Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Nathan Paterson has built an adventurous and innovation-forward career in Japan. After working as a designer in London, he came to Tokyo as an English teacher with basic textbook Japanese — then worked his way through a variety of traditional and progressive companies and founded his own companies. He spent nearly 10 years at Disney across Tokyo and Los Angeles, where he led research and design of digital platforms including the precu

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Nathan Paterson has built an adventurous and innovation-forward career in Japan. After working as a designer in London, he came to Tokyo as an English teacher with basic textbook Japanese — then worked his way through a variety of traditional and progressive companies and founded his own companies. He spent nearly 10 years at Disney across Tokyo and Los Angeles, where he led research and design of digital platforms including the precu

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Nathan Paterson has built an adventurous and innovation-forward career in Japan. After working as a designer in London, he came to Tokyo as an English teacher with basic textbook Japanese — then worked his way through a variety of traditional and progressive companies and founded his own companies. He spent nearly 10 years at Disney across Tokyo and Los Angeles, where he led research and design of digital platforms including the precu

Are you a student or young professional curious about launching a software career in Japan? Our interview with Christian Williams , an MIT graduate who has spent nearly two years in Japan and now works at fintech startup Jamm , explores how he found his role, what work looks like day to day, visa pathways (from J-Find to HSP), and practical advice for building a fulfilling career in Japan. Jamm Inc.   —— Can you share a bit about yourself and your background? Christian : My n

Should You Go to Graduate School Right After College or Start Working as a New Graduate? Deciding whether to go straight to graduate school after completing an undergraduate degree or to enter the workforce as a fresh graduate is a major choice for many students. For those who aspire to become researchers in academia, the dilemma is often whether to continue down the research path without interruption or to first step into society and gain practical experience. In this articl

This time, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ririka Saito, a passionate Food Science and Nutrition double major at McGill University. Inspired by her early childhood experience living in Germany, she developed a keen interest in exploring new cultures and global opportunities. In this interview, she shares how her fascination with cooking and health led her to pursue both Food Science and Nutrition, the internships that helped shape her career path, and how she landed a ro

2025’s biggest buzzword in the job-hunting scene is “AI.” In Japan, surveys show that over 60% of students use AI in their job search, and AI is rapidly becoming foundational to recruiting *1 . This trend is mirrored on the employer side: about 30% of major companies have adopted or plan to adopt AI in hiring *2 , meaning selection is no longer driven solely by the instincts and experience of frontline recruiters. Multiple algorithms now operate beneath the surface—ATS parsin

This time, we had the pleasure of speaking with Noa Gnaba, a third-year bachelor’s student at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. With a Swiss father from St. Gallen and a Japanese mother from Nara, Noa embodies a cross-cultural identity that has shaped both her academic path and professional outlook. After spending her entire childhood in Japan at German School of Tokyo Yokohama, she chose to study abroad in Switzerland to connect with her Swiss side. Currently majo