I LIVE IN JAPAN / Zak Holt / Translator, Project Manager

Were you hesitant to relocate to Japan?

What do you do in Japan?

I work as head translator and project manager for Peak Japan, a crowdfunding team based in Tokyo, Japan.  We take mainly made-in-Japan and Japanese-designed projects and bring them to the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.  By doing this, we can help to bring a wide variety of products that wouldn’t normally be seen in the West to a much larger audience.  My main roles are to translate the project pages, while also dealing with admin regarding the projects, helping with the shipping preparation, and also giving input on how to appeal to western backers.

What do you think about working in Japan?

It’s ok.  Rush-hour trains are a bit of a hassle, but other than that, it’s ok.  Being away from my family can be tough since they are so far away, but the internet makes keeping in contact easy.  The food is pretty good, but I wish fruit and vegetables were cheaper.  

The work culture is different.  Previously our team was located in a large company which was a struggle, and as it was an older company with a Japanese way of thinking, they could be very set in their ways.  The team itself though has a very western style of thinking in some ways so it’s nice to not be tied to a super Japanese way of thinking.  The expectations can be a little bit too high sometimes I think though.

What is your dream?

Eventually, I see myself hopefully working only as a translator at a game company that I love.  I’ve loved playing games since I was a small kid, and the dream would be to eventually translate games like those that I played when I was younger.

What is the distinctive lifestyle difference between your home country and Japan?

I guess there’s a lot more focus on overtime work here, which is a shame.  For many larger companies, overtime is included in the salary which leads to longer working hours it seems.