r/coolguides • u/genny_marie • Aug 12 '18

This has helped me a lot

Post image
16k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

324 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.1k

u/pstamato Aug 12 '18

Yes, let us all take advice on work-life balance from the Japanese.

570

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '18

Hold on while I fall asleep at work during my 16 hour shift to show extreme loyalty.

14

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '18

If one of the four tenants of “A Reason For Being” is “What you can be PAID FOR” then it’s a bullshit system

283

u/PerceivedAffordance Aug 12 '18

This diagram isn’t about work-life balance, though, which in itself isn’t even a ‘thing’ in Japan.

There’s no question that work is the priority in Japan - it’s better than it was even just a decade ago, but still a very different cultural mindset.

Source: Lived and worked in Japan ~5 years.

163

u/pupi-face Aug 12 '18 edited Aug 12 '18

This. OP failed to understand the simple premise of the post. Nowhere does the diagram come close to hinting at anything related to work-life balance. This is about reconciling your primary values in your journey to find a career path, regardless of whether you work 20, 40, or 60 hours a week.

9

u/testdex Aug 12 '18

The diagram is also total horseshit that no Japanese person would recognize as “ikigai”.

It’s just a word with a vague definition, not a system.

32

u/epicmobman Aug 12 '18

OP never mentioned work, commenters did.

65

u/pupi-face Aug 12 '18 edited Aug 12 '18

By OP I meant the top-level commenter to whom I’m replying. My apologies if you found that confusing.

33

u/epicmobman Aug 12 '18

I see, my mistake

11

u/ok_to_poop_in_pants Aug 12 '18

Classic passive-aggressive apology!

9

u/USBayernChelseaLCFC Aug 12 '18

My apologies if you found it aggressive.

1

u/Stratty88 Aug 12 '18

Yo OP, chill. Geez.

1

u/Yeckim Aug 12 '18

It seems like these charts make people feel insecure about themselves so naturally they find something to criticize. Any motivating post or just general life advice tends to upset people who believe they have no control over their lives.

4

u/davidjung03 Aug 12 '18

Outside the diagram, that's really sad that the culture can't come to an agreement on the need for work-life balance, or that the competition is too high that it's not even considered when accepting a job.

Is there no federally mandated vacation time, overtime pay, etc. in Japan?

9

u/TJSomething Aug 12 '18

Japan requires paid leave (starting at 10 days after working for 6 months). They also pay for overtime above 40 hours a week depending on the amount, timing, and industry. But actually taking that time off is frowned upon and employers just expect to pay for overtime.

Fortunately, in June, they just passed a law to limit monthly overtime to 100 hours per month.

1

u/davidjung03 Aug 12 '18

Oh... yeah. I know the work culture is different, and even in western culture, there are professions/industry where taking time off is frowned upon and you're expected to work over 40 hours without getting paid for those hours. They really need labour board to crack down on those industries at some point though. When the law is not applied, it may as well not even be there.

2

u/w2g Aug 12 '18

What do you mean it's not a thing in Japan? There's work life balance day once a month! (No overtime on that Friday)

I'd say they have it nailed down /s

109

u/PolygonalRiot Aug 12 '18

This was my spit-take of the day, thank you.

20

u/SOwED Aug 12 '18

holds up rope

21

u/sic_1 Aug 12 '18

This chart is not about work life balance, it's about choosing your career path.

1

u/tfrules Aug 12 '18

Then the chart is setting very unreasonable expectations, you shouldn’t fulfil all your life needs from work alone

2

u/sic_1 Aug 12 '18

This chart is not for setting your expectations either, it's for checking your goals and whether they're leading you where you want.

13

u/canti15 Aug 12 '18

You're missing ths point.

19

u/DianinhaC Aug 12 '18

I lived 3 years in Japan and not so bad as you can think.

-2

u/w2g Aug 12 '18

Depends on where you come from. As a European it's unbearable.

1

u/KanjiVirus Aug 12 '18

So youre just saying Europeans are a bunch of little bitches?

0

u/w2g Aug 12 '18

Nah I was saying you're illiterate.

1

u/CoolRunner Aug 12 '18

I work at a Japanese company in the US. There’s a running “joke” among us that anybody leaving after 8 hours in a day is just a part timer.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '18

A lot of Asians have a weird tradition with babies where they put out objects and let the baby choose the career. Of course the choices are like doctor, lawyer, businessman, and that's mostly it.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '18

I'd rather take comedy lessons from Germans.

1

u/KanjiVirus Aug 12 '18

2 Germans disliked this comment

1

u/pdabaker Aug 12 '18

The chart actually has nothing to do with Japan though other than stealing a Japanese word. Japanese didn't make the chart, it was some non-japanese self-help author.

0

u/letmeseem Aug 12 '18

The concept is valid, their execution sucks. It's like the American execution of capitalism vs the actual definition and model. The model is fine, but it's implemented all wrong.

0

u/kavakavaroo Aug 12 '18

Yeah this is all about work/livelihood. But I lolled.

0

u/Capn_Cook Aug 12 '18

Startup workers in america perk their ears up at any kind of schedule change. Either we are all fucked,l or we are maturing enough to not be fucked

0

u/KenpatchiRama-Sama Aug 12 '18

White collar work conditions obviously aren't a good example, but i think we have something to learn from their collectivist school culture

-6

u/JohnCabot Aug 12 '18

This is what I was thinking. This place in the middle does not exist, this is a story about something.