How I Got Here: Johanna Nousiainen

I first came to Japan as a study abroad exchange student. That year changed my life, even though at first I didn’t know it would. I was supposed to become a journalist in Finland, since that was what I loved to do – looking for information, interviewing people, writing articles about unique encounters you have. However, after spending a year in Tokyo, I knew that I wanted to stay.

The only problem was that I had to go back to Helsinki to finish my studies. Arriving from +30°C Tokyo to +10°C Finnish autumn was a reverse culture shock, and so were the language and customs. Cabin attendants, bus drivers, cashiers at the cornerstone supermarket – everyone seemed so rude compared to Japan.

In one year, my Japanese had improved to a fluent level, so I started actively looking for a way to return to Tokyo. I found an internship opportunity in Tokyo, returned the next spring, and that year was a blast. Once again, I had to go back to Finland, but after graduating I knew what I would be doing. A job in Japan – that was my next target.

I quit my job to come to Tokyo to job hunt. I was lucky enough to find a job with a local company, where I worked for 3 years. After that, I changed to my current job as a producer of a recipe site. I’m planning content, writing articles and creating recipes – all in Japanese. It’s a job I thought I would never be able to do because of the language barrier.

I also found my new passion through my job: recipe creation and styling. I even attended a school here, and now I’m a certified Food Coordinator. I’m promoting Nordic food through my blog and social media, as well as having cooking lessons and lectures on Finnish food.

With FEW, I’ve found a gathering of very passionate women that inspire and make me try harder with my endeavors – seeing senpais doing their business passionately in Japan is empowering, and hopefully I can share some of that energy with you.