We wish to incorporate the ideas of foreign interns into our traditional mochi store that has continued for over 100 years since the Taisho period.

Q.Why did your company decide to take on interns? What did you aim to achieve?

We have succeeded with acquiring excellent personnel through our initiatives to constantly reform not only the traditional working styles at Japanese companies, but also the working styles of women and senior citizens. In addition, we thought it necessary to cultivate a new market due to the changing food culture of young people and the decrease in eating mochi on a daily basis. This was the first time for our company to accept a foreign intern. However, by a foreign intern becoming involved with an traditional mochi store in Kita-Kyushu, such as our company's one, we have developed new ideas, cultivated new markets and connected these new ideas to our business. This is the reason we applied for the Japan Internship Program.

Turning the idea of "cinnamon" + "mochi (rice cakes) into reality! Facing the challenge of overcoming cultural barriers and interacting with the local community.

Q.What kind of internship did you run? What difficulties did you face and how did you resolve them?

First, the intern learned the manufacturing process for mochi and then we exposed her to the marketing, new product development, and package design processes. As a result, we were able to develop cinnamon mochi, a product known for its health benefits, and finally made it into a product after practicing tens of times. Furthermore, as 40% of our sales are generated through the local market including neighboring residents, temples, shrines and community centers, interaction with the local community is very important. In particular, communication is essential at the time of storing mochi. The Intern also understood the importance of communication. She attached “Happy Birthday” cards in Persian language when delivering savory steamed rice to local residents, helped out at festivals, and actively interacted with the local community. As she did not have any understanding of Japanese language, she build solid relationships of trust using communication beyond words. The intern stayed at my house with my family as a homestay. As she was a Muslim, she was unable to shake hands with men or eat food prepared by men. At first, we had to pay particular attention to the details. However, through learning about each other’s culture and building a relationship of trust, we were able to break down the day to day barriers and overcome cultural differences.

250% sales increase on the previous year due to new product development, new customer cultivation and employee awareness reform.

Q.Comparing before and after the internship, what effects did it have on you, your employees, or your organization?

The results of accepting the intern were well above our expectations. She had a bright personality and her willingness to learn about Japan helped with interacting with customers and the local community. In addition, we felt a large public relations impact when she created an opportunity for “people to visit the Takaishi Foods store to try unique delicacies devised by a foreigner”. Until now, the company only sold to regular customers. However, through her proposals and positive efforts, our staff began to cultivate new customers and reform the awareness throughout the whole company. Furthermore, she developed new products that were covered in newspapers and television programs, and our sales increased 250% compared to the previous year due to first time male customers and other customers who came through word of mouth. Also, intern-driven lecture course activities at the University of Fukuoka were met with an incredibly good reception, resulting in students interested in working for us approaching us, so this also lead to promotion for recruitment purposes.