Our goal is to acquire international talent who can provide support for food and agriculture. We aim to explore the strategic directions for the PR activities and the in-house environment.

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

We are a start-up company established in 2017. We have people with a variety of skills and backgrounds, such as programmers, chefs, and designers. We have gathered together on the theme of “food” and strive in the three fields of business: the development of cooking and food recipe apps, agricultural activities, and restaurant management. Up to today, we have developed a recipe app where home and chefs’ secret recipes from all over the world are shared and succeeded and even further developed. An open field for casual agricultural experiences is also in operation along with an agricultural platform that provides know-how to support the activity. Furthermore, coming in January of 2020, we will open a new restaurant that combines recipes and ingredients. With the downward trend in the workforce in the agricultural and food service industry, we must rely on the labor of people from abroad to prevent further restrictions on the industry. Also, the number of foreign tourists visiting Kanazawa has been on the increase after the launch of the Hokuriku Shinkansen. We applied for the intern program hoping to explore more effective PR strategies as well as to create the ideal work environment along with organizational reform to collaborate with them. Our goal is to acquire workers of other nationalities and tourists from abroad.

We shared the same passion-- “food”. This brought us together, and our interest for each other grew significantly.

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

To help her learn about our business and community activities, we provided her with the opportunity to harvest local fresh crops and make recipes. Communication was however, our biggest concern. We participated in some in-house English lessons and a study group to gain insight into the Indonesian culture, but despite all our efforts, we could not create a positive atmosphere in communication with her at first. It was a turning point for us when she took a leading role in the recipe development project of the local cuisines in Indonesia. We asked for her opinions on almost everything, from selecting the recipes and BGM to decorating the hall. This experience brought us closer together, and we started communicating with each other more spontaneously and more often. We realized that “Food” catches the interest of all and that we should use the theme to make the world one. In the agricultural sector, we held discussions with her on the agricultural issues of Indonesia and Japan. Also, we conducted a survey among Indonesian people with an interest in Japan on her suggestion. The survey questions were answered by a wide variety of age groups, including an international student from a university in Ishikawa, people from her alma mater, and a company of her relative. It helped us understand the tourism needs and their impressions of Japan.

We explore the sides of Japan that will appeal to visitors from abroad and develop strategies for business expansion based on the knowledge.

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

Putti achieved a greater result than we expected by contacting a variety of communities in a proactive manner. She did have the ability and energy to gather information. The survey results indicated that in many cases, their interest in Japan is stimulated by our subculture, such as anime and manga. We asked her to create an analysis report on the charms of Japanese cuisine from an international perspective with a focus on the dining scene of the work. It was a success; it helped us gain new business ideas for our recipe apps and restaurant management. Also, we expanded our knowledge of their interest and awareness about working in Japan through the report. Our employees have grown to be more understanding and open about the different cultures owing to the time spent with her. This was above and beyond our expectations. We are now aware that dialog is the key to working in harmony with people from abroad. You must be a good listener and communicator to understand their needs and explain your intentions, all for the goal of forming a collaborative relationship based on mutual understanding and consideration. Your efforts will surely make a great difference to the future. The contribution she made to our company made us realize the fact that global talent can surely have a great impact on the company and further stimulate business growth.