On a Sunday afternoon, she briskly showed up on time at the appointed place in Shibuya under the blazing hot sun. "Hi! Have I kept you waiting?" Conveying the images of being bright and cheerful, she said with a smile.

A Bulgaria-born Janina Nikolaeva, who has been called "Niko-chan" since she came to Japan, which refers to 'a smiley' in Japanese, is leaving Japan in three weeks. She has worked in Japan for two years as a GKAM CPO （Global Key Account Manager Chief Pricing Officer）for Toyota Group and Honda of Chassis Systems Control at Bosch Corporation, the world's largest automotive supplier in terms of sales in 2004. In October she will be transferred to a different Bosch division called "Diesel Systems" in Feuerbach, Germany. 

Even though she is delighted to go back to the country where she has been living since she was 18, she expresses her mixed feelings about leaving Japan.

"This decision was not easy for me," says Nikolaeva who was supposed to stay in Japan for one more year. "But since my chances to get promoted and develop further are in Germany, I've decided to accept the new job offer. I hope I've done the right choice."

Two years ago, when Nikolaeva was assigned to go to Japan by her company, she was just shocked because she had never thought of living in Japan. "I hadn't even planned to work in Asia," she explains.  After she actually came to Japan, she was shocked again by the fact that she was not accepted by her new team, since women in Japan have less control at work than men do in comparison to the situation in foreign countries.

"I have always believed that women can prove to be good at her job as good as men are but once I came here, I faced a different situation and realized a lot of things," Nikolaeva says.  Although she's now established a good relationship with her colleagues in the team, she recalls that the first half year was especially challenging for her. "I think it's easier for (foreign) men to work in the Japanese society (in terms of social acceptability)."

However, Nikolaeva adds that she is not the one to tell whether it is best or worst to live in Japan, since she thinks each culture is different from others and has good aspects. "I don't have to accept, but I respect the different cultures," she explains with carefully chosen words.

Considering herself as a mixture of various cultures, such as Bulgarian and German, Nikolaeva says that Japanese culture has also influenced her behavior and character. "I've changed a lot in a good way. For example, I've developed some patience instead of saying whatever is on my mind," she smiles. "Japanese people know how to control their feelings.  I think it's something valuable."

Nikolaeva, who speaks Bulgarian, German, English, Spanish and Russian, has been learning Japanese since she came to this island country. "Even though I've been having some hard times while learning the Japanese language, people are understanding and a situation can change in a good way by just trying to speak Japanese. Everyone knows it's hard to learn a foreign language," she explains.  "Language opens so many doors."

For the past several years, she has had a more work-centered life and assumed a responsible position in a big company. However, Nikolaeva knows it is not everything in her life. "To me, the most important thing is that my family stays healthy and happy," says Nikolaeva. "And in the future, I'd like to have my own family, which would enrich my private life."

When she traveled to Bali to get a certificate for teaching basic yoga, she met the local people being poor but kind and warm-hearted. "I was impressed by their strong family bonds. They taught me there was something more important than money or career."

One of the similarities between Bulgaria and Japan which she respects is interpersonal communication. "In Western culture, individualism is deemed more important than group harmony, but I like to be in a close-knit community," Nikolaeva says.

At her new job in Germany, she is going to work for Toyota, which gives her chances to come back to Japan several times a year. Living in Harajuku for two years, Nikolaeva says that she will definitely miss the current living environment with full of excitements. "I've been worried about the restrictions on the baggage at the airport because I'm a real shopper," she laughs. 

Looking back on the two-years of her life in Japan, Nikolaeva states positively: "I have no regrets."