Japan has, since ancient times, welcomed highly skilled foreign talent possessing advanced expertise and intellectual assets in fields such as technology, scholarship, the arts, religion, and architecture—and has put that knowledge and skill to work in nation-building. From antiquity beginning with the Asuka and Nara periods, through the Heian, Kamakura, Sengoku, Azuchi–Momoyama, and Edo periods, and onward into the modern era—from the Meiji Restoration through Taishō and Shō

This time, we spoke with Koichi Kimoto, a second-year undergraduate at Stanford University studying Aeronautics and Astronautics with a strong focus on space engineering. His passion for space began with a high school physics teacher who introduced him to model rockets—an experience that later led him to work on a CubeSat-sized satellite project and ultimately pursue astronautics in the U.S.   In this interview, Koichi shares why he chose Stanford over other top engineering s

When Mao Hotta was a junior at Keio University, she panicked. Everyone around her was deep into shukatsu—talking nonstop about recruitment exams, interviews, and company rankings. But Mao had just realized that her dream of becoming a journalist wasn't what she actually wanted. "I lost my dream, my purpose for shukatsu. I was kind of panicked." So she did something unconventional: she applied everywhere. ---You applied to almost every industry. Why? Mao: I thought to myself—

The narrative around young people in Japan often skews pessimistic—articles say young people are depressed, hopeless. Mao Hotta sees it differently. "I think it's the opposite, actually. Young people are really motivated to work, and women are more empowered ever than before. Now is a huge chance for us to shine." We spoke with Mao about her experience in Japanese finance and why she's optimistic about the future. ---What was the gender balance like at Goldman Sachs Japan? Ma

Mao Hotta's career path reads like a masterclass in strategic exploration. Born and raised in Tokyo, she studied journalism at Keio University, worked as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, and is now pursuing a dual MBA at Kyoto University and Master of Management in Hospitality at Cornell. Her ultimate goal? Opening her own hotel in rural Japan. We sat down with Mao to learn how she's been building her dream one unconventional step at a time. ---Tell us about yo

Aryan Khurana is a business student at Western University's Ivey Business School in Toronto, Canada. Despite speaking zero Japanese and having no Tokyo connections, he landed a role leading international expansion at a fast-growing startup through systematic cold outreach. He's now supporting a matcha export business connecting Japanese farmers with North American consumers. What you'll learn in this article: Why async communication beats scheduled calls across time zones How

Aryan Khurana is a business student at Western University's Ivey Business School in Toronto, Canada. Despite speaking zero Japanese and having no Tokyo connections, he landed a role leading international expansion at a fast-growing startup through systematic cold outreach. He's now supporting a matcha export business connecting Japanese farmers with North American consumers. What you'll learn in this article: How to systematically find and land startup roles in foreign countr

Aryan Khurana is a business student at Western University's Ivey Business School in Toronto, Canada. Despite speaking zero Japanese and having no Tokyo connections, he landed a role leading international expansion at a fast-growing startup through systematic cold outreach. He's now supporting a matcha export business connecting Japanese farmers with North American consumers. What you'll learn in this article: The specific signals that reveal true startup culture when you lack