Today Japan is a country that is especially attractive to those who want to work in a highly developed country and receive decent pay for it.
The fact is that in Japan (one of the few countries) it is possible in just a month, being good specialist in a field in demand here, earn an amount that is quite comparable to the annual earnings in such European countries like Germany or France.
How to find a job in Japan
Doing this is both simple and difficult at the same time. It’s difficult because applicants are always required to have good knowledge of the language. Many people know that learning Japanese is not easy. Surely everyone traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun is interested in the question of how to work in Japan.
State government programs, which are primarily designed to search for labor abroad, greatly simplify the search for the necessary work. So, if you have mastered the complex Japanese language, you can take advantage of the special government program JET, which will help specialists with knowledge of the language find employment in Japan. Before you start active search work, try to learn more about the country in which you are going to live and work.
Work mentality
To understand how the Japanese work, you must know that they strictly adhere to centuries-old traditions. For Japanese employers, it is very important to understand whether you can bring more value by working as a “cog” in a large work collective, and not individually.
We would like to warn you right away that a person who preaches the motto “my house is on edge” has virtually no chance of success. Any Japanese respects an ordinary engineer of a large corporation much more than the son of a billionaire. This is explained by the genetically determined favor of the Japanese towards people working for large companies. Moreover, the Japanese do not believe in making money easily.
Work days
The working day in Japan begins with an unusual “beginning of the day ritual” for us. This is an original greeting from superiors and colleagues, chanting together with a group of inspiring statements and slogans. Only after this can you start working.
Typically, the Japanese work much more than their Western counterparts. Even if the company officially works from nine in the morning to six in the evening, no one will be surprised by employees who come to work at least half an hour earlier. After the end of the working day, people often stay for two or three hours, and mind you - on their own initiative.
Each Japanese worker acts as one of the links in a large and strong chain. The most important thing for him is to act in such a way that the task assigned to the entire working group is completed with the highest possible quality and in the least amount of time. For the same reason, the Japanese rarely use their entire vacation. Appreciating the dedication of their employees, the management of many companies takes short week-long vacations for New Year, in spring and summer, thus giving people a little rest.
The average working day in the country lasts ten hours, and, accordingly, the working week in Japan is sixty hours.
Sign language
Successful work in Japan largely depends on knowledge of sign language. Sometimes its significance significantly exceeds that to which we are accustomed. Without knowing this language, you are unlikely to achieve any significant success.
Without mastering the basics of the culture of this country, you are doomed to failure. The Japanese will either simply disapprove of you or even be hostile. This will make you go through many unpleasant moments.
If you take part in business meetings, then you need to know how they are held in the Land of the Rising Sun. For example, the Japanese exchange their business cards even before the handshake and bow. All negotiations begin with middle managers. The height of tactlessness would be your desire to settle some issues with your superiors, bypassing the manager.
In any Japanese enterprise, all relationships are built on the principle of hierarchy. Therefore, it is necessary to know how to work in Japan. More 
adult employees always have a higher status, men are valued higher than women. If you need to write a letter or some kind of request for work, you should contact a colleague of equal status to you.
Business conversations should take place in an atmosphere of trust, friendliness, and harmony. Before starting such a conversation, you need to talk for seven to ten minutes in common topics to establish contact.
The Japanese often use subtle forms of refusal. Instead of saying “no,” the Japanese will most likely say: “It will be very difficult to do this.”
Work and accommodation
Usually in big cities more vacancies than in the periphery. But life in big city has its downsides. The labor market is usually crowded, and therefore tariff rates are much lower. For example, if in Tokyo a teacher in English receives an average of $30 per hour, then somewhere in the suburbs - $40 per hour. Moreover, life in big city takes away most of the earnings. Although there are advantages: you can get a richer experience of national cultural life.
What kind of specialists are needed in Japan?
The following categories of workers are in greatest demand in the country:
Teachers of English and Russian languages;
Financiers and bank employees;
Programmers;
Mechanical Engineers;
Designers.
Who can work in Japan
The country has twenty-seven types of statuses for foreign citizens, seventeen of them can be worked, provided that the necessary paperwork is correctly completed on the Russian and Japanese sides. The length of stay in the country may vary, but should not exceed five years (except for diplomats, whose stay is issued for the entire period of activity). The status is issued for fifteen days, three months, six months, a year, three years, five years.
How to work in Japan
For many applicants, this question is extremely relevant. Legal work in Japan is impossible without a work visa. This document is very important for a foreign worker. Japanese legislation is very strict, so the process of finding a suitable vacancy is further complicated by the fact that, by law, a company that wants to hire you must automatically act as a guarantor in obtaining a work visa.
Is it possible to find work for non-professionals?
Yes, it's possible. If you have at least an average level of knowledge Japanese language, then you can try to find a job caring for sick or elderly people. As you know, this country has the longest life expectancy, and many people in old age need help.
Writing a resume
Jobs in Japan for men are most often available in the field of computer technology or medicine. When choosing the right vacancy, it is very important to write your resume correctly and competently.
The Japanese treat any work with respect and are very careful in selecting employees. When writing your resume, try to emphasize your ability to work and your desire to work in a team (provided that this is true).
In addition, you must address your future employer very politely and respectfully and under no circumstances inquire wages– in Japan this is considered bad manners. Today we tried to tell you about how to work in Japan, what specialists are in demand in this country, and what requirements are placed on them. We hope that this information will be helpful.
Faktrum shares with the reader interesting facts about what the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun have to go to in the name of work.
The Japanese follow a strict dress code
Most Japanese companies have made it mandatory to wear a black suit with a tie for men and a straight-cut suit with a midi skirt for women. Violation of this rule is punishable by dismissal.
Japanese women are banned from wearing bright makeup to work
The Japanese believe that a woman should not attract the attention of men at work. Therefore, on weekends, Japanese women “have a blast” and put on as much makeup as possible, and go to work with virtually no makeup, using only powder and mascara.
Men are not allowed to have beards and mustaches
This is due to the fact that long hair, a mustache and a beard are a sign of belonging to the Japanese Yakuza mafia. Workers with long hair are forced to part with it when they are hired.
The company's management even regulates hairstyles
In some state companies Female employees are prohibited from wearing long hair; they must be short and barely cover their ears. And if a girl has naturally light hair color, then she is forced to dye her hair black.
The Japanese don't talk about their personal lives at work
According to the rules, you cannot talk about your family, problems and other topics in the workplace, as this is distracting. Even innocent conversations about the weather and nature are prohibited!
They can't just finish the job and rest
If a Japanese person has a specific task for the day, and he completed it ahead of schedule, then he cannot just go and, for example, drink coffee. The employee must remain in his place and work until the very end of the working day.
The Japanese spend too much time on small things
Due to the fact that companies pay their employees for the hours spent at the workplace, and not for the actual work performed, the Japanese tend to stretch out even a trivial task for for a long time. This terribly slows down the workflow, but no one wants to change anything.
They hold hours-long meetings
The thing is that they are not used to speaking briefly and to the point. When talking about something, the Japanese launches into long and extensive explanations, even if the person did not ask for it. The Japanese believe that if they talk about a subject too briefly, then they show disrespect for the interlocutor. Because of this, meetings last for long, long hours.
The Japanese do not like to take responsibility
If an employee is given an assignment that goes beyond the scope of his usual work, then he may refuse to carry it out, delegating it to someone else. If an employee takes on a task that was not within his competence, he may receive a reprimand.
In Japan, an employee only does his job
Here in Russia we can easily assign a colleague to do work not according to his profile if we don’t have time. And in Japan, employees have a clearly defined place in the work process, so they never go beyond their authority.
Getting the right document in Japan is a huge problem
To sign a single piece of paper, a Japanese is forced to spend many hours in consultations. Moreover, they are mandatory and cannot simply be ignored.
Japanese people don't show off their individuality.
In order to exist normally in society, the Japanese are forced to hide their differences and distinctive personal qualities from everyone, especially from their colleagues. At work, everyone should be the same and no different from each other.
In fact, the Japanese are not great inventors at all
Career growth in Japan is slow
The Japanese value not a person's skills, but his age. Therefore, a talented but young specialist can wait a very long time for a promotion, working at the company for many years, while old employees will receive a large salary for their length of service.
The high salary of the Japanese is a fiction
Yes, Japanese companies pay their employees large amounts of money, but after deducting all taxes, which is approximately 30% of the salary, a little more than a thousand dollars are paid out. At the same time, young workers receive a very small salary, and only after 30–40 years of work in one place can they count on a larger amount.
There are no holidays in Japan
The Japanese do not go on vacation; they have Saturday or Sunday to rest. Some companies provide an additional 10 days of vacation per year, but they cannot be used at once. These weekends are spread throughout the year.
The Japanese don't take sick leave
Even with high temperature or if a Japanese person is feeling very unwell, he will come to work so that he will not be fined or fired.
Strict work schedule
Even if the contract states that the working day lasts from 9 am to 7 pm, the Japanese always arrives half an hour before work starts. It is also not customary to leave work before the boss, and if he stays in the office for several hours, then all employees will leave only when the boss leaves the building - and not a minute earlier!
The Japanese almost every drink with their colleagues
Typically, twice a week, employees meet after work and go to a bar where they drink a lot of alcohol. Japan has a very positive attitude towards alcohol, and no one condemns excessive consumption.
Japanese people often die on the job
In Japan, it is not uncommon for an employee to die from overexertion at work or commit suicide due to stress. At the same time, the colleagues of the deceased are extremely indignant if this unfortunate fact interfered with their work.
"Karoshi" is the name given to death from a heart attack or suicide caused by too much work in Japan. This is now considered the official cause of death.
In the West, there are an endless number of stories, articles and books that teach you to be more productive so that you have more time for your family and favorite activities.
In Japan, the term “work-life balance” simply does not exist. But there is a special word for “death from overwork at work” - “karoshi”. Karoshi is the inevitable result of the grueling work culture that operates in Japan.
Every year in the country hundreds, if not thousands, of Japanese literally drive themselves to the grave with backbreaking labor.
A similar fate befell Kiyotaka Serizawa.
Last July, the 34-year-old Japanese man committed suicide after working 90 hours in the last week of his life. He was an employee of a company that serviced residential buildings.
“His colleagues told me they were amazed at how hard he worked,” said the victim’s father, Kiyoshi Serizawa. “They said they had never seen a person who didn’t even own a company work so hard.”
Long hours of intense work and forced labor after hours are the norm in Japan. This is the local work culture.
In Japan, there is a special profession of wiping tears for female employees.
It all started back in the 1970s, when wages were quite low and workers wanted to increase their earnings. This trend continued into the 1980s, when Japan became the world's second largest economy, and after the crisis in the late 1990s, as companies began to rebuild and workers tried to avoid being laid off.
In addition, temporary employees appeared, working without any bonuses or guarantees. Because of them, the life of permanent workers turned into even more hard labor.
Nowadays, no one is embarrassed by a working day lasting more than 12 hours.
“In Japan, people always work after work hours. Recycling has practically become part of the workday, says Koji Morioka, a professor at Kansai University who is on a committee of experts developing karoshi control methods for the government. “Now no one is forcing anyone to work overtime, but the workers themselves believe that they are obliged to do it.”
The basic workweek is 40 hours, but many workers don't count overtime because they're afraid they'll be thought of as overworked workers. This is how “overtime” works, and in Japan “overtime” means “unpaid.”
This relentless work schedule has meant that karoshi (workplace suicide or death from heart attack due to overwork) is now considered the official cause of death. According to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Labor, 189 people died this way last year, but experts believe there are actually thousands of such cases.
For a long time it was believed that karoshi occurs mainly to men, but lawyers have noticed that in Lately The number of suicides due to overwork among women is increasing. Photo: Getty
As Hiroshi Kawahito said, the worst thing is that young people die. Most often they are in their twenties. Kawahito is a lawyer and general secretary State Council for the protection of victims of karoshi, which defends the rights of families whose relatives died from overwork.
Kawahito represented the family of a journalist in his early thirties who died of a heart attack.
“In Japan, heart attacks in people in their early thirties are quite common,”- the lawyer noted.
If the cause of death is karoshi, then the families of the deceased are automatically entitled to compensation payments. At the end of March, the number of applications for compensation due to karoshi increased to record number in 2310 applications.
But according to Kawahito, the government approves only less than a third of these applications.
Kiyotaka Serizawa's death was officially recognized only last month. He was responsible for setting up cleaning rooms in three different buildings in northeast Tokyo.
A year before his death, Kiyotaka tried to resign, but his boss refused to sign his application. Fearing that his behavior would cause inconvenience to his subordinates, Kiyotaka continued his work.
Sometimes, during trips to offices, he would drop by to visit his parents.
“Sometimes he would lie on the sofa and sleep so soundly that I would have to check if he was breathing,”- says the mother of the deceased Mitsuko Serizawa.
IN last time she saw Kiyotaka last July when he stopped by to pick up laundry because he didn't have time to do his own laundry. He dropped by for literally ten minutes, showed his mother some cute videos with cats and left.
On July 26, Kiyotaka went missing. Three weeks later, his body was found in a car in Nagano Prefecture, not far from where he spent weekends with his parents as a child. Kiyotaka locked himself in his car, set fire to compressed coal and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The problem of karoshi has existed for several decades, but the government began to address this problem at the legislative level only a year and a half ago.
Japan's population is aging, meaning its workforce will shrink by at least a quarter by 2050. Photo: Getty
The government project includes several goals, including reducing the number of employees working more than 60 hours a week to 5% by 2020. IN last years About 8-9% of the population works this way.
The government is also trying to force workers to take paid leave. In Japan, workers are entitled to 20 days of vacation per year, but few take even half of that. The thing is, in Japanese culture, taking a day off is a sign of laziness and lack of commitment.
The government hopes to ensure that workers use at least 70% of their entitlement leave.
“If you know your rights, you can show others that there is nothing wrong with going on vacation.”, says Yasukazu Kurio from the Ministry of Health and Labor.
Curio tries to lead by example: last year he used 17 of the 20 days of vacation he was entitled to.
Lawyer Kawahito believes that all these efforts by the state may bring some fruit, but they will not solve the main problem.
“There is nothing in the government's draft about penalties for companies that break the rules,” explains Kawahito. By the way, he himself cannot serve as an example good balance between work and personal life. Even as a young man, he was accustomed to long hours of work. He is now 66 and works about 60 hours a week.
Kawahito would like to see something like a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain aspects of the organization of working time, which would require an 11-hour break between shifts.
“In countries like the United States, it's much easier for people to change jobs to something more comfortable,” says Kenichi Kuroda, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and an expert on work culture. “But Japanese people try to work in one company all their lives and it’s not easy for them to change jobs.”
Some organizations, particularly in the financial sector, support the government initiative and allow their employees to come or leave work early. So, instead of working from nine to nine, people can work from seven to seven so that when they come home they have time to spend time with their children.
“Companies like this are trying to bring about change in society. They show that they can create an “ideal lifestyle”, thereby trying to influence other organizations,” Kuroda noted. But, of course, in other countries such changes in the 12-hour working day will not be something revolutionary.
However, the current problem will still be very difficult to solve.
Japan's population is rapidly aging, meaning its workforce will shrink by at least a quarter by 2050. There will be even fewer people able to work, and the size of the workload will increase even more.
Professor Morioka believes that if the Japanese want to get rid of deaths due to overwork at work, then the entire work culture in Japan will have to change.
“You can’t get rid of just karoshi,” Morioka said. - We need to change the whole culture overtime and make time for family and hobbies. Working too long is the root of all the evil that happens in Japan. People are so busy that they don't even have time to complain."
Faktrum shares with the reader interesting facts about what the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun have to go to in the name of work.
The Japanese follow a strict dress code
Most Japanese companies have made it mandatory to wear a black suit with a tie for men and a straight-cut suit with a midi skirt for women. Violation of this rule is punishable by dismissal.
Japanese women are banned from wearing bright makeup to work
The Japanese believe that a woman should not attract the attention of men at work. Therefore, on weekends, Japanese women “have a blast” and put on as much makeup as possible, and go to work with virtually no makeup, using only powder and mascara.
Men are not allowed to have beards and mustaches
This is due to the fact that long hair, a mustache and a beard are a sign of belonging to the Japanese Yakuza mafia. Workers with long hair are forced to part with it when they are hired.
The company's management even regulates hairstyles
In some state-owned companies, female employees are prohibited from wearing long hair; they must be short and barely cover their ears. And if a girl has naturally light hair color, then she is forced to dye her hair black.
The Japanese don't talk about their personal lives at work
According to the rules, you cannot talk about your family, problems and other topics in the workplace, as this is distracting. Even innocent conversations about the weather and nature are prohibited!
They can't just finish the job and rest
If a Japanese person has a specific task for the day, and he completed it ahead of schedule, then he cannot just go and, for example, drink coffee. The employee must remain in his place and work until the very end of the working day.
The Japanese spend too much time on small things
Because companies pay their employees for the hours they spend on the job rather than for the actual work performed, the Japanese tend to drag out even a trivial task for a long time. This terribly slows down the workflow, but no one wants to change anything.
They hold hours-long meetings
The thing is that they are not used to speaking briefly and to the point. When talking about something, the Japanese launches into long and extensive explanations, even if the person did not ask for it. The Japanese believe that if they talk about a subject too briefly, then they show disrespect for the interlocutor. Because of this, meetings last for long, long hours.
The Japanese do not like to take responsibility
If an employee is given an assignment that goes beyond the scope of his usual work, then he may refuse to carry it out, delegating it to someone else. If an employee takes on a task that was not within his competence, he may receive a reprimand.
In Japan, an employee only does his job
Here in Russia we can easily assign a colleague to do work not according to his profile if we don’t have time. And in Japan, employees have a clearly defined place in the work process, so they never go beyond their authority.
Getting the right document in Japan is a huge problem
To sign a single piece of paper, a Japanese is forced to spend many hours in consultations. Moreover, they are mandatory and cannot simply be ignored.
Japanese people don't show off their individuality.
In order to exist normally in society, the Japanese are forced to hide their differences and distinctive personal qualities from everyone, especially from their colleagues. At work, everyone should be the same and no different from each other.
In fact, the Japanese are not great inventors at all
Career growth in Japan is slow
The Japanese value not a person's skills, but his age. Therefore, a talented but young specialist can wait a very long time for a promotion, working at the company for many years, while old employees will receive a large salary for their length of service.
The high salary of the Japanese is a fiction
Yes, Japanese companies pay their employees large amounts of money, but after deducting all taxes, which is approximately 30% of the salary, a little more than a thousand dollars are paid out. At the same time, young workers receive a very small salary, and only after 30–40 years of work in one place can they count on a larger amount.
There are no holidays in Japan
The Japanese do not go on vacation; they have Saturday or Sunday to rest. Some companies provide an additional 10 days of vacation per year, but they cannot be used at once. These weekends are spread throughout the year.
The Japanese don't take sick leave
Even with a high temperature or very bad health, a Japanese person will report to work so that he will not be fined or fired.
Strict work schedule
Even if the contract states that the working day lasts from 9 am to 7 pm, the Japanese always arrives half an hour before work starts. It is also not customary to leave work before the boss, and if he stays in the office for several hours, then all employees will leave only when the boss leaves the building - and not a minute earlier!
The Japanese almost every drink with their colleagues
Typically, twice a week, employees meet after work and go to a bar where they drink a lot of alcohol. Japan has a very positive attitude towards alcohol, and no one condemns excessive consumption.
Japanese people often die on the job
In Japan, it is not uncommon for an employee to die from overexertion at work or commit suicide due to stress. At the same time, the colleagues of the deceased are extremely indignant if this unfortunate fact interfered with their work.
A Japanese man leaves his house at 7 am. At work, he exists within the strict confines of his status. After the end of the official working day, he takes extra hours because he has to feed his family. He then goes out drinking with colleagues and returns home from there at 2 a.m., most likely drunk. He works on Saturdays. Sees his family only on Sundays. Moreover, until the evening, he can either sleep or drink all day off, because he is under terrible stress from such a cruel regime.
There is a stereotype that Japan is a good place to work. This stereotype comes from our compatriots who work by invitation in foreign companies, where the Japanese try to adapt to the level and style of foreigners. Meanwhile, in the Land of the Rising Sun itself, the traditional work system is structured in a very unique way, and it is quite difficult to exist in it. That is why there are not many foreigners building a career in classic Japanese companies. Epson employee Marina Matsumoto talks about what it’s like for the average office worker in Japan.
Dress code
Of course, the conditions depend on the specific company, but in principle the dress code in Japan is much stricter than in Russia. Failure to comply with its rules has serious consequences for the employee, including immediate dismissal.
In a traditional Japanese company, a mandatory black suit is worn regardless of the weather, even if it is +40 outside.
The Japanese tolerate both heat and cold calmly, as they go through a very harsh school of hardening the body in childhood. Recently released new law, allowing short-sleeved shirts to be worn to work. This is due to the forced saving of electricity, in which even in extreme heat air conditioners are no longer always used in offices.
In some companies, women are not allowed to wear fitted suits - they must be completely straight. Skirt required should cover your knees.
Women's accessories are also prohibited. I have a large serious company, it is famous internationally level. But I work where mostly Japanese work. At the workplace I was only allowed to wear a cross - under my clothes so that it would not be visible - and a wedding ring.
Makeup should be invisible. Japanese women love to wear bright makeup, their cheeks are very rosy, and almost all of them have false eyelashes. But at work, a woman should be as unattractive as possible to men.
In some places women are only required to wear short hair, not covering the ears. Hair color must be black. If you are naturally blonde, for example, you will have to dye your hair.
For men, except long hair You cannot wear a beard or mustache. This is an unspoken rule that everyone knows. The persistent image of the Yakuza (this is a traditional form of organized crime in Japan) gets in the way.
Subordination
When I got a job, I signed a bunch of documents, where I assured that I would not discuss anything with clients and colleagues except work: neither the weather, nor nature. I don’t have the right to share my “personal data” at work - who is my husband, how are I doing... At home I don’t have the right to talk about my work. My job is not secret, but it is customary and stated in my contract.
At work they only work
On workplace They take only what they need for work: for me it’s documents and a pen. I can’t take my bag, wallet or phone; it remains at the checkpoint.
In Russia there is a favorite saying: if you have done your job, go for a walk. In the Russian workplace, the main thing is that you complete the plan for today. In Japan, no one is interested in “plans for today.” You come to work and have to work at it.
How the Japanese slow down the work process
In Russia we all know that wage depends on the results of your work. If you work poorly, you get nothing. If you work well, you receive bonuses and promotions. I've done everything - you can leave early or ask additional task to earn more.
In Japan you pay by the hour. Almost all Japanese people take overtime. But this often results in them stretching out one task that can be completed in two hours over a week. The deadlines set by the company also do not always correspond to the level of complexity of the work. The Japanese will poke around for hours, it seems to us that they work like sleepy flies, but they think that they do the work “thoroughly”. They incredibly slow down the workflow, so it’s difficult for us to work with them.
And this, by the way, is one of the main reasons why their economy was not in the best condition. They have trapped themselves with this hourly payment system. After all, in essence, work is designed not for quality, but for the number of hours spent in the office.
Long, lengthy conversations
We all know that brevity is the sister of talent, but in Japan, brevity is narrow-mindedness. The Japanese cannot speak briefly and to the point. They launch into long and extensive explanations, which are aimed at ensuring that even a narrow-minded person understands what they are talking about. Meetings can last an incredible number of hours. The Japanese believe that if they talk for a long time and in excessive detail about something and same, then thereby respect the interlocutor.
Stratification of society
Growing rice requires a lot of work and organization. Therefore, historically, Japan has developed a system with a very narrow specialization of labor and strict stratification of society. Everyone has their own responsibilities and their place in life. and production process.
Japanese communities have always been clearly organized. For example, a samurai never prepared food for himself; he could easily have died of hunger if the peasantry had not helped him out.
As a result of this mentality, it is very difficult for any Japanese to make an independent decision that is not inherent in his status. They cannot take upon themselves basic responsibility that somehow goes beyond the scope of their everyday routine. To put a comma or not to put it is a problem for half a day. Preparing basic documents is a series of endless, very slow consultations. Moreover, the mandatory nature of such consultations is amazing. If an employee nevertheless takes it upon himself to make a decision that is not based on his status, then everyone in the hierarchical chain associated with him will receive a reprimand.
This is eastern despotism in action: “I am a small man, I am a simple peasant, and I should only do the work assigned to me.”
Again, everything is understandable: Japan is a small country with a large overpopulation, it needs strict frameworks and rules.
To survive in Japan, you need to clearly know: my border is here, and this is the border of another person, I must respect it. No one goes beyond their limits. If a Japanese man marries them, he will literally be lost.
Russia has a huge territory, vastness, and open spaces. We are not constrained. We are free. A Russian person can do whatever he wants. And the Swede, and the reaper, and the player on the pipe - this is primarily about us, Russians!
Same as everyone else
Interestingly, in Japan you are not supposed to demonstrate your difference or superiority in mind. You cannot show your uniqueness, specialness. This is not welcome. Everyone should be the same. From childhood, uniqueness is burned out there with a hot iron, so Japan will not give the world either Einstein or Mendeleev.
Famous Japanese technology is a myth. As a rule, these are ideas that were not created by the Japanese. What they do well is to deftly pick up on time and improve. But we, on the contrary, can brilliantly create and forget...
To survive in Japanese society, you have to be just like everyone else. In Russia it’s the other way around: if you’re the same as everyone else, you’ll get lost. New ideas are constantly needed to master and fill a large space.
In a classic Japanese company, it takes a long time to build a career. Career advancement depends on age, not merit. A young specialist, even a very talented one, will occupy an insignificant position, work a lot and for a low salary, because he has just arrived. Because of this organization of the work process, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Japanese companies to compete internationally market. Yes, there is the concept of “Japanese quality,” but this no longer saves them, because business is conducted too much in the Japanese way.
Salary
Officially, salaries in Japan are high. But with the deduction of all taxes, which amount to almost 30%, they receive an average of a thousand dollars. Young people receive even less. At 60 years old, the salary is already a very decent amount.
Vacations and weekends
There are no holidays in Japan. Weekends are Saturday or Sunday. And, depending on the company, you are entitled to a few extra days off per year. Let’s say it’s 10 days, but you can’t take them all at once, you need to split them up. It happens that you need to take one day off during the week and go somewhere on business. In my company, I have to give a month’s notice about this so that everyone can cooperate and replace me. In some companies these terms are even longer. Taking time away from work due to an unexpected incident is problematic.
If you are sick on Monday and are thinking of not going to work, then they will not understand you. All with fever go to work.
Weekends may be holidays, All Souls' Day - Obon, in mid-August. But a young specialist does not have such an opportunity; he will work for the first two years without extra days off.
For the New Year, 1–3 days are given. If they fall out on Saturday-Sunday, then no one, like in Russia, will tolerate them for Monday-Tuesday.
There is also a “golden week” in May, when several public and religious holidays occur in a row. My husband worked all days, I had 3 days off.
Working day
Standard working hours are from 9 am to 7 pm. But the main thing you must keep in mind: if it is indicated that the working day is from nine, then you cannot come directly to this time. Even if you arrived at 8:45, you are considered late. You have to arrive to work at least half an hour before, some people come an hour before. It is believed that a person needs time to get into a working mood and prepare for work.
The end of the official workday does not mean you can go home. It is not customary to leave before your boss. If he's delayed in the office for two hours, then you are delayed and it will not be considered overtime. Your personal circumstances are your personal problems, which, as I already mentioned, according to the agreement I signed, are not discussed with colleagues.
Informal communication
In Japan there is the concept of “nomikai” - “drinking together”, reminiscent of a Russian corporate party. Somewhere “nomikai” takes place every day, in my company - twice a week. Of course, you can refuse, but they will look at you askance. Why drink? Because in Japan there is a positive attitude towards alcohol. Shintoism involves offerings to certain gods in the form of alcohol. Japanese doctors believe that drinking alcohol every day is beneficial. Nobody talks about doses.
The Japanese do not know how to drink and, as a rule, get very drunk. The drink itself will not cost you anything; either your boss or the company always pays for it.
Now, to further encourage visiting bars with colleagues, workers are even being paid for “nomikai.” It's part of Japanese culture to work together and drink together. It turns out that you spend almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year only with your work colleagues.
In addition to "nomikai", you need to drink with clients, with partners, with officials with whom the company is connected.
Yes, there is something similar in Russia, but it is incomparable to the Japanese alcoholic scale. And besides, in Russia the attitude towards alcohol is much more negative.
Now you can imagine the whole picture. A Japanese man leaves his house at 7 am. At work, he exists within the strict confines of his status. After the end of the official working day, he takes extra hours because he has to feed his family. He then goes out drinking with colleagues and returns home at 2 a.m., most likely drunk. He works on Saturdays. Sees his family only on Sundays. Moreover, until the evening, he can either sleep or drink all day off, because he is under terrible stress from such a cruel regime.
In Japan there is a special concept: “death from processing." This is a very common case when people die at their desks or, unable to withstand the workload, commit suicide. For Japan, this is par for the course, an event to which there is practically no reaction. People will even be outraged if someone's suicide interferes with their work. Everyone thinks: “Why didn’t you do this in a quiet, inconspicuous place, because of you I won’t come to work on time!”
We must understand that the Japanese did not sit and invent these rules for themselves. Everything was going well over the centuries due to geographical and the historical identity of Japan. Probably everyone will agree that they had good reasons for such a mobilization of society, constant readiness for something. A small territory, many people, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis - everything can collapse at any moment. Therefore, from childhood, the Japanese learn to work in a group, learn to survive on their own piece of land. In essence, all Japanese education is not built on teaching a person something, developing him - it teaches him to be a real Japanese, to be competitive in Japanese society. Not everyone can bear this kind of life because it is really hard.
Maria Karpova