The silent office
There are a little over 25 people toiling and breathing the thick air of this room. When I lift up my sight over my monitor and look around everyone appears to be working tediously.
Tapping of the keyboard and frequent mouse clicks are faint but constant sounds on the background. Printer occasionally interrupts the quiet air. The noise it produces seems unusually loud when it swiftly thrusts out a pile of A4’s.
In my mind I think: here I am sitting in an office striving to blend in and be like the people around me. Yet, the feeling of being foreign is not going anywhere. I recall the song ‘English man in New York’ by Sting. Change it to Finnish man in Oita and it’s quite a match for this scene. Maybe I'll whistle it a little... On the other hand better I'd better not.
Time to stop wondering like this. I take a breath-full of the heavy office air, lower my sight back to monitor and join the orchestra of keyboards’ and mice’s.
March 15, 2010
March 5, 2010
Impressions of working in Japan: Pay time
The way to receive monthly wage
In Finland (and probably in many western countries) receiving monthly wage is not a notable episode. For most it is simply an unnoticeable electric transaction from a bank account to another.
Not long ago I learned the custom of this Japanese company: Boss's wife, a senior of her age, is the one who literary deals out the pay slips. She strolls around the office, stops at every one's desk, says a few not so motivating words like: "Straighten your posture" and finally hands out the pay slip. The word "pay slip", can be used is in its original meaning since the paper that tells your monthly salary is indeed long and thin (around 2 cm wide and 15 long) wedge of paper.
The character of this woman, plus the fact that she is boss's wife but not employed here is what makes it even more noticeable event. Oftentimes she throws discomforting jokes to the air and everyone laughs showing both sympathy and pity on their face. This is what she said in a loud voice after we met first time:
In Finland (and probably in many western countries) receiving monthly wage is not a notable episode. For most it is simply an unnoticeable electric transaction from a bank account to another.
Not long ago I learned the custom of this Japanese company: Boss's wife, a senior of her age, is the one who literary deals out the pay slips. She strolls around the office, stops at every one's desk, says a few not so motivating words like: "Straighten your posture" and finally hands out the pay slip. The word "pay slip", can be used is in its original meaning since the paper that tells your monthly salary is indeed long and thin (around 2 cm wide and 15 long) wedge of paper.
The character of this woman, plus the fact that she is boss's wife but not employed here is what makes it even more noticeable event. Oftentimes she throws discomforting jokes to the air and everyone laughs showing both sympathy and pity on their face. This is what she said in a loud voice after we met first time:
名字は本当にアホですか？！可笑しい！If I think of it, it seems that the one who really rules in the company is not the boss but the woman behind him, that is his wife. Somebody once said “Japan is ran by Japanese men but steered by Japanese women. There could be a seed of truth in that sentence.
（リングを見かけた）ええ、結婚していますか？
２４歳ですか？！可笑しい！
Surename, is it really Aho?! Strange!
(after seeing a ring)
Whaat, are you married?!
And 24 years old?! Strange!
March 4, 2010
Impressions of working in Japan: Sneezing
Now it is early spring. The pine trees, that Oita is full of, began to spread pollen (siitepöly or 花粉). I couldn't help noticing that many have trouble with their dripping noses also in our office.
Well-mannered Japanese carry tissue paper at all times, and visit the bathroom to discharge a nose-full of goo. So I imagined. But now it seems that people are just sneezing liquids back into depths of their noses. In other words doing the opposite of blowing. When 10 people sneeze once every five minutes it makes quite an orchestra in an office. Perhaps I could make a suggestion to place a tissue box to the middle of the office, so that everyone can have a relief.
As far as I'm concerned blowing one's nose is regarded embarrassing in Japan. And more precisely the noise it makes embarrasses not the action itself. Well, it understandable since the blowing sound may be hilarious. Yet, if blowing a nose is embarrassing, why isn't the inwards sneezing thing, I wonder?
Well-mannered Japanese carry tissue paper at all times, and visit the bathroom to discharge a nose-full of goo. So I imagined. But now it seems that people are just sneezing liquids back into depths of their noses. In other words doing the opposite of blowing. When 10 people sneeze once every five minutes it makes quite an orchestra in an office. Perhaps I could make a suggestion to place a tissue box to the middle of the office, so that everyone can have a relief.
As far as I'm concerned blowing one's nose is regarded embarrassing in Japan. And more precisely the noise it makes embarrasses not the action itself. Well, it understandable since the blowing sound may be hilarious. Yet, if blowing a nose is embarrassing, why isn't the inwards sneezing thing, I wonder?
March 3, 2010
関あじ関さばまつり
２月２０日、佐賀関で行われた「関あじ関さばまつり」へ行ってきました☆
ラウリが、インターンシップをしている会社の方々に誘ってもらい、一緒に車で連れて行ってもらっちゃいました。ありがとうございます！
お目当ては、関あじ関さば定食！！
昨年は６００食だったそうですが、すぐ売り切れたとのことで今年は１０００食用意されていました！９時から食券販売で、９時半ぐらいに着いたのですが、すでにすごい行列が！
ディズニーランドのファストパスチケットのように、チケットごとに食事ができる時間が決められており、１２時１５分からの食券を無事ゲット！！
食事の時間まで、ラウリの同僚の方々が買ってくださった、
いろいろな珍しい食べ物を味見させていただきました☆
クロメ寿司
クロメ汁
みかんと並んで写っているのは、「はるか」という女の子みたいな名前のフルーツ。
見かけは酸っぱそうですが、実はとっても甘くておいしかったです☆☆
写真はありませんが、他にもブリカツ、アジカツ、アジジャコ天、アジ寿司、クロメたこ焼きなど！！
クロメってのは、ネバネバした触感の海藻なのですが、納豆、とろろなど、ネバネバ系が苦手なラウリには、イマイチだったようです…。
全部おいしかったのですが、定食を食べる前に、おなかがいっぱいになってしまいました…。
…なので、おなかを少しでも減らす為に、散歩へ行きました！
海岸では、釣りをしている方がたくさんいらっしゃって、ちょうどフグを釣った方も！！
そして待ちに待った、「関あじ関さば定食」です♪♪
＋クロメ汁が付きます。
旬のものだけあって、美味しかった～☆☆
ラウリが、インターンシップをしている会社の方々に誘ってもらい、一緒に車で連れて行ってもらっちゃいました。ありがとうございます！
お目当ては、関あじ関さば定食！！
昨年は６００食だったそうですが、すぐ売り切れたとのことで今年は１０００食用意されていました！９時から食券販売で、９時半ぐらいに着いたのですが、すでにすごい行列が！
ディズニーランドのファストパスチケットのように、チケットごとに食事ができる時間が決められており、１２時１５分からの食券を無事ゲット！！
食事の時間まで、ラウリの同僚の方々が買ってくださった、
いろいろな珍しい食べ物を味見させていただきました☆
クロメ寿司
クロメ汁
みかんと並んで写っているのは、「はるか」という女の子みたいな名前のフルーツ。
見かけは酸っぱそうですが、実はとっても甘くておいしかったです☆☆
写真はありませんが、他にもブリカツ、アジカツ、アジジャコ天、アジ寿司、クロメたこ焼きなど！！
クロメってのは、ネバネバした触感の海藻なのですが、納豆、とろろなど、ネバネバ系が苦手なラウリには、イマイチだったようです…。
全部おいしかったのですが、定食を食べる前に、おなかがいっぱいになってしまいました…。
…なので、おなかを少しでも減らす為に、散歩へ行きました！
海岸では、釣りをしている方がたくさんいらっしゃって、ちょうどフグを釣った方も！！
そして待ちに待った、「関あじ関さば定食」です♪♪
＋クロメ汁が付きます。
旬のものだけあって、美味しかった～☆☆
March 1, 2010
Impressions of working in Japan: New recruits
1st of March: New recruits
March in Japan is the time of the year when companies hire new people, that is to say fresh university graduates. The company I work in recruited 11 employees at once. Out of that group there's only female. Now that is a rather male-skewed distribution, isn't it?
It's intriguing to observe the new workers on their first day. They are so diligent and careful. It doesn't matter what is asked or told to do, a firmly pronounced "HAI!" (Eng. YES!) seem to be the single applicable answer. It is untrue, but ironically, if someone would say, "Today you have to line up in front of that open window over there and jump one by one down from the 4th floor", they would do it and with their best effort like good old Lemmings. Boing!
Although in future they possibly will have specific (and more demanding) positions, right now each one of them does the same tasks e.g. inputting survey data into a database. Unlike in most western companies, there new recruits are not hired for particular jobs, instead they find their spot and field of interest by time.
Neckties little too tight, bowing to everyone and everything, a drop of sweat running down the forehead. Uncomfortable and out of course is the overall impression. Hih, just like me little over a week ago.
On this weekend they will have their first nomikai, an evening spent drinking with other employees. Nomikais are demerit for health but merit for building good relationships, it seems.
March in Japan is the time of the year when companies hire new people, that is to say fresh university graduates. The company I work in recruited 11 employees at once. Out of that group there's only female. Now that is a rather male-skewed distribution, isn't it?
It's intriguing to observe the new workers on their first day. They are so diligent and careful. It doesn't matter what is asked or told to do, a firmly pronounced "HAI!" (Eng. YES!) seem to be the single applicable answer. It is untrue, but ironically, if someone would say, "Today you have to line up in front of that open window over there and jump one by one down from the 4th floor", they would do it and with their best effort like good old Lemmings. Boing!
Although in future they possibly will have specific (and more demanding) positions, right now each one of them does the same tasks e.g. inputting survey data into a database. Unlike in most western companies, there new recruits are not hired for particular jobs, instead they find their spot and field of interest by time.
Neckties little too tight, bowing to everyone and everything, a drop of sweat running down the forehead. Uncomfortable and out of course is the overall impression. Hih, just like me little over a week ago.
On this weekend they will have their first nomikai, an evening spent drinking with other employees. Nomikais are demerit for health but merit for building good relationships, it seems.
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