The special series to put a spotlight on our international staff, “Eyes, JAPAN employee interview” has started! Our 3rd interviewee is Tang Li from China.

He has been working in Eyes, JAPAN as a part-time staff since February 2020, and he recently switched to working full time. He is mainly focusing on backend development.

We wanted to ask Tang about his life in Japan, what does he think about working in Eyes, JAPAN and why he decided to stay as a full-time employee.

(Interviewer: Angie)

Aizuwakamatsu: A Quiet City with Beautiful Scenery.

Which country did you come from, and what do you like about your home country/town?

Tang: I came from China, and the thing I like about my hometown is the delicious food.

Why did you come to Japan?

Tang: I came to Japan to have a better life and alto to realize my dream. And two things that I like the most about Japan is the animation and lifestyle. In my opinion, the Japanese lifestyle is different from that of China, but there are similarities. One of the most important points about Japanese lifestyle is “quiet”, which is what attracts me the most. I can have enough time to get my own time and space without being disturbed. Compared to China, there are fewer population. I like to travel but don’t like to live in the huge cities, so Tokyo and Osaka are not particularly attractive to me. I prefer Sendai. Therefore, life pressure will be less and more comfortable. Even if it is not a big city, it is still very convenient. Some other points that I like are safe, food and anime.

What do you think about life in Aizu?

Tang: Aizu is relatively quiet, and the pace of life I slow. Also, the scenery is very beautiful.

What is your hobby and how do you usually spend your free time?

Tang: My hobbies are playing game, watching movie, travelling, and also eating delicious food. I usually spend my free time by resting and having great meal! And on weekends or holidays I also like to explore delicious foods around Aizu.

What kind of research have you done before?

Tang: I did research on software development, speech recognition, and second language learning.

Eyes, JAPAN is an International and Friendly Company.

How did you know about Eyes, JAPAN?
Tang: My friend, Edward, who is also working on Eyes, JAPAN recommended me to join this company.

Why did you decide to join Eyes, JAPAN?

Tang: Firstly, I can use English to communicate, secondly, I think the salary is good! The company has a very friendly environment, and also there’s free coca cola zero for the employees!

Recently you started to work full-time in Eyes, Japan. Could you tell us about what you like about Eyes, JAPAN and why you decided to stay and work full time here?

Tang: I work as full-time because I want to save money for PhD in the future. Of course, I would like to stay in Japan instead of returning China, which means I have to find a job and get visa.

Tang: One of the main reasons that I stay in Eyes Japan (EJ) is that I had done part-time here for 1.5 years. EJ is a quite international and friendly company, and I know everyone well. Additionally, compared to moving to the unfamiliar city, I prefer to stay in Aizu. Another main reason is I am satisfied with Yamadera-san’s ideas and job offer detail, such as helping the local community.

Tang: Including the points that I have mentioned above, some other reasons why I like EJ are: it has international environment and friendly staffs and boss, and there’s also free Coca Cola Zero (Although I did not drink it too much now). In addition, there is also interesting parties and events once in a while. I also don’t have to work overtime, and I could have less pressure and better work-life balance. It is also possible to have flexible work time and I can work remotely if I can’t come to the office.

What is your role and what kind of projects have you been working on in Eyes, JAPAN, and which one is the most memorable?

Tang: I am working as a backend developer (system engineer), and I usually work on website backend development and also solution research. Out of all the projects, I think my favorite project is the Shibuyerex project, which is a project about image recognition.

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

Tang: In my opinion, all my colleagues are skillful, smart, friendly, and very nice!

Do you prefer working in the company or at home?

Tang: I prefer working in the company compared to working at home. Working at home is more comfortable, but it is less efficient. If I’m working in the company, I can communicate a lot while working. Personally, I think face-to-face communication is more efficient than using video and text.

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

Tang: In the future I want to work on projects that can support local communities.

Advice: Learning Japanese is Important!

Have you experienced any culture shock while working in Japan?

Tang: Yes! There was one time that I went to a client’s company, and when I entered the room, everyone suddenly stood up and bowed to us. Aside from that, I also think that Japanese honorifics are particularly complicated when I’m using it at work.

Are there any cons of working at a Japanese company?

Tang: The advantage is you can experience several different posts and positions, while the disadvantage is the process of signing a contract is slow and there are many written documents.

How do you balance your working and private time?

Tang: I usually make a scheduler to know my time shift, so I can manage my time better.

Any advice for people who wants to work in Japan?

Tang: My advice is, learning Japanese is important. And also, you have to choose a company carefully, do not pick a company which has lots of overtime.

What is your dream?

Tang: My dream is to travel around the world and have a wealthy life!

Thank you!

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Everyone welcome.