INTERVIEW_19
RICHARD SWEET
Countries & Regions / the United States
1. JOB DESCRIPTION
My primary job is translation, but it goes far deeper than that. Using not only my language skills, but also my knowledge of my culture and the international market, I translate stories in a way that makes sense to the English-speaking market and get them excited to read more, or in other words－localization.
On top of that, I am a liaison in between the international market and the Japanese team, so I communicate user feedback back to the team and do market research on the latest news and trends and give presentations on my finding so that they can stay up-to-date. I even get to create my own proposals for new content!
My workplace is one where I don’t just do translations, but am able to challenge myself in a wide variety of different tasks and projects!
2. CHARMS OF SHIZUOKA
I think it all begins with Mt. Fuji. As someone who lives in the central region of the prefecture, being up to wake up in the morning, get on my bicycle, and have one of the first places I can see being the mountain that is the center of Japan is still breathtaking to me.
Shizuoka is an undeniably varied prefecture with a near perfect balance between urban and rural areas that allow for comfortable living and sufficient access to the countryside. Compared to sprawling urban centers like Tokyo and Osaka where you can easily feel trapped within the concrete jungle, here in Shizuoka, you can get your errands done easily and then escape from the city with ease and find an experience that suits you. Go hiking up in the Southern Japanese Alps, take a boat ride out on Suruga Bay, meet with local craftsmen and learn about the tradition arts. There’s so much to do that is hiding in plain sight throughout the prefecture.
And then, of course, there is the most important question of all: how do you feel about green tea?
Shizuoka is one of the three major producers of green tea in the country, and while it is incredibly easy to write green tea off as that stuff you get at the convenience stores or the matcha you can get in a cafe, there’s far more than meets the eye. There are many farmers, artisans, and organizations who are trying to maintain the tea industry and evolve it past just being a beverage. For example, there’s a farm who is heavily invested in making black tea (wakocha) from tea leaves and then using those leaves to make various types of desserts. Another example involves a dyer who takes tea leaves that typically would be sent to the compost pile, and he uses that as the base for his own dye.
3. LIVING ENVIRONMENT IN SHIZUOKA : NO INCONVENIENCE?
No place in the world is perfect, but Shizuoka is as close as it comes for me. One minor inconvenience I can point out is that Shizuoka is quite spread out due to its size. This, however, is countered by the fact that as long as you have a car, you’ll be able to take in some breathtaking scenic views that are only available within the region. Currently, I am experiencing life as a new father in the prefecture. At the beginning, I was quite worried about raising the child and how the community would take us in. Those worries were quickly put to rest by the kindness I see on a daily basis when I take my baby for a walk. You can truly feel the concept of “it takes a village to raise a child” on full display in my neighborhood when the locals approach us and interact with my child. I cannot express fully in words how welcome, safe, and peaceful it is to raise a family here in Shizuoka, but I am truly grateful that I have chosen to call this place my home. And while I still have a long way to go on my journey into fatherhood, I know that we will be supported every step of the way by our local community.
4. MESSAGES
When I arrived in Shizuoka as an English teacher, I found a prefecture that was able to match the kind of slow-ish pace I wanted to live at. Eight years later, I consider Shizuoka to be my second hometown and a location that is worth putting roots down in.
The international community in Shizuoka is surprisingly robust with various support systems already in place, so in this regard, there is very little you’ll ever find yourself lacking regardless of your nationality.
I do find myself sometimes pining for a trip to the metropolitan areas, which is easily doable due to the six different bullet train stations we have available. That being said, however, if you are looking for that perfect balance between urban and rural locations with an abundance of natural resources and friendly people, I can’t think of any place better than Shizuoka.