Japanese Work Culture Is A NIGHTMARE

[@DreamsOfLiquidSilver]

It makes you wonder if the solution to the japanese fertility crisis is literally just having an actual 40 hour work week

[@aithjawcraig9876]

And even 40 hours is excessive

[@FirstFallSnow]

Both stress and not sleeping drops sperm count so even if someone wanted to have kids they would struggle.

[@deadfr0g]

Almost zero question that it’s a major piece of the equation. One of the most commonly cited reasons that Japanese adults give for why they aren’t pursuing relationships is that they feel their career doesn’t leave them enough time for it.

[@reform-revolution]

it has been called the major cause by some and a few companies have offered financial incentives at various points for workers to take time off and sleep with their partner

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

it is the answer....

[@jonathanjuarez5544]

Keep in mind, if billionaires like Musk had it their way then Japanese work culture would become the norm in the US, which already has one of the worst work cultures in developed economies.

[@thefrenchbastard1646]

there dream is to literaly be a feudal lord

[@alrecks619]

i think Elon creams his pants everytime whenever he read about how Japanese bosses treat their workers only to realize that he can't really do that in the US lmao.

[@falconeshield]

If I was a billionare I'd use that windfall to protect myself and help people. Ain't taking that money beyond the grave even if the Buddhist are right. So why not use it fr?

[@MrSkeltal268]

All billionaires would. Japan is a glimpse into the final level of capitalism. Stagflation and such.

[@LeggendaryHobbyist]

That work culture is a such hellscape, this is why workers rights and unions are so important

[@FLE3TING_2NDS]

As Vaush has said before, "No one on their deathbed ever wished they had worked more." Something along those lines at least. Anyway if you have the chance to Unionize, do it, businesses will take your entire life if you don't push back.

[@digaddog6099]

Unions in Japan can only be formed with the approval of management, to my knowledge.

[@julesdalli9716]

"No one on their deathbed ever wished they had worked more" would make a conservative's head explode.

[@Saturnia2014]

​@@digaddog6099 That didn't stop Jimmy Hoffa

[@miroslavhoudek7085]

I don't think that's true. I wish I worked more in my past and I don't think I will stop regretting not working hard enough before I'm on my deathbed. I regularly work with people who worked harder on their skills and they now get to enjoy being brilliant in their field. Watching them do effortless magic makes me truly sad about all the time I wasted on playing games I don't remember, watching TV series I don't remember and drinking parties which I never properly remembered.

[@thewinterwoods]

lol vaush deff didn't come up with that, that has been a saying since before he was born.

[@azazel166]

This is why a lot of manga and anime take place in high school, it's the last period of freedom.

[@rishabhanand4973]

though i'd imagine in real life, high schoolers in japan spend a lot of time studying so how much freedom do they really have even then?

[@Olivetree80]

Even then, school is ruthless in Japan too

[@monty-rv5xl]

that's a bit sad

[@reform-revolution]

@@rishabhanand4973 thats the sad part THAT IS THE FREEDOM PART OF THEIR LIVES ITS ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

I and Karra and Donna agree.

[@tyronechillifoot5573]

Isekai is made for suicidal men who work soul crushing jobs and are like a few months from hanging themselves it why with isekai there was this shift from being warped to another world with a way to get back to just dying and being reborn in a place with no mention of friends and families from their former lives

[@daraghokane4236]

Futurama is a isekai then. Loser wakes up in the future everything I know is gone my job my family, woo fredom

[@MrGksarathy]

I would say that's partially true, except I think it's more for lonely high schoolers with not much going on in their lives. At least, the male centric ones are like that.

[@AD-qc5zd]

Nah most isekai is literally work anxiety manifest. It's the most literal form of escapism. "What if I wasn't born japanese" and it's also why it sucks it is designed to be a wishful fantasy of a world that has a future that doesn't suck dick for you.

[@tyronechillifoot5573]

@@daraghokane4236 except fry openly misses his family there’s multiple episodes about what happened to those who were left behind

[@wumbojet]

​@@daraghokane4236 Futurama, digimon and Inuyasha are famous Isekai

[@meierboy97]

My dad worked for a Japanese machine sales company and they treated him like shit, he turned to alcohol, and he is so much happier at his new job and hasn't drank since. I'm really proud of him. I actually forgot he stopped drinking after one of my seizures.

[@Revan058]

Hell yeah. Give your old man a hug. He forced himself to be better, for you.

[@meierboy97]

@@Revan058 yeah and my 3 brothers and my mom

[@littlemoth4956]

"I actually forgot he stopped drinking after one of my seizures." The fuck?

[@meierboy97]

@@littlemoth4956 I have autoimmune encephalitis and have had 7 seizures in less than 2 years. I have brain damage, and seizures can cause memory loss and lots of other symptoms. This is what I've been dealing with for the past year and a half, but it's getting better. I also forgot my girlfriend and I broke up after almost 5 years and she ignored me. It's rough. I have 3 other diseases too.

[@NVRBENSHOT]

You must have a crazy life story

[@hodgi3]

I worked at a Japanese company in Australia as my first job out of University. It was horrible, you had to go and bow to the big boss if you were more than 1 minute late.

[@AD-qc5zd]

They say that oppression makes good media. Might explain why japanese media is pretty widespread considering the amount of misery a day to day life seems.

[@SuperJJParker]

Sounds like your own fault. Maybe be professional and turn up on time.

[@AD-qc5zd]

@JJParker This. You got off of work at 5pm I don't see why you can't come back in at 7pm ungrateful young people.

[@piccoloatburgerking]

@@AD-qc5zd Why does that actually kinda make sense 💀💀💀

[@ashtongreen6270]

@@SuperJJParker I’ll quit before I bow before another man…

[@deadfr0g]

I’m a Canadian with Japanese family and I’ve been thinking about this my entire life. There is SO much beauty to be found in Japanese culture, but I think perhaps the very worst thing about it right now is the way in which imperialist-tinged capitalism has-on a societal level-utterly co-opted and deeply perverted most of their traditional core virtues on how an individual should endeavour to conduct themselves in order to live a life well: particularly in terms of personal discipline, dedicating yourself to a craft, and showing a high general baseline of respect to your seniors. Notice specifically that these things are so commendable in a vacuum, laudable in the abstract… BUT there is something about this distinctly Japanese take on the intrinsic value of “putting your head down and working your hardest” that leaves them psychologically and ideologically ill-equipped to resist predatory forms of systemic control. This is all gut-feeling, based on an amalgam of news and anecdotes and no proper analysis, but I f***ing swear I’ve got a bead on something concrete here. My thoughts on this are truthfully pretty tangled and ever-shifting, and (probably direct result) I’m not satisfied with how I’m articulating this off-the-cuff here, but I hope I’ve been able to convey myself accurately enough to add something of value. I am genuinely VERY interested to hear other people’s thoughts on this.

[@GGgg-vl7qi]

Well you’ve convinced me

[@theheathbar123]

I don't know a lot about Japanese culture, but I have absorbed some content on its history and relationship to the United States, which, along with general mentions in discourse, has given me a desire to understand that cultural issue. I know there are organized crime groups in Japan (i.e. the Yakuza), which ostensibly want to fight the authorities and the "system", as we might say. A spirit of submission to authority seems typical for gangs anywhere, I think in large part because of a feeling of being in with the right crowd and fighting the good fight. You'll work as hard as you possibly can if you have a deep faith in the cause you're working for and a strong connection to it. I wonder to what extent this submissive tendency in Japanese (and Korean?) culture is just practiced out of fear, versus how much there's the more genuine (if misguided) feeling of being in and supporting your posse (meaning your nation/people as a whole I guess). Also I know there are small leftist groups in Japan, but I need to research them more.

[@pharethi1241]

Second worst thing about their culture is... Some weird empathis on social "conveniency"/peace over personal, VERY often even at the cost of latter? Like, quoting a friend of mine who lived there, you will be deliberately reminded for months about that one time you forgot your trash under your door outside, but no one will even consider calling police over domestic violence that happens for years in Yoshida's flat one floor down even though everyone in whole flat knows about it simply because it happens behind closed doors and they don't hear it through walls loud enough. Or reminds me of another story, women came over to Japan since she dreamed about this a lot, drove by train, was molested there, caught molester by hand, called it out publicly and tried to report him next station, but in the end of the day for that story she was deported by police for "disturbing public peace" in train.

[@paperbird9817]

That reminds me of how the protestant work ethic has been co-opted by capitalism. It's probably not uncommon that unscrupulous people use established moral values to exploit the population. Also, agree on there being a lot of beauty in Japanese culture. (I've never been there, but learned some of the language way back when.)

[@quinnrosenberg3500]

Theres a term in japan called a Freeter, which is basically an unemployed or part time worker. Essentially someone who doesnt work a soul destroying full time job and is kinda fine with it. Let that sink in. They essentially have a slur for part time worker, almost as bad as a neet. It's insane. As someone who needs their free time to make art, I am essentially a greeter by japanese standards despite working 30 hrs a week. Fucking crazy.

[@Alaskan-Armadillo]

Stories like this about Japan are always just so depressing because of how people will tokenize this and use it as proof as to why Japan is the ideal.

[@VulturineValkyrie]

I think the most disgusting story about work culture I had heard is about how a woman had worked herself to death the company had hid her death from her family for a think anywhere from a week to a month to save face

[@RealmRabbit]

Did you know that Japan has no long breaks from schooling? Like, summer break isn't really much of a thing there... And yet, the grades their students get are like, only very slightly above those of Canadians... It's like way more effort put into getting an education and way more stress for only a slight benefit... I think it's probably like any kind of practice for something where like, at a certain point in a session you've done it so much that continuing to do it longer is going to have diminishing returns when it comes to how much actual improvement is happening per the hours you continue to invest into it... But Japanese culture is pretty pro-work and I think it ties into Confucianism... Like, you need to work hard to be a good son or father or whatever in order to have filial piety essentially... And yeah not saying they're all into Confucianism, but it's had an impact in shaping Japanese society as well as other countries in that part of the world... I mean, it's also kinda ties into how North Korea might punish you because your family member did something wrong, even if you were just chilling...

[@kattkatt744]

Definitely ties in to Confucianism, you see the same school and work dynemics playing out in South Korea and China. Some Chinese schools the students literally come in at eight in the morning and leave at eight in the evening. And they don't have 部活, bukatsu, like they do in Japan, so it is worse with absolutely no activities that aren't going towards your grads.

[@saiga3009]

As Japanese most of the teachings come from 15-16 century teachings based off of confuscianism developed by Japanese scholars. We live by these ideals even if they blind our people to the truth and have to live in a state of constant respect despite mistreatment.

[@goodpol5022]

Fun fact: Japan has no laws against racial discrimination in shop places. There are actually signs that say thing like “No Pakistanis allowed inside” in Japan (Please fact check me this might be wrong)

[@Empyre18]

You get some truly “from the mouths of babes” kinds of frank racism from the Japanese a lot of times. I still remember the time one of them flat-out admitted that he wanted to visit an American city which didn’t have too many black people, because he was afraid of black people. Or the one who said she thought African babies were the cutest babies, because they looked like monkeys. Completely oblivious as to why I had a shocked reaction after they said both things. It wouldn’t shock me if they had signs like that.

[@neosubzero2880]

I read up on this again recently. While there are racial discrimination laws, afaik, there are no laws saying you can't discriminate based on nationality. The way the use race is more implicit than explicit. “No Pakistanis allowed inside” would likely be broadly applied to anyone that looks Pakistani, thus discriminating by nationality on paper, but by race in practice.

[@dydx_]

@@Empyre18 I have never seen signs like these anywhere, especially about Pakistanis? Japanese people won't even know that Pakistan is a nation, not like they would care if we knew. There are signs that say no to foreigners, but those signs aren't in shops they are at bars. This is because bars here actually serve an important role and aren't just a place ot get drunk and wasted as they are in western nations. They are very small and cosy, usually only for 4-6 people at a time. They are meant to serve a function, which is to help the people relax and unwind after work through socializing. It's a very important element for the well being and ability to function here. Foreigners don't know this, and foreigner don't speak japanese most of the time, so they literally can't know this. In order for people to get to relax and not be bombared with questions and foreign attitudes, they place these signs outside that tell them that this is a place for Japanese people only.

[@mogscugg2639]

Japanese work culture is so abominable that Persona 5 based an entire-ass villain and dungeon off of a real-life restaurant CEO The bad guy is also literally bald Shinzo Abe, he even has the Villain Voice Actor (Keith Silverstein)

[@MrGksarathy]

Persona 5 didn't go far enough with critiquing the Japanese economic and political systems. Otherwise, why would Makoto want to be a cop?

[@AD-qc5zd]

Persona series in general really pushes the envelope on shitty parts of japanese culture. I think it does a fair job of shining lights and letting the roaches run around.

[@Almost_a_hero]

On the topic of based japanese games I used to think the ace attorney trilogy was great but over the top but the japanese justice system actually is that corrupt in real life. Now they're along my favourite of all time

[@jonathanjuarez5544]

​@@MrGksarathy Unfortunately when you work for a large corporation they won't allow you to be too critical of capitalism.

[@Dsworddance22]

​@@MrGksarathy Because her father (or mother) was a police officer. Plus her sister Sae is an attorney so criminal justice runs in the family i guess

[@Paraselene_Tao]

Squid Games might be a Korean-made TV series, and Japan and SK have a history of racism with each other, but Japan is especially affected by the metaphor of Squid Games. The metaphor of Squid Games is that people have to work so hard that they kill themselves in order to have a small chance to obtain material wealth. We all work too hard, but the Japanese are crazy overworked.

[@kattkatt744]

There is a very good reason Squid Game is made in Korea. They are no better on the crazy work system than the Japanese. I would actually say that at this point, of China, Korea and Japan, Japan is probably the one closest to actually doing something with this kind of culture even if their attempts are falling.

[@XMysticHerox]

South Korea is actually even worse than Japan. Blood purity is literally part of their citizenship law.

[@Jesse_Hall]

​@@XMysticHerox How does youtube block your comment from my view on Paraselene Tao, but I can see your comment from this other account named Jesse Hall? Only because I have two accounts can I read your perfectly normal comment. I don't understand youtube's odd way of filtering comments. You're not the first example that I've seen of this odd shadow-filtering. This whole situation of corporate censorship is greatly annoying me. There must come an end to this nonsense.

[@Fiendish-_-]

I worked in Kyoto, Japan for 6 months doing TV translations into English. I had to come into work at 7am and wasn't allowed to leave until 5pm even though I only had 2-3 hours of work to do in the day. At 5-6pm all the staff would go to the izakaya around the corner for another 2 hours to drink. It wasn't a rule that you had to go or anything, but it was socially frowned upon to not go. So basically I had to come into work for 12 hours a day to do 3 hours of work 😅. And don't get me started on pay..

[@shioribaka7249]

That sounds...fine? I mean it is soul crushing "bullshit jobs" but no much hustle culture and unnecessary hierarchy that bully someone to death, can you elaborate more?

[@Fiendish-_-]

@@shioribaka7249 it's not so much that it was physically demanding, but mentally, keeping someone at work for 12 hours a day and only giving them 3 hours work is both soul crushing for the employee and a waste of money for the employer. It's these kinds of workplace inefficiencies that make Japanese work culture so rough. No one wants to question it either because everyone is afraid of the boss and the workplace cultural rules, like going to drink after work.

[@kasane1337]

@@shioribaka7249 You shouldn't have to spend 12 hours a day at work. We have homes, and we deserve to live in them and do what we want in our free time.

[@kulhotatti2476]

This thing kind of reminds me of watching a documentary about suicide culture of modern Japan and there was a then unemployed salaryman who was dissident towards his superiors and got punished by both being relocated to a different department AND having taken all the work from him. He basically just sat inside his office alone doing nothing for the same amount of hours as the rest and was socially shut out. It was their way of trying to get him to quit to wash their hands of responsibility.

[@SixStringHarmonies]

Remember the old film with Michael Keaton, "Gung Ho"? Same principle, but they framed it like Americans would benefit from emulating their process. How can it be normal for managers who "fail" or score in the bottom half of industrial output to put on a diaper and whip themselves in front of the entire workforce for two days straight? This is what scares me about this "life is work/work is life" attitude being put out there by people in the US ecosphere whom, themselves, do not work. These people you might see on Fox who live off of inherited money or "run" a company Dad gave them get on the air to bitch about "no one wants to work" blah, blah. Never once mentioning the wages, benefits, lack of pensions and mobility or other motivating factors. It's just because "everyone is lazy". _Not them, of course. They "work" 24 hours a day. When "work" is defined as eating in 5 star restaurants, driving in a limo or helicopter, or making a phone call. The most physical or mentally taxing activity they might perform is sitting in a meeting room._ It's such a joke, and this generation is wise to the hypocrisy of it. The point of life should be family, community, happiness, peace and joy. Not producing some widget or service. Work certainly shouldn't dominate 70% of our lives. This mindset benefits the profiteers at the top while it destroys everyone else in the organization. The increasing education of our young people is driving this rebellion against soulless and underpaid work. Expect our plutocrats to attack education systems, and make it a commodity restricted only for the wealthiest among us. We've already seen the start of this debacle.

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

There should be a 5 minute PSA on all TV channels that blasts this comment on repeat 5 times a day.

[@julesdalli9716]

Conservatives seem to view work/labour as something that should be mandatory. Not something that should be incentivized with fair wages, safe working conditions, reasonable hours, or benefits. Ironically enough, the Soviet Union felt the exact same way.......

[@lw3764]

I was just coming here to comment about this movie. Funny movie but one of the messages of the movie was hard work is good but working too hard isn't good

[@Shoegazebasedgenre0.]

sus

[@LauraBow]

That's what everyone is waiting up to. They people telling us to work don't work themselves!

[@Medytacjusz]

You know things are bad when even Americans are saying their work culture is insane xD

[@reform-revolution]

"I may have to work 3 jobs to pay my bills but at least I dont have to work in Japan"

[@RIStar-ds7wr]

I’m not Japanese (Indonesian here) but work culture in a lot of Asia is really bad. I’ve said everything you said about Japanese work culture so it’s refreshing hearing someone talk about it

[@allergiccookies6735]

+

[@quinnrosenberg3500]

Do you currently live in indonesia? Is Jakarta underwater yet?

[@RIStar-ds7wr]

@@quinnrosenberg3500 I am Indonesian (Orang Minang) by blood, American citizen. As far as I heard from Indonesians living in Jakarta, the government has no clue what they doing. Apparently they want to move the capital but there is no planning… sounds like Indonesia alright lol.

[@Dennis94913]

​@@quinnrosenberg3500 thankfully not yet. But some areas are affected by flood when high sea water comes in.

[@OneReallyGrumpyJill]

I had a Japanese professor in my Japanese class when I was in college, and whenever she would recall her timing working in Japan when she was younger (she was like, uh, around her late 50's or early 60's at max) she would have that fucking 1000-mile stare, shit's horrifying.

[@saiga3009]

こんにちは I was born and raised in Japan, and it has been my home for the majority of my life. Although I am currently not employed because I am a student, my father is, and I have seen firsthand the toll that work takes on him. Despite his desire to spend more time with our family, his job demands so much of his energy that he often comes home completely exhausted the work culture is very demanding, and it can be difficult for individuals to balance their personal and professional lives. My father has even had to embarrass himself in front of his boss on occasion, just to appeal for being a few minutes late. This is a common occurrence for us to be well off and have ¥yen to live comfortable Unfortunately, our country faces many challenges, including our reluctance to take responsibility for past actions and to break away from the traditional norms that we have long held onto. If we do not address these issues, we risk harming ourselves in the long run, along with LDP (liberal democratic party) having lot of power in our diet and regularly ruling like despot i have few hope that I will truly be able to see Japan prosper and decline will continue or the foreseeable future.

[@NIN0ID]

Thanks for the insight. It's shitty, people suffer so much stress working to support their family, but because of that work they don't even get time to enjoy with their family. That's a paradox a lot of people are stuck in, but it sounds especially extreme for you guys.

[@hamburger3197]

There needs to be major, major -- no, monumental reform in the way Japan's labour system works. Unions, sick and maternal leave, and paid time off, along with the cultural and societal expectations for those working to be drastically lowered, all supplemented with regular employee welfare checks and other such regulations. This is a brazen violation and overstepping of those above in the corporate ladder.

[@kingpinpasta2934]

Apparently Oda (the author of One Piece) only sleeps 3 hours a night because he’s so dedicated to One Piece.

[@MrGksarathy]

He's also one of the lucky ones because he is a multimillionaire from One Piece. Most other mangaka cannot dream of his financial security. Toriyama definitely can, maybe Togashi, but not anyone else.

[@AD-qc5zd]

​@Gautam Sarathy Yea but dude probably gonna die before 70 and is money worth anything if you ain't got shit that's gonna benefit from it once you die?

[@rishabhanand4973]

it's actually crazy that he's managed to sustain it for so long

[@azazel166]

He should take more breaks, honestly.

[@rishabhanand4973]

@@MrGksarathy on another note, i'm honestly really shocked togashi didn't just retire

[@Quixote3]

I teach in the inaka here: even for kids the balance of social life is abysmal. Most people express a desire for Japan to change. For example, my students arrive at middle school before I do. They can expect to be busy from 8 AM to 8 PM if they participate in clubs, and then they have homework and other responsibilities if they don’t have tutoring. Many students here work part-time as well, and although the healthcare isn’t as dystopian as in the USA the average income is pitifully low. then there are the limitations of culture and language itself, with many Japanese people of all ages deeply struggling to verbalize their discontent or unhappiness. That’s if they can overcome the emotional and cultural barriers to do so.

[@borna1231]

Can you please expand on the second point a bit more? About the language struggles? That sounds interesting in a horrifying way. What do you mean exactly?

[@juhojohansson4797]

​​@@borna1231 Like for example: japanese only have one curse word: ksama. That the only cursing I hear in anime at least Idk lol

[@Empyre18]

@@borna1231 Another part of it is that their education system often teaches rote memorization rather than critical thinking, so Japanese people really have an underdeveloped ability to question why things are the way they are or analyzing systemic logic. They just say or do things, but are completely unable to answer when asked why they’re doing that. To give a small example, there are so many learned thought-terminating cliches that Japanese people use to explain their unique culture and how it differs from Western culture. “Japan is a small country while America is a big country!” “Japan is an agricultural society while Europe is a hunter-gatherer society!” When you point out that, geographically, Japan is actually a pretty typically-sized country comparable to a lot of European countries, or that archeological evidence indicates agriculture was present in the Middle East, China, and the Americas centuries before it was found in Japan, they are completely stumped and they act like their minds are blown.

[@sithisrants4154]

​@@borna1231 I don't really have any authority to speak on this, but as someone who has been studying Japanese for 4 years rather intensively, it is an EXHAUSTING language to speak or use. It's the fastest spoken language in terms of syllables (or morae) per second, yet one of the least efficient in terms of information conveyed over time. Compound this with numerous levels of formality, the most verbose of which being keigo (professional polite speech), you can have 30-syllable+ ways of saying something as basic as "good morning". There's also no such thing as a run-on sentence, and you absolutely can have a single sentence in Japanese that doesn't end for half a page. It is significantly easier for native speakers, of course, but most of them can't write very easily because the advent of virtual keyboards has made writing kanji (Chinese Han characters) much easier on a keyboard than with a pen. It's really common to see a Japanese person trying to fill out paperwork whip out their phone to reference a kanji they just forgot how to write, and there are 2,136 of them officially used in everyday adult speech. Most of what you hear or see every day is just the most surface-level information possible. I can't really even explain this well in English because I'm still learning and will be for years to come, but if you add all the social levels, communication can be a mess of mixed politeness and stylistic choices with additional points tacked on to the end of a sentence or word that change or even reverse the entire sentence's meaning.

[@sithisrants4154]

​@@Empyre18 Nihongo no senkou here. You're spot on with this. In one of my social science classes focused on some of the anthropological implications of the Japanese language, we spent a bit of time going over ideas of Japanese uniqueness, and it reminded me a lot of "American exceptionalism", but they take it to a whole new level here. Additionally, the idea that Japanese is impossibly difficult is so deeply engrained that language classes here are instructed almost with the philosophy that no foreigner will ever REALLY be perapera, and casual speech is an absolutely miniscule part of the curriculum, with desu/masu-tai absolutely drilled into us. The idea definitely seems to be that even the language itself is for Japanese and no one else.

[@pancakes8670]

I now understand why we get a lot of our Cyberpunk media from Japan

[@bleach00101]

This is part of why a lot of anime use high school age characters because that’s the last phase in their lives when they are allowed to have unplanned and unrestricted fun without feeling guilty

[@kattkatt744]

You have never meet a Japanese university student. High school in Japan is way more serious than university. Way more guilt free stuff going on in university than high school. The use of high school has much more to do with it being the last place of innocence and connection to childhood and feeling of home. University on the other hand functions more like Amish Rumspringa for Japanese society, so probably the most guilt free time you are ever going to have as a Japanese.

[@MrGksarathy]

@@kattkatt744 I have heard that kids mostly putz around and play video games at university, but at the same time, it doesn't seem to be nearly as fulfilling as high school.

[@kattkatt744]

@@MrGksarathy Highschool is strict and goal-oriented, so if you are motivated by that it can be a fulfilling experience. University on the other hand is much more what you make it. Yeah, you can putz about and play video games, but you can also excel at sports or even challange yourself academically if you are going to the right university. University is about doing what you want to do, at least up until now. Possibly it may be changing though, since less and less university graduates in Japan are getting jobs straight out of university. We will see.

[@saiga3009]

As a high schooler in Japan, I have pressure from a lot here partially why I learned English to get better, and focus on studies. There is many stress such as juku pressure, all of it is preparedness for extreme exams. Sometimes I feel the soul exit my body (lol) over all I think there is fun to school here with a lot of my friends being great and we do our hair and makeup and help eachother out so there is a camaraderie in a sense. But it has a lot of issues that make it more crippling then learning.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

I used to work for a subcontracted company that did work for a Japanese company. We worked pretty efficiently and only had to do overtime occasionally. Eventually the Japanese company took over the operation and there was overtime every week day and most Saturdays for the next year.

[@Empyre18]

I used to be a major weeb and Japanophile; I studied the Japanese language in college and studied abroad there for a year. Then I worked in that country for several years, and then briefly for another Japanese company when I moved back to the US. Those experiences legit instilled in me a contempt for the country as a whole. I basically intentionally forgot all my Japanese language skills, because I wanted to purge my mind of everything Japanese. That godforsaken country’s work culture truly exhibits its people at its worst, cruelest, and most sociopathic. It truly is an example of how just because a culture is polite, it doesn’t translate to that culture actually being kind or empathetic.

[@TubularCeaser]

Deweebification

[@subtlefeatures1087]

Been three times. Love the connivence stores ect. But that country has massive issues. It’s not politeness to me, it feels really really forced. It feels like they are all living a live where they cannot step out of the boundaries. I went to don queotie (how ever you spell it) to buy some booze. Now I’m a 6’5 105kg Aussie. The guy who got the booze for me as I approached the counter said something in Japanese and they all turned around and laughed directly at me. You don’t need to know the language to know when someone is taking the piss. But it didn’t really get to me……because I get to leave. I travel and I leave. He’s stuck there. Not only that I have English under my belt. Which is the passport to the world and if I learn Spanish then it’s all gravy. It’s not a super tech savvy country either. It’s a mix between 1980 and 2023. The world has moved on and they are stuck in a weird way. They are so shut off from the western world and it’s a huge problem. Their gdp is only going to slip further.

[@Jellyfishh_]

I currently work in South Korea and it is just as bad if not worse here. I kinda manage to be spared from shit like after hours drinking cause I'm a foreigner, but I still find myself working 50+ hours every week with 0 flexibility and an INSANE amount of micromanaging, and this is coming from a relatively small and "young" company, I cannot even imagine what it is like to work for one of the Chaebols here. SK's president tried to raise the current cap of working hours (52 hours) to 80 hours. It's a clown fiesta and it's just the tip of the iceberg of shit that happens in the workplace.

[@Shoegazebasedgenre0.]

sounds similar to Indonesian work culture

[@gracenewman589]

I’m an immigrant in Japan. Ya the work culture is insane. Luckily, I’m partially exempt from the hours problem but my coworkers always stay way late every day. During actual working hours, some people are just sitting around because they know they’re going to stay late. Most teachers are in charge of clubs and come to school on the weekends, as do students. In terms of the birth rate, there are little festivals all over Japan that (I hypothesize) are to get people to fuck. Perfect date conditions/ great for families. Also, the xenophobia is crazy. Half my job is to get students to not be afraid of me and other immigrants. I love living here, but I could never stay if it meant adhering to the work culture

[@Apollo-iq1vx]

This is probably why so many mediocre quality isakei anime are super popular there. It's unhealthy escapism to not think about how screwed the real world is.

[@bfragged]

My cousin who worked in Japan commented that Japanese would prefer for their aged parents to be looked after by a robot rather than a Filipino nurse. Fun to visit but crap to live there.

[@lw3764]

My parents had a friend who was a VP at a company that manufactured equipment for oil companies. The company she worked for was bought by a Japanese conglomerate and she hated her job once that happened, the Japanese bosses weren't used to women being executives, they were quite rude to her. She was close to retirement, I think she just chose to retire and that was it.

[@emilchan5379]

Westerners always ask why slice-of-life or isekai anime is so popular in Japan, or why so many anime are in a highschool setting. This is part of the reason why. Adult working life just sucks in Japan. For many Japanese, highschool or university is the period in life where you have relative freedom to do what you want, without having the crushing responsibility of working adulthood. Isekai offers escapism, while slice-of-life or moe cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime are the equivalent of shutting your brain off after a long day of work and watching cat videos. Unfortunately it is not just Japan. East Asia is not exactly well-known for having good work life balance. South Korea was recently thinking about raising its work hour limits to 69 up from the current 52, while China had the infamous 996 (9am to 9pm, 6 days a week) work culture. I live in Southeast Asia, and while it isn't as bad, it is not good either and I have many friends who work ridiculous amounts of hours and overtime.

[@CteCrassus]

Oftentimes it feels like, despite their modernity, the Japanese still keep a feudal mindset, where your boss isn't so much the dude that signs your paycheck but rather a lord you owe reverence and servitude to.

[@TheMaddenComebackKid]

That's one of the reasons job hopping is frowned on in Japan. They want to know you'll dedicate, at minimum, a decade of your life to your new boss.

[@matteste]

And you can bet your ass on that the billionaires in the US want it the same way. Why else do you think they go such lengths to make themselves seem almost like gods in the eyes of the common folk.

[@Empyre18]

You see this sort of feudal mindset to an extent with conservative American boomers, defending “jobs creators” and saying stuff like “I’m loyal because someone was good enough to give me a good job.” Thinking of decent work with a living wage as something bestowed on the peasants by their social betters out of a sense of noblesse oblige, rather than an inalienable human right everyone should be able to get without needing to beg and scrape. Japan definitely takes this to an extreme.

[@dydx_]

It's confucianism and not feudality. It's because the key to fulfillment in Japan is in relation to how much your actions help others, and not yourself.

[@CteCrassus]

@@dydx_ First, Confucius is a medieval philosopher; And second, Japanese work culture seems much, *much* more preocupied in your "actions" benefitting your lord (boss) than your coworkers. And evidently that doesn't seem to apply to the bosses themselves, because they shit, abuse and exploit their workers mercilessly for their own benefit and it's seen as pretty much normal.

[@JennyJewels]

if we liberated the japanese from the toxic work culture do you think theyd stop making loli and shota

[@moustachio05]

​@Metal Sign Drawn CP has to be stopped

[@dydx_]

@@moustachio05 That won't work because there are no crimes committed. If you don't like it, don't consume it. If others like it, let them like it because they hurt no one. If they reenact what they consumed then you must be incredibly stupid to think that a drawing has made them willing to abandon all civic norms, moral, principles and responsibility. In Japan, there is a very clear cut understanding of fiction vs reality, thus most just don't really care the way you choose to express yourself as long as you actual act responsible (stark contrast to America where it's more common to get judged based on what one "thinks/supposedly true self is" and not on their actions).

[@moustachio05]

@@dydx_ drawing something like that is disgusting, obscene and immoral it doesn't matter if its fiction or not

[@brianp3570]

Can confirm the separate bedroom recommendation. Shared a bed for 10 years, and we're both happier after making the switch. An underrated factor is having not only your own bed, but also your own space, such that privacy is available when desired, then time spent together feels more intentional.

[@cruizlee214]

Japan was a great place to visit and I believe there is a lot we Americans should borrow from their culture such as transport and magical toilets. I would live there, but only if I could work independently from an office culture.

[@TheMaddenComebackKid]

That's what I'm doing. I'm moving to Japan (I can stay in Japan for 6 months visa free, so I'll just hop over to South Korea or Thailand to avoid an overstay then head back), but I have enough money saved up/invested/have a business that allows me to avoid having to work in Japan. I love the history, the food, the people, the trains...but I'll skip the work culture ✋🏽

[@picachugirl2036]

Explain magic toilets?

[@cruizlee214]

@Picachu Girl japan has toilets that know when you enter so they raise the lid and play music or a babbling brook. The seats are warm and welcoming. They squirt you clean with a stream of warm water perfectly aimed. They air dry you afterward. The most toilet paper you will use is after you spritz a tissue square with sanitizer and wipe down the seat for the next person. All of these spells can be fine tuned and adjusted with a magic wand. Bippity boppity poo.

[@orionnebula1136]

I don't like how immigration is often used to push issues like this aside. I am very pro immigration, but if people can't have kids because of work culture that's a problem.

[@mookiestewart3776]

I mean it can be two things compounded together. Japan does need to open up to immigration

[@orionnebula1136]

@@mookiestewart3776 True

[@TheMaddenComebackKid]

​@Mookie Stewart The left wing parties (mostly the communist party) in Japan are trying to allow more immigrants, but the right wingers would rather subsidize robotics companies so they can automate low skill/menial/repetitive jobs. The people aren't racist, but their government set up their country in such a way that xenophobia is built into much of their society. I still like it there, tho. I plan on moving there for a little while.

[@wilkesmcdermid7906]

​@@TheMaddenComebackKid Japan needs to have immigrants who are able to assimilate into Japanese culture. Which limits many groups. You cannot have Syrians or Pakistanis or even Americans, French, or Brits either.

[@eldritchtourist]

​@@wilkesmcdermid7906 Japanese culture is not that precious and delicate. People are also clearly big fans of it and would be happy to adjust if given the opportunity to. But most of this is highly impractical, nonsensical pearl clutching. Saying Americans of all people can't adjust is pretty absurd since, again, the Americans that want to live there adore the culture. People think of Japanese culture as almost a religious experience beyond accessibility to foreigners but it's just a culture, it's not that special and it's not that incomprehensible.

[@brittanybrown6277]

Omg, the whole sleeping in different beds or even having an option to sleep alone sometimes, I've been having this argument with my fiancé over this for months now. I just want a separate bed to sleep in if I need to be fully rested. Not to mention our sleeping preferences are different. I prefer to sleep with little to no sound and in almost complete darkness, my fiancé is the complete opposite. I haven't had a fully restful nights sleep for almost six years because they need the tv to be on while they sleep.

[@scoobydoobers23]

No offense but that is the definition of incompatible. They are also an asshole for not just putting headphones. Then you can put a sleep mask on and boom. Sleep for all.

[@CampingforCool41]

Your fiancé is extremely selfish.

[@AD-qc5zd]

I second this. Bed together is great, but damn some days I just wanna be a grumpy asshole because the day sucked and sleep by myself. It's not you. It's me. But literally.

[@brittanybrown6277]

@@scoobydoobers23 I’ve tried to sleep with a face mask and couldn’t do it, it was a sensory issue. So the flashing lights is still a problem. And they can’t sleep with headphones on. I just want the option to sleep in another room, specially if I need the sleep for the next day and my insomnia is at its worst already.

[@brittanybrown6277]

@@CampingforCool41 it’s slowly gotten better over time. For the first year, they refused to turn the tv down.

[@rex_melynas]

Oh yeah, I might be a weaboo and all, but I couldn't even try japanese working culture, it's probably one of the biggest reasons I didn't move there, even if would really like the idea of living in japan.

[@mookiestewart3776]

Well firstly you’d likely be an English teacher when you. First moved there so the expectations out of you would be entirely different . He’ll even in corporate settings you kind of have a “gaijin” pass at work for lots of places. I think you’d be fine working over there

[@danieltobin4498]

There are some things I like about Japanese culture. And a lot I hate. Like the xenophobia, the racism, the WW2 war crimes denial, and of course…the work culture.

[@sardonicus1739]

@@mookiestewart3776 From the videos I've seen about people moving there from the states, being an English teacher pays about as well as a part timer with little chance of other fields of work, people who live there will never treat you like you belong due to their tendency towards a sort of patronizing kind of racism, and you have to be sick all the time from not being used to the diseases from that area among other struggles. A lot had to leave due to loneliness of never being able to make any close friends.

[@reform-revolution]

@@mookiestewart3776 that isnt a plus and there is still the racism and the fact that the police and locals will treat you like garbage Japan and its culture is fascinating and its a nice place to VISIT but for anyone that isnt Japanese (and the right kind of Japanese cause they are racist against themselves sometimes) its not a good place to stay for long

[@rex_melynas]

@@mookiestewart3776 I'm a software developer, btw. And in any case, a spanish teacher, I'm not from the US, I know most Vaush ppl are from there, but :P you know, not everybody haha

[@thegrumpyoldmechanic6245]

Remember, everyone who works hard is fabulously wealthy and the only possible reason people are poor is that they are lazy. (Do I really need to say that was bitter sarcasm?)

[@danieltobin4498]

Unfortunately yeah

[@InfinityHS]

On the internet it can be harder to tell sarcasm sometimes. So it’s good you said that yea.

[@reggiePLEASE]

i want to say the sarcasm was obvious, but the sheer amount of 'bootstraps mentality' i've seen in youtube comment sections gives reason for me to believe its sincerity. seriously, some community polls i've seen asking whether jeff bezos 'deserved his money' or not had comments saying "yeah!! he deserved all of it!! he worked his ass of for all the money he has!!! people only say no because they're jealous they don't have his money and haven't worked like he did!!" and thing along those lines.

[@johnilarde8440]

Clueless Western: "Wow! Japan is cool! I would love to move there!" Japanese person who immigrate to the US from Japan: *PTSD work culture flashback* "NO God, please no..."

[@SilverDragonJay]

Yeah, I used to be the clueless westerner when I was in high school, then I learned more and realized that I would be happier just visiting for a bit before returning to the US. And I'm not even happy with the US, its just better then what I see over there. The grass may look greener on the other side, but it's actually dying and someone just spray painted it recently.

[@marcypagel7577]

I worked at primarily sushi restaurants for my first jobs as an adult. The ones run by Japanese men absolutely destroyed my mental health, which in turn came for my physical health. Constantly overworked and treated terribly, the money eventually became completely not worth it. Being host/server/bar tender/cashier/janitor/bus boy for a third to a half of the restaurant’s tables, working overtime but being forced to clock out for it, people having vacations approved and then getting fired for actually taking them…total nightmare, never again

[@AkerfeldtTveitan-yi4xm]

That sounds horrible

[@fma64]

I have a lot to say about this, but basically I've worked in 2 Japanese companies in Japan (currently in a Japanese company) and luckily the one I am rn is kind of aware about overtime, they ask you to please take your days off if needed, and even so, I have 30+ in overwork every month. The reason why is so difficult for people to take days off, is because it's hard to delegate all the work to other people, and because there are many holidays in Japan so people take just a few days a year. there is a law now to at least take 5 days off a year, it's not great but it's a start. the productivity may be true although I work at IT so it's a little different, but nomikai (go drinking with the boss) are getting less common and most people don't like the idea of nomikai anyway, like there is genuine concern from many people about the issues this system have, and it's true that it is slowly changing, but as long as the country is rules by boomers, little to nothing will change. What it is true is that many people still think their job is their whole life, and without a job they don't have hobbies or anything else, it's pretty miserable most of the time

[@firstnamelastname4824]

Same here, but I work remote in the States so I can nihongo wakarimasen or time zone my way out of overtime lol. One of my cousins recently entered the work force over in Japan and he seems to be able to maintain a healthy social life outside of work - he's getting married and is pretty casual about taking time off from work in general. That being said, he told me some of his friends are miserable. Improvements seem to be glacial overall, but it's moving I guess. I don't know if it's something the government could change though. It's been hardwired into the workforce for so long that there's a deprogramming that needs to happen on near individual levels - the boomers that need to be removed from positions of power are those in control of the companies rather than the government

[@MrDrewwills]

My friend is in a lovely healthy relationship, but she often sleeps in a separate bed because her partner is very warm and turns the bed into a sauna.

[@Kcoldraz]

I believe Japan is a one party government. There are other political government parties but a single party is so dominant.

[@MrGksarathy]

The LDP, yes, and the LDP is basically a direct continuation of the old fascist regime, but not as openly.

[@wilkesmcdermid7906]

@@MrGksarathy Also the LDP are kind of lapdogs to the US Govt. LDP members are cucks. Kuckshida is a joke of a PM.

[@wilkesmcdermid7906]

@@MrGksarathy My mom hated Abe so much when she learned he was assassinated she wanted to order fancy takeout as celebration and that the bloke who killed Abe should be a national hero.

[@MrGksarathy]

@@wilkesmcdermid7906 I also celebrated his death because for once, a far right figure was held accountable for his shit and didn't die peacefully. Even if it had more to do with the unification church than his other far right policies, still pretty happy.

[@matteste]

At least it is pretty clear that they are a one party state whereas the US likes to pretend that it has two.

[@EmpressTiffanyOfBrittany]

We're on our way to this in the USA and people are still blaming Millenials and Gen Z for not working hard enough.

[@AkerfeldtTveitan-yi4xm]

Fucking boomers

[@sarahsoba]

I’m a student in Japan and I’m entering my last year. The teachers are always asking if I’m wanting to work in Japan and I’m hesitant. I would be going into the art industry which I think helps, but even then, I’m terrified of the work culture. I’m gunna try it for a year and see how I do, but I’ll see how it goes. Wish me luck lol

[@bindukopparapu2795]

Good luck. I hope you do well no matter where you work.

[@ntfoperative9432]

If you don’t like it, just remember that the great melting pot is here

[@mqb3gofjzkko7nzx38]

Japan is proof that the sigma grindset isn't going to fix poverty.

[@lastburning]

How big of a problem is poverty in Japan? Or is the work culture just more taxing there on average.

[@Paint_The_Future]

I heard that some Japanese workers have to do exercise carried out to music before work every morning. It's silly, but I really don't like that. Dance for your masters, puppets, DANCE!

[@kattkatt744]

ラジオ体操, rajio taisou, is the least bad thing about Japanese work life. Reasearch shows conclusively that getting up and stretching if you do a desk job is good for you both physically and mentally. Shit on everything but that if you actually want a better worklife for Japanese workers.

[@emilchan5379]

Eh, that is actually a good healthy practice. One of the reasons why many militaries make you do "5BX" or 5 basic exercises every morning. There are many things to criticize about Japanese work culture but this ain't it.

[@Paint_The_Future]

@@emilchan5379 ok to all of that but should it be *forced* though?

[@jakublutek9361]

@@Paint_The_Future Yeah, it should be forced, it would definitely help the US a lot.

[@dydx_]

You got issues if you think taking care of your body is silly or anything like "dance for your masters". Yikes

[@xxGhostXIIIxx]

i remember having this grass is always greener type thing as an American who is a life long weaboo just being depressed by American conservative culture longing for Japan thinking things must be so much better there with anime waifus good food more videogames and dating opertunites then you can shake a katana at but its important to remember life kinda sucks all over the planet and Japan has its own shitty issues too

[@GojiraXR9]

I live and work in Japan. It’s true. All of it.

[@Kuudere_Fanboy]

This is a thing I can actually agree with you. The work culture in Japan is messed up.

[@ItsSupaflyTNT]

Married for seven years. We've had separate bedrooms for 3. Saved our marriage.

[@ChrisTian-cy7eu]

I actually just came back from my Japan trip. From the ignorant (white) outside looking in, Japan is a great country if you do not look beyond the surface. The public transportation is awesome, food is tasty, healthy and affordable, people are extremely nice, the streets are very clean. And while I think that our western societies could copy some great things from Japan (like not littering everywhere or putting yourself at every stage (instead standing in line to get into a bus, offering seats to old people), it is clear to me that I would never want to work in Japan. The politeness extents to being compliant with exploitation and abuse from bosses.

[@ghostyFPV]

Thanks for talking about the beds/bedroom thing. I've always liked my own space and own bed in case we are on different schedules or are falling asleep at different times -- or if I just want to flop about. Always felt a little weird about it until I heard someone besides me explain it.

[@Westlander857]

Seems to me that Japan’s innovations in technology and engineering come at quite a human cost ☹️ (I’m not saying people need to work themselves to the bone in order to make those kinds of advancements, but clearly, that’s the attitude in Japan.)

[@jenjaminbenkins6075]

Vaush rad, vaush rad.

[@ghostgabe81]

I remember I read somewhere that Japanese students have a huge social expectation to a) join s club at school and b) dedicate a huge amount of their free time to said club and only that one. Something about preparing them for being loyal to a single employer their whole life

[@j1daiokure]

I always see these politicians being mentioned in the context of the Unification Church. But when discussing japanese politics, the real thing that one should look upon is Nippon Kaigi. That's the cult where literally all of these politicians have ties, power and flash their true long-term fascist ideological goals.

[@anagonyaowusu3119]

There’s a reason that Japanese life expectancy doesn’t necessarily correlate to quality of life.

[@mogscugg2639]

Also the reason the tech boom faded out was because their ethnonationalist sensibilities couldn't tolerate coding in English, so the coding boom just didn't happen there

[@GeorgeNoiseless]

Huh? But what about their early home computer boom then. Could you please provide some sources for this?

[@AD-qc5zd]

No. It literally has to do with the adoption of an American economic system without an American-sized population. Japanese devs have been coding in English since the 1980s like most of the world. I have worked on fan-translating old ass games most of the code is in English with the comments and dialogue in japanese.

[@blgctyo632]

Reaaaalllly dumb and untrue explanation. Japan has always focused on manufacturing and has been late to the game in terms of software and application development. They’ve spent the last five years plus trying to reverse course on this by making it easier to bring in foreign engineers from other countries but because Japan’s wages are so stagnant they don’t attract and retain talent for very long

[@maeschder]

Remember when Hasan went to Japan and said "Capitalism might be working there because their culture is different"? YEAH LMAO

[@mookiestewart3776]

He never said that, he said it works better there than in america because of thousands of years of collectivism which is entirely correct. He specifically stated that there are still major issues that can only be solved through the decomodifying of certain sections of the economy but on the whole it’s far better than America……..because it is

[@digaddog6099]

​@@mookiestewart3776 I dont know if I buy that Japan is better. They have a higher suicide rate than us. Maybe they excel in certain areas, but I wouldn't say Japan is necessarily better.

[@KyrieFortune]

That's what happens when you combine an economic system where you work for your superior's profit, with a social philosophy when you are to always respect your superiors or you basically commit a crime against society.

[@abdulmasaiev9024]

@@mookiestewart3776 How can you say "it works better" though when it works people even worse? The problem isn't "commodifying" shit, it's the social enshrinement of extreme exploitation as a Morally Correct Thing Obviously for both the exploiter and the exploited.

[@maeschder]

@@mookiestewart3776 Except, even the "it works better" line is entirely inaccurate. Japan's capitalism isnt propped up by collectivism, its supported by shitloads of immigrants at the moment, as well as an aggressively protectionist import strategy. Japanese companies in vital sectors have been entirely supported by central bank loans and only compete for domestic shares for this reason. Also, saying that people sacrificing their mental health and living dogshit lives for 80% of their time is somehow "bettering" capitalism is just idealizing a lifestyle you cant comprehend the shittiness of (all while also ignoring that not everyone there is a salaryman).

[@tylerhackner9731]

Work culture in general is tbf

[@Olivetree80]

Yes, but especially in Japan

[@frost1183]

I love sleeping next to a woman. There’s something nice about hugging all night and waking up together and giving them a kiss. But I understand if someone wants to sleep alone. I fall asleep so well hugging a woman I like.

[@reform-revolution]

plus there is always the opportunity to Dutch oven them if you get bored

[@NedTesco]

​@@reform-revolution facts

[@junfaa]

If I moved to Japan, I would be the one guy using all of my vacation time.

[@craigstephenson7676]

I’ve heard so many stories of sleeping in different rooms saving relationships because one person couldn’t fall asleep next to their partner. If I marry someone who snores I just might have to sleep in a separate room. Sleep deprivation can mess you up. Even if you know it’s not your partner’s fault, feelings of resentment can just creep in cause you’re sleep deprived and can’t think straight.

[@wet-read]

Just do what I do: run a fan for white noise.

[@allergiccookies6735]

the sharing a bed thing feels monogamous and like romantic relationship is the most important thing in your life. someone can live on their own and have 20 boyfriends. even if a relationship is close, ur bed is just where you sleep. go on a date or actually hang out with someone if you want to maintain a relationship. as someone with insomnia I always need the ability to flop around in bed and get up and not be impeded by someone else sleeping right there.

[@ProfLakitax]

I just had to write an academic essay on this. There is a fascinating dynamic there.

[@devildelirious8662]

If everyone just stopped going to Japan I'm sure they'd regress back to a feudal society eventually

[@magnus_cockstrong]

Japan as an entity is experiencing karoshi.

[@SystematicChaos713]

Kishida is super unpopular in Japan, even among the right wing. I've seen plenty of calls for him to resign. The weakened yen, rising consumer prices, and failure to fully investigate ties between the LDP and Unification Church after Abe's assassination are all part of it, but more than that he's just seen as weak and feckless with no clear vision or policies. He basically depended on the fact that Abe supported him, but with Abe gone he hasn't been able to keep the factions within the LDP together. I think a weak LDP leader is probably the best we can hope for from Japan until the opposition parties get their shit together. As for the work culture, I've worked at a Japanese SME for seven years, and I definitely have seen the insidiousness of the culture. Fortunately I've been blessed by being in a more internationally-minded industry (translation) with more forward-thinking bosses, and being an SME things aren't as entrenched as major corporations. In my experience, the pressure to work so much overtime didn't so much come from bosses as much as from senior colleagues ("she's working until midnight every night, why aren't you?" but always unspoken). Since I've become one of the more senior employees in our department, I've been very intentional about setting a better work culture by, for instance, leaving on time whenever I can afford to without missing a deadline. The switch to our team mostly being remote really helped, and I was one of the ones who put up resistance to bringing us back into the office. I realize most people around me aren't as lucky and it really shouldn't take a good situation to have a healthy work/life balance. It's changing, though, and young people are putting up with less and less every year.

[@LiamtheGreat1000]

Do Japanese companies offer overtime pay? In the Philippines, you can't work for more than 40 hours per week not because of the work-life balance but inability of companies to pay your hourly overtime fees, hence, cutting the electricity after 6pm in my case.

[@bubblehearthz]

I work for a Japanese car manufacturer here in the southern US. We just got off a 9 month stretch working 50-60 hours per week. Accidents started going up in the plant and it was pretty morbid when you would see 1-2 people dying each week.

[@boredombear4237]

Normalize married couples having bunk beds

[@HdtvTh]

The only way to fix this in any reasonable amount of time is to enforce it, even if the companies go along with lower hours, the social pressure will not allow any change to happen.

[@ragnarshadow]

I thought our 40hr week was horrible, how do they have time to draw all the tentacle stuff? How did we get from agricultural farming for our selves to thinking work to benefit others at the top and bending our selves over a barrel is somehow a good thing?

[@porscheprairie3232]

Married couples can also sleep in separate bedrooms because they have multiple younger kids or conflicting work schedules. It's not always a "we hate each other" thing.

[@nickwilson7241]

Couples having separate bedrooms is incredibly bougie

[@CampingforCool41]

My grandparents slept in separate bedrooms as long as I knew them and they were not rich lol. My grandpa would shout in his sleep and stuff. If it works for people to sleep separately there’s nothing wrong with that.

[@nickwilson7241]

@@CampingforCool41 yeah, but you could afford to buy a house with multiple bedrooms in your grandparents time. If I wanted to sleep in a separate room from my girlfriend I would have to be on the floor in the kitchen or something

[@KyrieFortune]

​@@CampingforCool41 my grandparents slept in the same bed, and so did their sons, they literally all slept in one giant bed.

[@matteste]

My parents used to sleep together but not anymore simply cause my dad snores like you can feel the house quake.

[@mrgonzalez8838]

Pertaining to the office topic discussion at 9:00, sometimes it's nice to be next to someone for comfort while being awake, but when you try to sleep it makes it 100x more difficult to actually fall asleep with someone being in contact. For some persons, having that presence makes a huge difference; even more so if you or the other person likes to stretch out to have more space when sleeping.

[@legrocc26]

"Premium Fridays" is like a Rick and Morty bit lmao

[@SuperpowerBroadcasting]

Work culture in Japan is bad out of a cultural emphasize on work. Work culture in Canada is bad out of a necessity to work 2+ jobs just to afford rent. Immigration has only made the problem worse in Canada. We need to build new cities. At least we have the room for it in Canada. Japan is already substantially densely populated and very mountainous. Both Japan and Canada are undesirable places to work.

[@jacobrafferty2377]

I work pharmaceuticals here in the states, my rolling year average has been 62 hours per week. The overtime money is nice but it's a hellish existence. It's an amount of work that consumes my entire life, I have relatively no time to do anything else. I could not imagine not getting paid overtime beyond the 40 hours, I'd quit in a millisecond

[@vinnae]

I didn't expect Vaush to start talking about people who like sleeping on their own sometimes, but yeah. The idea that because you are in a relationship you have to share the bed all the time and doing anything else is the most horrible thing you could do is so arbitrary. I get why sleeping with your partner can help too, but come on. If you wanna sleep alone don't just stop yourself because it is not the socially acceptable thing to do.

[@spanky814]

My great grandparents had separate bedrooms so they had their own space and didn't have to sleep in the same bed every night. They were together from 15 to 78

[@disasterdykeallie7922]

I swear, if the pandemic didn’t happen, i think the US would get here. Hustle culture was getting worse and worse on our already obsessive, workaholic society

[@disasterdykeallie7922]

And i was one of them. I worked 7 day work weeks 2017-2020

[@monty-rv5xl]

i was offered a placement in a japanese company in london as a cs student but im not sure if i should accept now or maybe wait a bit haha

[@gabbo7101]

you should probs find out more, talk to people that work there, and just generally do your homework.

[@BelimaiSykes]

This is what happens when too many people roll over. Stop letting people who get off on exerting authority get off on exerting authority. You've got a middle finger. USE IT!

[@kittenwizard4703]

Yeah tell that to all the people who became homeless doing that lol

[@julesdalli9716]

It depends on who has leverage. Standing up to your a-hole of a boss can lead to you being demoted, underpaid, or even fired. The solution to this problem is institutional, not individual.

[@khoirulanam9141]

Living in Japan is like being castrated slowly. studying from elementary school to high school, going home at 3 pm, then after graduating, working from 8 am coming home at 10 pm, is that life?

[@AD-qc5zd]

No shit. I feel like there is a genre that spurned about because of this.

[@MrGksarathy]

There are multiple that have.

[@steven95N]

Sounds like a dream compared to my job.

[@afh7380]

when will vaush fix his very low sound's volume?

[@pac0th3king]

A standard 40hr week is a dream to me. Worked service most my life. The kind of work helps the 10-14hr days go by. But honestly a 60hr week ain’t bad if your positive. 8-6P every day? EASY

[@redsnorlax1945]

I work 60 hours a week during slow season busy season is 75+ a week and im happier with a heavy workload when i work less im restless and miserable

[@IlSinistero]

Though I hate the politics here in Austria, at least we get all in all 38 paid days off per year.

[@leshommesdupilly]

I just worked a 14h shift and didn’t sleep for 24h today ! Last week, I just worked 48h in 3 days lol

[@Senumunu]

Vaush makes a slight comment a chatter tops him Vaush tops the chatter -> repeat forever

[@sageskyy]

the bed thing is so true

[@7TheWhiteWolf]

Aggretsuko…

[@karmasauce6288]

That was the first thing that came to mind.

[@grenouillesscent]

Birth rates are below replacement in Canada, the us, Britain, most countries that have a 40 hour work week.

[@foxstele]

Japan tends to be about 10 years ahead of the US in economics. Looking forward to 70 hour work weeks here in a few years.