Fil You In

During my first week, I’m invited to attend a Recruiting “Internship” in Tokyo with the team. It’s not the classic internship that Americans know – in fact, it’s really more like a seminar that markets Brother to upcoming college graduates, in the hopes that they choose to work at our company. In Japan, most hiring (over 70%) occurs at the graduate level, and students enter a company as a cohort – Brother hires over 50 graduates a year, and they all start their jobs at the same time, on April 1. As a result, it’s super important to host multiple seminar sessions to entice students into applying. A different round of seminars is catered for Office staff (Finance, IT, HR, Sales, etc), but Engineers are a key audience for Brother as our main R&D facility is in Japan – it’s where all our products are designed and created. Mid-Career hires (chu-to) – the majority in the US – is really the minority at BIL.

We travel by shinkansen (bullet train) and it’s as fast and smooth as advertised. I look out the window at the passing landscapes and can’t help but admire the serenity – wondering what it’s like to live in a mountain town outside the base of Fuji-san. In just 1.5 hours, we travel what would normally take about 4-5 hours by car – truly remarkable. We arrive at the Tokyo office, a smaller facility that houses some of the salespeople of the region. After setting up the presentation room, we’re ready to welcome the students.

Not a single person is late – a cultural attribute that the US could certainly learn from – and Nagano-san jumps right into the program. He maintains an incredible energy as he explains the company history, benefits, profitability, products, and potential career paths. The room is filled with bright engineering students, so it’s essential that he nails the pitch and convinces them to apply. This is the first of many sessions, as the recruiting process starts in September and ends in March, when candidates finish their final interviews and accept offers. Although Nagoya features the majority of Brother applicants due to the convenient location, we advertise in Tokyo as the city houses some of the country’s top students.

The session is broken up by a Q&A breakout with current engineering employees, and ends with a presentation by Furuyama-san, the mechanical engineer behind the P-Touch Cube, one of our modern and more enticing products. He tells the story of the engineering challenges behind creating the Cube, and the determination it took to make it a reality, finishing with an overview of the monumental sales success. The concept of a “challenging work environment” is really attractive for candidates in Japan. Students are then invited to interact with the products and ask any additional questions. Overall, the “internship” is a success, with high engagement. Nagano-san makes sure to highlight future information sessions, and we cross our fingers hoping that they’ll continue to show interest in Brother.

Imai-san invites me to skip the afternoon session so that he can take me to Akihabara in downtown Tokyo, otherwise known as the “Electric City.” I’m stunned by the sheer energy of this district – it’s packed with anime shops, costumed shopkeepers, arcades, lights, music, and tourists. It’s everything you’ve seen and heard about Tokyo – a true technological metropolis. I make a mental note to come back here one day during the nighttime to see everything lit up.

He takes me to a few different electronic shops (BIC Camera and Yodobashi Camera), two of our top resellers in Japan. I’m overwhelmed by the displays in these shops – they have everything you could possibly imagine spread across 6 or 7 stories – and we walk over to some of the Brother printer displays. It’s a little different here than in the US. In Japan, we hire Brother salespeople to stand in the stores and recommend our products directly to the customers. Also, there’s a lot more color, information, and imagery. These electronic stores even sell cosmetics and alcohol – definitely something you wouldn’t see at Best Buy! Overall, a super cool experience. The most surprising piece is seeing the Scan’N’Cut right next to our P-Touch labelers. Imai-san jokes that perhaps the store doesn’t know what the product is really meant for.

After the tour, we head back to the Tokyo office, where I’m taken through the Show Room. This is something we don’t have in the States – a room filled with an impressive display of our products shown mostly to potential business partners, and it’s akin to an automobile dealership – sleek and attractive, with an assortment of spotlights to literally put our machines in a good light.  

We end the day at a nearby restaurant to celebrate the day’s work, where we enjoy okonomiyaki, a savory dish made with a crispy pancake base and laden with fish, miso sauce, and shaved vegetables. It’s absolutely delicious and might be one of my favorite Japanese dishes that I’ve tried so far – something I definitely have never seen in the States. I talk with Imai-san and Nagano-san about travel in the US and the many places I’ve yet to see. During his time at college, Nagano-san spent a year in the US at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon – probably why his English is so fantastic. He speaks about how much he enjoyed the US landscapes and dreams about coming back one day. I let him know that I’d happily join him in his travels, as there are many places that are still on my list as well. We joke about the Northwest US “hipster” culture over a shared round of sho-ju before heading home.

In preparing for the weekend, I think about possible options. A stay at an onsen, a traditional Japanese hot spring, sounds about right. Let’s see if I can figure out the train schedule. Wish me luck?

Until next time,

Fil

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Phrase of the Day:

蒸し暑い ですね？ (mushiatsui desu ne?)

Translation: Humid, isn’t it?