I started working at a Japanese company on December 1st, 2014, and I’ve just wrapped up my first month. During my MBA in Kyoto and in university, I learned a lot about Japanese work culture, but nothing really prepared me for the real thing—especially the cultural differences. So today, I want to share some of my first impressions of working in Japan.
The first big difference I noticed was the office setup. It’s just one big room with no cubicles—just two rows of desks lined up next to each other, with the head manager’s desk right at the front. This was a huge contrast to my internship in the U.S., where everyone had their own cubicle, and you had to pop your head out to talk to someone. In America, managers usually have their own offices and aren’t seen much unless you go to them. But in Japan, the manager sits in the same space as everyone else.
Another big difference is overtime. In Japan, working overtime is pretty standard, and in many cases, it’s not even paid. Luckily, my company actually compensates us for it, which I’m grateful for. I knew about Japan’s overtime culture from my studies and experience living here, but I didn’t really think about how different it was from the U.S. until my mom asked me, “Oh, was your manager okay with you working overtime? Did you get permission?” That’s when I remembered that in America, you usually need approval to work overtime—especially if you’re getting paid for it. Since overtime is expensive, companies try to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. If a job consistently requires extra hours, it’s often cheaper to just hire another person instead of paying overtime wages.
The last big difference I’ve noticed so far is drinking parties. This might have stood out more because it was the end of the year, which means lots of “Bōnenkai” (忘年会), or “end-of-year parties.” But in Japan, going out for drinks and dinner with coworkers is a normal and expected part of work life. If you skip out, it can come off as antisocial or like you’re not getting along with your colleagues. When the president of my company visited the Osaka office, all employees under 30 were required to attend a drinking party—even though it was announced last-minute and many of us already had plans. We were told in typical Japanese fashion, “It’s okay, you don’t have to go if you have really important plans, and we won’t force you, but….” Basically, they were saying you can say no, but it’s not really a great look if you do. This is different from American work culture, where your reputation mostly depends on the quality of your work rather than how often you socialize. Of course, getting along with coworkers is important in the U.S., but it doesn’t seem as crucial as it is in Japan.
So there you have it—three big differences I’ve noticed in my first month working at a Japanese company. If you want to hear more about my experiences, let me know in the comments! How does this compare to the work culture in your country? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
*This post was edited in April 2025 to fix grammar and context
nihonchique 
I totally agree that no matter how long you are in Japan, unless you have an actual job where you go to an office, you won’t understand working culture. I get along better with my Board of Edu. coworkers, since they are younger and have more free time. The teachers at my school are nice but always running around “working” or in their classrooms, and after school I don’t get paid for overtime and I don’t have a job after class is over, so I leave, but they can’t. The social pressure makes them stay, but it also makes them feel closer. I think they don’t really see me as a real employee because, since I have a lot of schools and another office to report to, I can’t ever go to their drinking parties. It’s kind of sad and I feel left out, but honestly they are all older and don’t have much in common with me, so it’s less stressful for me to do my blog or read at work when I have downtime. I do socialize with the English teachers and some of them are good friends of mine. But working culture in Japan is mostly about stressing people out in order to get them to do things like be “friends” and go drinking. Everything is mandatory so it doesn’t seem like much fun. When I worked in America, it was nice to find friends who would actually meet up with you after work because it was a sign of real friendship. I have trouble trusting Japanese people at work because I sometimes feel the relationships are superficial. No one wants to be seen not getting along, but I’ve been yelled at behind closed doors and it really makes me feel like people are out to get me. This was long hehe but I really love talking to you about this ^^ I feel like you are finally in the same situation 🙂
LikeLike
Definitely interested! May I know which industry you’re working in? I am still considering if I want to work in Japan, but the sheer lack of information for foreigners is a huge deterrence…
LikeLike
I work in Manufacturing on a Manufacturing Control team. I deal with my company’s factories and send the products to our customers, almost like a middle man, so to speak.
and yes! There really is a lack of information for foreigners here, besides teaching English. That’s why I wanted to help by providing at least one perspective on it!
Thanks for the comment! I hope you will look forward to other posts related to this topic in the future.
-Lauren
LikeLike
I love the Japanese way of “You don’t have to do it, but it is expected you do it.” >_<;
LikeLike
Exactly
I really don’t like the passive aggressiveness at times. I would rather be told to my face, but in a nice way and the reason behind it too.
Thanks for your comment as always! ^_^
-Lauren
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Neo Kei and commented:
This is a really interesting article. I’ve never been to Japan, but I recognise a lot of these characteristics from dramas I’ve watched, especially Angeo and Real Clothes (some of my earliest introductions to dramas).
Having to get overtime approved first is the same in the UK as it is in the US. It’s good to know in Japan that you’ll get paid, but it must be difficult to always keep proper social plans.
I think I would actually like work parties to be more of UK culture. I’ve worked in a lot of offices where most of the staff has been older than me, so it’s been difficult to find chances to socialise apart from Christmas. Also I believe that networking can be really beneficial to careers so it would help to know my colleagues better. But again the impact on personal social plans must again it must be tricky to put work ahead of social life. I’d also worry about how to socialise with my managers.
Hope things remain good for you at the company, looking forward to reading more about it.
LikeLike
Not all Japanese companies pay for overtime, though there are laws about it.I am lucky that my company pays for overtime properly.Having a social life is really hard, except on the weekends ahaha. I always have to be prepared to do overtime.
My branch of the company that I work at is small, with only about 20 people and most of the people are older than me. They are all very nice, but it’s not a good environment for networking outside the company at all.Especially if I want to get into another industry in the future. I have to start looking for more opportunities outside of work from now on.
I hope this post and other posts about this topic will be interesting and helpful to you! Thank you for reading!
-Lauren
LikeLike
Wow, this is an amazing and insightful look into this aspect of the Japanese work environment! Thank you for blogging about this. I’m looking into possibly doing this as well in the future. And haha on the whole idea of being subtle and not saying no outright. It’s a different kind of pressure and a feeling of obligation for sure. While a little off topic, how has the winter been over there? I’ve only been to Japan in the summer and I struggle with the heat and humidity there.
LikeLike