Why Is Japan’s Work Culture So Outdated?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ย. 2024
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Hi Takashi. May I ask why you only interviewed men (not a single woman)? Arigato
@@GoReTTii Salary "man"
Hey bro. i like all your videos. i have request though. pls dont put the subtitles in the video. its distracting and I m learning nihon by doing immersion like watching nihon speaking w/o subtitles. pls give the subtitle as option so that people will enable and see if required for them. Thanks
@@Whatever_man7 this video is not only for you bro.. I need subtitles
Hi Takashii, thank you for this interesting video, I enjoy your content very much. If I remember correctly, in the past, you asked for ideas for new content. So I have a idea that is related to this videos topic. Is the mindset, job satisfaction, enjoyment of life, of a self-employed Japanese person different to the people you interviewed for this video? I think that topic would be interesting to explore. What do you think Takashii?
The salesman speaking at 2:00 is shocking. He says he needs to find clients outside of work hours and pay out of his own pocket for trying to bring in those clients. He's doing it for the good of the company not himself personally, yet he thinks the company shouldn't have to pay for his expenses. He should be paid for his time brining in clients, let alone being reimbursed for those expenses.
Getting people to believe this sort of nonsense is why it continues.
Thats work culture in japan, as a salaryman you have to do extra work to get your way up.
Generally speaking, Japanese people don’t have the confidence to complain about anything. They are controlled by the fear of public shame. Companies exploit that fear.
Did you notice his friend immediately nodded in agreement after he said that? It must be the prevailing opinion.
Considering working unpaid overtime is common.. which is simply modern slavery. I wasn't surprised a bit. The brain washing is so deep that they somehow delude themselves into thinking "I PAY my company both TIME and MONEY.. it's fine.."
Something I'm noticing is that you really know how to make your interview partners comfortable. Some need a little more space and you only look them in the eyes occasionally, so they feel you listen and are interested without being pushy. With others you stand closer, your body turned in their direction and look them in the eyes most of the time. You can cleary read others and how to aproach them. As always, very intersting content. You show Japan unfiltered, not only catering to weebs. Thanks
Takashi is an excellent communicator for his empathy
それは日本の文化です
I can't stand the work culture in my own country (Germany) but seeing how it's going in Japan, I think I really shouldn't complain that much...
Germans on average work less than people in other comparable countries. If you don't like German work culture, you will hate it basically everywhere else.
Als was arbeitest wenn ich fragen darf
@@Shoyuga IT-Consultant
@@fettel48 are you perhaps german?
What's wrong with it??
I supervise Japanese employees in Tokyo and every time I implement a process improvement that cuts a task in half, they get headaches because they are so used to doing unnecessary work.
Also when I send them home early every week, their brains also glitch.
I found that Japan is really, REALLY burocratic in general... or at least that is a perception I got from watching different sources about japan. Is that true? If it is true, how do things work out in the end and how they manage to be so productive? Are they capable at working that even doing unnecessary work they manage to produce a lot? I would like if someone could give me a light about it.
Glitch part made me rolling on the floor 😂😂😂😂😂
@@aniketverma4580
It’s funny.
Sometimes I just hang out in my office after I send everyone home, but they don’t leave because they feel it’s disrespectful to leave before the boss.
The waste of manpower here is next level.
@@Dangic23 yes , but that's what make japan unique . People are dedicated to their work but sometimes they over do their work and destroy their work life balance.
I heard that work 4 days a week policy is implemented in japan. Do japanese people follow that ??
Yeah that's not normal. They should go to therapy. If they're not used to it, they should because they're supposed to have a life.
It's interesting to see workers with different perspectives on their jobs, and overall, the culture of the workforce of Japan. Great video, Takashii! You speak english very well!
The guy who earned 672,000 usd annually, of course he’s gonna say Tokyo ain't expensive.
When u earn that much, everything is basically free and you don't have to think about price.
Whether a city is expensive or not is purely a subjective issue
I seriously thought that was a typo at first.
that guy is so out of touch, like "NYC is not that expensive, $7000 rent for a studio is cheap considering my salaries is more than a million"
That kind of money I'm sure he knows how much more expensive other major cities are than Tokyo and that's why he said it. And homie is getting robbed like the rest of us I don't think he's that out of touch
Hahaha I know, blud out here making bank, nowhere is gonna be expensive to him
I work for an American bank in Japan (I’m British). Worked for a Japanese company before this doing overseas sales - overall had a good experience but I will never, ever go back to a traditional Japanese company. It’s like working with children playing grown ups - all theater and a love for being in an office with no care at all for the actual results.
子供と働いているみたいだったとか何様だよ。
さすがアジア人を奴隷として散々使ってきたイギリス人の末裔😸
人を見下すな。
Welcome to world of Anime
what's wrong with Germany's work culture?
@@el-osoxhave u posted this under the wrong comment😂😂😂
@@おす-qz7kp lol 😂😂😂
"When your hobby becomes your job, you start to dislike it" @13:46 - some words of wisdom there. Been there, done that. Things are not always what they seem, over the long run.
Not sure if you've handpicked these guys but they all seem very sensible folks.
If you start to dislike it, it was never your passion in a first place , which is a great lesson too
@dbapple I suppose you'll dislike it because it stopped being what is was. Passion that was free of concerns and constraints such as making money or profit.
Liking the quality of production on this video. Getting more professional I see. Glad to see you be successful in what you love Takashi.
As an American living in Japan and have been for almost 20 years, I still like it in Japan. I’m not a “sarariiman”. I’m a junior/senior high school teacher. The work life is different from a sarariiman. I teach English, and teach 21 classes a week. Actually, I supervise 4 of those classes. I also work with other native teachers and we split the classes while teaching the same lessons and lesson plans, so it’s not as busy as it might appear to be. I get more vacation time than your typical sarariiman. My pay is a little less than a sarariman, but I get to see my family more and spend more time with them. At least my kids know what I do. Unfortunately, some of my students don’t see their dads as much nor do they know what they do. Pretty sad life. I might not make all that much, but at least I’m there for my kids. Sometimes, I’m the only guy at one of my kid’s events. Some of the moms ask me if I might miss work. I tell them that I’m off and I choose to be there for my family because I love them and I tell my family that.
so you have a japanese wife?
Are you tenured, or are you a contracted ALT?
You and the other NTs share lesson plans: do you have to make tests? Are you all giving the same tests? Those situations very much mitigate the work: most teachers work 12 hours at least. If you’re not required to be at any of the J teacher meetings, that also mitigates your work hours.
This was a great peek into Japanese life. Thank you for your hard work.
For me the Japanese work culture is alot of pointless meetings, notes and excels keeping sure that something is done and in the middle people dont work that hard. Its mostly a play to keep everyone around and making the place feel like something happens. Only when a real deadline appears then the progress becomes noticeable. I really am thankful that I am in a more international setting that somewhat understands that progress =/= time sat in the office chair
Agreed. There is very little work that actually gets done and the level of incompetence is shocking. It seems there is unnecessary micromanagement simply to keep certain middle managers in employment.
woah sign me up! Because here in the US, we are expected to crank and grind away and do way too much within our 8 hours.
What you said is partly true, but not for the engineers. At my Tokyo company, it s the engineers responsible for main work. How about adding many projects for 1 engineer, 1 manager. Plus, the client constantly asks for deadlines of progress report.
I m dying. My JP boss works real work all the time. He has almost no life.
Yes, in the international company I worked for, the non-regular employees worked the hardest of anyone. They work overtime and quietly correct the mistakes of non-Japanese employees who “feel” like they have done the job.
i second that, i literally have to pretend having work, or work slowly, otherwise i finish my work so fast, that i will sit idle and look stupid doing nothing. i even beg for more task, but no task is coming. and this is giant company, not small company im talking about
I work as a research scientist on a Japanese team in Japan and my work-life balance is terrible. Even though I have 7 days of “work-life balance holidays” allocated to me, I can’t take them. I have 30 days of vacation days, but I can’t take them unless I’m sick with covid. I work while eating lunch, I don’t get breaks, we stay late, we work weekends, and our job is physically demanding. This team is also all about quantity over quality. I would love this job if it was better managed and we had more members… I stay because of the money and prestige from working at this company, but it won’t be too long before my body breaks since I am exhausted.
On a side note, I’ve also worked as a researcher for a foreign team in the same company, and it was quality over quantity. I stayed late often but we did excellent work and could take our vacations, could stay home when sick, could take a hour lunch breaks, and enjoy family time. This team ended with several publications and notoriety in the scientific world.
What do you mean you “can’t take them”?
You sound very successful. Can't you get the same job in a foreign country?
I can understand you, even tho I'm not in research. In my previous company I had 10 days of vacation and I had to use 3 because I got sick and sick leaves aren't a thing in Japan. Now I switched in a new company and I should have the right to work from home but I cannot because I have to receive and send packages and if I'm not in the office my colleagues have to do that in my place and it will be considered rude, so basically I have a benefit I cannot use.
oh my dear, this is not life. You are not a body with a soul. You are a soul with a body. Feed your soul. Not these money-making-human lifetime devoring-monsters. I am really sorry.
Japan copied Bangladesh flag 🇧🇩
I was on the 21:30 train coming home from a rush job at work (not very common in my office), and it was so depressing to see that it was just as crowded as the morning commute trains with the overtime workers.
In Tokyo or Osaka or other city ? does this happen often ,i guess?
It's very sad to hear...
Japan work culture is crazy.....
Japan copied Bangladesh flag 🇧🇩
If you have a job and someone with a TH-cam channel is interviewing you then you have to say you like the job - unless you want to be unemployed.
Correct!
X-actly! You can tell they HATE their jobs but still they say the like it.
This is a good interview, Takashii. It's shown the reality of hardworking people in Tokyo and how little they get paid.
Interesting points from various perspectives. Great video, sir.
Awesome video as always Takashii.
Hey Takashii awesome video as always!
One question: Are you planning to interview female workers too? the company I work for has office in Tokyo and I know first hand that they also have important takes on the subject. Thank you!
Thanks @Karolestube, I had that question too ~ why are the interviews only men? Surely women in Japan are also working?
Yes! I would love to hear the perspective of female workers!
@@catniplovescake hey! I think the definition of salary men that Takashi mentioned in the beginning of the video really means men only in Japan. I think I heard before the definition of salary women as well, so that’s what made me wonder if he’s launching separate videos.
Yea, that would be very interesting indeed. I wonder if it's harder to get interviews from women, though. There could possibly be a cultural barrier that makes it harder to get them to accept interviews, especially when they may have to talk bad about something.
Well, as a typical Japanese person, I personally think that unless someone has a strong desire for self-promotion, appearing on an individual's TH-cam channel typically brings more disadvantages than benefits. It likely wasn’t easy for the 'salaryman' who was interviewed to participate. Conversely, I would be interested in watching street interviews with office workers in the financial industry on Wall Street who earn high incomes.
The "Showa Man" at @7:50 completely missed the mark and is a perfect example of why the work situation is so bad here. We younger employees are just as willing and dedicated to accomplishing the mission, but ”時間掛かるはしょがない” (it can't be helped if it takes time) is wrong. It CAN be helped and there are multiple ways to accomplish the mission faster, more efficiently, and overall better.
However, the older entrenched employees refuse to accept the principles of 改善 (continuous improvement) and 効率 (efficiency) that they themselves invented. Instead they slowly drudge around doing things the same way they have been for decades, ignoring growth and change to the best of their abilities, which is immensely frustrating. There's an extremely high chance that the job he's working 50 hours a week could be done in less than 40 with just a slight bump in efficiency.
We're not lazy, unmovitated, or disloyal, we just don't want to kill ourselves working long, hard, and dumb when there are so many better ways to work smart.
Clock itt!!!!!
exactly!
What's even more worrying is how he talks about work becoming a matter of "how much his body can keep up".
To go to university in Japan, I had to fly in for interview... Just for 20 minutes interview and cost me 3k... Crazy, I dont understand why no zoom call or something, would save me so much money, but I guess tradition....
I've never heard of a university admissions interview taking place on zoom.
I'm sure face-to-face interviews are still common in basically every country.
@@ii4826 I agree, however I know there's lots of online for integration student.
Why would you pay 3k?
Even from europe its only like $550 to Japan and back to Europe.
@@ii4826I've never heard universities do interviews?! We don't do interviews in german universities.
@@Jabbe-d1t because Europe isn't the only continent on earth
Great video, thanks for giving us a perspective on what a real job in Tokyo is like these days
Very very useful thanks takashi amazingly and surprisingly their mental state is so strong !!
8:14 was so spot on! It's been the biggest difference for me working in U.S. companies versus Japanese based companies.
The guy at 8:12 saying that working hard for peer acknowledgement outweighing the actual results is definitely onto something.
Also the guy talking about how the influence of the samurai era on the modern workforce was interesting. The culture of working hard is so deeply embedded in people.
Also notice the distinct lack of women being interviewed!
You can see some of them trying to say the right thing as maybe their boss could watch this channel. So there is a sense of "TATEMAE" in some of the answers. Did you know if you leave early (meaning around 7pm), you can get harassed by your company later on? That is what happened to me a few times.
can you give an example for the harassment?
何をされた
日本の事何も知らないのに嘘つき野郎
That's just your assumption.
YES, and those denying your experience, which I share...
can never imagine...it is soul crushing.
*_I'm Filipino-Japanese and used to work in Japan for 5 years... and yes we worked for 12 to 14 hours per day._*
The last part was very insightful. I'm happy to hear some of them were happy with their jobs
Thanks for this vid 😊
In Japan, from what I gather, it is all a mindset issue. Westerners look at the Japanese work environment and think it is horrible but we are brought up differently. Our mindset is completely different and one of the interviewees pointed this out. In Japan, you are raised to think of others before you think of yourself. In the West, we are brought up to think of ourselves and our happiness. I have told my children many times that life is too short to work at a job you don’t like. That kind of thinking would be disastrous in Japan. It is a completely different culture and mindset. Very hard to “judge” from my Western perspective. I enjoyed peering into this part of Japanese life. Thank you for posting!
I agree with your general point but what appears to be “thinking of others before oneself” is actually nothing more than a fear of public shame. Selfless acts of kindness towards strangers are much more common in Europe / the US than in Japan.
Some cultures are objectively better than others.
Not always the case. The Japanese culture is also about looking good and acting good in front of others. People here always overthink and are sometimes paranoid about what their colleagues/peers have to say. For fragile and weak, this is one of the sources of stress and can sometimes lead to depression.
I think the main problem here is thinking of others in the case of work is thinking of the company; you do not benefit at all. In regular society, I think having a more collectivist attitude is good and contributes to the things people praise about Japan. However, in the case of work, companies and businesses deserve no sympathy from workers. I believe workers should always strive to protect their own interests at all times, because companies are always seeking to exploit.
You can judge based on their birth rate crisis and rates of suicide. You can’t ask someone to have a social life, meet someone you love, have children, and then spend time with this children when you spend every waking moment kissing your employers boots. Japans work culture will be the death of their entire culture.
Hi, can you please conduct a repeat survey after 2 years, how the Japanese began to perceive the Ukraine-Russia war after almost 3 years. Have they become more knowledgeable about this issue and how much has their opinion about Russia and Russians changed after almost 3 years of a full-scale Russian invasion. Thank you for the content you make.
Always amaze me the work spirit they have. It is about overall mission and work hard.
I saw this when I was vacationing in Tokyo 2 weeks ago. Wife and I were walking to the hotel from Tokyo Station at around 7:30ish, and several salarymen/women were walking too. Then they all turn left to enter a building, close to Tomod’s.
We assumed they were all going back to work after a short break and it was heartbreaking to see, if true. It might be, turns out.
We’re Canadian and was very fortunate enough to retire at 42 (she’s 36). Definitely not taking this for granted.
Nice intro bro!
Great work as always. Always enjoy a video drop from you!!!!
It’s the work mentality and condition that made me move away from Japan. I decided to stop struggle with a low salary and 10 days annual leave.
Now I’m back in Europe with a good salary and 30 days AL, and I’m so happy with my life:-)
とても興味深い動画だったわ
These people are brave souls. I don't know how they can tolerate the long hours and stress. A hard life for sure.
Well, as a Japanese person, I believe it's important to remember that expressions like 'It's tough' or 'I might get depressed' may not convey the same level of seriousness when translated directly into English.
90% of Japanese barely do any overtime nowadays.
I have worked in the US for American company and it was shocking because everyone working 50 hours a week which would be illegal in Japan.
I enjoyed watching the people of Japan sharing their view of their world.
I love visiting Japan with my wife. And have since 2009. But seeing how poor her relationship with her dad who was a Showa era salaryman is - he was basically never at home, coupled with information you get from other Japanese people, made me realise I’d never want to work in Japan. I think I would hate it and then hate the country/people and considering I’m married to one and have a child who is half, would be detrimental to my life. I know this sounds dramatic but I truly believe that. I work standard 9-5 here in the UK and earn 6 figures with a job that is WFH and super flexible, e.g. I get to drop and pick up my daughter from school every single day - not one missed so far. Yes, the weather and food are complete and utter dog sh*te here, and it’s hellishly expensive but I would still take that than working in Japan. Maybe we’ll retire there, that could work. This video helped to further cement my mind, thank you for posting.
You're right on every count (except the food, you can eat any food in the UK, or did you mean the expense of eating out?). I think you would feel lonely in retirement in Japan unless you speak good Japanese. I visit every other year, which is enough. As I get older I seem to be more acutely aware of the social/economic problems in Japan, and find them even more depressing that what is happening in the UK.
私は日本人で、以前イギリスに住んでいましたが、イギリスは若いときはいいですが、年齢を重ねるとイギリスは正直住むのには難しいと思いました。生活の質が日本の方がずっとよく帰国後日本の住みやすさに驚きました。安全面（女性は夜7時以降は危険、すりが多い）、外食の質の良さ、医療（NHSは全くあてにならない）、インフラのすばらしさ（ボイラーが冬壊れたりするが、全く修理にこない、修理工はアポイントメントを守らない人が多い。電車、バスのスケジュールはいつも遅れるので予定が立てられない、など）日本人はワーカホリックに見えるかもしれませんが、国民の祝日が多いため大体年間120日は日本人は休みがあります。又日本企業は、従業員の健康保険や年金の半分を支払う義務もあります。なので、この動画はそのことも考慮して見るといいかもしれません。
what the hell food are you buying on 6figure salary thats expensive in england lol caviar and champange? get yourself to sainsburys or aldi lol and stop shopping at waitrose or m&s or going out for dinners everyday
@@Honeysnow226 Your comments are very interesting. I'm 63 and British and lived in Japan for a long time. I feel the exact opposite in relation to whether it is more difficult to live in the UK or Japan as you get older. It's obvious that neither one of us is right or wrong, I'm sure that the difference in opinion is due to the fact that I'm a British male and you're a Japanese female. Where you grow up will almost inevitably colour your perceptions regarding what's normal and acceptable. You are 100% right about the NHS, the unreliability of British workers and the greater danger on British streets, but these are all things that I grew up with and have learned to deal with. I lived in Tokyo and as I was relatively young I loved it, but when I go back to visit I find things that didn't bother me before are now very annoying. For example, I'm 1.95m and everything in Japan is designed for someone about 1.75m, so physically it's not comfortable. The increasing prevalence of 'kawaii' culture is nauseating and inescapable. The accommodation in Tokyo in still very basic and unattractive (for the money you pay, though Britain has become much worse in this regard as well). The Japanese penchant for avoiding uncomfortable social interactions limits the depth and honesty of relationships, especially when you are just visiting and do not have time to develop a proper friendship. I must add that I am only talking about Tokyo as I do not have any experience of living elsewhere in Japan.
All this does not mean that I disagree with your assessment, just that we have different cultural assumptions. Also, as I'm not a woman I don't have to worry about the danger aspect. I can definitely imagine that if I was Japanese and lived in Britain I would be appalled by the shoddiness of the average workman and the deterioration of NHS standards.
@@faustoferrari4303kawaii culture and accommodation is very Tokyo. Nicer outside the city
Wow a lot of their pay is lower than mine and I'm a nonprofit social worker in the US. My Japanese, now American, friend told me he hates Japanese work culture and loves that he only has to work until 5pm. And he gets paid better than in Japan too but still complains about how often he gets raises. He never tries to cover up or make look better anything from Japanese culture because he was not treated well there. He was the nail that stuck out, but that's why I enjoy being his friend because he is so unique.😊
Pay rates are not comparable without also comparing living expenses and the costs of goods.
@@mikemondano3624 fair point since there are places in Tokyo that cost around $500/month to rent. Whereas my location in the states the average studio apartment is around $1700+ a month to rent.
You can roughly adjust the pay rates to US-equivalent numbers by multiplying their salaries by 2.3. (Japan's GDP per household is 34K and USA's GDP per household is 78k, or about 2.3 times Japan's GDP per household.) Seems pretty on par with what I'm seeing in the states from recent college grads.
Japan copied Bangladesh flag 🇧🇩
@@Mohammad-bb1sw you sure that's not the other way around. Because the Japanese flag was created centuries ago. When was your flag created? And what the heck does that have anything to do with my comment. Random much.
The salaries are so low compared to those in the US or even the EU. And no, Tokyo is not cheap.
So is it bad to live as a foreign,and if i want to start a business do i really need a citizenship to be the owner?
@@jrrj4892 it's kinda bad if you're from US or EU. but still good if you're from 3rd world countries
Tokyo is pretty cheap considering the average salary is like 3700USD
They’re low if you live in Europe or America but if you actually live in Japan they’re not the same
laughs in italian*
P.S Salaries in EU vary a lot! Bulgarian or Romanian salaries are much lower Japanese or German ones.
@@adamhyde5378 oh yeah it definitely is cheap to visit like everything you’d imagine paying 3-7$ for is like 1-3$ exchanged
Takashi san! I just subscribed because I plan on visiting Japan in a couple of years. I find your videos interesting and entertaining. Your videos cover a wide range of topics with real people on the street. Great work! Keep it up 👍🏿! Domo arigatōgozaimasu!
Excellent video, that's an important topic to talk about, thanks to you and the people who talked on this video
This video was really interesting, thanks for making it. For the first time i also understood some words!
It's hard to believe these street interviews because the interviewees understand that it will be on social media, so I don't feel they give their true feelings. The tatemai is strong here.
That too but it's more that they don't actually know what the work culture is like in other countries so they don't realize how bad theirs is. They think everything that happens is normal and they have to live with it. My Dad is Japanese and he didn't realize how bad the work culture was until he came to the US. He worked for an IT company in Japan and he came to the US for an expat assignment. After he realized how much better it was over here he decided to quit his job entirely and live in the US. Now he makes something in the millions over here while working less which never would've happened if he lived in Japan.
Well, there are plenty of websites where Japanese people, after gaining citizenship in the U.S., express their disillusionment and desire to return to Japan. So, objectively speaking, I think it really depends on the individual.
Crazy how i make $70,000 USD (prior to taxes), or just under $11 million yen and am just chilling. Not TOO worried about surviving, but not making enough to afford anything but a cheap apartment without A/C. Truly is insane how different our economies are.
You work in japan or the US
I’m from Australia. I know an Australian guy who used to help run a design company in Japan years ago. He said his employees did very little at work before 5pm, then after 5pm they would work really hard because they wanted to be paid overtime. My friend and the other people in charge thought this was silly, so they told the employees that they would pay them higher wages the same as if they were doing overtime, but they would let them go home at 5pm as long as they did their work before 5, NOT after 5.
The employees started working hard during the day and going home at 5pm.
Sounds good, hey? Getting good pay & going home early & having a home life & a social life.
But no. The men’s wives were so horrified at having their husbands at home so much, they got cross at them and MADE THEM GO BACK TO WORK IN THE EVENINGS.
The bosses/managers just had to shrug and let them all stay late again. 🤷🏼♀️😳
insane
That's crazy. Also that are some weird relationship dynamics. At least if the relationship is good.
This kind of work/home relationship dynamic is one reason why post-retirement divorces have been increasing among Japanese couples.
@@ericng5707 Yup, and why there was a new law made in 2008 that declared women who divorce their husbands after the men retire get half their pension. I guess it’s to force men to have better relationships with their wives or divorce earlier instead of simply maintaining shitty relationships. Many marriages are so barren of love, affection & respect that many Japanese women develop physical symptoms of stress as their husbands’ retirements approach. The women are known to start losing their hair & developing various illnesses because they are so worried about their lives when their husbands are home 24/7/365 with nothing to do, nothing to talk about, no hobbies, no friends and no habit of helping around the house.
@@ericng5707 I typed a reply & it disappeared. ☹️
In 2008 the Japanese govt introduced a law that states women who divorce their husbands after the men retire get half their pension. I suppose it forces men to have better relationships with their wives during their career OR to get divorced well before retirement. (Which is the sensible thing to do if a relationship is non-existent or terrible)
It’s known that many Japanese women get symptoms of illnesses in the lead-up to their husbands retiring. The women get rashes or their hair falls out or other ailments because they are so worried about spending the rest of their lives at home with men they barely know and don’t really like; imagine the men being home 24/7/365 with nothing to do, no conversation skills, no hobbies, no friends, no shared interests and no habit of helping with housework. 😩
Thank you for my ThinkPad. You guys are the best. I'm working on my professionalism. When the work gets done everybody knows why :)
Is that Ikebukuro?
The guy who said when your hobby becomes your job, you end up disliking it is very wise. Most often this is true
Can agree to it. I’m working as a retailer/coach in a sport I enjoy as a hobby for at least 5 years. So far I’m enjoying it again, but there was time where I didn’t enjoy going to work.
@@alexchen5742 glad to know you are still enjoying it bro. You are the lucky man
Looks like Shimbashi station to me.
@@Vaelenthior thank you
@@Vaelenthioryea looks like shimbashi station
I think most people don’t fully understand Japanese culture. It emphasizes keeping yourself occupied-whether it’s work, school, or even drinking heavily at night. The focus is on staying busy, with the system encouraging a 'hive culture' mindset: just do your job, don’t think too much, and conform.
This might explain why the 1990s mortgage crisis hit Japan so hard. Many people were deeply affected because they hadn’t considered that the value of their homes could drop below their mortgage debt-it was something outside their expected reality. Additionally, this culture of conformity may also contribute to Japan's high suicide rates. If someone can’t keep up with the system, they might feel like they’re better off exiting rather than disrupting the flow
It was really interesting thanks! I have a feeling that some of the guys changed their answers on if they really like their job lol. But fair enough, don't want them to get fired just for a honest opinion!
Hello Takashii,
From my work experience in Japan there are all kinds but one thing I noticed the last 2-3 years has been that Japan is trying to adjust their work life balance as well as Remote and Hybrid work is more popular and present.
I moved in Japan 2 years ago, previously living and working in Switzerland as CFO.
So, I took a lower position in a Japanese company to live one of my dream, live in Japan, an amazing country.
My feeling after 2 years.
Japanese people are amazing, carrying and I made a lot of Japanese friend.
About the work environment : salary are 2 to 3 times less than in Switzerland, but the cost of life is so low.
I pay equivalent USD 60 cents for a bottle of 水, when it was 6 USD at migros in Geneva.
I rent a luxurious 70sqm apartment for 1700 USD ( 260.000 yens).
The fact people work a lot in 会社 ( corporate) is not a myth, but the reason is really cultural not because people have to.
15 years to 10 years ago, Japanese people were still living in small apartment and in Japan, you don't invite your friends over for dinner at your apartment/house.
Your apartment/house is your place of privacy and only family and very close friend (先輩) are allowed to come.
So, the corporate spirit started like that: home is only a place to sleep. You even barely eat dinner in your house as there are 600 yens ramen's shop everywhere.
So for a lot of Japanese it is still better to stay at the 会社 even after there time.
Few of my colleagues left to work in different industries where at least, the company really closed at 5.30. Closed means power down and no one allowed to stay longer.
2 years later, i have no regret at all moving in Japan.
Japan is a great and strong country.
Japanese people are amazing.
As I am half Swiss, I am used to follow protocol and etiquette, so I love this society where everything is based on respect.
I gave up a 7 figures annual salary in Switzerland for 3 times less, but money does not make happiness, keep this in mind.
Alexia, 42 years old woman living now in Tokyo.
You were also lucky to live in Switzerland depending on the "canton" /state you were, Switzerland is one country where you have no problem of insecurity nor social problems compared to France where I live. I don't know if you have lived all your life is Switzerland but you may had a less "shock" from Switzerland to Japan compared to here, in France to Japan.
Also wages in Switzerland are extremely high compared to a lot of country because life is extremy expensive, so you maybe you kinda have the same salary if you compare salary/life expenses or it's not the case ?
I am coming back from 3-4 weeks holidays in Japan, I was mostly in residential surburbs and I realized another time (2nd time traveling to Japan) how my country is a 3rd world country. I wish one day to live in Japan, Kashiwa because I loved that surburb
A lot of french people (unfortunately) want to move in Switzerland because of insecurity, poor services... I'm thinking about moving one day too, but afraid of what is described in the video a lot of work crushing...
Are you living in Tokyo itself or surburbs far from tourism ?
Also how much time a day do you work ? i'm curious about people moving to japan, we don't get often opinions on that
You are rich. 1700usd apartment in japan lmaoo.
Money makes happiness, since I have the same dream as you, but no money to live in Japan even 2 months.
Money is everything.
But its easy to say its not important, if you earn that much ;)
@@linacrimson7110 Indeed, yes, in Switzerland, we do work a lot. The legal time is 40hr per week with 4 weeks of vacation per year. I was used to work 65 hr per week, but was in charge of the company, so normal after all.
I work less in Japan.
I lived in Geneva, and yes, unfortunately, we could see the insecurity caused by some French coming from "banlieu française d'Annemasse" from the other side of the border. I know that in your country, theses criminals can do what they want without fearing justice. Switzerland is to weak for this. But Japan no. Japan is a strong country and if you break the law, you might be powerful or a "delinquant d'une banlieue", justice will be the same.
Japan is a great nation, and I am so happy to live here, surrounding by amazing Japanese people.
THey are the heart of this wonderful country.
If you are fluent in English, you should be able to work in Switzerland.
Speaking multiple language makes free.
Good luck.
You are becoming a master at this Takashii!! Keep it up!
I would have really liked to hear from some Salarywomen too and how they feel about the work culture. Great Video though!
Great video - interesting to see that there are differing opinions on this in the different age and earning levels
Minds of those people are quite great, beautiful ones.
We should appreciate both processes as well as outcomes.
That's correct. In the foreign company where I worked for 20 years, the evaluation criteria were evenly divided between 'results' and 'processes.' They effectively incorporated elements of the Japanese approach as well.
Great video. Much appreciated!
Really enjoyed hearing the thoughts the the Showa era man :)
He must be part Italian, because his arms were moving fast while talking!
I live in turkey and i was planning to come to japan to work in IT but have changed my mind
I see you value your sanity
Japan is an ideal place to visit as tourist not a place for work esp. when you're a foreigner. Japan has a culture of seniority. They're always right even they're actually wrong. There's a Japanese policeman who quit his job as chief police of a district in Tokyo moving to live in my country. He said in Japan when working hours end and your boss doesn't leave yet you as subordinate doesn't have the right to leave before your boss. He says he always had to pretend to be busy or to do something and wait until his boss leaves the office.
There are many Japanese professionals sent to work for Japanese companies doing business in my country some of them cry when they're called to be back to Japan.
good
don't come to Japan
Thank you for sharing Takashii!
If you record with a cellphone you can fix the focus by pushing the subject and keep the finger a couple of seconds until the camera do the AF lock. That will help to avoid getting out of focus when you are interviewing people!
This is an important topic as so many people from other countries love how cheap Japan is but fail to realize how the economy and work life balance impacts the locals.
Takashii,
Thank you... your insight on what to ask and how you approach people is spot on!
I don't think i could offer any advice that would improve your channel.
Great job getting perspective from the young guys starting all the way to the older guys at the end of their careers.
Great video Takashii, good to hear perspectives from people at different life stages.
It would have been good to have women's opinion too !
I loved what that older IT man has to say. Even in the US, My friends all tell me to find another job where I could make twice as much money, but I love my work and what I do.
And I was almost livid with that young man who made so much money until he said he worked 15 hours a day, haha
Why be livid over someone else's successes? That's weird.
TAKASHii keep it up man - go for 10 millions sub
Learning Japanese and watching your videos are such an amazing combo haha
You are making great content dude, keep up the good work! Love from Greece
Thank you so much Takashii-san
Can you please interview working women as well?
Also, I just read about 'the salaryman', which is the idealized symbol of masculinity in Japan. It first appeared in the early Meiji Period alongside the 'soldier' depiction of masculinity. 'The salaryman' ends up replacing 'soldier' post-war due to a shift in national interest. The older Showa generation gentleman describes it exactly as it was back then, the mission comes first.
Now u want to bring the woke western agenda to Japan? A video is just a video, it's perfect the way is it.
めっちゃ面白かった動画です。参考になるんですね。ありがとうございました。😄
1:30 Interesting that it seems culturally normal to tell someone what your income is, whereas in the US, a lot of parents don't even tell their kids what they make! lol I don't tell my friends, that's for sure! But I do tell my elders.
As a Bangladeshi who worked as a software engineer in a traditional Japanese company before, I can say they try to run IT departments and projects using sales type processes or manufacturing processes. Also I had to stay late after working hours to write the daily reports each day. sometimes you get phone from the boss outside working hours. That was really frustrating, so much so that I had to take leave and spend the whole day watching youtube or something else just to forget about work for sometimes. Also, if you don't worship their processes or participate in japanese style office gossiping, your works won't be evalutated positively. And it is very difficult for a foreigner who doesn't drink or smoke to be friend or close to anyone in a traditional japanese workplace. Finally, the salary increase is either zero or very little. Fortunately I could move to an international company in Japan with better culture and pay. I wish to never work for a traditional japanese working culture based company again.
All of their bosses are watching this video and taking notes...😀
I went to the University of Tokyo. Many of my friends are now shakaijin, either in the Ministry or the Corporate (you name it, JPMorgan, McKinsey, Deloitte, Sumitomo Mitsui.) Even my closest friends ended up at prestigious companies like JPMorgan, MBB, and Big 4.
I think what makes Japan stressful is not only the amount of work but the unnecessary process that comes all the way from job hunting (shuukatsu katsudou/shuukatsu) until you start working, there are so many paperworks that have nothing to do with your job. Bureaucracies, hieararchies, subtle things that you need to be aware of and no one will tell you anything about it. Multinational companies are way better than Japanese companies - but mind you, even investment banking, corporate banking, and management consulting will require you to follow the way of Japan because your clients are.. mostly Japanese. Unless you work for a foreign company with foreign clients or work independently as a content creator or freelancer, you really cannot escape the rigidity of Japanese work culture. The only difference might be the degree to which the company chooses to stay rigid.
Despite having earned a degree at what is touted as the best school in Japan and even one of the best in Asia and maybe the world, I ended up returning to my home country to reunite with my family for a while, improve my mental health, and have industry knowledge of my country with whom Japan is very close (hint: in Southeast Asia), and I only plan to return to Japan once I am qualified for a highly skilled VISA.
I am so happy when I hear hat. Having high income and low living cost is a bless.
i work at a factory in japan, i feel like japanese style of work is not intense. lot of the time i finish my work early that i dont have anything to do, even asking my colleague if there any work i can help. so there's lot of time that i have to pretend to work, or to review past work. now im trying to emulate their style of work to not finish it fast so i wont have too many free time. is this normal? i work in a japan multinational company, so its not a small company..
there other thing from my observation, i think japan really put convienent at the top no matter what the cost, whenever i enter government building, there's lot of employee(3-4) just doing simple task of saying hello, and giving direction at the front door. so most of the time they just idle. at parking lot, there even 1-2 worker that will look out for traffic when in fact driver can take care of his own. and lot of other thing that i think it nice to see, but unproductive and costly. so this also add to my impression that working in japan is not intense, it just long hour(especially feel long when you have to pretend to have work)
I’m not in Tokyo but as a reference, the best thing we can do is to look for the interest and meaning of the job it is. I’ve been having a very hard time during some years of my career but after learning the above, I like my job very much, even it can still be very very touch and demanding at times. Just don’t give up if it’s a meaningful job and you won’t be regret for your decision. Just my experience 😊
Konbawa Takashi !! I really love your content et the interview that you make! But there is a video that I would like you to do, which is to ask the Japanese why they travel so little around the world. It is true that we all know that at the moment the yen is a little weak and that in general the Japanese do not speak English. Even so, I would like to know if it would be possible to interview a few Japanese people, especially to find out if there are other reasons(other than salary too). If they have some not so good anecdotes to share with us. Arigatou Gozaimasu :) !!!
@@cboy0394 65%of Japanese nationals have reported (according to a Pew study released in 2023) traveling to at least one country? I am pretty sure only about 20% or less have a passport in Japan. How would that work?
As a Japanese person who has traveled to over a dozen countries, I personally believe that domestic travel is often more appealing than traveling abroad. Japan offers numerous attractions, including its cuisine, beautiful landscapes, cleanliness, and safety. To be honest, I feel that even if I were to be reborn three times, I would still not fully appreciate all that Japan has to offer. For reference, I have traveled to 43 out of the 47 prefectures in Japan.
new camera looks cool takashii
Glad you interviewed these people. Very informative and useful.
...In Japan, choosing projects/companies wisely is arguably half of the battle (or even more)
Last 5 years.. I have arguably underperformed in 70-80 percent of all of my projects... but my pay kept increasing at around 1 million Yen per year
OTOH, in 2017-2018,, I overperformed, but my pay didn't increase at all
It depends on the company, of course. Still, I believe that your statement, 'choosing projects and companies wisely is arguably half of the battle (or even more),' is more than half correct.
I just arrived today in shibuya !! So excited 😊
I was there myself in late March -> Mid-April during the Sakura blossoming, though I was staying at a hotel in Shinjuku near the National Garden there. (Shinjuku Gyoen).
I've no idea what the garden looks like right now compared to then, but if you like beautiful natural scenery I can heartily recommend it. They have a bunch of other stuff too beside the cherry trees.
If you prefer more nightlife stuff Golden Gai is pretty neat. You can google both of the above to find out more :)
Good topic to talk about.
I think it's a combination of several things but mainly 1) Japan's history as a feudal society (the lord and his retainers, i.e. he owns your life - so the boss owns your life) and 2) Japan's economic rise as a manufacturing power in the past 20th century, where working long hours translated directly to productivity. but working long hours at a keyboard doesn't translate like that. Long story short, the boss owns your life and expects to see you working long hours at your office job because that's the way Japan always functioned before.
So yeah, basically be a slave to your boss and sacrifice your life and happiness ao that your boss makes more money while you cant even ask for a raise. The more one learns about Japan the more one understands how shitty it actually is.
This can be seen in Confucianism influenced society and in India.
most places were "feudal" at some point and this really isn't the norm for those. It's just that japan is super conservative since forever (be it because of outside or inside influence).
@@jonaspete As an Indian, japan's social structures are unique to japan and not found elsewhere including where I live, there maybe some superficial similarities.
And captalism
You should upload the interview uncut, or without jumping from one person to the next as a podcast on spotify. I would love that as learning content
I know a friend who worked for both Japanese and American companies, and he said it's easier working for a Japanese company. In the American company he worked for, tasks had to be completed by the end of the day, he was always on the go, and if he didn't produce results, he could easily be fired. In fact, he suffered from \depression during the two years he worked for the company. On the other hand, in Japan, overtime work is normalized, but he said he could work comfortably because he was never pressed for time. And unlike in the U.S., people rarely gets fired in Japan, so working in Japan is better for his mental health as a result.
Yea but you never get to go home 😂
It’s all about expectations
Well if results in Japan don't matter what's the point of turning up anyway? I'd rather have to actually work during a reasonable work day, and then have more time for my family and life outside of the job, than be compelled to spend as much waking time as possible in pointless busy work.
@@entropybear5847日本の優秀な人たちは仕事を早く終わらせるため、過度な残業はしません。そして、彼らは昇進しやすいです。一方で仕事が終わらない人は解雇はされませんが、昇進できず、簡単な仕事しか与えられません。
I absolutely love your videos and definitely can see how nice of a person you are to others! As for learning Japanese, I'm currently using Busuu to learn, I just wish that the app had chapters of learning to speak it only first and then try to learn how to read the writing, but instead it's both in the same chapters, but iam still trying though. Iam also curious about preply, I may abandon Busuu to go to preply but will need to figure out the best timing first.
日本の仕事環境ではなく、東京や大阪の大都市の仕事環境
This needs to be emphasized more. Korea and Japan are suffering through the same problem: the too much focus on the large cities. Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo.... All of the economy is only in these areas. The areas outside are suffering because of this.
@@idleeidolon 少し付け加えると、東京には日本の人口の約10%が集まっています。それに比べて韓国は人口の50%がソウルに集まっており、人口集中の問題は韓国の方が大きな問題です。しかし日本の東京という都市は地方の都市、東京以外の都市によって支えられています。東京の経済を守る為にはそれ以外の都市を守らないといけません。しかし、アホな日本政府は古き良き本当の日本らしさが詰まってる地方を助けずに、日本人の税金でアメリカの戦争ビジネスやウクライナ、発展途上国を助けている状況です。長々と失礼しました。
@@idleeidolonit's mostly the culture of everyone trying to get a white collar office job, people could just go to less populated cities that are tourist destinations to work in the tourism industry
@@valorzinski7423
観光業はGDPの約1~2%に過ぎない。日本の観光は対して大きな産業ではない。日本には素晴らしい技術があり、世界のどの国も作ることのできない素晴らしい技術がありました。しかし、西洋諸国や中国政府は日本潰しの政策を取りました。EV車などが良い典型例です。環境にいいと謳い日本の自動車産業潰しが行われています。日本政府は日本の技術者、産業を守らず、日本の農家を守らない。西側の資本主義、貿易の自由化によって日本はダメになったんです。
@@Riku-g6d プラザ合意 "と2020年のアメリカとの強制的な技術共有協定が、ジャオアン経済を破壊し、回復することはないと言っている
I work doing what I really loved. However, like the man working in travel industry said, when your hobby becomes a work, then it is become a job. Not something that you like….
I am Korean living in New York currently and love Japanese culture so much. I learn Japanese language because I wanted to live there one day. After watching this, I literally shifted my gear right away 😅
Enjoy NYC and visit Japan for vacation only, expect to get paid less than 50% what you're getting now with more stress if you move to Japan sadly
@@cdahdude51 That’s so true. We used to have that work culture in korea too but it has been changed amongst younger gen. I think Japan is on the same track. Hope both countries will have better work environment in the near future!!
Work for a non Japanese co and make sure you get hired with expat status . Then you’ll be fine.
Better do 😂 just visit as a tourist!
Honestly it's sad to see people like you giving up on their dreams so easily influenced by social media.
This video just shows experiences of a few random Japanese people in Tokyo, and their stories are not representative of the entire working environment in Japan.
Great video
Takashi please interview the foreign who are business owners i want to see if is it hard to start ur own business specially if u don't get citizenship
Thank you for this honest video! I like your mission of showing the 'real' Japan. :)
So what happens to people who get chronically sick and can't work anymore? Or maybe just part-time after a long time of illness? And what if someone gets injured and needs a lot of time to recover?
3:26 the taxes in Japan is that high? They take about 55% from salary? Like REALLY?? 😳
That's tyranny
Crazy how low the salaries are considering :
- the cost of living in Tokyo,
- the level of competence and fields they work in
- the costs of eductation in Japan, and therefore invesments/loans paid by young workers.
And I say from a French perspective (not a US) where salaries are already considered quite low
inflation is actually crazy
I live in Canada making $40k and its not enough to live here (in Vancouver). I try not to take Vacation days off just to get a little more money so i can pay bills ☠
meanwhile theyre making $20k and not being able to afford to live in Tokyo
Bro, all big cities in Canada have become unaffordable for us average Joes (and the whole North America i guess)
but Vancouver is completely hellish.... After it become a haven for overseas millionaires ,specially Chinese from the mainland and/or from HK and Taiwan etc it really became extremely expensive....
Vancouver in the 1980's and maybe even till mid-2000s was very fine and 100% affordable i guess....
Maybe nowadays only in maritime provinces the prices are more normal?? for the modern Canadian standards i guess....
Thanks for sharing your opinion...
I work for a Japanese company here in the states … I work over 70 hours a week. I get paid well but still I’d love a 5 day work week. 😢
06:00 - I said, jokingly, out loud, "3 years hehehe" just before he replied. Holy shit, a decade before you decide you cant stand it?!
@@Zabiru- i wouldnt imagine how miserable your life would be enduring for another 10years