2018 Activity Report

April Activity Report

April 2018
Global Japan Office Coordinator
AHN Soyon

1. Sightseeing Guide

Japan is a very popular travel destination right now in South Korea. Children’s Day is celebrated on the fifth of May in South Korea, as in Japan, and this year, the holiday has become a three-day weekend, so many people are planning trips to Japan. For the students who come and ask me for tips about travelling in Japan, I send them to the Seoul offices for each region of Japan. I myself have never travelled the entirety of Japan, so I thought it would be better to introduce them to specialists, and the students I introduced in the past spoke highly of these offices. At these offices, not only can you receive pamphlets and information for free, but you can also talk to staff from Japan and ask them about the cheap restaurants that locals frequent and hidden sightseeing spots.

The type of trip I recommend to students is a university tour. Just like Korean universities, Japanese universities each have their own unique features, and while in some ways they are similar to Korean universities, in other ways they are completely different. I do this because I want the students to experience this and become more interested in interacting with Japanese students. There have actually been students who took my advice, went around different Japanese universities, and decided to go on exchange. I guess seeing the campus with your own eyes is really important.

2. Job-hunting in Japan

In South Korea, job-hunting generally begins a year or half a year before graduation, and if students can’t find a job within that period, they postpone their graduation. The South Korean job market is currently in a buyer’s market situation, so some students postpone their graduation for up to two years (four semesters). On the other hand, Japan is a seller’s market, and more and more companies are recruiting new workers at Korean universities. Recruiting information comes into the GJO every now and then, so I pass it on to the students. The pay is more stable than Korean companies, and the conditions aren’t too bad, but most students are afraid of applying due to the language barrier and their worries about living in a foreign country. Because of this, the GJO Seoul Office is planning a language program (in the form of a short program in the vacation or an exchange program) so students can brush up on their Japanese and learn about Japanese culture. Here at the GJO we hope to keep helping the students in their job-hunting by giving them advice and support on preparing for job-hunting in Japan.