Internship student Ms. Mirai Fukuo
Kamiyui Beauty Japan Manager Ms. Aiko Mito
NPO International Beauty Volunteer Association Director Mr. Hisao Watanabe

– First of all, I would like to ask you who have been in Cambodia for about 1 month now why you decided to come to Cambodia in the first place?

Ms. Fukuo
Originally, I used to work as a beautician in Japan, but I always wanted to go abroad in order to find the limits of my own ability. Actually, if I were just a little bit more energetic, I would have gone to Africa. At that time, I got a chance to come to Cambodia for a study tour organized by IBVA (International Beauty Volunteer Association). Cambodia was one of the countries that I always wanted to visit, so finally, I decided to come to Cambodia again, but this time I came for an internship to work as a hairdresser.

– The impression of a beautician to me is that they would leave for Europe rather than South East Asia, but why did you choose to come to Cambodia?

Ms. Mito
I have a different impression which is that the beauty field in those developed countries in Europe is almost already perfect, and it was the reason I chose to come to Cambodia. Actually, most people from the beauty field in Europe often come with personal prestige, but somehow I want people who haven’t been trained by other people, in other words, pure.
I always think that Cambodia is the best place for me to make the best use of all my experience and strategies that I have cultivated in Japan. For example, there is a large population in the Kanto area of Japan, and if you can stick with a genre, you will survive. But if you go to the countryside, you cannot use the same strategy to attract many customers. It is rare for people to come a long way from the cities. Therefore, I think that I would rather make the best use of my experience from a beauty salon in the countryside with unique techniques in this country Cambodia which also has a similar density of population and beauty salons.

– But, don’t you think that Cambodia and Japan are too different, not only in hairstyle but also in fashion or make-up, etc?

Ms. Mito
No, I don’t think so. It’s kind of surprising to see that what they have or are using here is mostly new, and it may be because many products are imported from and also the culture is influenced by foreign countries, including Korea, China, etc.
For hairstyle, I admit that there is some difference in how to make it, but the techniques used here are also found in Taiwan or the United States.

– You have been in Cambodia for an internship and a study tour. Can you tell us the reason?

Mr. Watanabe
I think it is very important to experience everything. For example, we cannot know some kinds of feelings that people from the previous generations used to feel, and it is even more impossible for people in the next generations to feel those. Do you know why? It’s because what people in the previous generations used to find difficult to complete can now be accomplished very easily. It is not a bad thing at all, but we should remember that it is impossible to expect people to understand things that they haven’t experienced. Therefore, in order for children from a generation in which everything is already “at ease” or “understood” and who always feel curious about “Why?” or “Is there a meaning in this?” to realize that “There is, of course, a meaning in this”, it might be a good idea to let them stay in an environment in which most things are lacking. This is what you cannot feel or experience in developed countries such as the United States, France, or England. So I think that it is important for you to come to feel for yourself in a country that can provide such an experience. Therefore, I am thinking of accepting more and more young people.

– After 2 months, Ms. Fukuo will finish her internship.
Even though it’ll be only a short period of 2 months, we will see how a change will happen in Ms. Fukuo’s life after she has achieved her dream of living abroad.