Hello!! I’m Kanako Takeuchi.
This is my first post!!In this post, I’ll introduce myself.
Why I start my blog
There are some reasons why I start my blog.
For one thing, I would like to communicate with people who are interested in JAPAN through this site, and hopefully to speak Japanese together on an online language platform amazing talker or italki.
I don’t have much experience as a Japanese teacher, but I have studied in the UK and love cross-cultural communication. I hope that my posts will be useful to those interested in Japan, and my site will inspire you to study Japanese!
Therefore, I would like to make this site a place where we can interact as friends, rather than as teacher and student.
For another, I need to improve my English writing skills. Japan is a mysterious Far Eastern country, and I haven’t used English much at all in my daily life or work since I came back to Japan.
If this situation continues, I will not be able to improve my English skills, and my study abroad experience will be meaningless.
I came to study abroad with the dream of becoming a bridge between Japan and other countries.
I quit my job after I got married. But I never stopped dreaming about it, so I became a certified Japanese language teacher. I’m looking forward to connecting with people around the world.
There is a lot of information about Japan that I would like to share with you, so I will do my best to write it in English! If you find a strange English composition, I would appreciate your comments!
Additionally, I’m going to prepare a Japanese translation of my post, so I hope it’ll be useful for your learning of Japanese.
My profile – where I was born
Next, I tell you why I have a lot of information about Japan which I would like to share with you.
One reason is related to the place where I was born. I was born and raised in Chiyoda Ward in central Tokyo.
Chiyoda Ward is famous for the Imperial Palace. In the spring, you can see cherry blossoms at Chidorigafuchi, which is famous for its cherry blossoms, and there is the National Theatre where you can see ”Kabuki” and the National Engei Hall where you can see ”Rakugo”.
Administrative and judicial functions such as the National Diet Building and the Supreme Court are also located in Chiyoda Ward. The British Embassy and many other embassies are also located here. It is the so-called tourist district of Tokyo.
Furthermore, my family has been running a Japanese restaurant since 1908.
Our Japanese restaurant serves traditional Japanese cuisine, and my family wears kimonos to serve customers at the restaurant. The restaurant is a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and sliding doors, and traditional artifacts such as hanging scrolls.
Therefore, I grew up more familiar with Japanese culture than the children of ordinary salaried families.
Thanks to that environment, I love wearing Kimono. Many Japanese brides wear only a wedding dress in a church ceremony, but I wore a kimono in a shrine for a Japanese-style wedding ceremony!
Not only loving Kimono, but I love cooking Japanese food and a Japanese festival called Matsuri, so I can share with you many Japanese cultures.
My profile – my career
The story goes back to my student days.
When I was a University student, I longed for a career working in developing countries, such as in International Aid Sectors, and I studied abroad in England to achieve that goal for one year.
However, the Great East Japan Earthquake happened in Japan in 2011, and I changed my mind to work in my home country, Japan so that I can help to solve problems after the earthquake.
So I started job hunting for the field supporting small and medium-sized companies because I thought that if I could support small and medium-sized companies, which support the Japanese economy, I would be able to help with the recovery from the earthquake.
The fact that my parents are small business owners also influenced my decision.
Finally, I joined SME support JAPAN which plays a central role in comprehensively implementing Japan’s SME policies, operating within the competence of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan.
After that, I joined the International Business Support Division, where I was involved in supporting the feasibility studies of small and medium-sized companies wishing to expand overseas.
Over five years, I have engaged in discussions on management strategies and provided management support to the management and overseas business staff of about 40 companies. I have experienced 11 overseas surveys in 8 countries.
I was also engaged in the planning and management of seminars on overseas development, including information on investment in Southeast Asia and cross-border EC business.
Through this experience, I became convinced that foreign human resources are necessary for small and medium-sized companies in Japan.
Japan’s population decline will accelerate in the future. I think the key to survival for Japanese companies is to expand their markets to overseas markets.
turning point
I got married when I was 29 years old, and my partner gets moved around a lot for work, so even though I was doing what I wanted to do at work, I had to reevaluate my work style.
In my twenties, I prioritized what I wanted to do, but in my thirties, which I will spend now, I will change my mind to value life with my family. So, I left the organization of SME support JAPAN, because I desire to be able to work regardless of location.
After that, I became a nationally certified career consultant and a certified Japanese language teacher. I am also studying web marketing, design, and writing.
Now that I have experienced childbirth and childcare, I would like to work as a freelancer while utilizing my qualifications.
My Dream
In the future, I would like to become a Japanese language teacher who can provide career counseling to foreigners. I would also like to play a role as a bridge between small and medium-sized companies in Japan and foreign human resources.
I would like to push forward toward my dream. Thank you for taking the time to read my long story!!