Kansai Internship Program with CRCC Asia

My internship in Osaka had to be one of the best experience I've ever had to me it was pretty great and a lot better than I expected. This was good because I was really skeptical ongoing in the first place because first off it is pretty expensive and is unpaid. But I feel the people I met and immersing myself in the experience made it really worth it for me.

The Internship:
My internship was for a month doing Market Research and Web Analytics for a new tourism agency offering experience in the city of Osaka. Most of the internships were for startup companies and although not directly my major, I was still able to learn new skill on the job, a bit about myself, and cultural differences of Japan. I communicated with one of my coworkers who was fluent in both English and Japanese to my boss to help me understand my work tasks. Otherwise, I was fine with my placement and enjoy working for the company and working with my coworkers. My fellow interns had varying experiences as well but overall I feel they were also fine with their situations.

CRCC Asia:
The staff was very helpful throughout the entire program whether we had any issues or questions they were there to solve them. They went above beyond what I was expecting and were personable and felt more like friends then advisors throughout it all. We had a generally small group of 16 interns compared to Tokyo's 50+ but this made it nice because I was able to get to know everyone pretty well.

Accommodations and Services:
The accommodation I stayed in was brand new and furnished no roommates or shared parts except the lounge. We stayed at a social apartment where we got to know Japanese tenants as well as our fellow interns. This isn't the case for all the program locations and possibly future programs so I have to say we were lucky. CRCC offered tours, business events, and cultural events offered once a week that was great to attend we visited many tourists destinations, networking events, guest speakers, etc. We generally had free time on weekends and holidays to do whatever we wanted as well and we weren't obligated to go to the events.

Overall thoughts:
I'm overall pretty satisfied with the program. I believe we had the best program based out of all CRCC Asia. The coordinators that were on-site definitely made the program for us and I greatly appreciated that. There aren't many things I disliked at all other than the cost because it is pricey once you factor in travel, transportation and food it can be costly. However, I feel that if you do this program you will learn and gain a lot from the experience and make a many great memories along the way.

Dear future participants! I am an intern who has just finished my 1 month Placement at Andeco Inc. in Osaka, Japan. In short, this programme is not just an internship experience, this is a complex, a mixture of professional and personal growth package. However, there is no pressure or strict line on how you could develop your skills or improve your potential.

My programme team has travelled to Osaka, Nara, Kyoto and Kobe in just one month! We had amazing cultural and business events, like tea ceremony wearing Kimono, Innovation Hub networking session, YMCA International School volunteering, meeting industry professional from RGF Recruitment of Japan, Welcoming Banquet and Leaving Ceremony at Grand Front Osaka, visiting Shin Sekai, Namba, Expo City, Universal Studios Japan, and many museum, shrines and greeting Deers! Also, my Supervisor took us to different kind of business trips, such as we went to Mie prefecture to attend a factory and prepare a pop-up store for the local governmental auditing.

Moreover: After completing your professionals obligations, you can also plan your own trip as well. I have been fortunate to travel to Hyogo prefecture, which has a famous Kinosaki onsen, Hiroshima prefecture, where I visited Peace Memorial Museum, Miyajima one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and of course Tokyo!!!

The programme managers and coordinators are the first contact that they will guide you and help you to make the best experience you could accomplish.

I am more than 100% recommend you to be part of this amazing programme and get unforgettable memory. This is such a rare opportunity and alive experience to understand and learn about other country's culture and enjoy the beautiful nature by seeing it closer in reality!

I wish you all the luck and great success.