An Interview with Deepak Kumar of Fast Retailing (UNIQLO) about Working in Japan

You must have heard of UNIQLO. It originates from Japan, but now, they have stores worldwide. Today, we are joined by Deepak Kumar from Fast Retailing, the company that operates UNIQLO and multiple other fashion brands. Unlike other IT companies, Fashion Retailing’s main focus is the apparel business, so let us hear how it is to work as a senior software engineer at Fast Retailing. EJable’s Ryoko Nagai interviews Deepak. 

Video Interview

Transcript of The Video

Ryoko: Good morning, Deepak. Thank you for joining us at EJable.com today. We’re really happy to have you. And to have this opportunity to talk to you and get to know about your experience here in Japan. So first of all, to begin with, I would like to ask you to give us a little bit of your introduction and a bit of your background, please.

Deepak: Yeah, it’s nice to meet you, Ryoko; thank you. Thank you for inviting me. So yes, my name is Deepak, and I come from India. I did my bachelors in computer engineering. I came to Japan in December 2020 and am currently working as a senior software engineer with Fast Retailing (UNIQLO) here. And yeah, life in Japan is good so far. And apart from that, I have several hobbies, but mainly music.

Ryoko: Thank you very much. Can I ask what was your first encounter with Japan? Because I know some people figure out about Japan through anime or things like food. So, what was your first encounter?

Deepak: OK, yeah, so. I actually don’t watch anime. But yes, I am a fan of old anime like Doraemon and Shinchan. We watch a lot of those during our childhood in India.

Ryoko: Oh, OK.

Deepak: You know, for kids in India these are very popular. Not only the new anime but the old ones as well. I also had an image that Japan is technologically very advanced. You know, a very clean country, and yeah, my first encounter was exactly the same. It’s very clean; it’s, I’ll say, too clean. People are good, and there’s no pollution at all. You know, even the Tokyo metropolitan area, with the highest population in the world, is so clean. I think that was the first thing I realized when I came to Japan.

Ryoko: And how did you land this job at Fast Retailing?

Deepak: OK, so this is my first job after graduation. Fast Retailing came to our campus for the on-campus placements, and they did rounds of tech interviews, CTO interviews, and all. Then they provided some training regarding the Japanese language to the selected candidates. I’ll come to that later in detail if you have any questions about that. So yeah, after that, you are invited to work in Japan. That’s how I entered Fast Retailing right after graduating.

Ryoko: OK, did you at the time of campus interviews have an image that you wanted to work abroad or, specifically, in Japan?

Deepak: I would say not specifically in Japan, but yes, I wanted to work abroad. I already had an on-campus offer before Fast Retailing’s offer came. That offer was for the USA.

So, for Japan, first of all, I wanted to work in Japan after checking the company’s image and all. Secondly, the most important point I considered for coming to Japan was that it was an apparel company. It’s not a tech company, right? Yeah, they have an IT department with very talented people. And when it’s a small IT department, you have a lot of opportunities to learn and grow. You have many tasks to work on and not just specific tasks like in a tech company, where you are assigned specific tasks. That’s not the case with Fast Retailing and my current role, which I can explain later if you have questions.

Ryoko: OK, cool. Can I ask if you speak Japanese, and if yes, what kind of training have you had?

Deepak: OK, I can speak Japanese. I think I studied Japanese seriously for around one and a half years. I gave JLPT, and I’m at the N3 level right now.

So, the whole Japanese language and culture training was provided by our company. They arranged two months of training in India—very intense training, 8 hours a day from Monday to Saturday. We were quite messed up in the start, making mistakes in the particles like “Ni,” “Wa,” and all, right? So yeah, I learned Japanese during those two months in India, then after coming to Japan, I had classes conducted by Waseda University. My company paid for it. They focused on not only the Japanese language but also the Japanese culture. You know, all stuff like baby boom, Japanese history, omotenashi, and all such stuff 😊.

Ryoko: Do you think those lessons helped you and made moving to Japan easier?

Deepak: Yes, of course. Of course, I would say Japanese is very important if you want to stay in Japan. If you are here just for tourism purposes, that’s a completely different story, and you can use Google Translate, etc. However, if you live in Japan, I would advise everyone, whoever is watching this, to learn Japanese. It’s very important not only from the perspective of the work but overall life here. I don’t use Japanese that much at work because it’s software-related work. But if you want to make friends, if you don’t want to be lonely in Japan, and if you don’t speak Japanese, it would be a very hard time for you. Yeah, Japanese is important that I realized at the beginning only.

Ryoko: Yeah, I understand. Yeah, I can imagine. So, how was your process of moving to Japan? Was it difficult to get a Japanese visa as an engineer and everything? Like where you would like to live? Was that something that your company helped with as well?

Deepak: Yeah, all the credit goes to the company. It was difficult because it was a period of Corona, and all the flights were canceled. So, our whole schedule was delayed by six months. We had planned for June but came in December because of Corona. So, the visa and everything were managed by my company, and in December, they somehow got it. They just got a tiny window to bring us to Japan. Yeah, that’s how we ended up coming to Japan.

Ryoko: I see. Moving on to your job and work style. What do you like about being a senior software engineer at Fast Retailing?

Deepak: So, I like many things, but particularly I like the learning curve and the opportunities I’m given. My work currently is a twofold job. Firstly, it involves the development of features and epics, which I get from the business side. I have to design those right from the requirement analysis to the development, testing, and delivery. And the other part involves managing a team of five people. So, I’m managing a team, so I have to review those PRs, check the work status, and define the process. I don’t like micromanagement, so I define the process instead. So that everyone can work efficiently on their own, that’s a brief summary of my job.

Ryoko: I see. Then, how is the working environment within the tech department of Fast Retailing? Is it composed of many international engineers, or mostly Japanese, with a few foreigners?

Deepak: Yeah, that’s the beauty of Fast Retailing. It’s a very diverse environment. It’s the opposite of a traditional Japanese company, of which I had an image in India. Like leave after your boss leaves, come before your boss comes, and all sorts of that stuff – I had that image. However, First Retailing is completely different. We have people from all over the world; the US, Korea, India, and Japan. It’s a mix of people.

Ryoko: OK. So it’s a bit easier. I guess it’s much easier to work in such an environment than in a very traditional and hierarchal system.

Deepak: Yeah, it’s different, I think.

Ryoko: Yeah. Then, was there something that you needed to necessarily adapt to working at Fast Retailing? When I think about working in Japan, I feel that I need to adapt to how Japanese people work – because we have a very different work ethic and culture than many countries. So, was there something that you had to change or adapt to?

Deepak: I would say, in particular, nothing. You know it’s not like they have a process, you have to stick to it, and you can’t have any opinion of your own. We are very free to give our opinions. I have meetings with my managers, directors, and sometimes with CTO. It’s a diverse culture, and you can freely give your opinions. There are no hard & fast rules. If you have an idea, you can just go to the CTO or consult with your managers and everyone. It’s a very open culture at Fast Retailing that I can say.

Ryoko: Well, that’s great. OK, moving on to a little bit of your life outside work. Do you spend time with your colleagues outside of work? Do you go for drinks or dinner or something like that?

Deepak: Yeah, we recently had the “Bonenkai.” Yeah, we hang out with colleagues. I usually go drinking or do some sports or things like that.

Ryoko: I see, and what personally do you like to do in your free time?

Deepak: I like to explore Japan.

Ryoko: Like travel?

Deepak: Yes, I travel a lot. I travel with my Japanese friends and live in a share house, if you are aware of such a concept, there are many such houses in Japan.

Ryoko: Yeah.

Deepak: Yeah, exactly, so people from different countries are living there. So, I made many friends in my share house. I speak Japanese with them. Not only I learned day-to-day Japanese, but I also learned various slang. My favorite is “Kansai-ben” because it’s kind of easy to joke around that, right? Yeah, so apart from work, I travel. I make my own music. Music is my hobby, as I mentioned. And I like to read books. I mean, I started reading books. I was not a big reader, but I recently started reading books because reading books is very important as I grow in my career. Apart from that, I love watching K-dramas; that’s all I can say.

Ryoko: Oh, OK. Then which was your favorite place that you visited in Japan?

Deepak: Oh, difficult question. OK, so I think the interesting place was Osaka because I think it’s the opposite of Tokyo. And a beautiful place? Well, I would say Niigata.

Ryoko: Yeah, sure.

Deepak: If you understand what I mean in terms of friendliness, in terms of approachability, people in Tokyo are not really open to you, but Osaka is the complete opposite. Yeah, you know, everything is completely opposite. I can explain that part. Niigata was also very good, and I tried skiing there.

Ryoko: Oh yeah, so you went there in winter?

Deepak: Yes, last winter.

Ryoko: Where in Niigata? I have never been to Niigata, so I’m curious about where you went.

Deepak: I think it was Yuzawa.

Ryoko: Yeah, I’ve heard of it. Oh, wow.

Deepak: Yes, there is a very good ski resort. I forgot the mountain range’s name, but it’s a huge ski area.

Ryoko: I see. OK then, can I know what aspects of Japanese culture you like or don’t?

Deepak: OK. Japanese culture! Well, I like their ability to give 100% to their work. Whatever they do, they give their 100%. I realized that when I came to Japan first. Next, I like the onsen culture.

Ryoko: 😊 Was it not, like, shocking at first? Because I don’t think public baths are very common around the world. So, I feel like many foreigners would find it a culture shock.

Deepak: It’s an interesting story I cannot share here 😊, but for your question, yes, if I think once again, it was a shock for me. But later on, it became just natural for me 😊.

Ryoko: Oh yeah.

Deepak: The onsen culture is really good. Third, I think I like the convenience in Japan. For example, in terms of convenience stores and transportation. And how people follow the rules here.

Ryoko: Yeah, so many rules 😊

Deepak: And people follow those rules, right? Yeah, and I think the last part would be that there is a specific emphasis on human life. For example, you know, recently, Japan was considered one of the best countries for handicapped people. Because they have all sorts of support systems for them, right? I think that part is very unique. Japan emphasizes human comfort for everyone.

Ryoko: Oh, I see. I’ve never thought about Japan like that, so that’s interesting.

Deepak: Yeah, whether you are coming from India or any other country, I think you can see that very clearly.

Ryoko: OK, wow, that’s nice.

Deepak: Yeah, the other point is cleanliness and all. Those are some of the good points.

And well, not-so-good points?

I think one not-so-good point is the “Honne and Tatemae Culture.” Uh, that is difficult to comprehend, especially Tatemae. Although now I’m an expert in comprehending that 😊, yeah, I think it’s difficult for a foreigner initially. What else? A lot of paperwork in offices. Japan is a very paperwork country; sometimes, it’s a bit too much. Well, right now, I can only think about these two points.

Ryoko: OK, great, I see. Yeah, I do hear that from a lot of other people, like, also my friends. From people, uh, who are from outside of Japan, that Japan has so much paperwork, and I personally also think that.

Then maybe my last question for you. Do you have any tips or advice for people who wish to work in Japan?

Deepak: Well, since I work in a very diverse company, my opinion may be biased.

However, I think first of all you should be good at Japanese. That’s a must, right? If you’re trying to work in Japan, you have to learn Japanese. Second, you should be very curious. Sometimes it happens that you don’t have work, so if you are just sitting and not exploring or being curious about taking on some new tasks or something like that, then it would be difficult for you to grow. So, you should have self-motivation to learn, gain skills, and grow.

Ryoko: Yes, yes.

Deepak: That’s the most important thing not only in a Japanese company but in any company. And also try to build connections. Don’t be afraid to make an effort. And in Japan, it will take time and effort in the beginning. It will take a lot of effort to talk to people. You may be ignored by people sometimes. That happens, right? It’s completely natural because you are a foreigner, but make those efforts. Try learning their language. Understand their culture so that you can gel with the people. That will help you not only in your personal life but also in your professional life. This is from my personal experience. I used to joke in English in the beginning, but now I joke in Japanese at my workplace with my senpais. And they are really OK with that, so I would suggest people do that.

Ryoko: OK, well, that’s great advice, I think. Yeah. Then actually, one more question. What are your goals for your career here in Japan or in general?

Deepak: In general, I think the short-term goal is to enhance my skills, technical skills, and management skills to do some roles like engineering manager. In the long term, I definitely see myself on the Executive Board of Directors, especially in a CEO position. That’s my very long-term goal.

Ryoko: Well, thank you very much. Thank you so much for joining me here at EJable today. I’m happy to get to know you better, and I’m sure it will be very helpful for other people who wish to work in Japan. So, thank you very much.

Deepak: Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much. It was very nice. Thank you.

Ryoko: Thank you.

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