[English/Japanese] Continuing from last week, I would like to introduce the rules of Japanese companies. (1) Is everyone wearing the same clothes? Job hunting When international students are looking for a job, the first thing they do is to buy a recruiting suit. This is because the suits that foreign students bring from their home countries are all shiny and cannot be used for job hunting. When looking for a job in Japan, a black suit with a white shirt is the standard. In addition to this, students who dye their hair should make it the same color as their natural hair, and students with beards should shave their beards. Accessories should be removed and shoes should be low heeled. Women should wear light makeup and wear their hair in a bun. If you do all of these things, all job hunters will look like the same person. Job hunters use the same appearance to show off their individuality. Some students from foreign countries think that their appearance is also their personality and refuse to shave their beards. Depending on the type of business, you may not have to wear a recruiting suit, but most companies will first look at your appearance to see if you can follow Japanese rules. You should polish your Japanese language skills so that you can appeal your personality in your speech. (2) Japanese companies are still old-fashioned. For a long time, Japanese people have had a negative image of working too much, working too much overtime, increasing salary with age, male dominated society, and difficulty in taking vacations. In modern times, this is gradually improving, but there are still many companies that have this tendency. For example, let's say you have plans to go on a trip on your day off. You tell the people at work about it. Do you know what you should do the next time you go to the office? Usually, Japanese people buy as many souvenirs as the number of employees in the company (the number of employees in the department). Also, when you give out souvenirs, you give them out to the people with the highest positions first. Furthermore, if the trip was not on a holiday, but on a paid holiday, you would say to the other employees, "I apologize for the inconvenience." It is very difficult to understand the unique culture within a company from the beginning. First of all, you should look at the Japanese people around you and observe what they are doing. Also, many Japanese companies have a system where senior employees teach newcomers their jobs when they join the company. As a newcomer, you may want to ask your senior employees a lot of questions. (3) On and off I once heard this story from an international student. "I was invited to a drinking party at my part-time job. I don't drink alcohol, so I refused, but they kept inviting me, so I went. I was able to have a good time at the party. Some of us became good friends. The next day at my part-time job, I was talked to in a fun way as I had been at the drinking party, but I was given a cold attitude. Did I do something wrong?" Why do you think this happened to her? Japanese people don't chat much during work, but after work, they sometimes communicate over drinks. This is called "Nominication". It is a word coined from the Japanese words "nomu (drink)" and "communication. At drinking parties, people drink happily regardless of age or position. However, this is only for drinking parties. Also, when we meet at work, we switch to work mode. It is considered bad to go to the office in the same atmosphere of a drinking party. Try to think of it as a clear distinction between on and off, not a sudden coldness. This is only a small part of what I have covered in this blog. The unique culture of the company is something that even Japanese people have to get used to. Let's learn them little by little. Don't forget to keep a "memo" in your pocket when you learn. This is also a part of Japanese culture. Continuing from last week, I will introduce the rules of Japan company. (1) Are we all wearing the same clothes? Job hunting When international students are looking for a job, they start by buying a recruit suit. This is because all the suits brought by international students from their countries are shiny and cannot be used for job hunting. When you get a job in Japan, you basically wear a white shirt and a black suit. In addition to this, students who dye their hair should have the same color as their natural hair, and students with beards will shave their beards. Remove accessories and wear shoes with low heels. Women also lighten their makeup and tie their hair together. If you put all of this in place, job hunting students will all look the same person. Job hunting students show off their individuality with similar appearances. Some international students refuse to shave because they think that their appearance is their personality. Depending on the industry, you may not be required to wear a recruiting suit, but most companies will first determine whether you can follow the rules of Japan based on your appearance. Hone your Japanese skills so that you can show off your personality in your speeches. (2) A company with a Japan that is still old Traditionally Japan people have had negative images such as "working too much," "working a lot of overtime," "salary increases with age," "male society," and "difficulty taking vacations." In modern times, improvements are being made little by little, but there are still many companies that have this trend. For example, let's say you plan to go on a holiday trip. I told the people at the company about it. Do you know what to do the next time you go to work? Usually, Japan people buy as many souvenirs as there are employees in the company (the number of employees in the department). Also, when handing out souvenirs, they are distributed in order of position. In addition, if you went on a trip not on a holiday and used paid leave, we will hand out souvenirs with the words "We apologize for the inconvenience." It is very difficult to understand the unique culture of a company from the beginning. First of all, look at the Japan people around you and observe what they are doing. In addition, Japan companies often have a system in which senior employees teach newcomers about work when they join the company. If you are a newcomer, you may want to ask various questions from senior employees. (3) On and Off I have heard this story from international students. "I was invited to a drinking party at my part-time job, and I refused because I couldn't drink, but I was invited many times, so I went. We had a good time at the drinking party. Some people have become good friends. The next day, when I was happily talked to like I had at a drinking party at my part-time job, I was treated coldly. Did I do something wrong?" Why do you think this happened? Japan people don't chat much at work, but they sometimes communicate over drinks after work. This is called "nomination." It is a coined word that combines the words "drink" and "communication" in Japanese. At drinking parties, people enjoy drinking regardless of age or position. However, this is only for drinking parties. Also, when you meet at work, it switches to work mode. It is considered bad to go to the office in the atmosphere of a drinking party. It's not that you've suddenly become cold, but rather that there is a clear separation between on and off. This is just a small part of what I have put on my blog. The unique culture of a company is full of things that you can't understand unless you are a Japan person. Let's remember it little by little. Don't forget to keep a note in your pocket when memorizing. This is also a culture of Japan.