When it comes to Travelling to Japan I have met some Japanese people who came over to the Island of Malta. But how do Japanese people know about such a Tiny Island and why do Japanese people love Malta. In order to find out we must answer a few questions.
Why do the Japanese go to Malta?
Most Japanese people that I have met came to Malta to study English or improve their language abilities. After they finished their studies or while studying they found an opportunity to stay for work and keep improving their language skills.
There are Japanese people who came straight to Malta after having graduated from their University in Japan or those who were studying abroad and came to Malta to work within the Igaming Industry sector. Which is a large employment sector offering various customer support roles for Japanese Speakers and Japanese Speaking Jobs.
Most Japanese people left Japan in search of a better life or in order to fulfil their passions or dreams. Some expressing the reasons were they tried to leave the Japanese way of life, which for some has a strict and rigid working culture.
The differences between Malta and Japan
Firstly Malta and Japan are both Islands, although they are relatively isolated and surrounded by sea Malta is a small island, while Japan has more than 125 million people and consists of 6852 islands! One of the biggest differences between the two Islands is the Mediterranean mindset.
In Malta life has various aspects that focus mostly on Having fun, enjoying life eating alot of food and living slow.
While the Mediterranean lifestyle might seem good for some people, sometimes it can get frustrating. One of the major problems faced by the small island size of Malta is its overcrowding, small roads and high car density coupled by a poor public transport system. Although buses are free the public transportation is still decades behind Japan. Apart from that the traffic can be annoying when it comes to getting to and from work. Japan on the other hand has advanced public transport systems and railways that make travel easier and efficient. Anyone who has visited Tokyo can see the efficiency of the Yamanote train system.
Paperwork is another issue in Malta, Visas might be easier to obtain in Malta than any other European country however the draw back is that there are a large number of documents to process and the time line can be slow and time consuming. This of course is rare in Japan, a strict society that revolves around punctuality, cleanliness and top notch customer service.
Talking about the Good side of Malta is of course the food and the people. I live in St Julians which is a popular local part of Malta. Malta is well known for its outgoing and friendly population, were locals usually will strike up a conversation easily while eating out at a restaurant or bar. Talking to people here is normal, and making friends and taking life not too seriously is part of the Maltese culture. Maltese prefare enjoying life rather then focusing on work and following rules strictly to the book.
Certain things such as tattoos in Japan might be looked upon in a bad way however in Malta tattoos are worn by many people and some professionals like doctors, nurses and police also sport their own tattoos. This however might not be the case in Japan, were tattoos are still taboo and sometimes associated to organised crime such as the Yakuza.
Other points id like to mention is that Maltese love to discuss politics, sports (soccer) and money. Politics in Malta is huge, and its a big part of the local conversations on a daily basis. Go to any bar in the island and you will always hear a conversation about a political party. As Malta is a very poplular tourist spot money is another thing people talk about, while in Malta its a normal occurrence to discuss rising costs of rent ot housing in Japan talking about money is still considered to be a taboo subject. Japan has more conservative views when it comes to money and discussing your salary openly in public.
Malta is also well known for its feasts or ‘FESTA tar rahal’. Maltese love their local patron saint and usually trow a celebration to the saint in the months of summer, when the weather is good and permitting. The feasts offer a great range of food, like local Mqaret, Pastizzi, hobz biz-zejt or Ftajjar, Fenek moqli and other sweets you can but at your local stands.
Mind you most of the local food in Malta is highly influenced by the British and American culture. So the food is heavy in stuff like Hot dogs, Doughnuts, pizza, and fries and chicken wings or burgers. Malta although a Mediterranean country is heavily influenced by the western cultures and Arabic cuisine.
Of course the difference between Malta and Japan when it comes to food is quite apparent. Japanese tend to eat a healthier diet, consisting of small meals, mainly with rice, fish, miso paste and fermented foods. No wonder Japanese are the longest living population on earth in terms of quality of life and life span.
How Life in Japan Is influenced by Europe
The Western and European cultures have influenced various aspects of Japanese life so much so that Japanese society engulfs and grows with foreign cultures by adapting, adjusting to a new culture. Especially with the advent of social media and the use of smartphones for watching dramas, news, reading digital newspaper articles. Japanese love their phones and other tech gadgets and this has provided a gate way for exposure to other life style other than the more monotonous routines than most live in Japanese big cities.
Japan has a problem in adapting to so-called monoculturalism and collectivism, meaning that extra effort is needed in order to express individual wants and desires. In comparison to Europe or Western countries were individula achievement and fulfilment come first In Japan most prioritize what everyone wants or thinks leaving personal wants or ideas second.
A famous Japanese saying:
‘The nail that sticks out gets hammered down’
This is true as it can be ingrained into the subconscious thus many find struggle to express themselves over in Japan. However, lots of young people fancy traveling, living there or here, or even copying the European and embracing the western way of living.
Japan is changing and with the rise of a new younger more open-mided generation people are starting to demand change. People are becoming more inclusive and open to alternative lifestyles.
Malta might be a good option for Japanese as it allows the Expirence of the western way of life and European influence while providing a base for travel to Europe with cheap low cost air lines like Rayanair or Wizz Air with flight tickets starting at 19euros one way.
The iGaming Industry In Malta for the Japanese
Let me tell you something.
The Japanese people I have met in Europe don’t think iGaming is a dodgy industry. But however in Japan gambling is still considered a taboo,.
Igaming in Malta is one of the major industries and its one of the largest contributors the the Maltese economy along with tourism and construction.
Various online casions for Japnaese offer various games such as roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat, Most casinos also offering various offers, promotions and bonuses. some of the main igaming companies set in Malta include Betsson, leovagas, Evolution gaming
In the past Japan was focused mostly on Pachinko, however betting on local sports, playing various lottery games, and now online gaming has increased hugely in popularity and live casinos give the player an experience similar to land-based casinos.
With the increased demand for online casinos the need for Japanese customer service roles has increased. Although the need is on the rise it is still an industry that is relatively unkown to most job hunters and iGaming recruitment is still relatively unknown for Japanese job seekers compared to other countries like sweden or finland were casinos are legalized the casino industry.
Finding Jobs in Malta
Malta offers a variety of jobs for candidates who wish to work in the Igaming industry and most jobs can be found on job search sites like LinkedIn, Indeed or Keepmeposted.com.mt.
Various roles are on offer for Japanese job hunters like customer service roles, customer support and managerial roles.