Preparation

I have been studying Japanese for about two years in my (very little) free time. I have made Japanese friends previous to coming to Japan and the internship was completely organised by myself – I personally contacted professors at the University of Tokyo and had to organise accommodation, flights as well as whether this counts towards getting credits in my undergraduate degree by myself.

I chose to go to Japan as a result of interest in a culture vastly different than the one I have been raised in, the fact that I already knew people there and hence knowing I would not necessarily be on my own and the fact that the receiving institution has not only a very high reputation nationally but all around the world, providing me with insight in current research and credentials that will benefit me in my future career. Also: I am from Germany and hence preparation as well as visa regulations I talk about afterwards will be limited to the German procedures as I do not know about differences in other countries.

Visa
An internship in Japan does not give you the status of „international student“ and hence you will not be granted such a visa but rather (depending on the length) a cultural visa. If you are staying over three months (there is technically a way to extend the normal tourist visa to six months but as this could be rejected most institutions will not allow you to enter the internship with this risk of being rejected and hence you will need a visa. This means the receiving institution will have to contact the bureau of international affairs in their district to hand them a certificate of eligibility which they have to send to you, you have to fill out, send back to them, they have to give it to the corresponding governmental institution, get it approved and send it back to you. With this CoE you can then go to your local embassy and apply for the visa. Yes, this is very complicated if you have not done it before but I would urge you to not try solving this on your own (as I tried at first) and simply consult your receiving institution as they have probably done this before.

Accommodation
Accommodation in Tokyo is expensive for temporary visitors, especially if you value being close to central Tokyo – for accommodation needs less than 3-4 months it is unlikely you will be able to find a place that you will be able to rent but there are plenty of student accommodations available – but be aware that they are quite expensive – though very clean, tidy and high-tech.
If you are staying longer and can speak Japanese (in which case you probably already know this) it is cheapest to just rent a small appartment. You will get a decently sized appartment for not too much money relatively close to central Tokyo if you look around japanese websites. Though, this also means you’ll miss out on the social aspect of student accommodation.

If you are interning at a large company you may be able to get accommodation recommendations or even cheaper accommodation through them so it’s best to ask them directly.

Insurance

All the standard insurances have to be made, once you arrive you have to register your address at the city hall within two weeks – there you will also need to enter their national health insurance and pension plan. If you are a student you will usually be given massive reductions and only pay very little for those but you still have to pay.

The Stay itself
Japan has been a very isolated country for many many years and hence has a very unique and distinct culture. Staying there implies that you will have to abide local customs, spoken and unspoken rules and speak their language. In touristy areas there will be people., especially in shops, which can speak English, but if you want to experience the country for what it is you do not want to live there or be there too much. I stayed in a very normal living area and hence did not have any contact with the tourist masses around the attractions (unless I intentionally went there) – In those non-touristic areas I have also not spoken English even once – people are afraid of talking to you if you do not look like you can speak

Japanese and hence it can be complicated getting to meet new people. That being said, people are incredibly kind and forthcoming in a service-setting or once you get to know them.

Japan also offers incredibly beautiful scenery in nature, city skylines and shrines. Especially in Tokyo there is so much to see and experience that you will be happy to just stroll around the city for hours even after months of living there. The city is clean, the food is incredible and the way people treat each other is very comforting.
In Jape hours)

There are a lot of options if you like to get moving. Hiking, cycling, running, swimming – whatever you feel like, you will be able to do. The train system in Tokyo is incredible, efficient and quick. You can get into the mountains within an hour, to the beach within one and a half or take a shinkansen to the other side of the island in just a few hours.

On weekends I often went for hikes and fell in love with the Japanese Mountains and made a lot of friends along the way. I would definitely recommend to go hiking, especially as it is very popular with locals as well.

Work and Academics
As I already said – people work very long. I also worked very long. While my contract said 40h/week I was at work for more than double that. Not necessarily because they forced me to, but you do feel pressured to not go home that early when everybody else is still working. Also the amount of work I was given was a lot. But from what I heard from friends there – this greatly depends on the company.

The members of my research group spoke exclusively japanese with me, which I enjoyed as it greatly improved my language skills. I also learned a lot about research, how people think differently in such a different culture and Japanese culture in general by being immersed like this.

My research was on 2D materials and even though I am just a bachelor student I was given a lot of freedom using their machinery for research and have been mentored well. I was also allowed to enter facilites such as the clean room and more and experienced a lot of interesting research practises (see picture)