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