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  • This is Makoto a 27 year old single salaryman living in Tokyo and he's just waking up for work.

  • He prefers to skip showers in the morning as well as skipping breakfast at home.

  • Very common in Japan and also time efficient.

  • His house is relatively large for Tokyo...

  • ...but he shares it with his family who run their business from the first floor.

  • Looks like the rest of the family is still asleep.

  • In summer, Tokyo becomes unbearably hot, so he dresses in cool biz, meaning light attire...

  • ...no tie or suit jacket. Some traditional Japanese companies don't agree though...

  • ...and you'll catch some of these salarymen walking the streets in the video.

  • Makoto, how long does it take you to get ready?

  • Mikoto lives too far from the nearest train station, Akabane, to walk every morning...

  • ...so he takes a "mama chari" - a Japanese slang for mom's bike.

  • Many people who live far from the station ride their bikes...

  • ...and park them in paid spaces as the city confiscates bikes in un-designated spots.

  • So there's this unwritten escalator etiquette in Tokyo: stand on the left, and walk on the right.

  • As you can see, Makoto is excited to get to work, so no standing for him!

  • So Akabane is in the northern part of Tokyo, right next to Saitama.

  • Makoto's office is located in Korakuen, which is luckily in the northern part of Tokyo as well.

  • So he only has a 30 minute train ride to work, which is half the time for a standard Tokyo commute.

  • But, he does have to transfer mid-way and take two trains to get to work.

  • Time to transfer trains!

  • Alright, so I think Makoto's train is arriving right now.

  • Let's see how he is!

  • Makoto, how was the train ride?

  • Oh look, that's Tokyo Dome! That's pretty cool, but the trains must be crazy busy on game day.

  • Makoto works for a company called Mobal - a sim card provider in Japan.

  • Makoto was hired straight out of university, and he plans to stay with Mobal...

  • ...his entire career - another characteristic of a Japanese salaryman.

  • So he's gonna pay with an IC card, - commonly used in Japan at konbinis, trains, taxis, restaurants...

  • ...and even vending machines - all with one touch.

  • Oh, how convenient! His office is in the same building as the konbini.

  • As the youngest employee in the company, he's always the first one to arrive at the office.

  • It gives him time to get the office ready, and get some work done.

  • Makoto, how many people are in the office?

  • The first person came in!

  • And more!

  • These two ladies are interns that Makoto is helping manage, and that's his boss.

  • Although it's a small Tokyo office...

  • ...you can see that Makoto sits next to his boss without any barriers open seating style.

  • What are you doing now?

  • In larger Japanese companies, usually an office lady would prepare tea and coffee in the morning...

  • ...but in smaller companies, you'll find the youngest person will be tasked with many of the...

  • ...day-to-day administration. Seems like Makoto is happy to do it though!

  • It's about to get really busy.

  • We're gonna be going to a lot of places...

  • ...but that's kind of, like, what happens when you work at a small office.

  • You kind of have to do everything, and Makoto...

  • He comes in, turns on the lights makes the coffee for everyone...

  • I don't know. Is this, like, very similar to your country? Let me know in the comments.

  • He's off to his first appointment now.

  • How much time do you have until the meeting?

  • So Makoto's official title is "Marketing Advisor" which is kind of vague.

  • In fact, his business card doesn't even have a title on it...

  • ...which will make a bit more sense as the video goes on.

  • Makoto, where are you going right now?

  • So Makoto is visiting a coffee roaster in Tsukishima...

  • ...to prepare shipments for the company's subscribers.

  • It seems kind of odd for a SIM card company to be in coffee subscriptions...

  • ...but, the business is part of the company's initiative, as it donates all the earnings...

  • ...to charity, called "Warm Hearts Coffee Club."

  • Managing this effort is also part of Makoto's job.

  • So they're actually roasting the coffee beans right now as we speak.

  • Oh wait, I think I'm missing it!

  • Now he's heading to Shibuya from Tsukishima, which are on opposite ends of Tokyo.

  • Another 30 minute train ride!

  • So, where are you going now?

  • If you've been working in Japan long enough, like me...

  • ...you'll notice that there's almost an excessive amount of face-to-face meetings in between companies.

  • Even though many interactions can be done over the phone, Japanese feel it's important to meet and...

  • ...talk in person to build strong relationships.

  • In fact, Makoto spends a lot of his day traveling on the train between home, office, and client visits.

  • I'll save you from the monotony and edit out most of the travelling, but pay close attention to the time...

  • ...inbetween locations that gets eaten up by travel.

  • He doesn't have a lot of time for a sit-down lunch, so he's gonna pick up some food at the スーパー...

  • ... - or in English, "Supermarket" - then head back to the office to grind out...

  • ...emails he missed during the meetings.

  • I don't want to bother him during his lunch, so let's go Ford Explorer on this office.

  • That's the elevator we came in on...

  • ...and I think here... there's a company here.

  • So it looks like there's like three rooms, or like three companies on this floor.

  • And then you have the men's bathroom, and then you have the women's bathroom.

  • Like all videos, let's check out what it looks like!

  • I don't know... do you guys like looking at other people's bathrooms or is it just me?

  • Oh, so one toilet on the floor, and with the standard Japanese washlet.

  • And it looks like they do have this sink area, which is pretty centered as well on most floors...

  • ...with like these only, like, small business floors.

  • I think it's like pretty much required to have like a sink, and instead of having one in the office...

  • ...that everyone shares like this, like, common space.

  • You know what's actually in these boxes are SIM cards.

  • Like, free SIM card service for the rest of your life?

  • That's crazy!

  • So I think I found something. What's this?

  • What's this little thing here?

  • What's this??

  • Makoto, you travel so much. Can you use taxis instead to get around?

  • Hey, man, it's not straight!

  • So now, Makoto and his boss are going to meet with SoftBank, their supplier for SIM cards.

  • In more formal Japanese meetings, it's normal to take several people from your company.

  • In fact, I've been in meetings where more than ten people from one company attend!

  • Nice, one of the first Japanese business manners to master is the 名刺交換...

  • ...meaning "business card exchange"

  • At the first meeting, 名刺交換 is a MUST.

  • It would be quite embarrassing to not have a card, as you would be viewed as...

  • ...incompetent or a person of no importance.

  • There are many rules, such as how to hold the card with both hands, how to dress yourself...

  • ...how to set the card on the table, and not put away the card until after the meeting.

  • But that's a video for another day!

  • It's also Japanese business etiquette to show your clients to the elevator and to maintain the bow until the door closes.

  • So it's five o'clock now and it's just like, kind of quiet.

  • Makoto is just finishing up some emails, so there's not a lot to do before he finishes at 6:00....

  • ...aside from all the emails that he missed throughout the day.

  • So he's just working away like would expect.

  • The day wouldn't be complete without a visit from the delivery man.

  • Yay! Finally done! Just a little past 6:00.

  • Time to clock out and call it a day (or maybe not).

  • Are you going straight home?

  • Before going to the next spot, he needs to buy some postage stamps to send out a few documents.

  • Luckily, most convenience stores have a post box inside.

  • Oh, when elections get closer, you'll often see these campaign cars near large stations.

  • So Makoto's company also supports an after-school program.

  • Twice a week, he mentors the kids and eats dinner with them. Not so uncommon...

  • ...for Japanese salarymen to work all of these additional hours.

  • And now the day is done! Back at his home station!

  • Oh no - he still has work after getting home...

  • That's the true Japanese salary man spirit!

  • Finally, like most Japanese, a bath at night before he goes to sleep.

  • I mean, who would want to climb into bed, after sweating all day, without a bath?

  • All right, so that's the end of Makoto's day.

  • What did you guys think? If you guys like this day in the life series, I'm actually gonna have...

  • ...a bunch more of these, so definitely hit that subscribe button and the bell button if you...

  • ...want to see more of these videos.

  • As you can see, Makoto... he's just chilling.

  • It's been quite a long day that he's had.

  • He's actually been to so many places, traveling on the train...

  • His sister is just right there, chilling. I think his mom just came home.

  • It's just been quite a long day.

  • if you guys like this video, help me out and hit that like button.

  • If you guys want to see what I'm doing on the daily, then definitely check out my Instagram channel.

  • And I guess that's it. I'll see you guys in the next one!

This is Makoto a 27 year old single salaryman living in Tokyo and he's just waking up for work.

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