Graduate Interview
Bandai Co., Ltd
LARSSON, Joakim Erik Gunnar（Graduated from the School of International Liberal Studies in 2018）
My circle of friends expanded through sports
After graduating from high school in Sweden, I came to Japan and studied at a Japanese language school for about a year before entering Waseda. Taking advantage of the curriculum in the School of International Studies, which covers a wide range of academic fields, I took a variety of classes based on my interests: business, international relations, advertising, and more.
One of the things I got involved in while I was there was the athletics circle, which I joined when I went to their booth for recruiting freshmen shortly after entering the university. Despite the fact that I couldn’t speak Japanese very well at all at the time, they all warmly welcomed me into their circle. I made a number of friends both inside and outside the university though the shared hobby of sports, and those friendships still continue today. I also became proficient enough in Japanese to communicate without any difficulty, and successfully got a job in Japan—which had been my goal all along—through the same selection process as Japanese students.
Keep challenging yourself to make the best of you own four years
I’m currently working at Bandai, where my job is about expanding the overseas sales channels for toys. Japanese comic book and anime characters are extremely popular abroad as well, and there are fans all around the world who want merchandise related to them. My job is to deliver Japanese toys globally to meet these needs. It’s hugely rewarding to see something in a toy shop abroad and know that it’s there thanks to my work.
I hope that future Waseda students make the most of their four years there, and follow their hearts to challenge themselves and try various things. Waseda offers many opportunities to broaden your experience, such as studying other subjects not covered by your major and taking part in extracurricular programs and circle activities. If you have a path that you want to follow, you should find and try out subjects and activities related to it while you’re there. As you do that, you should start to see what you really want to do. Be proactive about making the most of your own unique four years.
【Encounters at WASEDA】I also gained direct experience of Japanese organizational culture through circle activities
Out of the 200 or so members of the athletics circle I’d joined, I was the only one who was foreign student. At first, it was a struggle just to remember everyone’s name, but my ability to communicate in Japanese developed naturally through daily conversation. I also gained valuable experience of the hierarchical relationships and different roles between people based on seniority in an organizationThings that are much less common in Sweden. The School of International Liberal Studies attracts students with diverse cultural backgrounds from all over the world, so the learning environment there also helped me broaden my horizons. Active discussions in class and daily interactions with a multinational community of peers gave me a deeper understanding of diversity regarding ideas and values.
- I learned about making products from the customers’ perspective
What I learned about consumers’ buying behaviors and motives at the Creative Industries Seminar is also helping me today.
- I also took part in athletics competitions and training camps
The training camps I was able to go to as part of the athletics circle’s activities are also wonderful memories. I also ran four full marathons while I was at the university.
- I used my own experiences to support underclassmen
I was Vice President of the SILS Sempai Project, an organization responsible for planning and providing guidance and campus tours for freshmen.
【Current Job】Bringing all my communication skills to bear in overseas sales for toys
I work in overseas sales for my company’s capsule toys and other products, expanding their sales channels to Europe and the United States. We build a picture of consumer needs based on trends in overseas toy markets, displays on sales floors, etc., then develop strategies on what types of toys to sell, how to price them, what sales methods to employ, and so on. In this way, we’re steadily expanding our business abroad. Because the popular characters and toy-shopping seasons vary from country to country, it’s essential to understand the other countries’ cultures and customs when conducting business there.
The experience I gained from studying with and talking to international students from various countries while I was at the university is proving tremendously useful now. It helped me develop the ability to communicate flexibly while taking into consideration differences in culture, ideas, and values, which is one of my strengths now in my global work.
※This article is reprinted from Future Design Guidebook 2021.
