The day starts early for Nirmal Singh. Ninety minutes before he begins work at either 6 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. (it varies) on a farm in Chiba Prefecture, the 26-year-old from Uttarakhand state in northern India makes sure to get some exercise in.
His roommate, 21-year-old Shiv Kumar from Haryana, also in northern India, opts for a little extra sleep over exercise, waking up with just enough time to offer a quick prayer in the little temple he has set up in his room.
Both men traveled here in August 2022 as part of Japan¡¯s Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). They landed a spot on the farm in Chiba, their lodgings not much different from a Tokyo share house: both have their own rooms to sleep in, and they share a common bathroom and toilet. The kitchen is part of Singh¡¯s small space, both men use it to prepare their Indian-style meals as, they confess, they haven¡¯t quite taken to Japanese food yet. On the whole, they say they¡¯re rather content.
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