January 2025 (VOL.207)
Laureen TOUAMA
- Home country/state/city: Lorraine, France
- Occupation: Social Media Content Manager assistant, Japan Experience
- Duration of living in Japan: For 1 year (since January 2024)
- Why do you live in Japan?: Working Holiday Visa, it was my dream
Why have you decided to live in Japan?
I’m currently on a working-holiday visa (1 year) in Japan and so I’ve been living in Tokyo since mid-January. I’m working part-time for Japan Experience as a Social Media Content Manager Assistant.
I studied Japanese in high school and also in university (degree and master’s degree) as well as English and German (degrees).
I’ve loved Japan since I was a kid thanks to my parents who made me discover Ghibli movies when I was very young, and then my dad and my childhood friend introduced me to anime and manga, and I loved it! I then wanted to discover more about the culture behind those and slowly got passionate about Japan, its language and culture.
What do you appreciate most about Japanese culture?
The importance of nature in the culture and even in the daily life. Here, nature is everywhere: in every corner of the city, in the matsuri and festivities, and life here follows the flow of the seasons. I love the fact that there is always a reminder of the current season in shops with posters, in stations or in temples and shrines (with flowers in the water to purify your hands and mouth for example).
What do you do in Japan?
Can you talk about your job in Japan?
When I first arrived in January, I did not have a job in Japan, but I still wanted to have a professional experience here. During the first month, I did not look for a job as I wanted to get used my daily life in Japan, but then a friend of mine who works for Japan Experience introduced me to someone who needed an assistant in social media content management and creation, and since this is a branch that I am really interested in, I jumped on the opportunity!
How do you think about working in Japan?
I am honestly glad that I get to work in an international company because the working conditions in Japanese companies seem to be really difficult (long days, a lot of unpaid extra hours, etc.). The hierarchy system also seems to be really hard for newly employed people, regarding holidays for example, and some companies do not want to hire foreigners as well.
What is the distinctive difference between France and Japanese lifestyle?
A big difference that I notice every single day is the toilets/bathrooms! It may sound stupid, but in France we do not have so many free bathrooms around the cities, in shops like konbini or in stations.
When you need to go to the bathroom in France, you usually must go to “big” infrastructures such as shopping centres or stations, and in train stations toilets are almost never free (and clean). It may be a silly difference to point out but in France it can be difficult when you are outside!
What parts of Japanese culture do you recommend that foreign people try to experience?
I strongly recommend going to matsuri! You have many different matsuri all year long, but especially the ones when summer comes. The atmosphere of festivities there is amazing, you have many food stalls, dance or music shows, as well as special goshuin (usually) for those who collect them. This is a unique atmosphere that I never got to enjoy in France.
I also recommend trying onsen or sento here! The bath culture in Japan is also unique and it feels so good and relaxing, if you have the chance to try it, please do!
What is your dream?
Currently, I would love when I go back to France to find a job, ideally fully remote, that would be related to Japan and that would allow me to go to Japan frequently (meaning that I will have enough holidays and a decent salary) and that would make me able to buy a place for myself with a garden. Also, I would love to buy an akiya in Japan and renovate it myself! This would be a place I would be able to go to very often, I would love it.
It is not much but this is what I would love my life to look like!
Writer: Minobu Kondo
Photojournalist in Tokyo, writing for Japanese and American magazines. Publishing an essay “101 of green stories” with the other Japanese artists such as Kosetsu Minami. Languages: Japanese, English and French.
V
