XX. Brand

After weeks of CSR research, which was a quite solitary task and also offered me a good deal of freedom in planning my own work days, I was quite surprised to receive a very detailed daily schedule for my week with the strategic branding office. It turned out very well, as my sempai Obukuro-san had arranged for me to meet with virtually all the managers of the branding office, to talk about all aspects of corporate branding strategy, from unifying the company’s outward appearance to legal protection of its trademarks. Of particular interest was the CSR-hearing he had organized for me with several people from the CSR department. I had prepared a list with questions in order to get additional information for my CSR report and got some interesting new ideas with regard to the role of CSR in Japan.

In between meetings, Obukuro-san and I brainstormed about a survey that will measure the level of employee satisfaction at Hitachi. Employee satisfaction is an important part of the internal perception of the Hitachi brand, which is why the internal branding department wants to find a way to take stock of the opinions and wishes of employees. As a framework for our brainstorm we used a theory proposed by Frederick Herzberg, one of the most influential psychologists in the field of business management of the 20th century. According to this Motivation-Hygiene theory, people are influenced by two factors: satisfaction, which is the result of motivator factors, and dissatisfaction, which is caused by hygiene factors. Hygiene Factors are the most important of the two, and include pay and benefits, relationship with co-workers and job security. If these factors are absent or inadequate, they will cause dissatisfaction, but they are so basic that they are usually taken for granted and do not provide additional job satisfaction. For this, one must turn to Motivator Factors such as achievement, recognition, promotion and growth.

In addition to these two factors, we distinguished between issues that are company-related (management, decision-making) and those that are workspace-related (relation with boss, co-workers). In a free brainstorm we came up with 60 or so questions that we wrote down on post-its and later organised into groups such as "love for the company," "leadership opportunities," "work-life balance" etc. From each of these 27 groups we created a representative question, which resulted in a wide variety of questions, ranging from "Have you got a clear idea of your career development within the company?" to "Can you have fun with your colleagues?" Whilst coming up with these questions, we found that many issues related to employee satisfaction are culturally determined. When I proposed and explained the idea of an ergonomically suitable work space, my colleagues were surprised and said that this usually isn’t something Japanese people would mention when thinking about job satisfaction. But when thinking about all the physical complaints that can result from bad posture and/or excessive use of the computer, such as Repetitive Strain Injury, it is surprising that the Japanese, with their long working days, don’t really see this as an important issue. On the other hand, a typically Japanese question asked whether employees were able to say something or give their opinion during a team meeting (instead of remaining silent and just listening to what the boss has to say). Compared to the situation in most Dutch organisations where everyone is more or less free to give their opinion whenever they want to, this is a fairly Japanese question. As the team is thinking about using similar surveys for the overseas offices in the future, thought should be given to this issue.

All in all, it was a very interesting week, which ended with my first presentation at Hitachi, in Japanese of course, using Japanese PowerPoint slides. I had prepared as well as I could in the limited time I had, and judging from the reactions I was able to get my key points across. Thanks to Obukuro-san’s help, I got the specific business terms right, as well as some pretty daunting grammatical constructions. I am very thankful for all his help and I must say that this week with the branding office has passed very quickly. The goodbye-dinner (admittedly a little strange after only four days), was great fun. We went to a very nice Japanese restaurant close to my work place which I have to go back to, as the food & atmosphere are great, and the prices reasonable. After that, we went to Tokyo Tower which I had only seen from a distance until then, and we actually took an elevator up this Eiffel tower replica. A typically Japanese thing to do (apparently, Tokyo tower is something of a dating spot for Japanese couples), but I really enjoyed it. I hope my week with the Advertisement department will be as much fun!

XIII. Local

Even though life in Tokyo is never dull, there can be weeks that are relatively quiet, with nothing much going on. Not so this week. Last Friday one of my bucho’s invited me along to a meeting at UN University. Together with a group of Hitachi employees working in the field of CSR, Supply Chain Management and Human Rights, we had a meeting with prof. Yokota, an expert on UN/CSR-related issues. The entire meeting was of course in Japanese, and the details were often lost on me, but I still managed to get the gist of it. It goes to show that collecting and learning job-related words really improves the kenshuu-experience. I had prepared some questions and was able to ask one, which made a good impression on my colleagues. It was nice to get out of the office for a change (working at Hitachi is fun, but very sedentary) and I got some new ideas for my CSR-research.

On Saturday Margreet and I wanted to escape the city for a day, so we made the two-hour trip to the supposedly sacred island of Enoshima. To get there, you need to take the Enoden line, which runs over tracks so narrow you can almost reach out of the window and touch the houses and garden walls. The weather was pretty good, and although we had intended to lounge on the beach all day, we decided to have a look at some temples instead. Of course we ended up walking all around the small island, working our way through throngs of weekenders shopping for kitsch souvenirs, visiting pleasant but mildly bland temples and walking around on the rocky coast, where young families had pick nicks and children tried to catch tiny sea crabs. Apart from an older woman chanting in an atmospheric, dimly-lit temple, and the bicycle locks with hearts and dates that were chained to fences everywhere, the island wasn’t particularly noteworthy, although I’ve never before seen a beach with signs warning people to watch out for hawks.

It was a good idea to go to the beach on Saturday, as the weather on Sunday was bad: cold and wet. It was perfect museum weather though, so I seized the opportunity to finally visit the Edo-Tokyo museum in Ryogoku. Although the outside of the building is more overwhelming than the inside, it’s still a nice museum. I liked the scale-models of Edo Ryogoku and Meiji Ginza best; they are so detailed. The temporary exhibition of Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto’s work, especially the costumes he made for David Bowie, were a highlight of my visit. I am also looking forward to the next temporary exhibition, which will be about Matthew Perry, Townsend Harris and the beginning of American-Japanese relations. I will definitely go back to view it and bring my camera with me- the museum allows its visitors to make photographs inside!

As the weekend is never long enough, I’m very happy to have Wednesday afternoons off to experience living in Tokyo too, rather than just working there. Yesterday I ended up exploring Yanaka, an area close to Ueno Park with a very cosy and old-fashioned atmosphere. As the area was mentioned in several Tokyo guides, I had wanted to go there for some time. Walking past traditional shops at Yanaka Ginza, it was difficult to imagine Marunouchi’s skyscrapers were only 15 minutes away by train. The area reminded me of Kyoto, with shrines and old shops and warehouses on every street corner. Walking through Yanaka cemetery, I saw a couple of old men trying out Japanese traditional flutes they had made by hand. They were playing from sheet music, but the notation was very different from what I am used to, using numbers rather than notes to indicate pitch. I talked to them for a while and they explained to me how the flutes are made and showed me how to read their sheet music. It is chance encounters like this that make me realize how great it is to have learned the language before coming here. Even though our grasp of the language is still relatively basic, being able to chat to the locals really adds to the experience of living and working here in Japan.

XI. 入社式

Time flies when you’re having fun. Or when you’re working hard. In my case it’s both. I can’t believe that my first month with Hitachi passed by so quickly. For me it was a tougher month than I expected, as I needed to get used to my new place, my new job and especially my fuller schedule. I must admit I didn’t have much energy left for planning trips, planning Golden Week, going sightseeing etc. But as I have established a routine, I find there’s room in my head again for other things, and I’m beginning to enjoy Tokyo-as-a-tourist again. Perhaps this has got something to do with the countless Hanami trips I made. Apart from Hibiya and Ichigaya, I have now also seen the blossoms at the Sumida Kooen (Asakusa), Yasukuni jinja, (where we saw great traditional dances as well), the Imperial Gardens and Shinjuku Gyooen. Shinjuku Gyooen is by far the most gorgeous park I’ve been to and it’s definitely going to be one of my favourite summer hangouts.

At work, things are still going well. One of my bucho’s regularly requests me to do small research assignments for him, which always take more time than expected (partially because they can be difficult, but also because the research question is often rather vague). Apart from that, I have my own CSR research which is going slower than expected -due to aforementioned assignments- but, as my other bucho regularly takes time to discuss my progress with me, I still have a good feeling about it. My first deadline is at the end of this month, so I’ll really have to keep up the pace. This is why, when I stay longer, I stay not just because it’s good form, but because I actually have work to do.

Luckily it’s not just all work and no play. On Thursday my colleague and I went to Hitachi’s 入社式 (nyuushashiki, welcome ceremony for new employees), which turned out to take place in the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Centre in Odaiba. It was great to get out of the office and travel with the Yurikamome line through sunny Odaiba. With the nice sea breeze it must be a great place to escape the summer heat. The convention centre looked like something straight out of a Star Trek episode, with huge bronze-coloured inverted pyramids resting on four broad corner pillars. Walking underneath it, the building reminded me a little of Le Grande Arc de la Défense. Inside, we were ushered into a huge hall where a stage had been erected, flanked by large TV screens showing the Hitachi logo. Rows and rows of 入社員 (nyuushain, new employees), all dressed in black suits and white shirts, were patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin. My colleague told me that Hitachi’s Head Office has recruited one thousand 入社員 this year- it was quite a sight. As the ceremony began, the lights in the hall were dimmed and the stage lit up with a Disney-esque light show accompanied by similarly dreamy orchestral music. A great entrance for Furukawa-shachō, whose speech was short but inspirational (as far as I could understand). Many other speeches followed, including one by a 入社員 who subsequently got to shake Furukawa’s hand- he must have a great future ahead of him. The ceremony lasted several hours and although I tried my best to understand as much as I could, it was hard to keep focused. My colleague even dozed off. But it was very nice to experience this part of Japanese corporate life. Our division will get its own 入社員, too: on the 10th of April we’ll go out together for his welcome party. I’m looking forward to meeting him, but first I’ll have some manual labour to do as I will have to move to another desk, which is now cluttered in a way only Japanese desks can be...

VII. Ltd.

After my first week at Hitachi, I can say that it’s great to work in a genuine Japanese company, where overtime is the rule and it’s udon for lunch. I feel very welcome. So far, the work seems interesting and my colleagues are really nice- although I must say it has been quite overwhelming to go from being on a holiday to suddenly having to go to work every day. It is nice, though, to be working again and engaging in slightly more intellectual activities after the past 6 months of intensive language study.

On my first day I was introduced to over 30 people working on my floor, which was quite daunting. Luckily, my self-introductions went well and after chatting for a bit, most people thought me very “joozu.” I am now in possession of a thick pile of meishi, but I must admit I forgot which names go with which faces. I do know everyone from my team, though, as each of them took some time to introduce me to their specific area of expertise. They are seven in all, but one lady is currently working in Brussels. That leaves two bucho’s (managers), one of whom is my direct superior, two male colleagues and two female colleagues. We work in an open-space office in rows of three desks, grouped together according to division. There are big windows on one side and there’s an open space with round tables, like we saw at Taisei. This is where we have our division meetings. Our office is on the 24th floor, which means the view is simply amazing, especially at sunset. If I didn’t have to work, I would just sit there all day with a cup of tea and a good book. However, I do have to work. Luckily, my working conditions are quite comfortable. I’ve got a big desk, a chair with adjustable armrests, my own cabinet and, if I crane my neck a little, a great view of Marunouchi’s skyscrapers. Almost everyone, including myself, works on small Hitachi laptops with tiny screens. Also, instead of fixed desk phones, we have mobile phones sitting in a docking station on our desk.

Hitachi is a rather traditional company, and it shows. At lunch time, for example, I go for lunch with my female colleagues, as the men go their own way. Also, although there are quite a lot of women working on our floor, all managers I have been introduced to are men. As I get to know my female colleagues better, I hope to be able to ask them what they think about this- and how they see their own career prospects. For now, I am still absorbing the experience of working at a Japanese company. There are so many things that would never work in a Dutch working environment, induce ridicule even, but are perfectly normal in a Japanese setting. For example the start and end of each working day are punctuated by Big Ben chimes, as well as the lunch break. Not to mention the strains of violin music that pour out of the loudspeakers at three in the afternoon, when it’s… exercise time! (everyone ignores the soothing female voice, instructing us to stretch our muscles and rotate our head)

Each morning at 8.50 sharp, our working day begins. I try to be at my desk before the bell, and so far I’ve succeeded. The commute to work is hell, but that’s part of the salaryman-experience (or so I keep telling myself). Getting from my station to Ichikawa station is usually ok. But then, waiting the train pull in at Ichikawa station, its windows steamed up and faces squashed against the door, I never believe I’ll make it to work –let alone on time. Yet, although maybe three people get off, I always manage to get on the train, along with at least ten other Japanese who were waiting with me. I am now learning where and how to stand, so that although I will inevitably be pushed about, at least my ribcage will remain intact. On moments like this, I love my mp3 player and the illusion of private space it creates. Without it, I don’t know how I would get through this daily ordeal.

Luckily the work itself more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. From day one, I have been taken good care of. One of the bucho’s has really gone out of his way to help me get as much out of my time with Hitachi as I can. Of course I will participate in the division’s daily work, but as the first few months there isn’t much to do for me, he has come up with the idea of letting me do some research on Corporate Social Responsibility, the way Hitachi is implementing it and how CSR relates to the development work of NGO’s and organizations like the EU and the UN. It really is great to be given this opportunity to learn more about something that really interests me. Finally, as cherries on the proverbial cake, I will be working with the brand division and the advertisement department for one week each. All in all things look more than promising. To quote a famous musical and childhood-favourite: I think I’m gonna like it here!