International Internships in Tokyo with The Intern Group

Lots of fun. Had a fantastic time and I would absolutely do it again. You meet great people, try great food and have the experience of a life time. Even if the internship company isn't exactly towards your career field, I still think it's absolutely worth a try. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Don't be nervous about adjusting. You'll get used to everything quickly. I love Tokyo and there's no better city to do an internship at. By far my favorite experience was visiting mount Fuji. While the city is great, it was cool to see the more rural parts of Japan. The schedule is also flexible enough that you will have time to visit many other places around Japan. Tokyo alone would take you years to explore fully. There's so much to do and see.

Honestly loved Tokyo. Everything about it, like the sights, especially Shibuya Crossing! Make sure you guys get an international drivers permit so you guys can do mario kart like me! Mario Kart was amazing! Once in a lifetime experience. Airi and Shaina were super helpful and so cool. Whenever I needed help or any sort of assistance, they were always there for me plus they give good recommendations for local sights to see!
Tokyo is amazing for those who love taking pics too, there are places like Tokyo Tower, Asakusa Temple and mount fuji. The art museums are cool as well such as the Mori art museum and the Epson Digital Art Museum.
I have also been to DisneySea, one of the coolest places that I have been too!
In terms of work experience, I believe that I have learnt a lot about the tech field, such as programming cameras and maintaining internet networks.

I heard about The Intern Group (TIG) from a friend at university who did an internship in Shanghai the previous year. He got me interested in the opportunity to take a summer internship abroad, so I looked further into TIG to find that I had to option to take up an internship in Tokyo.

As an English-Japanese bilingual living in the UK, I had the thought of working abroad in Japan lurking in the back of my mind. Hence, I took up the opportunity to undertake an internship in Tokyo, so that I could get a taster for what work and life are like there. TIG was very helpful in helping me secure an internship, organising interviews and such with various companies, and I eventually settled on a small start-up company called TRINUS. As TIG knew I was fluent in Japanese, they matched me up with TRINUS and it was just as well because my interview was in Japanese. Luckily enough for me, I was just the right person for the job and I was accepted as an intern.

The job at TRINUS
TRINUS is a small start-up company founded in 2014, and it operates as a fabrication-less manufacturer. The company works to bring together under-utilised manufacturing technologies, designers and end-users to produce a variety of unique products which make the most of Japanese technology.
TRINUS is a small company with only 10 employees, none of whom speak English. As a result, it was my job to help expand the global reach of the company as an English-Japanese bilingual. My role was quite varied with me doing things such as:
• Welcoming visitors for meetings
• Answering the phone in Japanese and English
• Writing and replying to customer emails in English and Japanese
• Visiting clients to present sales pitches
• Visiting expos at Tokyo big site
• Taking care of the company's Instagram and writing bilingual posts every day.

The job is a bit of a departure from my usual line of work as a mechanical engineering student however, it's just what I was looking for to get a taste of Japanese work. The job has helped me out with my translation skills and mannerisms when dealing with Japanese clients immensely, preparing me for my future in Japan. The people at the office are great too and we've spent time outside of work doing things like seaside BBQs, playing football, visiting onsens etc. All in all, the job was great, just like the people there.

Housing
I stayed in a share residence on the outskirts of Kanagawa prefecture, about an hour away from central Tokyo. It was a very fun place to be as there was a healthy mix of people, foreign and Japanese. I was a bit of a bridge between the two demographics as a bilingual, and it was great fun because it meant I got to know everyone pretty well. The house itself is very clean and spacious and is generally a fun place to be.

Events
TIG organised a variety of events from going up the Tokyo Tower to Fuji, izakaya trips and sushi-making and more. My favourite events were the more outdoorsy ones such as going river swimming as it makes a nice change from the city.
I also made quite a few Japanese friends outside of TIG and the things I got up to with them were great too. I got up to things such as going to beaches, going snorkelling and going to Comiket.

The internship has been great as it has opened up a door to a future in Japan for me. It has helped me make connections with a variety of companies in Japan, along with connections with people who I'm likely to stay friends with for a long time to come.

My summer internship experience with Workshift Solutions was such a fruitful and memorable one. I had great bosses, lovely colleagues who really had faith in my abilities to contribute to the team, which was what I appreciated the most about this experience. It was a small team, and yet everyone was so friendly and genuine, never did I feel lonely or ostracized for being the only foreigner in the team! In fact, being non-Japanese made me feel like I could contribute more to the team whenever they entrusted me with translation tasks, let me directly communicate with clients and so on.

Had I not known of The Intern Group, there was no way I could have possibly found out about this company through my own means. That is why I am so grateful for The Intern Group, as they have granted me this amazing learning opportunity, in a country which I've always wanted to experience working in- Japan.

Thanks to this program, I could now say that I’ve opened a new and better chapter of my profesional life. Before this experience, I already had some goals in mind, but thanks to the wonderful people I worked with now I know clearly the kind of person I want to become in life.
Tokyo is a great city to inspire you to want to innovate, and use the full potential of the technology you have around you.
The accommodation was amazing, I can say that I’ve made life-long friends, and the events have created some great memories and good stories to tell. I would definitely recommend anyone not to miss the chance of applying and going on this program.
In my case, my intership was engineering related, but most of my friends on the program had different internship fields and they all sounded pretty interesting! Definitely a choice for any kind of study field.

Traveling to live and work in a country where you do not speak the same language and where the culture is so different from what you've previously experienced can be daunting. I soon learned I had nothing to be afraid of. Being immersed in Japanese culture and living in Tokyo for two months is something I will NEVER forget. Not only did I receive amazing work experience with my company, but The Intern Group staff created an environment that was safe and a community that was supportive and friendly. Along with the complimentary events like visiting Mt. Fuji, learning how to make sushi, and touring izakayas in Shinjuku, The Intern Group staff encouraged and facilitated other events that allowed us to fully experience Japanese culture. We frequently went out to dinner, enjoyed traditional Japanese festivals, and went on excursions to see what the city had to offer. I returned home with fun memories, experience to add to my resume, relationships that I will cherish for a long time, and a new appreciation for Japanese culture. As I write this review, I have only been home for a few days and I already cannot wait to go back. I had the experience of a lifetime and cannot recommend this program enough!

Everything was nicely put together from the company I interned at to the events and accommodation. Before this, I had never heard of a patient recruitment company but through this, I learned how the industry works as well as the behind the scene things. Writing blogs and past case studies of my company really got me learning things I never would have learned as a science student such as marketing and business in the health industry which opens up possibilities for me in the future. My colleagues were also really supportive and helpful even though they don't speak English. Other than work, there was also plenty of time for me to travel around Tokyo and eat all kinds of food. Lucky me to have come during the summer as there are loads of festivals occurring everywhere and I really got to immerse into the Japanese culture. The accommodation I had was really good, in a small quiet town not too far from Tokyo and the program coordinators were really helpful with any problems we encounter. All in all, just be open to trying anything while you're here and have fun!

Great program, great people, and great accommodation. The coordinators are really helpful and put together awesome events. The accommodations are clean and well decorated. The people are fantastic and are from all around the world. You will not find a better program. The program has a high quantity of events and event types, so it meets a lot of people’s expectations. The job placement can sometimes be a slow process, but it often puts you in really good companies. The companies are generally selected to meet your future goals. They aren't shipping you into a sweat shop, but rather a place that really wants to further your career aspirations. During my time in the program I was able to meet everyone from CEOs to some of my closest friends. If you want a great internship and summer experience this program is great.