Japan as a Professional
This one took me a while before I could start. There’s so much to say. My wife and I are beginning to plan our move back to Japan, and while there are many things I am greatly looking forward to, there are more than a few things I’m more than ready to roll my eyes at again. But let’s start at the beginning.
Japan is a notoriously worker-unfriendly country. Hours are long, overtime is expected, and salary is (comparatively) low. No small number of the staff I worked with either directly or indirectly left within two or three months of starting. Many more quit once their contracts (one year) were up. So if you’re a recent college grad reading this and about to go to an interview for a job that’s going to take you to Japan, and your best reason for going is because, “I like the culture” or “I’m in love with anime”, please stop right now and re-evaluate your decision. Japan is a real country with real people and real issues. You might say, “well obviously, CA”, but please believe that I had the unfortunate pleasure of saying one too many goodbyes to people who came without thinking things through, got mad, and left without even the courtesy of a two-week notice.
If it sounds like I’m being pretty harsh, well, I am. If you’ve read Okey-Dokey Sensei, you’re familiar with the character of Manager, who I based largely on my real life first boss in Japan. Now, I will say that after my first year I transferred to another office and had an amazing boss, but that’s the exception. Expectations are always high and absolutely no one will coddle you. On top of that, everyone has the exact same set three weeks of vacation a year. Golden Week, Obon, and New Years. All that wonderful sightseeing and travelling you’re expecting to do? Yeah, you’re doing it with everyone else during the same period.
Okay, so what about the good? Well, there is a lot of that too. Everyone’s situation is different, but for me, I spoke the language already before I arrived, so my transition from getting off the plane to being able to go to the bank or have a conversation with someone and make friends was infinitely easier than a lot of other people I knew who didn’t speak a lick of Japanese. That being said, I had a couple of coworkers who spoke like three whole words when they first got there and they made it work. They took classes and made fast friends. Japan favors the extrovert in this regard. If you’re socially awkward and end up staying in your apartment all day, you’re going to have an awful time.
The good about Japan is pretty much everything outside of work. I’m being very broad, of course. I’m not going to get into the absolutely horrid bureaucracy or the fact that Japanese Television is complete garbage. I’m a big drinker, and Japan is very, very alcohol friendly. Going out with friends to a bar or a club happened multiple nights a week. Short, weekend trips are fully doable. Onsen, (hot springs) are always worth it. I don’t think I’ve even been to one I didn’t love. The food, do I even have to talk about the food? MMMM-M-MMM!
I talked a lot about the kind of people who didn’t make it in Japan, but there are a lot of people who do. A lot of people like myself who have lived there for several years and who are more than happy to help you out if you’re new. There’s no shortage of places to go or people to meet, and the friends you make there will likely remain friends for the rest of your life.
Do I recommend becoming a professional in Japan? Well, I don’t think it would be fair for me to make that recommendation to anyone. You know yourself best. There are a lot of things about Japan that are infuriating, but I will tell you this. On those spring days when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and I spent hours and hours walking along the River Matsu with my wife. When all those issues faded away, and I saw everything in its delicate tenuity. Or when I sat back in an outdoor hot spring in the middle of winter with snow falling on my naked body. In those moments, I knew I had found home.
And when you’ve found home, you’ve found happiness.
