17/01/2026
Two interns of Nihongo Asia Academy & Jobs Sdn. Bhd. from Universiti Malaya, Ahmad Mahmood Azman and Gayatridevi Sivakumar, had the wonderful opportunity to interview the insightful Miss Jacey Lee about her experience studying and working in Japan for five years. For those thinking of going to Japan for study or work, this interview is surely one to read through!
Miss Jacey graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor’s Degree in East Asian Studies specializing on Japan Studies, and eventually had the opportunity to both study and work in Tokyo, Japan for five years from 2019. At present, she is working at RWS, a Global Language Services provider company carrying out translation, localization and interpretation of languages. First working with the company during her time in Japan, she has now transferred to Malaysia under the same company in March 2025. Her experience studying at a Japanese language school in Japan and working in Japan has made her a greatly knowledgeable authority to speak on the experience of living, studying and working in Japan as a Malaysian. In this interview, we have managed to share Miss Jacey’s honest and truthful experiences as a foreign student and employee in Japan, so read more below to truly plan your own studying and working experience abroad in Japan.
1. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫?
Before going to Japan, I was actually working at a Japanese company in Malaysia, which gave me opportunities to practise with Japanese colleagues a little. This helped me get used to natural expressions and speaking styles. After work, I made it a habit to use Japanese learning apps especially vocabulary apps like Tango daily after dinner. I also practiced reading Japanese news on Smart News to expand my vocabulary and improve reading comprehension. While reading, I would practice pronunciation by reading aloud, which helped my confidence to converse in Japanese.
2. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧? 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧?
I really went to Japan specifically to study the Japanese language, but the foundation I learnt from Malaysia played a major role in helping me settle in quickly. The basic Japanese skills gained from university made daily life in Japan much easier, especially when handling simple conversations, asking for help, and navigating to places like convenience stores. When I really started working in Japan, that basic knowledge became even more useful, as I already had the fundamentals to communicate at work. So I would say that yes, having that basic language foundation was very helpful and even a necessity.
3. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧?
Actually, yes, I faced some problems initially. One of the first things I noticed was the difference in manners. For example, in Malaysia, sitting with crossed legs is common, but in Japan, it is often seen as impolite, especially in formal settings. Japanese people usually sit very neatly and properly, so I had to adapt to their etiquette entirely.
During my part-time jobs in Japan, I also learned that Japanese workplaces are extremely organised. They write down every task, follow clear procedures, and pay close attention to details. Even if it was not required, my supervisors would comment on it if I skipped anything. At first, this was new to me, but eventually I managed to adapt and learn to be more structured and organised in my work. These habits even stick with me to this day, actually.
4. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥?
I think I faced a lot of challenges, but my first year was really challenging. The placement tests at the language school only put me at Level 2, which was really surprising for me as it was quite low. For the Sensei there, my basics still needed to be refined further to be more proper, for example with my uses of particles in sentences. Even though I was only Level 2 in the language school, which is still quite low, I found it tough to keep up with the grammar and vocabulary. It was like I had to relearn everything from scratch during my first year. Fortunately, my Sensei helped a lot by explaining grammar clearly and correcting my mistakes patiently. I really made it a routine to practise every day to improve my grasp of everything.
Another challenge came from my part-time job at Uniqlo. All the training materials and guidelines were in Japanese, so I needed to understand them well before starting work during the one-week training period. To prepare, I even practised speaking in front of the mirror, especially the phrases we needed to use with customers. Although it was difficult at first, it helped me become more confident.
5. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞?
Making friends in Tokyo can be challenging because people are very busy and may not have time to interact with foreigners. For those who don’t already have friends in Japan, it can be difficult to build connections. Many foreigners overcome this by joining communities with people in similar situations. For example, one of my friends actually participated in a club for retired seniors. These seniors want to practice English or other languages and help foreigners learn Japanese, providing a good opportunity to make friends and slowly become part of the local community.
6. 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 (𝐌𝐍𝐂), 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧?
I found this question really interesting as it was something I was intrigued to discover through experience as well. For me, I initially worked part-time at a small Japanese trading firm where I truly experienced the work life of a local Japanese company. Generally assisting in various clerical duties as part of the job scope, I can recall that the company practiced a very traditional fixed workflow. There were various daily meetings from company-wide morning meetings, department meetings, and even the post-lunch ‘Uchi-awase’ meeting, all of which are aimed at allowing employees to report on their progress or any problems faced. These fixed meetings really set the company’s daily goals and ensured they would be met, kind of like how a school has all the classes and periods to be followed. Also, the company was often very quiet because not much conversation happened other than work-related questions.
In MNCs, I really noted that the workflow was much more loose and less routine. Meetings were only held monthly or for specific clients’ needs only. Usually, stricter routines were only carried out within departments/teams that comprised entirely Japanese members or were managed by Japanese leaders. Due to the nature of my work, it was often sufficient to simply communicate clearly through emails, rather than long meetings or conversations. Another big difference is that the employees of the multinational company were highly diverse, with my colleagues coming from various countries. The vibe was really different from the local Japanese company.
7. 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧？
Japanese language proficiency was quite important in job-seeking, as many recruiters valued the first impression you make with your applications. Even if the job position would not utilize Japanese too greatly upon commencing work, like my work at the MNC, my Japanese language proficiency was clearly judged during the initial hiring process through the Japanese (and English) resumes I submitted, and also the interviews which were conducted entirely in Japanese. In my job-seeking process, I actually utilized a local job-seeking platform known as Indeed to search for possible job openings, so depending on the company, they may value your Japanese language skills differently. Some jobs may place more emphasis on spoken Japanese proficiency, and some may even prefer written Japanese proficiency.
8. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫?
Due to my line of work being primarily back-end duties, I did not really network professionally too much compared to others such as Salespersons who might be more active in meeting clients. But, I was still able to meet various professionals by involving myself in local communities since first arriving in Japan. For example, I managed to interact with fellow Malaysians and Taiwanese workers working in Japan, and hence connect with their members who worked in various industries and companies across Japan.
9. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧?
Something that I developed over time was a more layered, non-direct style of speaking. I developed such style from experience with Japanese locals who often spoke indirectly to approach any particular topic, often beautifying their words to avoid offending. Actually, being too direct in speech would often be taken as a sign of impoliteness or even surprise by the locals. Even after my time in Japan, that layered way of speaking really did stick with me, and I find myself using it even now back in Malaysia.
10. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨?
Truthfully, housing in Tokyo greatly depends on your salary range; with salary ranges often being set based on your age or seniority in the company. For an average person living in Tokyo, a significant sum of your salary (a quarter or more) will be dedicated to paying your monthly rent. For the average worker, housing options are mainly either furnished small rooms for around 70,000 Yen monthly (including utilities), or unfurnished studio units for up to 100,000 Yen monthly. Japan also has various deposits in Japan such as Shiki-kin or Rei-kin which were non-refundable, all of which adds to the housing costs (not to mention costs from using housing agency services).
For the studio units specifically, not only are you required to purchase your own furniture separately, but the furniture would have to be disposed of at the end of the rental period. Then, more costs would also be imposed in disposing of such furniture, due to the various processes needed to be carried out. For example, the purchase of local government stickers for the disposal of large furniture and even the disposal costs. Living in Tokyo as an average worker with an average salary definitely ends up being quite challenging, and great financial planning is a necessity, especially with increasing costs of living worldwide.
11. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧?
I think that Malaysians should grab any chance they get to work or study in Japan. While my own experience in Tokyo was greatly unplanned due to the COVID-19 pandemic prolonging my stay, it greatly shaped me as an individual and helped my personal development. Actual living in Japan actually proved to be quite different from what I had studied in university. So, to really make the most out of the opportunity to study or work in Japan, prospective Malaysians should have a mindset of being willing to accept or adapt to Japanese culture. While it is still possible to live in Japan without accepting much Japanese culture, one may feel alienated or unable to fit in with the local society and communities, which shows the importance of being open to the quirks of Japanese society’s customs.
We are greatly indebted to Miss Jacey Lee for taking the time out of her own schedule to be interviewed by Nihongo Asia Academy & Jobs Sdn. Bhd. Her honest sharing clearly provided fair and realistic expectations of what one might expect from studying and working abroad in Japan. With that, we hope that her journey has only encouraged interested Malaysians to take the leap and undergo the great journey of personal development and growth abroad in Japan.
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