What is one of the most interesting aspects of our project is of course the fact that we have a team working on the same topic in the Netherlands as well as in Japan. This allows us the compare the findings and see the differences between the two cultures, as well as what design methods work the best for which culture.
Last week we had our first Skype meeting with the Amsterdam team after arriving in Fukuoka. After many interviews, literature research, and personal observations we noticed that the Japanese work culture is very much characterised by employees putting in many hours. The Japanese often do this to show their loyalty to the company, and to contribute more to society. However, it leaves little time for exercising, hobbies and spending time with family and friends. As such many Japanese employees, especially men, end up having organ failures.
It is often impossible for Japanese employees to keep working after retiring, especially as their contracts are altered after a certain age, giving them less challenging work and a much lower salary. For these reasons many Japanese people stop working, but as the long working days during their employment kept them from developing hobbies and a rich social life, they often end up spending most of their days alone in their homes.
From the Amsterdam side we heard a very different story. Having weekends off is considered sacred by many Dutch employees, and having time to recharge is seen by Dutch employees as well as employers as vital towards staying productive. Therefore, the Dutch are often only at the office for the hours that are specified in their contracts, with extra work often being taken home instead of finished at the office. There are also several companies that force their employees to take a minimum number of days off per year so they can recharge.
To us, as outsiders, working many hours seems one of the biggest problems the Japanese workforce is facing. However, as professor Hirai made us aware of, Japanese people might not regard working much as a big problem. This was confirmed by our interviews, where none of the interviewees spoke negatively about the long working days. On the contrary, they all stated they would have loved to keep on working, instead of retiring. Therefore, professor Hirai advised us to look at what the aspirations of many elderly people in Japan are, and how we could help them reaching these goals.