily life can feel unfamiliar. Internships in Japan can offer incredible opportunities, but it’s easy to start wondering: Will I be good enough? What if I make a mistake? What if I can’t keep up? And before you know it, you’re convincing yourself that maybe you’re not ready after all.
But here’s the thing: almost no one ever feels truly “ready.” The doubts, the what-ifs, the feeling that you have to be perfectly prepared before you begin, they’re all normal, but they’re not reasons to hold back. You grow by doing, not by waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect version of yourself to show up.
The most important part is to stay open; open to unfamiliar routines, to different ways of thinking, to the possibility of not getting everything right the first time. There’s value in saying “yes,” even to small things like joining an after work dinner or exploring a new neighborhood by yourself. Those “yeses” add up, they help you settle in, connect with others, and begin to see just how capable you actually are.
You’ll mess up sometimes, but guess what? Everyone does! But with every mistake, awkward moment, or confusing conversation, you’re learning, often more than you realize in the moment. Growth isn’t linear, and it rarely feels like a breakthrough while it’s happening. But later on, you’ll look back and realize that each little step mattered.
So, if you’re still on the fence, take it from someone who had all those doubts, too: just go for it! The version of you on the other side of the experience will be so glad you did.
🗼Ready to start your own journey?
If you’re feeling unsure, that’s okay, most of us start there! But if you’re even a little curious, it’s something worth exploring. An internship in Japan is the perfect chance to grow, learn, and see what you’re capable of in a completely new environment.
If you’re ready to take that first step, apply now or reach out to us, we’d love to help you find an internship that leads to the kind of growth you’re looking for.
