Internship at Hitachi in Japan

Ramian Pfeiffer, a 2nd semester Master’s student in Medical Technology, undertook a three-month internship at the Japanese technology company Hitachi, Ltd. in Tokyo.

"I had long since decided that I wanted to gain experience in East Asia"

Ramian’s choice quickly fell on Japan. The country is culturally very different from European nations and at the same time far ahead in terms of technological progress, especially in the field of medical technology.

The K.K. Hitachi Seisakusho corporation has its headquarters in Tokyo and earns its money with technical solutions in various industries: nuclear technology, infrastructure, construction machinery and medical technology.

Through contacts of one of his professors, Ramian was given the opportunity to do an internship at Hitachi, Ltd. in Tokyo. During his internship, Ramian researched LEDs and carried out his own series of experiments, which he presented to his superiors.

„Even as an intern, I felt like a fully-fledged member of the team. The interaction was excellent and my supervisor looked after me very well.“

Everyday working life in a Japanese company

Although the corporate language at Hitachi is Japanese, communicating was not a problem. Many of his colleagues spoke English. However, the majority of the Japanese population has little knowledge of English.

The working hours were similar to those in Germany – generally Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5.30 pm, with occasional overtime. “In my field, this extra work is just as much a part of it here as it is in Germany. The relaxed management and the respectful way the colleagues treated each other made my work easier.”

Unlike in many Japanese companies, employees at Hitachi, Ltd. did not have to stay until the boss went home.

Ramian advises future interns who are interested in the country to learn a bit of written and spoken Japanese in advance. A rough understanding of the Japanese language makes it much easier to find your way around in everyday life, even if many road signs and signposts are “subtitled” in Latin lettering.

If you ever get lost as a foreigner in the 20-million-strong metropolis of Tokyo, you can rely on the helpfulness of the Japanese. But make sure you’ve also always got a translation app to hand.

Making contacts

„I lived in a student hall of residence. There were no cooking facilities, but the canteen and the Japanese restaurants provided good, affordable meals. You usually got given chopsticks instead of cutlery.“

But even using chopsticks is no problem once you get used to it.

Establishing contact with the Japanese students was difficult at first. But eventually, Ramian found people on social media who wanted to learn English or German and with whom he could explore the fascinating combination of Japan’s historical sites and its modern architecture.

Ramian undertook the internship in addition to his normal studies. Although this means studying for longer, Ramian still recommends it: 

"I would urge every student to take the opportunity to go abroad during their studies. Going to Japan enabled me to broaden my professional skills and my cultural horizons.“