Summer Tokyo Interview: How should I compose myself?

[Fell4Ever]

Hi everyone, hope the summer (or winter, silly hemispheres) is treating you well.

I was talking to some people at the University of British Columbia where I am considering going to graduate school for a MA in Asian Pacific Policy Studies, and the advisor asked if we could schedule a Skype Interview. For a few reasons, I'm not comfortable using skype to interview with people, so I declined nicely and said we can e-mail (jokingly that it'll give him time to ignore my long and boring questions). He rolled with it a bit, but then offered to meet me in Tokyo this August.

I'm an American, but my school (which is American) is in Tokyo, and my flight lands on the 15th. He commented saying that he and a few of his graduate students are doing a few conferences in Tokyo around the same time and that he would love to have an interview/get to know me better. I'm excited because I'm hoping an interview increases my chances, but I hate interviews, and with this one in Japan, I'm not sure how to compose myself.

Here are my concerns, and I would appreciate any help!

1. Summers in Tokyo are HORRIBLE. In the five minutes it takes you to walk from your train to cafe where you meet your friends, you're drenched in sweat, hate your life, and feel like you're about to burst into flames, EVEN AT NIGHT. I absolutely refuse to wear anything formal during the summer - its tee-shirts and jeans all the way. Is this appropriate the night/day I have my (informal?) interview? Maybe I should suck it up and try to dress as 'nice' as possible, but I might just look like a wet sponge halfway through it...

2. Tokyo is a drinking city. He studies Japan so obviously he's been the country before, and he's coming with his grad students (who might be in Japan for the first time). They're going to want to drink, perhaps? I do drink on occasion, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am drinking with someone who might decide my fate when it comes to graduate school. I know he has 'school business' during the day, so most likely our interactions will happen at night - primeJapan drinking time.

3. Should I speak Japanese? I will obviously speak English to him - but if we are in a public area like a Cafe or restaurant, should I wait for him to order (in Japanese) or should I try to demonstrate my ability? I can typically manage myself when I'm at a restaurant if I can just point to a menu and say "One please. Two Please" (which is common in Japan, even by Japanese), but what if I make a mistake?

I know this is a bit of a ramble - I'm at work right now so every word I type is one more second I don't have to be doing office work.

-Thank you in advanced.

[kaykaykay]

1. Japanese summers are horrible, and he will be on a "vacation" so I do not think that you have to be hyper formal, but I would try to put on a short sleeved shirt with a pair of pants. It is not that terrible if you are in air-conditioning, and there are a number of places where there are air-conditioned underground tunnels in Tokyo. Also as a girl I often have to wear heels as a formal attire and changing from shorts to skirts and heels in the bathroom works all the time. (happily there are a lot of coin lockers around all main train stations in Tokyo)

2. I am sure he will not make you drink during the actual interview. If you are going out with the grad students you can always get a beer and do not really drink it. While I understand your concern about Japan beeing a good drinking place, you can always turn that into your advantage. You can recommmend nice places, you can interact with the professor/students in a relaxed environment, you may network with Japanese professors,students in your field etc. Japanese drinking is about bonding. and yes even if they do you probably should not get drunk.

3. I am not sure how much Japanese ability do you have and whether you want to "inflate" it based upon your post (I always think my Japanese is not so great but then I meet others who have never been there and I realize it is quite ok). I think it would be very strange if you would try to avoid normal human interactions, making this prof to order etc. On the other hand switching back and forth between languages is difficult even if you are fluent in both languages, so I do not think that it would be strange if you made mistakes in Japanese. Laugh about it. For that very reason there is a big chance that you will both speak English to the waitresses as well in my opinion. But I am not sure whether in Japan you can keep your level of Japanese a secret, even if the conversation is going to be in English their experiences will be about Japan, and they might make jokes related to the language, read signs or anything like that. Anyway, just be cool about the entire situation- if you manage live in Tokyo I am sure you will be fine.

[We regret to inform you]

1. Remember the old adage: dress one level up from your competition! Wear a tuxedo.

2. He will almost certainly be smashed before you meet up. I suggest doing the same.

3. Speak ONLY japanese. If he speaks anything else, call him a dirty gaijin and tell him his very presence shames you and your ancestors. Storm out and never look back. Then write a followup email asking when decisions will be made.