Read the original article in Japanese
English adaptation of a 2023 Japanese first-person serialized diary. Day-by-day anecdotes and commentary reflect the original narrator's experience and humorous tone, not general claims about US, Japanese, or foreign-affiliated workplaces.
Ten more working days, and the narrator is dealing with US-centric training, pressure to speak in meetings, a new colleague, and the arrival of an American manager in Japan.
Day 11 — Training designed for the United States
There are plenty of online courses for new employees.
But the examples assume an American workplace, so it is not clear how much of them applies to the situation in Japan.
Day 12 — Silence is not an option
Whenever I sit silently in a team meeting, someone eventually asks:
“Do you have any thoughts?”
The problem is that I honestly do not have anything to add.
Aside: “When you never speak up, people may wonder whether you're even in the meeting.”
Day 13 — A new sales colleague
A Japanese salesperson who had worked at a competitor joined the company. Great! I thought I could finally ask someone about the industry.
We talked over coffee.
Perhaps this person communicated better in English, but I had trouble following what they meant even in Japanese.
“Is this going to be okay?” I wondered.
Day 14 — An unexpected age difference
I happened to learn during a conversation that my American boss was seven years younger than I was.
Day 15 — The boss is coming to Japan
My American boss announced his first business trip to Japan.
Apparently, he had never visited before.
Day 16 — The plane ticket
I learned that his long-haul seat would be in premium economy.
For some reason, I found that a little sad.
Day 17 — Everyone suddenly looks busy
We had our first team meeting with the boss present.
Everyone was impressively eager to show how hard they were working.
Where had all that energy been during the usual meetings?
Day 18 — A customization dispute
I tried to explain why a specification had been customized in response to a strong request from a Japanese customer.
My American boss did not understand the reasoning. Worse, he became angry that we had customized the system in the first place.
Aside: “Work is easier when a manager is willing to understand the local customer's context.”
Day 19 — An ambitious dinner choice
My boss wanted to try Japanese food, so I took him to a kaiseki restaurant.
He seemed delighted by the staff's kimono. But when the actual dishes arrived, his enthusiasm dropped.
Explaining the food in English was also more trouble than I expected.
Day 20 — Yoshinoya wins
At lunch I took him to Yoshinoya, the Japanese beef-bowl chain.
He loved it.
Aside: “Yoshinoya! It was enough all along!”
What this chapter is about
These ten entries contrast expectations with reality: imported corporate training, meeting norms, awkward differences in how technical decisions are justified, and the unpredictable results of planning a visitor's meals.
The original narrator tells it with frustration and irony. The point is the experience of adjusting to a particular working environment, not a universal cultural rule.
Previously: Days 1–10.
Next: Days 21–30.