MIYAKOJIMA – Rachma Aprilia Asyfandiary, Yasinta Febrianti Chandra Kirana, and Ariessy Apriola are three Applied Foreign Languages students from the Diponegoro University (UNDIP) Vocational School who are currently undergoing a one-year internship from April 2025 to April 2026 in Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan. This program, hosted by the Seawood Miyakojima Hotel, targets students interested in the restaurant industry, particularly in culinary arts and hospitality. Prior to the program, students were formally selected through an interview process. Afterward, the selected students were given basic training to help them adapt easily upon their arrival in Japan.
The students learned firsthand about kitchen hygiene standards, speed, managing food supplies, and traditional Japanese service practices.
In addition to improving their work and language skills, this internship program in Japan also serves as a platform for cultural exchange between Indonesia and Japan. One example is the inclusion of Satay and Gado-Gado (Indonesian salad) on the buffet menu at the Miyakojima Hotel, where one of the students interned.
Through this activity, the students not only improved their Japanese language skills and kitchen skills, but also gained numerous life lessons, such as independence, discipline, and the ability to adapt to a diverse work culture.
This experience provided invaluable personal and professional development for the students, while also helping them broaden their horizons in the professional world.
Beyond work experience, the students also learned many valuable lessons during their time in Japan, from how to interact with colleagues across cultures, understanding the Japanese work ethic, which highly values punctuality and responsibility, to how to navigate the challenges of living away from home.
According to the three students, this internship was not only about learning how to work in a hotel, but also about learning to appreciate differences, adapt, and grow as more independent individuals. They also felt proud to be able to introduce a bit of Indonesian culture to the workplace, one example being the Satay and Gado-Gado dishes, which are now favorites among hotel guests.
Vocational School UNDIP hopes that programs like this can continue and provide more opportunities for other students to experience similar experiences. Through these international internships, students are expected to not only be professionally prepared but also gain a broader perspective on the global workplace.