I Was Completely Destroyed on Twitter for Writing This
I knew it was a contrarian take on Japanese companies, but I didn’t expect such a strong negative backlash.
My article, Why More Foreigners in Japan Should Work for Japanese Companies” managed to go viral on Twitter.
Some of the comments were sympathetic and some people agreed with some of the points I made. Most comments, however, were shockingly negative.
“No. Lasted 1 year in a J-company then switched to gaishikei. Higher salary, no “overtime façade” BS, and they actually gave me time off when I was sick.” — Bex (ベッキー)🈚️🈲 on Twitter
“No thank you. I did once, never again. Extremely toxic work environment in every way I can think of. And the salary is way below market.” — CyberLola 🕎✡️ on Twitter
“As long as you don’t mind passive aggressive behavior for actually taking holidays and leaving when the clock strikes 5:00.” — Turner Wright on Twitter
Others were more brutal:
“Ahaha, this must be sarcasm of the highest order. The author has attained a level far higher than the rest of us. We cannot possibly hope to comprehend such genius.” — Khair on Twitter
“Why more foreigners should try the millenary art of the seppuku. Try that article next.”Señor Mayor En Un Futon on Twitter
“An Onion article that didn’t make the cut?” — Jason Gray on Twitter
I had not expected this backlash at all.
The biggest reason why foreigners should work for Japanese companies
Sure, some of the points I listed in the original article may not apply to every job and company, and even within the category of “Japanese companies” there is surprisingly a lot of diversity — no two Japanese companies are alike.
My biggest reason why any reasonable person who values mental health, work-life balance, and a decent salary should work for a Japanese company is simple. I alluded to it when I wrote that you get paid to study and practice Japanese — speaking, listening, reading, and writing, even keigo.
Some of the commentators highlighted that the people working in foreign companies — also known as gaishikei—are also mostly Japanese, and hence, you could learn Japanese in those companies as well.
Yet, to the extent that they are run more like western companies rather than like Japanese companies, we should expect those companies to take on a more egalitarian, straightforward, and more “Western” character.
In theory, this should mean that they don’t have the “negative things” that Japanese companies are often known for — like consensus-driven decision-making, low tech, manual work, excessive overtime, or being obsessed with process rather than output.
This means potentially losing out on the exposure to keigo and other extremely Japanese working processes — like nemawashi, ringisho, hourensou, “nominication,” etc. — Japan-specific cultural knowledge that should serve one well in the long run in Japan. (See endnotes for further information)¹
At some point — unless one is just doing remote work and just happens to be physically based in Japan — one will need to deal with Japanese customers, suppliers, or colleagues, and it’s better to learn this knowledge sooner than later.
Japanese companies are a reflection of Japanese society
Based on personal communication and my own experience, some gaishikei companies are run more like Japanese companies, and some Japanese companies increasingly model themselves based on Western ones.
This reflects companies adapting to their immediate environments. As gaishikei companies become more adapted to Japan, it’s normal for them to take on more Japanese characteristics.
The opposite is also true. Japanese companies that envision themselves as “global companies” deliberately benchmark the best practices of global — usually Western — companies.
Still, this distinction between Japanese and Western companies is useful for a simple reason: Japanese companies are very much a microcosm of Japanese society.
For foreigners, working experience at a Japanese company is invaluable cultural training for understanding Japan and how to function and thrive in Japanese society.
Thank goodness! Some people agreed with me
“I agree that someone with little to no experience can benefit from a Japanese company as you are exposed to so many different areas of the business. There are downsides but I think they are great for gaining experience.” — CJ Roum on Twitter
“Mixed feelings on this- I worked at 2 Japanese-only companies for a total of 5 yrs before I went freelance. I REALLY think that it helped me learn the expectations and practices of people in my industry. I’m glad I no longer work there, but I think the experience was invaluable.” — ケイリーン 🍡 on Twitter
“Easy to understand — as a young man I had a 1 year trainee stay with a Japanese financial institution (seconded by my bank), lived even in their dormitory. They treated me well, made friends and learned a lot — but was happy to return into a freer western environment” — MICHAEL KRAMER on Twitter
Do I have a contrarian view because of my background?
The last comment had me thinking — could it be that someone like me is more culturally adapted to working in a Japanese company?
After all, culturally speaking, I don’t come from a Western context. I’ve written before that East Asians experience Japan very differently compared to the other Anglophone foreigners who live in Japan.
Deference to authority and respect for the group are shared cultural values.
I also came prepared to live and work in Japan. When I first arrived in Japan, I already had studied and spoken the Japanese language for almost ten years. Of course, no amount of study prepares you for the shock of actually being in that situation.
Perhaps my cultural heritage and prior intensive language training background color my contrarian view, more so than I realize.
The bottom line — what do you value and what is your long-term goal in Japan?
Still, Andrew Hankinson of Now and Zen Podcast, told me that he agreed with me, although for different reasons. Although he currently works at a gaishikei company, when he first started living in Japan he did work for Japanese companies.
He attributes his later success in Japan to the cultural training and insight he would not have otherwise received working in a gaishikei company, especially at the beginning of his career in Japan.
For a young person, new to Japan “fresh off the boat” — there is no better training. There’s no need to work forever at a Japanese company — the downsides are well-documented and I have nothing new to add to the discussion. I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone — barring exceptions, of course.
Ultimately, one must ask — do you plan to be in Japan for a long time or a short while? If you’re only going to be here for a couple of years before heading back home, you might want to avoid working in a Japanese company since the downsides might outweigh what you get out of the deal.
But if one envisions being in Japan for the long haul, there is no better way to learn about Japan than by seeing how the real work is done the Japanese way.
- “Nominication” refers to the art of communication with your boss and colleagues through after-work social drinking. It comes from a portmanteau of the Japanese word for drink (nomu) and the English word communication).
- To learn more about Japanese management and decision-making, check out the excellent articles by Timothy Sullivan:
- The Secret to Managing Your Japanese Boss
- When Japanese and Western Decision-Making Collides
- Are Any Cross-Cultural Topics Off-Limits?
The author is an editor of Japonica, a Japan-focused publication, but also writes on a wide variety of topics. His key topics of interest are society, culture, and modern work. Discover his most-read stories here.