Interview with Gustavo Diniz da Corte of Moneytree, Japan

This is the 11th interview in the “Interviews with Foreign Information Technology Engineers in Japan” series. “ EJable.com’s Ryoko Nagai talks to Gustavo Diniz da Corte of Money Tree, Japan.

Video Interview with Gustavo

Transcript of The Video

Ryoko: Thank you, Gustavo, for joining today with us at EJable. I’m very happy to hear your story and for you to share about your experience here in Japan. And I’m sure through this interview, our viewers will also have a lot to learn from your experience. So. Could you begin by giving us a little bit of your introduction 😊?

Gustavo: Sure. Well, thank you for receiving me.

I’m Gustavo, and I am from Brazil. I had studied in Brazil. I also spent one year in Korea, also studying there. Then, I returned to Brazil and finished my studies. When I was in Brazil, I started working in the IT field before I moved to Japan. After coming to Japan, I continued working in the same field.

Ryoko: OK. Amazing. Then, can I ask why you chose to come to Japan to work in IT and your first interaction with Japan?

Gustavo: My first interaction was during my studies when I was in South Korea. I visited Japan in an exchange program, and I liked this place a lot. Since I was a kid, I always wished I wanted to know Japan. I wanted to come here someday. And I realized that dream during that trip.

But then, I didn’t exactly choose Japan to come and work here. It was just a coincidence. A friend of mine saw a job opening on a website, and he was talking about it in a group chat. I asked him to send me the link. After receiving the details, I just applied for that job. I received the interview request. Everything went well and, actually, better than what I expected. In the end, they accepted me. They said they would love to have me working with them here. And that’s how I came to Japan.

Ryoko: Wow, OK, so it was completely a coincidence, and basically, you just took the chance and sent emails.

Gustavo: I sent one e-mail to them. I didn’t send emails to any other companies. It just happened that I had a specific skill they needed, and they couldn’t find that in Japan that easily.

Ryoko: Right. OK. Wow. That’s wow. That’s a big coincidence. Then, before coming to Japan, did you have any Japanese language skills?

Gustavo: Yes, I studied a little bit of Japanese when I was in Brazil.

However, I had to stop learning Japanese when I joined the university. So, it was just a couple of years that I learned Japanese. But my Japanese skills were very basic 😊.

Ryoko: OK. Hmm. I see. Then, would you have some advice about learning Japanese for those who come from abroad to Japan to work here?

Gustavo: Definitely, because it helps a lot, especially in daily life. Like, when you go to the supermarket, if you can at least read something, it already helps, right? And so, learning at least some basic Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana is what I would suggest.

Ryoko: OK. So, at your workplace, is it mandatory to speak in Japanese, or do you do most of your work using English?

Gustavo: I do all of my work in English, and we’re not required to speak Japanese at any level.

Ryoko: OK, amazing. So, I assume there are a lot of international workers in your working environment.

Gustavo: Yes, actually, in my team, we don’t have a lot of Japanese people. We have a lot of Japanese throughout the company, but all of them have to speak English, so they all can speak in English. English is the official language of the company. It was founded by some foreigners who live in Japan. That’s why English is a part of the culture.

Ryoko: Right. Hmm, I see. OK then, I guess during your work, you are not exposed much to the typical traditional Japanese work culture. But was there something that you had to adapt to or kind of learn to work in Japan over the past three years of your being here in Japan?

Gustavo: Well, Yeah, especially because I’ve been to some companies that are very traditional Japanese. And well, the working style is that you usually have to put in a few extra hours. They don’t tell you that. But it goes without saying that you’re going to stay for some time after the regular office hours. It’s always seen by the upper management. They also encourage you to stay at the office because they usually do a few things after office hours, like having food or things like that. So that’s one of the biggest things that I, yeah, I had to change.

Ryoko: Was it something that you had difficulties with, or was it OK with you to spend that time learning about the Japanese working culture?

Gustavo: It was mostly OK. I was expecting some kind of shock at how they work differently, right? But in the end, it was entirely different. Like everybody, they also get to work on time and try to leave work at the normal time as well.

Ryoko: Right. Then, in terms of the project execution styles, do you see anything different from working in a Brazilian company to working in a Japanese company?

Gustavo: It’s hard to differentiate between Brazilian and Japanese companies because, from my experience, even within Japan, we have a lot of different processes going on. And it’s very hard to analyze between the two countries because, in Brazil, there are some companies that are very organized and some that are not. And the same goes for Japan. Like one of the companies I worked at they were not the best-organized company, and the projects were usually a little bit late.

Ryoko: Right.

Gustavo: I had the same experiences in Brazil. I have experience with better-organized where everything goes flawlessly. I think it’s it really depends on the people.

Ryoko: Right. OK. Then, can I ask what you like about your current position at Money Tree?

Gustavo: Yeah, sure. Well, they’re very flexible. And they treat their employees very well. I really like that they offer some very good benefits such as 20 days paid leave and 10 days leave a year. So that’s very different from many traditional Japanese companies, where paid leaves start with 10 when you start working and then go up, and usually you don’t get sick leaves.

So, Money Tree takes extra care of the employees, which is good. They do not encourage overtime work as long as you finish your work, which is also very good. If you can manage your workload and your time, why do you have to stay back? Just go back home.

Ryoko: Is it a hybrid working style that you have?

Gustavo: It’s fully remote. The company is remote first. They don’t care about where you are in Japan as long as you are in Japan.

Ryoko: Oh, Wow. OK. Then, how do you like working remotely, especially in Japan? I feel there are some pros such as that you don’t have to go through the rush hour during the mornings and evenings on these trains. But I also feel that working remotely myself, I do miss a bit of the human connections. Is it something that you also feel, or not at all?

Gustavo: I like the human connection part of the work, maybe not with the same intensity. I tend to prefer a hybrid workplace where we would have one or two, at most two days a week, in the office to interact with people to have the social part of the work done. But. I really like remote work, especially because you don’t have to take rush-hour trains and spend over one-hour commuting. Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t matter where you live in Tokyo, it will take at least 30 minutes to get from one place to another.

Ryoko: Fair enough. Yeah. OK. Then, moving on, do you have any advice for people interviewing with a Japanese company? It could be a very traditional or internationally diversified Japanese company. Do you have any tips or advice on how they should present themselves in the interview, or anything you could advise?

Gustavo: Well, I can only give advice on what I usually do in my own interviews. What I usually do is be completely honest with them. If I don’t know something, I tell them straight away that I don’t know. That, that’s and also like the ether is to learn new things. Be sure to prove that you really know about the thing, and not to show off if you don’t, because often such things can bite you back.

Ryoko: Right. So, be honest in interviews, right?

Gustavo: Yeah, I think that is very important.

Ryoko: Great. Thank you for the advice. Then, moving on to the social side, outside of the work aspect of living in Japan. Especially since you are working remotely full-time, what do you like to do in your free time?

Gustavo: Well, now I’m trying to go to the gym more often. I probably should be stricter with myself because I’m failing miserably 😊 and well like I’ve, I’d like to watch some Netflix, play some video games, or go to nearby places like parks to take a walk there. On the weekends, sometimes I go for hiking as well.

Ryoko: Nice. Amazing. Which mountain have you been to that you like the most for hiking?

Gustavo: I mean, there are a few mountains, but actually, it’s pretty much the same. I mean, it doesn’t change that much. After all, it’s about climbing a mountain 😊.

Ryoko: Right. Right 😊.

Gustavo: But there are some places that are especially beautiful during the Sakura season, the cherry blossom season. When I was living in the countryside, there was this Yama Park. It’s not exactly a super hike, but it’s, uh, it takes a short time to go up the mountain. However, at the top, there are several cherry trees, and it’s quite extensive. So, it’s pretty cool to walk there. And at the base, there is an amazing Ramen place that I really like.

Ryoko: Oh, nice, I should try going there. Then, there were some people that I talked to through these interviews, and they told me that making friends in Japan, especially with the local Japanese people, is hard as a foreigner. Is it something that you also feel, or have you already found your community and your friends quite easily?

Gustavo: Most of my friends are foreigners. There is kind of a stigma. I think having Japanese friends is hard. Japanese people are very open to getting to know you. But there is a clear line of separation between getting to know you and being your friend. So, it’s very difficult to cross that line. They are very eager to know you, but it’s very difficult for them to want to be really your friend. If you find a more, uh, somebody who can speak English, then it’s way easier, that’s for sure.

Ryoko: OK.

Gustavo: But especially for Japanese, that do not speak English, it’s very hard to cross that that line.

Ryoko: Right. Yeah, for sure, especially with the language barrier. I can imagine how hard it is. Do you have any tips on how you can find friends or connect with other foreigners in Japan?

Gustavo: Well, in my case, I reached out through some Brazilian communities. I made some friends there. I met people by just going out. And there are meetups, and I met some amazing people there. However, some of my best friends are people that I worked with before. We crossed paths at work. And then, just like, got that synergy going on. We continued talking after I left those companies, and we continued to be friends.

Ryoko: Right. That’s amazing.

Gustavo: it’s very hard, but if you just want to meet people, meet-ups are the best to know a lot of strangers.

Ryoko: OK. And do you find these meet-ups through an online platform, I assume?

Gustavo: Yes, and the platform is called Meetup as well.

Ryoko: OK. Amazing. Great. Then, what aspects of Japan or Japanese culture do you like or don’t like?

Gustavo: Well, about the Japanese culture. I like the Japanese society itself. I like the fact it’s very safe. You can walk here without being afraid of anything, and you can open your wallet anywhere; nobody’s going to bat an eye or try to steal it from you. It’s a very different form from some other places. That’s something that I like.

Something that I don’t like is that usually, most of the time, people are very methodical. They’re very bent upon one way of doing things. They’re very reluctant to change that way. I saw that Japanese companies, especially traditional companies, are very strict about their ways of doing things and very reluctant to try newer things.

Ryoko: Yeah, I can imagine that. And, yeah, I would not like being in such companies either.

Uh, do you currently live in Tokyo?

Gustavo: Yes, I currently live in Tokyo.

Ryoko: OK. Do you like how busy it is in Tokyo? It is a small metropolitan city but with a large population and in the summer everywhere you go, like on trains, it could be really hot and humid, and uncomfortable, for me personally. Do you mind the busyness and how hot it is during the summer and the atmosphere of Tokyo in itself?

Gustavo: During summer, it’s not pleasant. I must say, it’s very humid indeed. But I like the atmosphere because you can find pretty much anything here.

Ryoko: That’s true.

Gustavo: So. if you want to try something new, you can probably find it in Tokyo. If there’s anything from another country you want to try or do, you can probably find something close to what you’re looking for. So that’s the nice thing. It’s alive. There are a lot of people, like, depending on where you go, you can find out and meet many people. But yeah, the weather is not the best in summer.

Ryoko: Yeah, I agree, yes. OK. Then, moving on to my last question, do you have any general advice for those who are looking for work in the IT field in Japan and will be coming to work in Japan?

Gustavo: Well, if you’re already coming to Japan, good luck. There’s not much else for the advice. If you’re planning to do so, look at companies, look at LinkedIn, recruiters. They know a lot of companies so they can help you. You may find something that might not be the best for you, but it’s going to be something to get you started.

Ryoko: Right. Yes. Great. Thank you for the advice, and thank you for your time today. It was great to have this talk with you. And yeah, thank you, and good luck for your future in Japan.

Gustavo: Thank you. Thank you very much.

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