Website owner: James Miller
Japan
I have a high regard for the Japanese. I will reserve this webpage for articles and videos on Japan.
An office worker in Japan is known by the English word “salaryman”. Officially salarymen work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, six days a week. And that is what they are paid for — a 48 hour week. The reality is far different, however. In actual practice employees work from 9:00 AM to 9:00 or 10:00 PM six days a week with the overtime worked without pay. This later schedule is called the 996 schedule meaning 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week, totaling 72 hours weekly.
Because housing in Tokyo is so expensive many workers live far outside Tokyo and commute in by train every day with commutes being as much as an hour or an hour and a half. This means their workdays can run from 7:30 AM to 11:30 or 12:00 at night. That is a 16 or 17 hour day. That doesn’t leave much time for eating and sleeping. And it means that many men don’t get home from work until after their wives and children have gone to bed.
In Japanese society a great emphasis is placed on being a dedicated, hard worker. People are expected to be hardworking and dedicated. If one is not hardworking and dedicated it is wise to at least appear so. If you are not perceived as being hardworking and dedicated you may lose your job. It is the social custom that dedicated, hardworking people don’t leave work before their boss. If the boss stays until 10:00 PM the workers feel obligated to stay until 10:00 PM. No one leaves work before their boss.
Japan is one of the world’s most active seismic zones. Because of this Japanese homes are built quite radically different from American homes. American homes are built with heavy materials such as wood framing, brick or concrete while Japanese homes are built with light materials which reduce injury during earthquakes. The Japanese use engineered wood, light steel framing and prefabricated components. There is extensive use of factory-built housing. A consequence of this is that most Japanese houses have poor insulation and high costs of heating and cooling, as compared to American homes and don’t last nearly as long as American homes. A Japanese home may last 30 - 40 years whereas an American home may last 70 to 100+ years. In addition, Japanese homes tend to be much smaller than American homes due to the high cost of land in Japanese cities.
The walls in Japanese housing units are so thin that noise travels through walls and people hear sounds from adjacent units. Japanese units typically have no central heating or air conditioning and are generally cold in winter and hot in summer. People use space heaters, warm clothing and heavy bedding to deal with the cold in the winter.
Daily Life in Japan. I Quit My Job & Moved Back Home with Mom in the Countryside
Daily life in Japan. Mom of 6 kids. Friday Routine. 38 years old mom's real life.
Japanese Year-End & New Year | Reset My Mind with Cleaning
Daily Routine of a lonely Japanese father|Why don't Japanese couples sleep together?|Japan VLOG
For Japanese Salarymen, how much does love cost?
After Work in Japan | Preparing My Tiny Apartment for Winter
7am–11pm Workday in Japan | Exhausted, Stress,Hungry, and Alone
Low Salary, No Marriage, No Friend|Choice of Young People in Japan
Spring Daily Routine|Japan's happiness level is the lowest in the world
Daily Routine of Japanese|Japan is Cheap and Japanese are Poor
Living Alone in Japan | A Morning of Coffee and Democracy. An Evening Colored by Crimson Shells.
After Work in Japan | Solo BBQ | A Night Alone
The Reason Why I Quit My Job | Grandpa's Spicy Chicken Curry
Payday in Japan | Japanese living alone VLOG | Treating Myself After Work | Cozy Night Routine
7 Reasons why Japanese people think they don't need Friends
27 Dec 2025
Jesus Christ and His Teachings
Way of enlightenment, wisdom, and understanding
America, a corrupt, depraved, shameless country
On integrity and the lack of it
The test of a person's Christianity is what he is
Ninety five percent of the problems that most people have come from personal foolishness
Liberalism, socialism and the modern welfare state
The desire to harm, a motivation for conduct
On Self-sufficient Country Living, Homesteading
Topically Arranged Proverbs, Precepts, Quotations. Common Sayings. Poor Richard's Almanac.
Theory on the Formation of Character
People are like radio tuners --- they pick out and listen to one wavelength and ignore the rest
Cause of Character Traits --- According to Aristotle
We are what we eat --- living under the discipline of a diet
Avoiding problems and trouble in life
Role of habit in formation of character
Personal attributes of the true Christian
What determines a person's character?
Love of God and love of virtue are closely united
Intellectual disparities among people and the power in good habits
Tools of Satan. Tactics and Tricks used by the Devil.
The Natural Way -- The Unnatural Way
Wisdom, Reason and Virtue are closely related
Knowledge is one thing, wisdom is another
My views on Christianity in America
The most important thing in life is understanding
We are all examples --- for good or for bad
Television --- spiritual poison
The Prime Mover that decides "What We Are"
Where do our outlooks, attitudes and values come from?
Sin is serious business. The punishment for it is real. Hell is real.
Self-imposed discipline and regimentation
Achieving happiness in life --- a matter of the right strategies
Self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline basic to so much in life