Internship at Doggy's Island, a resort for dogs in Chiba, Japan.
In summer, 2025, I interned at Doggy's Island, a resort for dogs in Chiba, Japan. Through this experience I expanded my understanding of the hospitality industry and honed my service skills. I am deeply grateful to the staff at Doggy's Island for welcoming me into their work environment and allowing me to contribute directly to the experience for human and dog customers alike.
At the Cafe and the Lounge I worked directly alongside the main teams to serve customers, prepare food and drinks, and adhere to the high standard of service upheld by Doggy's Island resort.
Thriving in the Chaos
During my internship, I had the opportunity to work through the summer vacation rush, one of the busiest times of the year. I was thrown into the deep end of the service industry, rising to the occasion to keep up with the deluge of customers that passed through the cafe and lounge.
Through this experience I learned the importance of observation, precision, and communication. I had to be quick to anticipate customers' needs– whether for a dropped fork or an empty water glass, to address their needs before they had to ask. Collaboration with other staff members was essential for smooth service to keep up with the demand.
Cafe / Lounge
If the Cafe and Lounge were the resort's beating hearts, the next phase of my internship required me to understand the surrounding network interconnecting the entire complex. I was responsible for visiting stations around the resort, delivering towels to pool decks and ensuring that toys were evenly distributed between stations.
Analysis
As I made the rounds of each station, I kept tabs of which places were most frequented by customers and which weren't. Why was the small sized dog pool so popular, while the midsized playzone was nearly empty?
Resort Service
Volunteering with kids has been one of my most fulfilling work experiences.
At the FE Summer Camp, I got to work closely with children from ages 3-5, helping to organize an opening ceremony for the students and their families.
My volunteer work represented a new dimension to my work in hospitality. While my previous experience focused on service work and business, my new experience working in childcare has expanded my capacity to care for clients of all varieties.
Volunteering