Nationality: Albania
Time Living in Japan: 25 years
Employer: Self-employed
Current Job Title: IT Operations Management
Areas of Expertise: IT Operations, Project Management, DR/BCP, Japanese language, Japan culture & history, Japan business landscape
Education: Electro-mechanical Engineering
Language Ability: Albanian (native), English (native level), Japanese (advanced), Italian (advanced)
Favorite Thing About Living in Japan: Things work very well in Japan as in general people take seriously their personal responsibility and deliver on assignments within time/quality expectations. There is a high level of maturity in how people interact with one another, be it in private and/or work settings. Interactions are based on mutual respect and recognition of one’s needs/preferences.
Favorite Place to Visit in Japan: Nihon-ji on Nokogiri Mount (Tateyama, Chiba). A secluded temple nested in the mountains of Bosso Peninsula that offers a great view of Tokyo Bay with Mount Fuji in the background. One can hike in silence along the quiet paths of the temple while enjoying the sea breeze and foliage colors. Ueno Park offers an array of things to do and see. Although in the middle of Tokyo, the park is very big and offers something for everyone – art and nature museums, temples, a large zoo, history, tracking paths, and picnic grounds. And it offers one of the best places to enjoy sakura blossoms in Tokyo.
BIO: While working for a JICA project in Tirana, Albania, Genc met his future wife, who was working as a member of the same project. Although far away, Genc came to visit Japan, invited by his wife, and never left, falling in love with Japan and continuing to learn about the country and its people through interactions and observations.
After obtaining several IT industry technical certificates, Genc entered the path of IT where he has been working as an engineer and operations management for more than two decades.
Passionate about history, culture, and foreign languages (to him, they are closely related to each other), he tries to use them as platforms to know and better understand the country he chose to build his life and career and become a bridge between overseas and local staff through fostering of mutual understanding.
As he puts it “It all comes down to communication. People all around the world have the same life goals – the pursuit of happiness, contributing professionally, and helping others. But when communications break down due to culture and language barriers, the focus of interactions risks shifting from “What is we need to do?” to “Who’s fault is it?”. Foreigners that have been living in Japan for extended periods of time have the opportunity, even the responsibility, to act as bridges between Japan and their own countries wherever they may be from.”