Experience Japan and Change Your Life

1. Experience Japanand Change Your Life Interning with JapanTourist.jp March, 2013

2. JapanTourist.jp Publisher • Japan Partnership KK • Metropolis is largest English magazine in Japan Performance (to Feb 18, 2013) • For content, largest inbound site in Japan • 3,119 articles (7-10/day) • 20,900 photos • 894 contributors • 32 Regional Partners • For traffic, second largest inbound site in japan • 25,337 unique visitors • 53,157 visits • 276,776 page views

3. Why Intern With Us? • We are trying to raise international awareness of Japan as a tourism destination • Using real voices, having real first-time experiences – that’s you! • Quality information from qualified photojournalists • Coverage and creativity to inspire others • How? • Interning with JapanTourist.jp editorial team • Being assigned subjects, locales, and styles to cover • But you’re free to choose the final results • Traveling various locations around Japan • Recognition • Publishing of your material on the website • Some outstanding work will also be published in Metropolis magazine • Letter of recommendation from JapanTourist.jp team

4. Who • Our medium is web and paper • We seek trained or experienced photojournalist students and recent graduates • Older applicants also considered • You must have demonstrated writing and photography ability, preferably with travel experience • We will ask you to provide us with URLs of your work • Work does not have to be published professionally • Ability to travel • You must be of adult age (considered 18 in some countries but 20 in Japan) • You must have a valid passport and be able to receive a visa from the Japanese government • I.e., your nationality must not be on a visa restriction list • Internships may be from 2 weeks to 2 months

5. What • Producing articles, photo-stories, and edited video clips for www.japantourist.jp • Focusing on entertainment, food, and culture, with secondary focus on scenic spots and events/festivals • Images and stories of the unfamiliar, with delight and curiosity • Creating your unique “take” on each location • Talking to locals, taking photos, gathering tourist information, writing stories • Either: Articles (We hope you can produce 1-2 articles a day) • Using our “granular editorial” approach, we seek inspirational vignettes of 350-500 words, and 5-10 photos • First person, chatty, informed, fun to read • And/Or: Photo stories (We hope you can produce 2-3 photo stories a day) • Visually interesting, memorable • Focused on subject or able to tell a story • Positioned for re-posting popularity on Pinterest or Facebook • And/Or: Video clips (We hope you can produce 1 x 2-3 minute clip every 2 days) • Optional activity for interns able to edit • Short, evocative, of scenes that epitomize Japan, edited to provide viewing grade above amateur

6. Where • Visiting locations throughout Japan • Will assign you these locations prior to travel • Most work to be done in populated centers, then occasional forays to countryside and less accessible locations • Most interns will start in Tokyo • You will arrive in Narita airport, then travel to Shibuya or Shinjuku, where we will meet you and accompany you to your homestay • We start with Tokyo so that you can receive orientation from Content Manager • And to explore this huge metropolis while developing language/writing strategies • Dealing with language gaps, unfamiliarity with local customs, writing rhythm • Then you will travel to a regional area on one of Japan’s 5 main islands • Somewhere in Japan, most likely remote but interesting • For you to discover and document a new environment • If you have family or friends in a given area, tell us, so that we can include this in your itinerary • Then back to Tokyo for a clean up of stories and debrief • Hand-off to team and possibly next intern arrival

7. What We Provide • A basic itinerary of places you will go to, contact details, pick up at stations, etc. • Each location will be different, but generally the following will apply: • Accommodation • Safe accommodation with someone our team knows • Minimum of a private room and private or shared bath facilities • Meals at some locations • In Tokyo you will receive room and food • Transport • Minimum of JPY1,500/day public transport coverage and attraction admissions for each population center, reimbursed by JapanTourist.jp upon your submitting receipts • In some areas, JR passes for inter-city/countryside travel • In some areas, use of a car (you must have travel insurance) • Support • Direction by JapanTourist.jp team manager or regional partner • Bilingual phone support from Tokyo in case of trouble • Help with hospitalization in case of accident/sickness (but you must have insurance) • Printer and telecommunications facilities at Tokyo office • A JapanTourist.jp supplied prepaid SIM cell phone OR wireless modem

8. What You Supply • Transport • Return air fare to Japan • Inter-city transport (can be pre-booked, or booked in Japan – we can discuss once you have your itinerary scheduled) • Personal items • You will need to buy your own food in some locations • If you’re on medication, you must bring them with you • Suitable immunization shots • Your credit card and cash (we suggest min. JPY2,000/day) • Tools • Your wifi-enabled cell phone (if you have one) • 8Mpixel or better amateur camera • Your wifi-enabled laptop or tablet suitable for composing stories • Documentation • Valid tourist visa for the internship term • Travel insurance, that should include accidents/sickness • International Drivers Licence (not compulsory, but desirable)

9. Your Visa • Japan’s Immigration rules do not allow tourists to engage in compensated work • This program is not an offer to work • Rather, this internship is a form of tourism (but it is not a tour) • Upon advice from the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, we are able to offer food and board, but no cash compensation • When you are asked at Immigration your purpose of travel the answer is “tourism” • If questioned further, you have been invited by JapanTourist.jp to blog about Japanese sights and scenes • We will create an invitation letter to confirm this, which you may show Immigration should they ask for it

10. Suggested Schedule • Your schedule is your own, but we suggest the following: • Weeks 1-2 – 3-5 days/week (other days are free) • 10:00 – check in to JapanTourist.jp office for assignment and review of previous day’s shooting • 11:00 – travel to location, by train, bus, bicycle, water ferry, and foot • Visit various stores, attractions, taking photos, notes, picking up local tourism pamphlets • 15:00 – need some language assistance by phone from JapanTourist.jp office • 17:00 – back to office to write up story, file photos • 19:00 – nightlife coverage, or return to homestay • 20:00 – dinner • 24:00 – back before last train • Weeks 3-7 • Travel to regional location (3-5 days each location) • Staying with regional partners or homestays arranged by them • Similar daily schedule, although more travel time for regions • Access to Tokyo if problems occur • Week 4 or 8 • Back to Tokyo for final wrap-up and debrief • Hand-off to next intern, if timing is right • Pick up letter of commendation • Sayonara lunch or dinner with team

11. Benefits • Public service • Helping Japan to recover from 3/11 disaster • Breaking down the aura of inaccessibility • Creating inspiration in others to come • Personal • Living with locals – unique view of Japan • Safe, structured, supported travel • Publishing of your work • Letter of Recommendation • Pecuniary – no cash, but: • Accommodation, and where offered, food and transportation • Points redeemable for rewards (also redeemable outside Japan) • www.metrorewards.jp • More rewards coming soon

12. IP Rights • Like all our contributors, your work belongs to you • But you agree to assign JapanTourist.jp perpetual rights to reuse the work submitted from the internship • This means no royalties • But on the other hand, you will be able to receive contributor points • You can redeem your points just as regular contributors do • http://metrorewards.jp/ • To avoid content duplication for SEO reasons, we limit your submission of our content to other global or national Japan-related travel sites • Restricted: JNTO, Japan-Guide.com, tripadvisor, Lonely Planet • OK: your own blog, regional sites, news sites, etc.

13. How to Apply • Please supply us with: • Review of your work • Online articles and photos, preferrably of travel experiences • Send URLs not digital images – post to flickr or tumblr if you don’t have your own site • Your resume • 1-page resume, with photo • Include both work, school, and volunteer experience • References appreciated (We may email these people) • Your Skype address • Visa • Contact your local embassy to see if nationals of your country are permitted a minimum 1 month tourist visa • Send the above to interns@japantourist.jp • Next • Applicants making the grade will be contacted by our team • Skype interview • Successful applicants will be notified approximately 2 weeks after the interview • An itinerary will be supplied at least 4 weeks prior to your intended arrival date

14. Your Chances • 2013 is the first year of the JapanTourist.jp internship program • We are expecting to take on about 20 people between April and November • We expect to have 3-4 interns for each 2-month slice, peaking to 5 interns in August-September • If the program goes well, we will run it again in 2014 • If you are interested in trying for 2014, please let us know • Your chances of landing an internship are currently 1:2 • You can significantly increase your chances by: • Having photojournalism experience • Speaking some Japanese or having Japan experience • Choosing non-peak periods (April-May, Oct-Nov) to come

15. Contact Information • Internship program leader • Terrie Lloyd, terrie.lloyd@japantourist.jp • Content manager • Kyle Hedlund, kyle.hedlund@japantourist.jp • General • Email • interns@japantourist.jp • Websites • www.japantourist.jp • www.metropolis.co.jp • http://metropolis.co.jp/about/