Training at Fujisawa: Lessons Beyond Textbooks

"Excuse me... uh... I'd like a bathtub, please." I tried to tell the young cashier at the convenience store in Japanese, that “I wanted a plastic bag.” She hesitated, but seemed to understand my request, picking up a bag to scan and ring up for me. That was my first day as an intern in Japan, a land where I couldn't read the shop signs, and my communication skills were faltering. This, I suppose, is what it feels like to be a 'gaijin' (foreigner). Everything was new, challenging, and of course, full of experiences that no textbook could offer.

Last year, I had the opportunity to intern at Isuzu Motors for a total of about 13 months. The factory is located in the city of Fujisawa. True to its name, on clear days, you can see Mount Fuji from behind the factory. Before the internship, my company (TIS) arranged Japanese language classes for us every week, from memorizing 'a-i-u-e-o' to a level where we could communicate in daily life, ensuring that this young man wouldn't starve to death in the Land of the Rising Sun and become a viral news story. Then, when the time was right, after passing the selection process and various documents, the opportunity came for me and two friends to wave goodbye to our cats at home, step foot onto Haneda Airport, and officially begin our lives as 'kenshusei' (trainees).

My internship was in the Development department, the process between Design and Production. To put it simply (to keep the content somewhat informative), after the Design department creates a prototype vehicle, or even just a part, the Development department's role is to test the vehicle according to standards like EN (European Norms), ADR (Australian Design Rules), or Isuzu's own standards. These standards depend on each country's laws regarding which standards to apply to vehicles within their borders. For example, the EN R29.02 standard concerns the safety of truck cabins. The team has to design tests, prepare equipment, and conduct tests to meet the standard. The test I'm referring to is quite hardcore, sadistic, and violent, suitable for those who like blood! (Just kidding.) It's a safety test, where a steel plate is dropped to impact the truck cabin, and the damage is assessed to see if any parts fly off and hit the driver or passengers, and so on.

The internship program was systematically organized, as Tri Petch has always done well. Throughout the 13 months there, during the first month, we rotated through all sections within the department, one day per section. After that, we three were assigned to different sections to learn all the work within that section, three months per section. I interned in electrical systems, safety, damage analysis, and durability testing. Our vehicle product testing was rigorous in every section. I may not be able to share all the details, but every standard, every design, every selection went through a process of thought, testing, and refinement until our vehicle products were complete. From what I experienced, I'm confident that our vehicle testing process is second to none in the market. It's no wonder that Thais have trusted Isuzu for so long.

Besides work, life changed completely. In terms of living, the company provided an allowance and company dormitories, but that couldn't compete with Japan's high cost of living. To save money for holiday trips, I had to put on an apron, chef's hat, and channel my inner Iron Chef in the kitchen. As a freshman in this field, it wasn't easy. But if a small human can leave footprints on the moon (exaggeration...), then cooking in this small room is within my capabilities. Hmm... a bit bland... let's add a little MSG. And that was my first meeting with my Japanese sous chef, "Ajinomoto" san.

After meeting my right-hand chef, my world behind the stove changed completely. Cooking no longer seemed to be a problem. Once I started, I enjoyed it, got hooked, searched for recipes on YouTube, and bought ingredients from the supermarket. Before I knew it, I was a young househusband bringing bento to work every day. It's hard to believe that in just a few months, this sweet-faced guy who used to hate cooking had come to love it. This, I suppose, is what they mean when they say, "Sometimes the beliefs we cling to are just a frame that confines us from new possibilities," or "Resisting the unfamiliar can be a wall that separates us from the wonders of the world," or as the old saying goes (enough!).

Throughout my 13 months there, I can't describe everything in 1,600 words. Although it was an internship, the experiences I gained were, one might say, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Living in a land where nothing is like where I grew up, the climate, people, food, culture, language, and friendships were all excellent ingredients for growth. One thing that impressed me was the "professionalism" of the Japanese, their attention to what they do, their knowledge and understanding of their duties, the punctuality passed down since childhood. I'm quite confident that this (late) teenager standing at Suvarnabhumi Airport on the way there and back is completely different. If you don't believe me, I can try asking a staff member for a 'plastic bag' again. :))

By Rattana Naksut