I applied online. The process took 5 months. I interviewed at Rakuten
No offer
Neutral experience
Average interview
Application
I applied in-person. The process took 5 months. I interviewed at Rakuten (Tokyo) in May 2013
Interview
Went to a career fair in Tokyo, and submitted my resume. Then took some online tests through the Rakuten My Page. The tests were impossible to fully complete in the time limit, so I think the point was just to test under pressure.
After that, had an interview via an app called Wozer, or something. It was just pre-recorded questions, and then I had a limited time to record and answer. It was stressful because it was very impersonal. I thought I did terrible on that, but after that, had a second interview with a real person via Skype.
Since their internal language is English, and it is my first language, I decided to do all my interviews in English. The 2nd interview via Skype started out in English, but a few minutes in, the slightly nervous Japanese interviewer asked if we could continue in Japanese. It was a bit nerve-racking, but the questions were the same as they would ask in English. I felt pretty good about the interview, but two days later was told they weren't interested.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In Japanese, "What is your strongest point? Can you give me an example?"
Entry Sheet > Skill/Personality exams > Numerous rounds of interview. Does not cover transportation costs. Although each interview is not very long (~30 min), similar or the exact same questions were asked. Although it is claimed that English is the official language, your options may be severely limited if you do not have fluent Japanese.