VIE Tokyo: Hugo, fullstack developer, left after 3 years at Toyota France.

Hugo, 26, arrived in Tokyo in October 2025. He's a fullstack developer at Abbeal on an e-commerce mission with a deliberately old-school stack: IBM HCL Commerce, Java on the back, JSP on the front. Before Tokyo: 3 years on a work-study program at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France. That experience lit the fuse.

Why Japan, and when to take the leap

"Through my work-study experience, I spent 3 years at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France. I discovered Japanese working methods but also the culture, thanks to people coming over from Japan to help us develop processes inside the company."

The goal of going abroad was already there. The Toyota experience confirmed that Japan was the right place. Abbeal's presence in Japan did the rest: after 1 year at the company, the Tokyo opportunity came up. Hugo jumped.

Working hours with a French mission

Hugo works on the same hours as his colleagues in France. Agile methodology helps: the rituals (daily, refinement, sprint review) happen at fixed times, easy to plan from Tokyo. For one-off meetings, the team plays along: they're scheduled rather early in the morning or early afternoon France-side, so it's not too late in Tokyo.

How he convinced the client

No pitched battle. Hugo already had 1 year on the mission with this client and a track record of quality. He was already mostly remote (1 day at the office per week). Working from Tokyo rather than from home didn't change the quality of work delivered. And the VIE status brings benefits on the company side. Everyone came out a winner.

What this model brings

"VIE is an opportunity that, beyond letting us work abroad, lets us discover a new country, a new culture. In Japan, work culture is a big topic. Continuing to work for a French company lets me keep a comfort zone. Thanks to that, I can more easily focus on discovering the country and use this opportunity to grow as a person."

The limits

Just one, but it's real: working with a French company means you don't practice your Japanese day to day. Abbeal funds private lessons once a week — that helps. But to really progress, you have to make the effort to meet people outside work. Otherwise the Japanese experience stays partial.

His advice

Motivation is factor number one. The first month isn't easy — it's a new rhythm to settle into. But if, like Hugo, Japan is a clear goal and you take the time to explore outside work, the model clicks very fast.

— Hugo, fullstack developer at Abbeal, on a VIE in Tokyo since October 2025.