Interview with Maruti Nandan of Mercari, Japan, about His Working Experience in Japan

The 6th interview in the series of “interviews with foreign engineers in Japan. “ EJable.com’s Ryoko Nagai talks to Maruti Nandan Sharma of Mercari, Japan.

Mercari, Inc. is a Japanese e-commerce company founded in 2013 with the main product, the Mercari marketplace app, and has since grown to become Japan’s largest community-powered marketplace.

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Video Interview

Transcript of The Video

Ryoko: Hi, Maruti. Thank you for joining us today at EJable. I’m really happy to have this chance to talk to you and learn about your experience here in Japan. Also, I would appreciate it if you could please start with your introductions.

Maruti: Thank you very much for having me here. It’s my pleasure to be here.

My name is Maruti, and I’m originally from India. I’m currently working as an engineering manager at Mercari.

I joined Mercari last year, but I’ve been in Japan for a long time. And I’m living here with my family. Apart from that, if I talk briefly about my hobbies, I have kids, so I love to play with them. And yeah, I love to play cricket as well. So yeah, it’s very brief about me.

Ryoko: Thank you. So yeah, I saw. That you’ve been here for almost over a decade. What was your first encounter with Japan, and why did you decide to move here?

Maruti: Well, yeah, it’s almost nine years for me. I came to Japan in 2014, and honestly, after that till graduating, I never thought I would move to Japan. But in my very first job at a software company, I mean in India. And yeah, I kind of got motivated to move to Japan. And there I started learning Japanese also, and when I moved to Japan, I mean my initial reaction was, I mean, I was amazed in simple words, it’s very organized.

Things are very advanced. Yeah, even in their work, people try to achieve the highest level of perfection. I am mostly amazed by the great customer service provided by every company, or in general, by Japanese people. So overall, I had a great experience. And if I talk about other things like trains, buses, cleanliness, and honesty, people have punctuality. It’s really awesome. So overall, my impression has been really great.

Ryoko: OK, great. That’s great to hear. So, yeah, before you moved here, that’s when you just started learning Japanese, and now that you’ve been here for like almost nine years, have you developed your Japanese language skills?

Maruti: Well, I can say I have gone through many phases. So, as I said, I think I started learning Japanese in India. Fortunately, I joined a company where that taught Japanese to me, and I appeared for the JLPT exams there and passed the initial levels there.

Then I moved to Japan, and I was working for a traditional. Initially, I worked for a traditional Japanese company, a very small-scale company where no one was using English. Uh, that kind of forced me to utilize more Japanese. So, I feel I’m fortunate enough to have that environment where I think I could force myself to learn more Japanese.

I continued self-study, and I also used to go to classes at city offices. I mean, some city offices provide Japanese classes. Some old people teach there free of cost. So, I used to go there. Now my company also provides me with language training support, and I’m taking 101 Japanese classes. So, I’m still improving my Japanese.

Ryoko: Oh wow!

I see. So, in terms of working at Mercari, do you feel that people need to know some level of Japanese? Or is it possible to work without any Japanese skills?

Maruti: Not at all. I would say not at all. You don’t need Japanese. There, mercury is kind of like a global company. We have people from more than 40-45 nationalities, so it’s a pretty diverse environment. And the primary language we use is English. Is there so honestly, there is no strict need for Japanese there.

Ryoko: OK. Yeah, I see. So, then I guess it’s much easier for foreigners to work there for sure.

Maruti: And it’s comparatively easier for them.

Ryoko: Yeah, yeah, I see. What do you like about your current position at Mercari?

Maruti: Yeah, well, sure. I think, uh, as I shared, I’m kind of like working as an engineering manager. So, I have a very diverse team of people from different nationalities. So, I like working with these highly skilled engineers. They always tend to go for the highest productivity. And yeah, I mean this, I can say that apart from that, the environment of the company is really good. Most of us work remotely, but sometimes we go to the office and to parties. So overall, I think it’s a really nice environment, and I really enjoy working here.

Ryoko: I see, and I feel like if I were a foreigner, I would have the impression that you know, there are strict working ways that Japan has. Do you think that is something you have had to face over the years? Or, like especially at Mercari, because there are so many foreigners, there’s no such, you know, Japanese forced environment. How do you feel about that?

Maruti: Honestly, it depends on where you are working. It is similar in every country. So, if you are, if you are opting for a company that has a good culture, you can work anywhere. I can say, but. I mean, if you look at Japan from outside of the world, Japan has some kind of a bad image, like excessive work hours. People are, I mean, working holistically here. So, I think those kinds of things I can say are not applicable to all companies here. I mean, some companies really do have a good environment there. And they are really promoting a good work-life balance. So yeah, I don’t see those issues anymore nowadays.

Ryoko: OK. Well, that’s good to hear. Have you found any differences in the project execution styles in Japan?

Maruti: Well, honestly, I worked only for a short time in India during my initial career, and then I moved to Japan. But what I heard from my friends there, there are, of course, differences in the project execution styles.

Of course, one of the main things is the methodology we use for project management. However, project methodologies like Waterfall or Scrum, etc., are the same everywhere. The thing is how the execution gets done.

So, people here in Japan are really, really committed to the process. They really follow the processes, whatever they’re defined, and they’re really committed to the schedule and the work they have. Also, they really, really prefer to have continuous communication and reach a consensus with the stakeholders. So those are key things I can say. I mean, it is similar, but I can say the degree of accuracy is different. So, in Japan, I think you find that people are really trying to achieve perfection in the processes.

Ryoko: Yeah, OK. I see. Thank you for sharing.

So, I would like to, maybe, move on to a bit outside of work. So, my first question would be, you have been here for 9 years. What aspects of Japanese culture do you like the most?

Maruti: Yeah, well, I honestly, I really like the culture here. I can say the culture of respect, so respect each other, even in work, outside the work. The people are really nice. So I can tell you that when I came to Japan for the very first time. I didn’t have a phone at that time because I came here on a business visa. It’s 2014 I am talking about. So, I was looking for the address, and I asked a Japanese person, and he took me there. It made a very good impression on me at that very initial stage.

So, a culture of respect and a culture of, like I can say, Ikigai. I think people prefer what they really want to do, which is why I think they. I really enjoy work. So, these kinds of things really impressed me. Obviously, there are some good things and bad things also, but I prefer to see the positive side of Japan.

Ryoko: Yeah, yeah. Then, could you share a couple of things that you don’t really like or like? Or, have you had any culture shock?

Maruti: Yeah, well, since I have been here for 9 years, I can say I have become accustomed to this environment. Yeah, but I can say people who see Japan from the outside think that Japan is less socialized. People talk less with each other. Uh, obviously, there is also a language issue, right? So uh, people have an image that if they don’t know Japanese, they will have a really hard time here. Also, people talk about excessive work hours, but I think all these things are now changing.

Ryoko: OK.

Maruti: Many companies are looking for a better work-life balance. And language issues – well, I can say, I think many companies are going for more globalization, so they prefer an English environment there. People are becoming more social as the diversity of every company becomes more diverse, so these issues are becoming irrelevant.

Ryoko: OK, that’s good. That’s great to hear. Then, in your introduction, you told me that you’re here with your family. So, how is it to raise children here in Japan as a foreigner?

Maruti: I think I can say it’s comparatively easier, for me at least.

Ryoko: OK.

Maruti: Uh, my wife is not working, so my wife takes care of my kids. But I think the government has much support for raising kids here.

I mean, let’s say from the beginning, the government provides support for their medical expenses. You don’t need to pay a single penny even for your child’s vaccination.

Maruti: Apart from that, there are babysitting programs. There are, like kindergartens, for your babies. So, raising a child in a good environment, a respected environment is really good. So, I can say I think I’m fortunate enough to be here, yeah.

Ryoko: And in your free time, how do you like to spend the time? With your children?

Maruti: Yeah. So. Yeah, as I shared, I think it’s hard for me to take time on weekdays, but yeah, obviously, after working even on weekdays, I try to play with my kids at home and try to talk with them. Apart from that, I tend to take them to the nearest park to my home on weekends. And, sometimes, we go out together for a road trip. So yeah, that’s how it’s going for us.

Ryoko: OK, that’s very nice. I see. And uh, could you name a couple of places that you’ve been, uh, outside of Tokyo?

Maruti: Oh yes, definitely. I have been to Okinawa once, and I really like that place. It’s really beautiful—the beaches of Okinawa, the culture of Okinawa, and all. The environment itself is really, really nice. I was there for almost 3-4 days and really enjoyed my stay there. Apart from that, I have been to Tsushima and several other places. I mean near Tokyo.

Ryoko: I see, and I guess this is more of a personal question. Is it easy to raise your children here? I mean, Are your kids raised in Japanese or just in your native language?

Maruti: Oh well, so, for me, I think, since Japan is becoming more globalized, I thought I think it should also give more opportunity to my child to learn in the global environment.  so he goes to an international school, the elder one, the younger one is too young to attend school. I have two kids, by the way. The younger one is still two years old. So, he is raising at home right now.

Ryoko: Yeah, I see. I guess if you are in these international schools, it is easy to find your own community if you want to find other Indian friends or families.

Maruti: Yeah, indeed. There are, I can say, several places in Tokyo where you can find more people from Indian communities. Also, there are several groups of Indian people, so they celebrate festivals together. They celebrate some of the holidays together.

So, it’s a good community. They are connected not only with Japanese culture but also with Indian culture. I mean away from India, also.

Ryoko: Yeah. That’s great. Then, I guess this is going to be my final question. Do you have any tips or advice for people thinking of working in Japan or wanting to work in Japan in the future?

Maruti: Hmm, I see it’s a good question. So, uh, as I said, in my company, you don’t need Japanese, but I would say, I think, the first and the most important is that you should learn Japanese. Yeah, some people can argue that Japanese is not necessary to move to Japan. However, from my experience, I can say that a person who knows Japanese has more opportunities and the upper hand. I mean in their work. So, I think they should learn Japanese.

Second, people who want to come to Japan should follow the trends in Japan. What kind of trend is there? Let’s say they are working in the Information technology area, then they follow the IT trends in Japan, and they can enhance their skills there, which will give them an opportunity to come to Japan. And finally, I would recommend they connect the recruiters in Japan, like EJable 😊, even from outside Japan. So you guys can really help them to come to Japan. So, these are some of the tips from my side.

Ryoko: OK, great. Oh, following the trend is a great idea. I never thought about it. So, thank you very much.

Maruti: Yeah. It’s my pleasure.

Ryoko: Well, thank you for joining us today at EJable. It was great talking to you and learning about your experience, and thank you so much.

Maruti: Thank you for having me here. Thanks a lot.

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