Raamenchan

Thank you everyone for all your support and your advice. It actually gave me so much to think about that I had trouble sleeping! But in a good way, because it forced me to think about what I really want by the time I’ve achieved my goals. So instead of going with my original plan to approach more people today, I thought I would do some brainstorming instead.

(This is a part 1 of a 2-part update. Part 2 is here ⇒ Step Two: Let’s Talk About the Business Approach)

But before I get into my thoughts, I thought I would make this entire project a challenge for myself. Partly to keep me motivated, and partly because I don’t really have much of a choice, anyways!

I had a look at my tourist visa, and it expires by July 27, 2009. And since yesterday marks the date that this determination began, I thought I would start a countdown beginning yesterday as well.

That gives me 70 days to make my dreams come true.

So what do I want to achieve by the end of these 70 days?

• A working visa, probably with a job at a major fashion company
• To be able to style for a living
• At least 100 clients who are as much friends as they are clients

And since I’m listing goals, here are my long term goals as well.

• To make fashion and style easily available to all the people who are struggling with it
• To help change the Japanese work environment (more on this later)

Let me talk about each of these goals briefly.

A working visa, probably with a job at a major fashion company
First things first, I need a working visa to be able to stay in Japan. Of course, I would love to be able to sponsor my own visa, but I don’t think it’s actually possible to do it within this small of a time frame from a legal standpoint. And naturally, my sponsor will have to be in the same industry, so a fashion company it will be.

To be able to style for a living
Styling is my passion, and so I shall make my passion into my means of living!

At least 100 clients who are as much friends as they are clients
As a rough measurement of how far I want to come with my own career in these 70 days (also for a strong appeal to companies), I would like to have at least 100 clients. That means more than one client a day, which means I have my work cut out for me!

But just as important is the relationship that I build with those clients. I don’t like the strong 上下関係 (hierarchial relationships) found in Japanese culture. Not because I don’t believe that older people / superiors shouldn’t be respected, but because I feel that it creates a wall in relationships.  And I feel it’s a wall that prevents the creation of close, genuine, and lasting friendships.

To me, it’s a waste. Everyone’s time is important. And that time shouldn’t be wasted on relationships that have no room to grow. I believe that the relationships you build with others are what bring you everlasting happiness, and I so I want to build those types of relationships as I build my career.

In a way, it’s sad. These hierarchial relationships were probably built on genuine feelings of respect back when they began. But now, they seem to just be traditions are more often empty than not.

And so that’s also what my goal to help change the Japanese work environment is about as well. I’m not going to start a revolution, but I’m going to try to make changes in my own environment that will hopefully set of a ripple that transforms into a wave.

To make fashion and style easily available to all the people who are struggling with it
And of course, the dream I took with me when I came to Japan. I want to take everything that I learn about style and make it easy to understand. I’ll never forget my struggle with fashion and style, nor the elation I had when I finally “got” it. I want to share that feeling with the world.

Categorized as Introduction, Storyline