The special series to put a spotlight on our international staff, “Eyes, JAPAN Employee Interview” is back! Our interviewee this month is Rumesh Weerakoon from Sri Lanka.

He has been working in Eyes, JAPAN for about 1 year and 3 months, and we would like to ask him about his experience living in Japan and working in Eyes, JAPAN!

(Interviewer: Angie)

From Sri Lanka to Japan

What is your favorite thing about your home country or home town?

Rumesh: Well, I’m from Sri Lanka, and what I love most is the easy warmth of the people, no matter where you go, you’re offered a smile and usually a cup of tea. That sense of community has shaped how I collaborate at work.

Why did you come to Japan and what do you like about Japan?

Rumesh: Japan’s mix of cutting-edge R&D and deep respect for craftsmanship drew me here. The University of Aizu offered a Postgraduate program that lets me pair AI research with hands on industry projects all while living in a country that celebrates detail and discipline.

What do you think about life in Aizu?

Rumesh: Aizu is wonderfully balanced, quiet enough for focused study, but with castles, onsens, Lakes and mountains minutes away. The tech community is small yet global because of Eyes, JAPAN and the university, so you get “big-city projects” in a rural setting.

What is your hobby?

Rumesh: I’m a “perpetual learner”: testing new frameworks (currently Astro + Strapi), volunteering at coding workshops, cycling, and playing cricket with other expats. Even downtime often ends with a Coursera tab open.

Do you have any things or skills that you are proud of?

Rumesh: Most importantly empathy is one of my core strengths and something I’m genuinely proud of Full-stack breadth, the ability to deliver production code solo or with a team, and communication. Also, I am honed as a university lecturer with years of lecturing and taught me to explain complex ideas in plain language and to listen actively.

What is your academic background and what kind of research are you doing?

Rumesh: My research explores focusing domain ontologies with large language model to model reason with explicit semantic knowledge, boosting accuracy in specialized NLP tasks under my postgraduate studies at University of Aizu. I did my bachelor degree in Sbaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and had an opportunity to work as a lecturer.

What do you think is the current hottest technology-related topic?

Rumesh: Agentic AI – autonomous “AI agents” that can plan, decide, and act across many steps is the hottest tech topic right now. An agent = model + memory + tools + goal. Instead of replying to a single prompt, the system perceives its environment, plans a multi-step strategy, executes tool calls, then reviews and refines its own work letting it complete complex tasks end-to-end (for example, writing, testing, and deploying code by itself). This momentum also aligns perfectly with my next research step.

Loves Coffee and Tech Culture in EJ!

How did you know about Eyes, JAPAN and why did you decide to join Eyes, JAPAN?

Rumesh: The company regularly work with the university and most of students are working at the company. Also, it is a well-known IT company in AIZU. I was aware by friends and the company website. I saw a perfect overlap with my skills, and wanted to enhance my current skills up to date with new tech in new environment. So I joined part-time in early 2024.

What kind of role and projects have you been working on in Eyes, JAPAN?

Rumesh: I work as both Back-end and Front-end engineer and also, I have been working in many projects from the beginning. For instance, Medical, educational and some of internal projects.

What do you think about your colleagues and working environment in Eyes, JAPAN?

Rumesh: My colleagues are globally minded and loyal, and the hierarchy is flat because we have a leader, not a boss who keeps workflows smooth. While the environment is flexible and free of distractions, making it perfect for turning new ideas into reality. I especially value the peace and quiet. It’s exactly what I need to do my best work.

Which customs in Eyes, JAPAN do you like the most?

Rumesh: “Coffee & Tech” Every day after the daily morning meeting is what I mostly loved. Beside of that everyone gather for a weekly meeting by every Thursday is really interesting where the young engineers share their thoughts and laughs.

What do you think about working at the company and working at home?

Rumesh: I personally prefer working in the office for many reasons: it’s ideal for deep work and pair-programming. That said, working from home also offers benefits for both the company and me.

What kind of project do you want to work on in the future?

Rumesh: I’d like to develop privacy-preserving AI for domain specific fields combining federated learning with ontology-enhanced LLMs so organizations can collaborate without leaking sensitive data.

Dream: To grow as a lifelong thinker.

Have you experienced any culture shock while working in Japan?

Rumesh: Very little, mostly learning to be patient with the paperwork and getting used to a few unfamiliar etiquette rules.

Could you give some pros or cons of working at a Japanese company?

Rumesh: Pros: Job stability, team cohesion, and a strong mentoring culture. Cons: Language barrier sometimes slow cross team chats, and decision making can be consensus heavy.

How do you balance your working and private time, and what keeps you motivated?

Rumesh: I don’t follow any special method; I simply prioritize the most important tasks and complete them within a set timeline. I’m motivated by curiosity and the thrill of turning ideas into reality that truly helps people plus the little “Aha!” moments when it finally works.

Any advice for people who wants to work in Japan?

Rumesh: Invest early in Japanese studies, embrace patience with paperwork, and detailed oriented mindset would be important.

Lastly, what is your dream?

Rumesh: To grow as a lifelong thinker who freely shares what I learn, and to empower others by championing open-source technology so anyone, anywhere, can build, create, and solve problems without barriers.

Thank you!

If you are interested in Eyes, JAPAN and would like to hear other stories, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following contact form.

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Everyone welcome.