Oshiya, A Unique Job at Japanese Railway Station

Japan is famous for its residents who like to use public transportation, especially trains. In fact, around 22 percent of Japanese residents use trains and cause trains to become full and crowded. As transportation that is in demand by many people, trains in Japan can come every 5 minutes. In fact, during rush hour, the train can depart every 2 or 3 minutes.

 Conditions which is too crowded turned out to be able to create a new profession in Japan. The profession is oshiya or pusher  which is tasked with pushing passengers into the train. Oshiya is an employee at the train station which is on duty to push passengers into full wagon, especially during peak hours. Oshiya first appeared at Shinjuku Station and was dubbed the "passenger regulator" for several busy train lines. At that time, passenger regulators were carried out by students as part-time jobs. Because of the large number of passengers using the train, Oshiya then became a permanent job carried out by station officials. Even though it looks easy, the work done by Oshiya is quite dangerous, because Oshiya has to be careful and push passengers in when the train is stopped completely.

In addition, Oshiya's work will also determine the departure time of the train, because if Oshiya has not finished carrying out its duties, the train will not depart. Although Oshiya's job is to encourage passengers who want to ride a crowded train, Oshiya can also prevent passengers from entering the train. This is done when the train is completely full and no longer possible for passengers to enter. Oshiya officers also had to make sure that there were no passenger items pinched on the train door.

After Oshiya has finished doing his assigment, they will fly the flag and signal with lights to the train engineer, as the train sign is ready and safe to leave. But, Even though Oshiya's job is to encourage passengers to get on the train, they continue to do their jobs politely. Oshiya will speak in formal and respectful language, and use white and clean gloves when carrying out their duties. Oshiya emerged in the 1970 because the number of trains operating was only a small number and not comparable to the large number of train passengers. Even though there are more trains now, Oshiya is still needed, at rush hour like in the morning and evening.

Well, that is a new information about Oshiya. If you want to know more about Japanese work customs keep reading on my blog. Thanks 😊

Fake Wedding Guests Hired To Attend Japanese Weddings

Hello readers.. welcome again to my blog. As usual, I will give you information about work custom in Japan. If sometimes ago, I told you about “The Important Things About Service In Japan” but in this post I am going to tell you about the strange profession but really happened in Japan. Do you want to know what this profession is? So just keep reading on my blog…

For people who don't know what a fake wedding guest job is, it's basically someone who gets paid to attend some stranger's wedding as either their friend or co-worker. There are some agencies who will even provide 'fake parents' and other distant relatives if needed. Office Agents, a Tokyo-based company, is renting out fake friends, colleagues and family members to help pad out the guest list at events such as weddings. For 20,000 yen ($200), Office Agents provides a staff member to attend the ceremony. For an additional 5,000 yen, that person can perform a song or a dance. Pitch in another 10,000 yen and that person can make a speech that would make you proud. The company also provides the hiring of fake companions at events ranging from corporate functions and funerals to private events. Stand-in lovers, pretend secretaries and distant relatives are among a colourful cast of popular roles played by the company’s army of fakers.

The following is the reasons why Japanese people rents fake wedding guests on their wedding day :

1.   Brides or grooms who are concerned that they do not have enough friends and want to impress their prospective partners and in-laws are among those secretly boosting the guest list with fakers.

2.    People hire these services because they're afraid of what others will think if they don't have many guests attending their wedding and are scared others will think of them as losers. It's a pathetic situation all around, being so mentally stressed about the views of others on top of the financial burden of having to purchase such a service.

3.     Nowadays, people don't have as many friends. Everyone's too busy working or studying, who actually has the time to maintain relationships with dozens of people? By the time you're ready for marriage, you probably have less than 20 people you can contact.

Well guys, what do you think about this profession? For me this service is really strange. Wedding day is a day of happiness, you don’t need to rent this service because your real family and friends are the most important guests on your happy day. Thanks for reading😊

Important Things To Know About Service in Japan

Japan’s restaurants have some uniqe rules and manners that you won’t find in other countries. I will introduce some rules that will make your Japan trip smoother.

1.      Entering the restaurant

Many restaurants in Japan display plastic or wax replicas of their dishes in a window near their entrance. These replicas serve both to entice and inform patrons of the restaurant's menu and tend to offer an accurate, visual description of the style and price of meals found inside. The displays are especially helpful for foreign tourists who do not read and speak Japanese. For if all other forms of communication fail, you can go outside and point to what you want to order. Upon entering a restaurant, customers are greeted with the expression "irasshaimase" meaning "welcome, please come in". The waiter or waitress will ask you how many people are in your party and then lead you to your table. Only in rare cases are customers expected to seat themselves. While a majority of restaurants in Japan provide Western style tables and chairs, low traditional tables with cushions to sit on the floor are also common and referred to as zashiki. Some restaurants feature both styles, and you may be asked which you prefer. In case of zashiki style seating, you should remove your shoes at the entrance to the restaurant or before stepping onto the sitting area. Smoking is permitted in many restaurants in Japan. Some restaurants provide both smoking (kitsuen) and non-smoking (kinen) sections, while others are fully smoking or non-smoking. If there is a choice, the waitress will ask you about your preference before seating you.

2.      Ordering and eating

After you are seated, each diner is usually served with a free glass of water or tea. If it is not served, free water or tea is usually available for self service somewhere in the restaurant. Everyone will also receive a wet towel (oshibori) which is used to clean your hands before eating. If chopsticks are not already set, you can usually find some in a box on the table. Most often, they are disposable wooden chopsticks that need to be separated into two before use. While many restaurants provide illustrated menus, other restaurants may only have Japanese text based menus, or the restaurant's offerings may instead be posted on the walls. If you are ever in doubt on what to order or find that you cannot read the menu, try asking for the recommendations (osusume) or the chef's choice (omakase). The latter will often get you some surprisingly good, prix fix style meals, but be prepared to be adventurous and do not expect it to be cheap. Once you are ready to order, you can signal the restaurant staff by saying "sumimasen" (excuse me), or if available, press the call button at the table. Once you have finished ordering, the waitress will often repeat your order back to you for confirmation.

3.      Paying 

The bill will be presented face down either as you receive the meal or after you have finished eating. In most restaurants you are supposed to bring your bill to the cashier near the exit when leaving, as it is not common to pay at the table. Paying in cash is most common, although more and more restaurants also accept credit cards or IC cards such as Suica. Some restaurants, especially cheaper ones, have slightly different systems for ordering and paying. For example, in many ramen and gyudon restaurants, "meal tickets" are bought at a vending machine near the store's entrance and handed over to the staff who then prepare and serve the meal. It is not customary to tip in Japan, and if you do, you will probably find the restaurant staff chasing you down in order to give back any money left behind. Instead, it is polite to say "gochisosama deshita" (thank you for the meal) when leaving.

Now you have known about the service in Japan’s restaurant, it’s also good to learn about the manner while eating in foreign country so there is no misunderstanding between you and foreigner. Thank you for reading.. 😊

Secrets of Japanese Business Etiquette

Japan’s unique culture has been shaped by trends and forces from within and outside the country. An understanding of these and how they have shaped Japanese society will help you in your dealings with Japanese people, businesses and society in general. The Japanese have been very effective at adapting religions and schools of thought from outside the country. Confucianism and Buddhism came to Japan through China and Korea, with the Japanese taking these teachings and adapting them to local conditions and sensibilities.

These are some Japanese business culture and etiquette :

1.      Age and status 

Respect for age and status is very important in Japanese culture, with hierarchy affecting all aspects of social interactions. The Japanese are most comfortable interacting with someone they consider their equal. Status is determined by a combination of someone’s role in an organisation, which organisation they work for, which university they went to and their marital situation. 

2.      Business card

The exchange of business cards (meishi) is an essential part of initial meetings in Japan and follows a strict protocol. It allows the Japanese to quickly determine their counterpart’s all-important position, title and rank. While still standing, you should politely hand a business card over with two hands, and receive one in return. A slight bow as a form of respect when exchanging is usually performed. Do not simply drop the card into a pocket; instead take a few seconds to review names and titles, commenting on them if time permits. If you are sitting down, place it on the table in front of you for the duration of the meeting. If possible, place the most senior counterpart’s card at the top with their subordinates’ below or to the left.

3.      Japanese names

As in many parts of Asia, Japanese family names come first, and are followed by the given name. For example, if someone is introduced as Tanaka Hiroshi, Tanaka is the family name and Hiroshi is the given name. It is usual to address someone by their family name followed by the honorific san, Tanaka-san for example. While san is similar to Mr, Mrs and Ms in English, san is more versatile in that it can be used for both genders and goes perfectly well with a family name or given name. But do not use san when referring to yourself. For Australians doing business in Japan, the family name followed by san will usually be sufficient. Always address people by their family name until you have been invited to call them by their given name.

4.      Building relationship

Japan is a more relationship-oriented culture than Australia, particularly when it comes to doing business. Japanese want to know and trust someone before they do business with them. Relationships are developed through informal social gatherings and generally involve a considerable amount of eating and drinking.

5.      Dress code

Appearance is very important, and Japanese people tend to dress more formally than Australians. Business attire is conservative, with an emphasis on conformity rather than individual expression. Men should wear dark-coloured business suits with ties and white shirts. Jewellery for men should be kept to a minimum – a watch and a wedding ring would be fine. Women should also dress conservatively and in subdued colours.

6.      Modesty

Japanese culture values modesty and humility. Speaking in a quiet tone and not gesticulating too much will go some way towards giving a modest, calm and humble impression. 

Well readers… that’s new information about Japanese work customs and thankyou for reading😊