Diversity, Inclusion And Belonging

What is Discover Deep Japan?

OUR MISSION

Discover Deep Japan (DDJ) is a small social start-up on a big mission. We aim to build a more inclusive world. Many people, on the basis of factors outside of their control are excluded systemically, socially, culturally, religiously and economically. DDJ hopes to rid of these exclusionary practices through social media marketing, one post at a time. How? We partner with small Japanese towns and provide quality digital content. The content is multilingual, inclusive and encompasses the voices and experiences of a diverse team, made up of migrants and refugees supported by talented Japanese staff.

A SOCIAL ISSUE

Skilled global talents continue to be excluded from the entirety of Japan’s workforce despite a shrinking population and strides toward globalisation.

People from all over the world come to Japan to live and work. In spite of their education and previous work experience, employment opportunities are limited. This is due in part to negative attitudes toward foreign workers, language barriers and precarious legal status.

At the same time, Japan’s rural areas face an uncertain future as depopulation is on the rise.

OUR APPROACH

We harness the language and professional skills of Japan’s diverse population to revitalize rural areas in decline.

Discover Deep Japan fosters a unique environment where we can directly address both the underemployment of talented foreigners and work to revitalise Japan’s countryside areas. Our talented multilingual staff have the language ability, skills and insight to promote Japan’s small towns to an international market. We work and live within local communities and provide tailored digital marketing services to attract foreign tourists and foreign customers for locally produced products.

OUR CULTURE AND VALUES

– Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
– Life First, Work Second
– High Performance for High Social Impact
– Autonomy and Accountability
– Candor and Collaboration

OUR IMPACT

Discover Deep Japan is currently working with ten municipalities and eight local organizations and businesses to revitalise depopulated communities.

We Are Committed To Recruiting And Retaining A Diversity Of Individuals.

Our global workforce is made up of people from all different backgrounds, nationalities, genders, ethnicities and other facets of identity. We actively foster a supportive, strengths-based environment where inclusivity is the norm and everyone has equal opportunities for success. By partnering with local communities we hope to shift negative perceptions of migrant talents and promote further social cohesion in Japan.

MEET THE TEAM

ARATA Eisaku

CEO

From Japan After graduating from university, Arata Eisaku worked in retail and a web marketing company before starting his own business. Currently, he is the CEO of several companies. He is proud to say that he is here today because of the many wonderful encounters he has had. Our mission for the future is to share the beauty of Japanese history, culture, and food with people in Japan and overseas. We are working every day to create a society where many people from overseas can visit Japan and experience its culture and history, thereby becoming attached to the land and living in harmony with it.

Kwok Hei Shum

Creative Director

Born and brought up in Hong Kong, Kwok Hei studied in University of the Arts London after a few years working in an academic library and obtained a master level diploma. He worked as a freelance photographer, translator and article writer for five years after graduation and joined DDJ afterwards. He is fluent in Cantonese, Manadrin, English and Japanese.

Haruno Nakajima

Sales Representative

After Haruno received a Diploma in Social Service Worker for Immigrants and Refugees in Toronto, Canada, she worked for a student agency for 3 years. After she came back to Japan, worked for a refugee assistance agency , and joined Discover Deep Japan later. She is fluent in Japanese and English.

Isabella Gallaon

Head Of Office Niigata

Brought up in both Italy and England, Isabella studied Chinese at university and came to Japan after graduating. She has worked in a variety of fields, including media and education etc. She has been deeply involved in animal rescue and welfare work in Japan, and ran a shelter for 8 years here, before joining DDJ. She is completely fluent in English, Italian, Japanese, and also speaks Chinese and French.

Matt Klampert

Lead Writer

Matt Klampert has lived in Japan for 8 years, and has worked as a writer, editor, and teacher. He has a keen interest in Japanese culture, and enjoys traveling off the beaten path and the authentic, non-curated experiences they have to offer. His interests include cats and ramen. He is fluent in English and Japanese.

Joshua Abonghe

Tourism Marketer

Joshua was born in Cameroon. He spent most of his childhood carrying out little business activities with his mom as his business associate. After graduating from the University of Yaounde I, with a degree in geography in 2016, he worked as a teacher and spent another year working as a consultant for Mustard Seed Engineering. In 2018 he relocated to Japan, where he continued his teaching vocation and did some factory work. He then changed his path once again and joined Discover Deep Japan in 2020, where he works as a tourism marketer.