How the Japanese work: the number of hours a day, interesting facts. How do the Japanese work How much do the Japanese work per week
There are countless stories, articles and books coming out in the West that teach you how to be more productive so you have more time for your family and the things you love to do.
In Japan, the term "work-life balance" simply does not exist. But there is a special word for “death from overwork at work” - “karoshi”. Karoshi is the inevitable outcome of the grueling work culture that operates in Japan.
Every year in the country, hundreds, if not thousands, of the Japanese literally drive themselves to the grave with overwork.
Such a fate overtook Kyotaka Serizawa.
Last July, this 34-year-old Japanese man committed suicide after working 90 hours in the last week of his life. He was an employee of a residential maintenance company.
“His colleagues told me they were amazed at how hard he worked,” said the father of the deceased, Kiyoshi Serizawa. “According to them, they have never seen a person who does not even own a company work so hard.”
Long hours of hard work and forced labor after the end of the working day are the norm in Japan. This is the local work culture.
In Japan, there is a special profession of tear wiper for female employees.
It all started back in the 1970s when wages were pretty low and workers wanted to increase their earnings. This trend continued into the 1980s, when Japan's economy became the second largest in the world, and also after the crisis in the late 1990s, when companies began to rebuild, and workers tried to make sure that they were not laid off.
In addition, there were temporary employees working without any bonuses and guarantees. Because of them, the life of regular workers turned into even more hard labor.
Now no one is embarrassed by a working day lasting more than 12 hours.
“In Japan, people always work after the end of the working day. Recycling has practically become a part of working hours, says Koji Morioka, a professor at the University of Kansai who sits on a committee of experts that develops methods for the government to deal with karoshi. “Now no one is forcing anyone to work overtime, but the workers themselves believe that they are obliged to do it.”
The base work week is 40 hours, but many workers don't count overtime because they're afraid they'll be thought of as overtime workers. This is how “overtime service” works, and in Japan “overtime” means “unpaid”.
This relentless work schedule has led to karoshi (suicide at work or death from a heart attack due to overwork) now being considered the official cause of death. According to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Labor, 189 people died this way last year, but experts believe that in fact there are thousands of such cases.
For a long time it was believed that karoshi occurs mainly with men, but lawyers have noticed that the number of suicides due to overwork among women has recently increased. Photo: Getty
As Hiroshi Kawahito said, the worst thing is that young people die. Most of them are in their twenties. Kawahito is a lawyer and general secretary of the State Council for the Protection of Karoshi Victims, which advocates for the rights of families whose relatives have died from overwork.
Kawahito represented the family of a journalist who died of a heart attack in his early thirties.
“In Japan, people in their early thirties have a heart attack quite often.”- said the lawyer.
If the cause of death is karoshi, then the families of the deceased are automatically entitled to compensation payments. At the end of March, the number of applications for compensation due to karoshi rose to a record 2,310 applications.
But the government approves less than a third of those applications, Kawahito said.
The death of Kiyotaka Serizawa was only officially acknowledged last month. He was responsible for setting up cleaning rooms in three different buildings in northeast Tokyo.
A year before his death, Kiyotaka tried to quit, but the boss refused to sign his application. Fearing that his behavior would cause inconvenience to his subordinates, Kyotaka continued his work.
Sometimes during trips to offices, he dropped in to visit his parents.
“Sometimes he lay on the couch and slept so soundly that I had to check if he was breathing,”- says the mother of the deceased Mitsuko Serizawa.
The last time she saw Kyotaka was last July, when he stopped by to pick up the laundry because he didn't have time to do his own laundry. He popped in for literally ten minutes, showed his mother some cute cat videos, and left.
On July 26, Kiyotaka went missing. Three weeks later, his body was found in a car in Nagano Prefecture, not far from where he spent weekends with his parents as a child. Kyotaka locked himself in the car, set fire to the pressed coal, and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The karoshi problem has existed for several decades, but the government began to deal with this problem at the legislative level only a year and a half ago.
Japan's population is aging, which means that by 2050 its workforce will shrink by at least a quarter. Photo: Getty
The state project includes several goals, including reducing the number of employees working more than 60 hours a week to 5% by 2020. In recent years, about 8-9% of the population has been working this way.
The government is also trying to force workers to take paid holidays. In Japan, workers are entitled to 20 days of vacation per year, but few take even half of that time. The thing is, in Japanese culture, taking a day off is a sign of laziness and lack of commitment.
The government hopes to ensure that workers use at least 70% of their vacation time.
“If you know your rights, you can show others that there is nothing wrong with a vacation”, - says Yasukazu Kurio from the Ministry of Health and Labor.
Curio is trying to set an example himself: last year he used 17 of the 20 days of vacation due to him.
Lawyer Kawahito believes that all these efforts of the state may bear some fruit, but they will not solve the main problem.
“There is nothing in the government draft about penalties for companies that break the rules,” explains Kawahito. By the way, he himself cannot serve as an example of a good balance between work and personal life. Even in his youth, he was accustomed to long work. He is now 66 and works about 60 hours a week.
Kawahito would like to see in the country something like a Directive of the European Parliament and Council on certain aspects of the organization of working hours, which obliges to take an 11-hour break between shifts.
“In countries like the US, it's much easier for people to change jobs for a more comfortable place,” says Kenichi Kuroda, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and a specialist in work culture. “But the people of Japan try to work all their lives in one company and it’s not easy for them to change jobs.”
Some organizations, in particular from the financial sector, support the government initiative and allow their employees to arrive or leave work early. So, instead of working from nine to nine, people can work from seven to seven so that when they come home they have time to talk with their children.
“These companies are trying to bring about change in society. They show that they can create an "ideal lifestyle", thereby trying to influence other organizations," said Kuroda. But, of course, in other countries, such changes in the 12-hour working day will not be something revolutionary.
However, the current problem will still be very difficult to solve.
Japan's population is rapidly aging, which means that by 2050 its workforce will decrease by at least a quarter. There will be even fewer people able to work, and the size of the workload will increase even more.
Professor Morioka believes that if the Japanese want to get rid of deaths due to overwork at work, then the whole work culture in Japan will have to change.
"You can't just get rid of karoshi," said Morioka. “We need to change the whole culture of overtime and make time for family and hobbies. Too long working hours - this is the root of all evil that is happening in Japan. People are so busy that they don't even have time to complain."
Since the mid-60s of the 20th century, the concept of the “Japanese miracle” has entered the economy - those lightning-fast changes that have occurred in the Japanese economy in a relatively short period of time. There are several approaches to explaining this economic phenomenon. The most plausible of them lies in the attitude towards employees. With the right priorities, Japan is more productive, loses less time in strikes, protests, and downtime, can more easily adopt new technologies, and generally produces more and faster high-quality goods than its foreign competitors.
In Japan, there are several laws, a number of regulations governing labor relations and issues of protecting the interests of workers. They apply in principle to all enterprises operating in the territory of the country, regardless of the nationality of the owner. In addition, they apply to foreign workers, provided that they fall under the definition of "worker".
How to find a job
In Japan, there is a government agency for employment, which bears the telling name "Hello, work." There are offices and representative offices of this organization throughout the country. The agency helps people who are looking for a job and companies that are looking for workers absolutely free of charge.
Also, some regional state organizations and educational institutions offer employment services free of charge. There are also several private employment agencies of various types in the country. Moreover, most need to pay, only in case of successful employment. Finally, jobs in Japan can be found through numerous newspapers, magazines and websites.
The principle of free contractual relations applies to the process of hiring labor force: the employer has the right to decide for himself how many and what kind of employees he wants to hire. At the same time, Japan has a number of rules that are unusual for a Russian citizen. For example, employers are not allowed to indicate the gender of an employee in job postings.
How to register an employee
When hiring employees, companies enter into employment contracts with them. In this case, the employer is obliged to notify the employee in writing of the following conditions of employment:
1) The duration of the employment contract (or in the absence of provisions governing the duration of the contract, an indication of this fact)
2) Description of the workplace and duties to be performed by the employee
3) Start and end time of the working day, overtime, breaks, weekends and holidays
4) Method for determining, calculating and paying wages; the period for which wages are accrued, and the timing of its payment
5) The procedure for leaving and dismissal from work (including a description of all grounds for dismissal)
Document expiration date
As a rule, employment contracts do not specify the duration of their validity. If a period of validity is nevertheless specified, it should not exceed three years, with the exception of a number of special cases. In this case, the employee has the right to quit, provided that a year has passed from the date of commencement of the employment contract.
Probation
Before hiring a worker on a full-time basis, the employer may set a limited trial period to determine if the person is suitable for him. As a rule, the trial period lasts three months. At the same time, if after the probationary period the employer does not want to hire an employee on a permanent basis, such a decision qualifies as a dismissal. And in order for the dismissal to be valid, it is necessary that during the probationary period there are good reasons for not hiring.
How salary is paid
Employers are required to pay the employee wages at least once a month on a pre-agreed date. In this case, the employer can, with the consent of the employee, transfer wages to the bank account indicated by him, taking into account tax deductions
The minimum wage is set in each region and in each industry separately. Moreover, if two different minimum wages are established for an employee, he has the right to receive more.
The monthly salary includes the minimum wage and a range of benefits such as housing allowance, family allowance and travel allowance. Generally, workers in Japan are also paid summer and winter bonuses.
It should be noted that more and more companies are introducing wage systems in which the amount of wages depends on the ability of the employee. As a result, the practice of paying salaries based on the results of the year is becoming more widespread.
Working hours
Working hours in Japan are legally limited to 40 hours a week or eight hours a day, excluding breaks. But some businesses are allowed to set a work week of up to 44 hours. These areas include retailers, beauty salons, cinemas, theatres, healthcare and hygiene facilities, as well as restaurants and entertainment venues.
If the duration of the working day is six hours, the employer is obliged to give the employee a break of at least 45 minutes. If a person works eight hours, then the break must be at least an hour.
Employers are also required to give employees at least one day off per week or four days off per month. The weekend doesn't have to fall on a Sunday.
Any employer requiring its employees to work overtime or on public holidays must submit to the local Labor Inspectorate an agreement on such conditions for the employee himself.
Those who work overtime or at night are entitled to increasing coefficients:
Paid holiday
The employer is obliged to provide 10 days paid leave to an employee who has worked for at least six consecutive months from the date of employment and has worked at least 80% of the planned working days. Paid leave can be used in whole or in parts. The duration of the vacation increases with the accumulation of seniority:
The right to paid annual leave is valid for two years. In other words, unused paid leave can only be carried over to the next year.
It should also be noted that in a number of cases (wedding, death of close relatives, birth of a child, etc.), most Japanese companies provide their employees with several additional days of paid leave.
Maternity and parental leave
If a pregnant woman asks for leave six weeks before the expected date of birth of the child, the employer is obliged to do so. After the birth of a child, a woman may not work for eight weeks while on maternity leave.
The employer has the right to refuse to grant parental leave (1 year) to an employee who has worked at the enterprise for less than one year or has a spouse capable of providing permanent care for the child.
If an employee whose family member is in need of permanent care requests leave to care for such family member, the employer is obliged to comply with this request. The maximum duration of such leave is three consecutive months. However, the employer has the right to refuse an employee who has worked at the enterprise for less than one year or whose employment contract expires in the next three months.
Issues reflected in the internal regulations:
1) Work start and end times, breaks, holidays, vacations (including leave to care for a child and a relative due to illness), work shifts (when work is organized in two or more shifts).
2) The procedure for determining, calculating and paying wages (not including bonuses and other payments), the period for which wages are accrued, and the timing of its payment, as well as issues of wage increases.
3) The procedure for leaving and dismissal from work (including a description of the grounds for dismissal).
Other highlights
Employers are obliged to inform employees about the internal regulations established at the enterprise and about any collective agreements between the management and employees of the enterprise.
Employers are required to ensure compliance with safety and industrial hygiene requirements. Before an employee is hired by the state, he is obliged, at the request of the employer, to undergo a medical examination. Then all permanent employees are required to undergo a medical examination once a year at the request of the employer.
Leaving and dismissal from work
If an employee working under an employment contract without specifying a period of validity expresses an intention to quit, he has the right to do so by sending a corresponding notice two weeks in advance.
An employee can be fired only if there are objective grounds. Reduction of staff in connection with the restructuring of the enterprise can be considered justified only if it meets the following four criteria:
1) Production necessity. The enterprise must prove that, taking into account the prevailing circumstances of doing business, the reduction of staff is inevitable and necessary.
2) Taking measures to avoid downsizing. The enterprise must prove that its management has taken all possible measures to prevent layoffs, such as redeployment of the workforce and offers of voluntary redundancy.
3) The validity of the selection of laid-off workers. The enterprise must demonstrate that the selection of employees subject to redundancy was carried out using reasonable criteria and taking into account the principle of fairness.
4) Compliance with established rules. The enterprise must prove that its management has carried out all necessary consultations with employees and trade unions.
An employer is not entitled to dismiss an employee if:
1) At the time the employee is on leave, which was granted to him as a result of an occupational disease or occupational injury, as well as within 30 days after the employee leaves such leave.
2) At the time the employee is on maternity leave, namely, within six weeks before the birth of the child and within eight weeks after the birth of the child, as well as within 30 days after the employee leaves such leave.
If the employer wishes to dismiss an employee, he is obliged to send a corresponding notice to his address 30 days before the expected date of dismissal. If an employer wishes to dismiss an employee on an accelerated basis, he is obliged to pay the employee 30 days' wages at the time of dismissal.
However, it should be noted that in some cases the employer has the right to dismiss the employee without notice and without payment of benefits:
1) The enterprise is unable to continue its economic activities as a result of a natural disaster and in other similar circumstances, the occurrence of which it could not prevent.
2) The dismissal of an employee becomes inevitable due to the fault of the employee:
- an employee, while at the workplace, commits an act that, in accordance with the Criminal Code, qualifies as a crime, including theft, embezzlement or bodily injury
— the employee violates the rules or generally accepted standards of behavior in the workplace or has a negative impact on other employees
- the employee provides information about himself that is not true, and which could affect the decision on his employment
– an employee without permission and without a good reason takes absenteeism lasting from two weeks
- the employee is constantly late for work, leaves work earlier than the set time, is absent from the workplace without permission and without a good reason
Japanese Social Security System
Japan has a universal insurance system, under which all persons living in the country are required to participate in the public health insurance system and in the pension system.
There are four different types of insurance schemes in Japan that are mandatory for all companies to participate in:
1) Industrial accident insurance. This insurance covers occupational diseases and accidents that occur at the workplace or on the way to or from work.
2) Job insurance. Allows you to pay unemployment benefits and ensure the stability of employment through the provision of financial assistance and the payment of various subsidies.
3) Medical insurance and medical care expenses insurance. Covers medical and nursing expenses incurred by employees.
4) Pension insurance. This insurance provides workers with an old-age pension, as well as benefits in the event of loss of a breadwinner or disability.
The payment of insurance premiums is made by the company by deducting the corresponding amounts from the wages paid to employees and transferring these amounts to the accounts of the relevant government authorities, together with the contributions payable by the company itself.
Who will help
Social and labor insurance consultants are experts in the field of human resources management. At the request of the heads of companies, they are entitled to provide the following services:
– execution of labor and social insurance contracts and performance on behalf of companies of other administrative functions related to employment
— advising on compliance with safety and industrial hygiene requirements and human resource management
– performing mediation functions in the course of resolving labor disputes in accordance with the provisions of the Law “On the resolution of individual labor disputes”
– advising on pension issues and handling related complaints and claims
— resolution of other issues related to the application of labor legislation
FACTS The Japanese are famous for spending a lot of time on work and dedication to the company. It is said that they can work for a very long time. Japan even has a special term Karoshi (過労死 ) - it means death from overwork. Death in the workplace is not uncommon in Japan.Japanese companies have two facts at work:
1. Loyalty to the company. Compared to the West, where usually people move to other companies to improve their wages and conditions. In Japan, the so-called "lifetime employment" is well known, which is created through a serious loyalty program in the company. This is done not only by psychologists, but also, for example, by pensions that are paid to employees who have worked in the company for more than 20 years. The Japanese like to be proud of their belonging to the companies in which they work.
2.Low performance. In fact, it becomes clear when you try to work with Japanese companies. The Japanese spend a lot of time on meaningless reports and procedures. In reality, they have to spend more hours on the usual work of a Westerner.
Most Japanese travel to their workplace using public transportation. Since car maintenance costs in Japan, on average, $ 1,000 per month. Although now public transport (especially trains) are loaded at 150% during rush hour. Which creates huge crowds. But the Japanese do not complain.
When you nevertheless get to the workplace, the first thing you will need to do is not only greet your superiors and colleagues, but also chant various slogans and inspiring statements with the rest of the workers. After this little morning ritual, it's time to get straight to work. Many Japanese work several times more than their Western counterparts, ignoring the existence of a law that limits the amount of overtime. Many firms officially work from 9.00 to 18.00. But no one will be surprised by the fact that many employees in serious firms come to work at least half an hour earlier and stay at work after the end of working hours for several hours. In addition, they do it only on their own initiative. In solving a certain problem, each Japanese, as mentioned above, acts as the main link in one huge chain. The main thing for him is to work in such a way that the task that the working group he belongs to is carried out in the optimal mode and in the shortest possible time. And because, as it is, any individual is rooting for the most high-quality and speedy solution of the task assigned to a group of workers, and by virtue of solidarity with colleagues, he always strives to provide maximum help and support to all members of the group, which they clearly need. It is for this reason that most Japanese rarely make the most of their holidays. The Japanese know that they bear full responsibility for other people and that is the only reason why they do not allow themselves a long relaxation. Finally - a comparison of the working day in different countries
There is a stereotype that it is good to work in Japan. This stereotype comes from our compatriots who work by invitation in foreign companies, where the Japanese try to adapt to the level and style of foreigners. Meanwhile, Japan's traditional work system has a peculiar structure, and it is quite difficult to exist in it. That is why there are not so many foreigners building a career in classic Japanese companies. Epson's Marina Matsumoto tells how the average office worker exists in Japan.
Tokyo. View from the 45th floor of the observation deck. Photo by Swe.Var (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/swe-var/)
Dress code
Of course, the conditions depend on the specific company, but in principle the dress code in Japan is much stricter than in Russia. Failure to comply with its rules has serious consequences for the employee, up to instant dismissal.
In a traditional Japanese company, they always wear a black suit, regardless of the weather, even if it is +40 outside. The Japanese endure both heat and cold calmly, as they go through a very harsh school of hardening the body in childhood. Recently, a new law has been passed allowing short-sleeve shirts to be worn to work. This is due to the forced energy savings, in which even in extreme heat, air conditioners are not always used in offices.
In some companies, women are not allowed to wear fitted suits - they must be absolutely straight. The skirt must cover the knees.
Women's accessories are also prohibited. I have a big serious company, it is known internationally. But I work where mostly Japanese people work. At my workplace, I was only allowed to wear a cross - under my clothes so that it was not visible, and a wedding ring.
Makeup should be invisible. Japanese women love to make up brightly, blush their cheeks strongly, almost all of them have false eyelashes. But at work, a woman should be as less attractive to men as possible.
In some places, women are required to wear only short hair that does not cover their ears. Hair color must be black. If by nature you, for example, are blonde, you will have to dye your hair.
Men, in addition to long hair, cannot wear a beard and mustache. It's an unspoken rule that everyone knows. The stable image of the Yakuza (a traditional form of organized crime in Japan) interferes.
Subordination
When I got a job, I signed a bunch of documents, where I assured that I would not discuss anything with clients and colleagues other than work: neither the weather, nor nature. I don’t have the right to share my “personal data” at work — who is my husband, how am I doing… At home, I don’t have the right to talk about my work. I do not have a secret job, but it is accepted and stipulated in my contract.
Only work at work
They take to the workplace only what is needed for work: for me, these are documents and a pen. I can’t take my bag, wallet and phone, it remains at the checkpoint.
There is a favorite proverb in Russia: “Done the deed - walk boldly.” In the workplace in Russia, the main thing is that you fulfill the plan for today. In Japan, “plans for today” are of no interest to anyone. You came to work, and you have to work on it.
How the Japanese slow down the workflow
In Russia, we all know that wages depend on the results of your work. If you work hard, you get nothing. If you work hard, you get bonuses and promotions. You've done everything, you can leave early or ask for an additional task to earn more.
In Japan, they pay by the clock. Almost all Japanese take overtime. But often this results in the fact that they stretch one task that can be done in two hours into a week. The deadlines set by the company also do not always correspond to the level of complexity of the work. The Japanese will poke around for hours, we think they work like sleepy flies, and they think they do the job "thoroughly". They incredibly slow down the workflow, so it’s hard for us to work with them.
And this, by the way, is one of the main reasons why their economy was not in the best condition. With this system of payment by the hour, they have trapped themselves. After all, in fact, the work is not designed for quality, but for the number of hours spent in the office.
Long lengthy conversations
We all know that “brevity is the sister of talent”, but in Japan, brevity is the narrowness of the mind. The Japanese cannot speak briefly and to the point. They launch into long and lengthy explanations, which are aimed at making even a narrow-minded person understand what they are talking about. Meetings can last an incredible number of hours. The Japanese believe that if they talk about the same thing for a long time and in excessive detail, then they thereby respect the interlocutor.
Society stratification
It takes a lot of work and organization to grow rice. Therefore, historically, Japan has developed a system with a very narrow specialization of labor and a rigid stratification of society. Everyone has his own duty and his own place in the life and production process.
Japanese communities have always been well organized. For example, a samurai never cooked his own food, he could easily die of hunger if the peasantry had not rescued him.
As a result of such a mentality, it is very difficult for any Japanese to make an independent decision that is not inherent in his status. They cannot take on an elementary responsibility, at least somehow beyond the scope of their ordinary habitual affairs. To put a comma or not to put it is a problem for half a day. The preparation of elementary documents is a series of endless, very slow consultations. Moreover, the necessity of such consultations is striking. If an employee nevertheless takes the liberty of making a decision not based on status, then everyone in the hierarchical chain associated with him will receive a reprimand. This is Eastern despotism in action: “I am a small person, I am a simple peasant, and I should only do what I have to do.”
Again, everything is understandable: Japan is a small country with a large overpopulation, it needs strict frameworks and rules. To survive in Japan, you need to clearly know: my border is here, and this is already the border of another person, I must respect it. Nobody goes beyond their limits. If a Japanese marries them, he will literally be lost.
Russia has a huge territory, expanse, open spaces. We are not chained. We are free. A Russian person can do anything. And the Swiss, and the reaper, and the igretz on the pipe ... - this is primarily about us, Russians!
Same as everyone
Interestingly, in Japan you don't have to show your difference or superiority in mind. You can not show your uniqueness, feature. This is not welcome. All must be the same. Since childhood, uniqueness has been burned out there with a red-hot iron, so Japan will not give the world either Einstein or Mendeleev.
The famous Japanese technology is a myth. As a rule, these are ideas that are not created by the Japanese. What they are good at is deftly picking up and improving in time. And we, on the contrary, can ingeniously create and forget ...
To survive in Japanese society, you have to be like everyone else. In Russia, on the contrary, if you are the same as everyone else, you will get lost. New ideas are constantly needed to master and fill a large space.
Career
In the classic Japanese campaign, careers are built for a long time. Career growth depends on age, not merit. A young specialist, even a very talented one, will occupy an insignificant position, work hard and for low wages, because he just came. Because of this organization of the workflow, it is increasingly difficult for Japanese companies to compete in the international market. Yes, there is the concept of Japanese quality, but this no longer saves them, because business is conducted in too Japanese a way.
The salary
The official salary in Japan is high. But with the deduction of all taxes, which amount to almost 60%, they receive an average of a thousand dollars in their hands. Young people get even less. At 60, the salary is already a very decent amount.
Vacation and weekends
There are no holidays in Japan. Weekends are Saturday or Sunday. And depending on the company, you are entitled to a few extra days off a year. Let's say you have 10 days, but you can't take them right away. They need to be broken. It happens that you need to take one day off a week - and go somewhere on business. In my campaign, I have to give a month's notice so that everyone can cooperate and replace me. In some companies, these terms are even longer. It is problematic to leave work for an unexpected incident.
If you get sick on Monday and think not to go to work, then you will not be understood. Everyone goes to work with a temperature.
Holidays can become days off: the day of remembrance of the dead - Obon, in mid-August. But a young specialist does not have such an opportunity, he will work for the first two years without extra days off.
For the new year, 1-3 days are given. If they fall on Saturday-Sunday, then no one, like in Russia, will transfer them to Monday-Tuesday.
There is also a "golden week" in May, when several state and religious holidays are held in a row. My husband worked all days, I had 3 days off.
Working day
Standard working day from 9 am to 7 pm. But most importantly, you should keep in mind that if it is indicated that the working day is from nine, then you cannot come right to this time. Even if you arrive at 8.45, it is considered that you are late. You need to come to work at least half an hour in advance, some come in an hour. It is believed that a person needs time to tune in to the working mood, to prepare for work.
The end of the official working day does not mean that you can go home. It is not customary to leave before your boss. If he is late at the office for two hours, then you are late, and this will not be considered overtime. Your personal circumstances are your personal problems, which, as I already mentioned, are not discussed with colleagues under the contract I signed.
Informal communication
In Japan, there is such a thing - "nomikai" - "drink together", reminiscent of a Russian corporate party. Somewhere “nomikai” takes place every day, in my campaign - twice a week. Of course, you can refuse, but they will "look askance" at you. Why drink? - because in Japan there is a positive attitude towards alcohol. Shinto involves making offerings to certain gods in the form of alcohol. Japanese doctors believe that drinking alcohol daily is beneficial. Nobody talks about doses.
The Japanese do not know how to drink, and, as a rule, get very drunk. The booze itself will cost you nothing, either the boss or the company always pays for it.
Now, in order to further stimulate visits to bars with colleagues, employees have even begun to pay for “nomikai”. It's part of Japanese culture to work together and drink together. It turns out that almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you spend only with your work colleagues.
In addition to nomikai, you need to drink with customers, with partners, with officials with whom the company is connected.
Yes, in Russia there is something similar, but it is completely incomparable with the Japanese alcohol scale. And then in Russia the attitude towards alcohol is much more negative.
Now you can imagine the whole picture. The Japanese leaves the house at 7 am. At work, he exists within the rigid framework of his status. After the end of the official working day, he takes extra hours because he has to feed his family. He then goes out to drink with colleagues and returns home from there at 2 am, most likely drunk. He works on Saturdays. He sees his family only on Sundays. And until the evening, the whole day off, he can either sleep or drink, because he is in terrible stress from such a cruel regime.
In Japan, there is a separate concept - "death by processing." This is a very common case when people die at their desks or, unable to withstand the load, commit suicide. For Japan, this is in the order of things, an event to which there is practically no reaction. People will even resent if someone's suicide interfered with their work. Everyone thinks: “Why didn’t you do it somewhere in a quiet, inconspicuous place, because of you I won’t come to work on time!!”.
It must be understood that Japanese society did not sit and come up with these rules for itself. Everything has evolved over the centuries due to the geographical and historical uniqueness of Japan. Probably everyone will agree that they had good reasons for such a mobilization of society, a constant readiness for something. A small territory, a lot of people, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis - everything can collapse at any moment. Therefore, the Japanese from childhood learn to work in a group, learn to survive on their piece of land. In essence, all Japanese education is not based on teaching a person something, developing him, it teaches him to be a real Japanese, to be competitive precisely in Japanese society ... Not everyone can endure such a life, because it is really hard.
At the moment I I am in Thailand, and people, having learned that we came from Japan, begin to complain that we left this country for nothing, that their acquaintances live happily in Japan and earn tens of thousands of dollars a month by honest work, thus knocking down vital capital.
I won’t argue, Japan is a very convenient country in some ways, but beautiful in some ways, and quite someone can live in Japan absolutely happily, and for someone it’s even their favorite country.
But one thing I know for sure. Making money in Japan is not easy. This can be done only with hard work, and even then, they will not pay much.
Like me, immediately upon arrival in Japan, I rushed to find a job, and soon successfully got a job at a Japanese factory for the production of set meals - bento.
It was an Arubaite job — that is, not a full-time job, but from 9:00 to 16:00, and not necessarily every day. Payment for the number of hours worked is very modest: 800 yen / hour.
Even at the interview, we agreed on how many days I would work. I insisted on six (no weekends at all, and that's what I wanted), but the manager said I would work five days a week.
Immediately I was given a work suit, reminiscent of a spacesuit.
In the morning in the locker room, I changed my clothes to a completely white work suit: white pants with boot covers, a jacket with a wrap-around collar that covers the entire neck, a hair band, a hair net on top of the bandage, and a hood on top of the net. The shift attendant checked that not a single hair was escaping from under the hats, we cleaned the top of the suit with adhesive tape, rinsed our hands with alcohol, put on white slippers and went into the workshop.
The room was 8 degrees Celsius and a lot of ultraviolet lamps. Eight degrees began to be felt immediately, in fact, working with food in Japan is working in a refrigerator. The white cotton suit did little to help.
They put on medical masks on their faces, rubber gloves on their hands and stood at the conveyor.
The essence of the work: a box with recesses rides along the conveyor, each worker puts in a box a piece of carrot, mushroom, cutlet, rice, to each his own. At the end of the conveyor belt, ready-assembled lunch boxes leave. 
In the beginning, I was given the responsibility of putting in pieces of carrots, while professional workers put two or four items in the slots at a time.
The tape went very quickly before my eyes, after 15 minutes I started to feel sick. Soon they changed the type of dinner, now I got the mushrooms. All shift actions were performed by Japanese grannies running. Again, the tape went at a terrible pace.
I do not remember how I waited for the end of the working day. On the second day, I couldn't go to work. The whole body broke. Eyes hurt from ultraviolet radiation. Luckily, you could refuse.
A day later, I went to work again, and the next I rested again. As a result, I half-heartedly went to the factory twice a week.
And it's still a heroic deed. Many foreigners, and sometimes the Japanese, could not stand the first hour and left.
All monotonous work was done while standing. There was a break for lunch - exactly half an hour, taking into account changing clothes. During work, there was not a second of free time, no one sat down to rest, no one went to the toilet, this was not welcome.
Almost all work in Japan, except for an office job, is done while standing. Cashiers, salespeople, factory workers spend all day on their feet. Often, on the way to work, I saw a woman standing behind the counter through the large glass window of an expensive store, and I never saw customers in that store. When, later, I myself began to work in a Russian souvenir shop, I also had to stand all day, and at the moment when there was no work and there were no buyers, I just stood idle until the working day was over.
Work in the factory was much harder.
Every working day, the whole shift, I looked at the opposite wall with a clock, and when the hand finally crawled to four, often the work was not finished, and I had to stay longer. It happened that the work ended at four, but the shift had a choice: work more or go home. Most often, the shift (Japanese grannies) decided to stay to earn some money, so everyone from the group had to stay!
The most amazing thing is that the leaders of our shift were elderly clockwork Japanese old women and young cheerful women from Thailand and the Philippines! The Japanese are hard workers in life, but residents of hot countries usually have a lazy lifestyle.
I don't know, maybe if I had worked at the factory for years like they did, maybe I would have gotten used to it. But soon I managed to find a better job in, it was a salvation.