Zentern Internship & Cultural Program in Japan

Hello, I am Amber from Italy.
I was doubting where to go for an experience abroad. Being half Italian and half British, I grew up with 2 different cultures but wanted to explore and experience something new. Through some online research I found Zentern and glad I did! They have been so helpful and patient with me to make the step to sign up all the way to my arrival to Japan. My internship was at an international company located in Ginza. I was doing a mix of graphic design, app development and video production (my hobby). This is exactly what I wanted to do and didn't think the experience would be better than I have imagined. The Zentern team was always there for me and they gave me a family feeling. In doubt, please go with Zentern! You won't regret it.

I was only in Tokyo for a month and I keep wishing I had come for longer because there is so much to see and do. I really wanted an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone this summer, and Zentern helped me achieve exactly that.

My internship placement was amazing, and I was given the opportunity to work with and learn from like-minded people. Additionally, I have picked up a ton of new skills that will benefit me in the coming school year, as well as in the future, career wise. I am also happy to have made friends in the office and with other Zentern interns.

The activities planned by Zentern were a lot of fun and pushed me to explore different areas of Tokyo and discover new interests. I was very nervous about navigating around Tokyo because I do not speak Japanese, but found people were very helpful whenever I got lost.

The highlight of my trip was the food and I am so happy to have tried so many new things and discover new favorite foods.

I wish I could do it all over again!

At first, I was quite worried about going to another country alone and not knowing the language but the Zentern team helped me with all the first steps to start my internship with confidence and to have a pleasant stay in Tokyo. They helped me to find a convenient accomodation, a sim card and to understand the public transportation. I stayed for five months and never got bored. The team organized every weekend different events around tokyo with other interns. It was nice to know not only japanese people but also from all around the world and to learn their different cultures.
Whenever I had questions or problems, Zentern was easy to contact and always wanted to help me. I can say going to Tokyo was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.

I applied at Zentern to do a marketing internship in Tokyo, the selections process was very smooth! Arriving in Japan for the first time was quiet scary and exciting at the same time! Luckily, the Zentern staff gave me a warm welcome and doing fun activities with other interns made making friends a lot easier. For example, we would go to the digital art museum, night aquarium and other fun events!

The marketing internship was quite challenging and helped me to grow from a student into a young professional. I was assisting the marketing director with market research, attending events, prospecting and other digital marketing activities. My intern company allowed me to take online Japanese lessons three hours per week which resulted in a conversational level at the end of the internship. I would definitely invest some time in learning the Japanese language this makes the experience more authentic!

I found Zentern when I was hitting a low point due to prolonged unemployment and increasing pressure from people around me, I decided to sign up in hopes that it boosts my portfolio for future job searches.

The Zentern team helped me get an internship in a great company and provided continuous support throughout, something I did not expect as I thought the company would leave me by myself after I got on board. By the end of my internship, I was offered an opportunity to work for that company as a full time staff, which I happily accepted.

I couldn't thank Zentern enough for everything that is done. On top of having a full-time job now, I also made many new friends and had many great experiences during my stay in Tokyo. If you ever dream of working in Japan, even if temporary, I recommend giving this internship a try.

My internship in Tokyo was a life-changing experience for me. Thanks to Zentern I got to meet a lot of new people, expand my professional network and see Tokyo from a more "local" perspective.
Zentern saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress and headaches, even before my trip to Tokyo. They placed me in a great company, found great housing for me where I met a lot of new people, helped me with my VISA and answered any questions I had before the internship.
Zentern also provided me with amazing support during my stay in Tokyo. I remember that I had some problems with my house manager on my moving in date. I contacted Zentern and they fixed the problem quickly.
Zentern also organizes fun excursions and trips to make your experience really memorable. Participation is not mandatory but it is highly recommended since you get to see a lot of nice things.
11/10!

I have had a wonderful time with Zentern, and thanks to all the people involved with bringing me to Japan, I now have a full-time career at a multi-national company.

Since I arrived in Japan I have felt very safe and well taken care of. As many others have already stated, the Zentern staff are fantastic, and will make sure you receive an experience that is tailored to your needs and wants.

My internship was in finance and I was quickly able to apply the skills I had developed at university. The challenge curve was perfect for me as I was given a brief starting period to get comfortable, before important responsibilities were then handed to me on an increasing scale.

Socially the internship was also great, I have made many good friends at work and developed a true international network of professional contacts, that continues to grow. The activities with Zentern have been a lot of fun, the best of which was a trip to Mount Fuji and the lakes surrounding it, where we stayed at an amazing ryokan (Japanese Style Inn).

I definitely recommend this company, you will have a fantastic time!

I really enjoyed my internship with Zentern. Especially the family like environment is nice as you are really treated as a person and not just a number. We had a say in which activities we wanted to do so the whole experience was pretty much customized, which made it even better. :) We got to do a lot of different activities like a kimono experience in Akasaka, went to Okutama to see the leave change color, ice skating in Roppongi and the Edo Museum. We also saw the cherry blossoms and had a networking event where we went to a VR Park later. So lots and lots of activities to do. Tokyo is a really exciting city and staying and getting the support from Zentern to get started and settled in really made me feel comfortable here so much so that I consider this place as a second home now.

From the beginning the staff at Zentern we’re incredibly patient and willing to help, there were several instances where I’d get a reply from Zentern staff within the hour who where over 5000km away, and it would take over a day for my university to fill out one request.

My experience both leading up to the internship and during it was great. I felt looked after and comfortable and everyone was willing to help. I have no Japanese language experience when I embarked and I was still able to successfully complete my internship and live easily with Zenterns help and expertese in researching suitable suitable companies and homes.

Overall my experience was great and couldn’t fault it at all, I strongly recommend anyone that can, to go overseas and experience other cultures and Zentern is the best way to do it in Japan.

I participated in the Zentern program during January 2019. As a marketing intern, I get to learn more things about taking social media contents. Other than marketing-related tasks, I was also responsible for various ad-hoc tasks and this really trained my versatility. I learnt a lot throughout the internship. Also, the staff from Zentern are very helpful and they solved a lot of my inquiries before coming to Japan. I definitely recommend the Zentern program to the people who want to explore Japan and widen their horizon at the same time.

During the internship, my colleagues are extremely helpful and friendly, they taught me a lot of things that I could not get from University. I think this is a great chance to get myself prepared before I graduate from University. And for myself, I am considering to work in Japan in the future and I think Zentern did a great job in helping me to explore the country.

Also, the zentern trips are great. I went to different places with other Zenterns and they were amazing. We had lots of fun together and I made a lot of new friends.

Zentern was an excellent program and I recommend it highly. The time in Japan was enlightenment and I hope to come back again soon. The internship team was great. I worked full-time and in the beginning had to get used to the professional lifestyle and Japanese business culture. Most of my co-workers spoke English and the environment was very international. During the 3-months, I met a lot of new people and even though I didn't speak Japanese I was helped by all.

A few months ago, I would never have thought to travel out of the US for an internship, least of all to the place I've always wanted to go since I was little. I definitely got the experience of a lifetime, and my respect for Japan and its people has grown hundred-fold. Having a finance internship really bolstered my resume, in a top 3 finance city in the world no less! I will 100% try to come back and maybe even work here. Give this internship a chance.

Had a good time in Japan thanks to the team and my supervisor. Being in a shared house allows you to make friends easily and Tokyo is a clean and safe city. It took a while to adjust to the culture and getting around the city during the first couple of weeks but it has been a good experience.
I will graduate next May and might start looking for a job in Japan soon. Intern in Japan took the time to consult with me on how to utilise this experience as best as possible.

Intern in Japan has been great to me! I study International business management at the Hague University. I wanted to do a Internship in Tokyo because this metropol fascinates me. At first I was a bit anxious going to Japan by myself but Intern in Japan took care of that. They helped me starting up and gave me good advice.
This Finance internship helped me to kick of my international career. I've made connections with different companies and made alot of new friends.
I highly recommend Intern in Japan and there great staff.

Hi, my name is Takoda and I’m from the USA. I did an internship in Tokyo because I wanted to gain valuable and unique experience. I’m partly Japanese so being in touch with my own culture was very important to me. 8-weeks sounded very long in the beginning but time flew by; I learned a new thing during my internship every day. My boss invited me to meetings, network events and we went on a business trip together to Kyoto.

The staff at Intern in Japan is great, they are very involved with everything and try their best to make you feel at home. I am definitely considering doing the same thing next year!