At Colorkrew, knowing Japanese is not a requirement to work with us. Our team communicates effectively in English, making it easy for non-Japanese speakers to thrive.

However, learning Japanese can be incredibly beneficial for daily life in Japan. From simple interactions at shops and restaurants to navigating administrative tasks, having some Japanese skills can make your experience smoother and more enjoyable. While it’s possible to live comfortably in Japan without knowing the language, many people eventually realize the benefits of learning it as they settle into daily life.

Some people may find moving to a country that speaks an entirely different language daunting, but Japan has made it easy and convenient for foreigners to live here especially if the city you are moving to is Tokyo and if you speak English. Daily life activities quickly become a routine, and you can find yourself being complacent of only knowing words or phrases for those and think to no longer need to learn the language. However, I feel that for me to be able to fully enjoy and utilize the vast amounts of activities and resources that Japan offers, I would need to be able to speak the language to a functioning level.

Onto the good bits

To support employees who want to learn Japanese, Colorkrew partners with an online language school to provide a learning program for new employees, covering the cost of lessons.Participants start by taking an assessment to determine their current proficiency level, after which they are recommended a suitable course. The program operates on a point system, where each lesson requires a certain number of points. Colorkrew fully sponsors up to ¥66,000 worth of points, allowing employees to take classes at no personal cost.

When I found out about this program, I was excited as it can be challenging and expensive to find a language learning school on your own that fit your needs.

After my assessment, I was given two options: group classes with other students at the school or a more expensive private class—both conducted online.

I ended up choosing to enroll in the Private classes as it provided a much greater degree of flexibility in terms of learning content and class times. It ended up being a good choice for me as I already had some Japanese language ability through self-learning, which allowed me to quickly breeze through the content while covering the topics that I was lacking in. It was also convenient to personally reschedule with my private tutor when things came up and I suddenly became busy.

What’s more

Colorkrew also offers a language learning support program, where the company covers half the cost of language learning expenses. This means that after using up the allocated points, employees can continue their lessons by purchasing additional points with this system. Moreover, this program is not limited to the designated language school—it can also be used for other language schools, apps, or books that suit individual learning preferences.

I am looking forward to taking advantage of after!