Escapee Amedeo Beretta on Life and Work in Japan

Amedeo Beretta in Tokyo, Japan

Escape Studios animation tutor Amedeo Beretta spoke to our students in Tokyo last week about his experience of working in Osaka for a Japanese games company.  

What is it like for a foreigner living and working in Japan? Amedeo Beretta had longed dreamed of working in Japan, and he explained to our animation students, who have been studying in Tokyo, how he came to achieve his goal.

Working in Japan

Amedeo Beretta works in Osaka, Japan

Japanese companies can be reluctant to hire foreigners, in part because they don't always want to invest in a new starter who might not stay in Japan very long.  

Fresh Ideas

Foreigners can bring new ideas and fresh techniques, but if the company is going to invest in that person it is important that those members of staff stay for a long time.  So a foreigner coming to Japan needs to be able to make a creditable case that they are worth the investment.  

Moving to Japan

Typical Japanese apartment building

There are also a number of upfront costs associated with living in Japan. It can be harder for foreigners to find accommodation; most Japanese apartments are not available for rent to foreigners.  Upfront non-refundable payments may be necessary, and guarantors may also be necessary.  New starters should expect friction when looking for a place to live. 

Corporate Culture in Japan

Starting at a Japanese company can be confusing. It isn't always clear what you are going to work on; initially your job may simply be to learn how the company works, although there isn't necessarily a formal training programme.  You also have to learn to speak (and read) Japanese and, after a while, you may start to figure out how the company works. Then, once you have made some connections, and begun to understand the processes, you can start to do some work.  And, hopefully, that work will be useful to the company. 

The Language Barrier

Learn to speak (and read) Japanese

Amedeo explained the importance of learning to speak Japanese fluently - a difficult task, but necessary to be able to communicate successfully with colleagues.  Amedeo said that his own mastery of Japanese was very limited ("just the basics"), but he is constantly striving to improve. 

Creative Freedom

Amedeo has been working for a games company in Osaka.  There have been many positives to the experience. For example, working in Japan, Amedeo has had considerably more creative freedom than he had working in visual effects in London.  The system is much less "top down", with a good deal more creative freedom for the artist. 

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