A decade in Japan: content creator breaks down the country’s office etiquette in viral video

A social media video shared by digital creator Ankit Purohit, who says he has been working in Japan for the past 10 years, is giving viewers a glimpse into the country’s unique office culture. In the video, he explains that while finding a job in Japan may not be very difficult, understanding the country’s workplace etiquette is equally important.

Among the practices he highlights: punctuality, with employees expected to arrive before their official reporting time rather than exactly at it; and a lack of emphasis on status symbols, with even company CEOs often travelling to work by train.

He also describes lunchtime as personal time, with most offices breaking from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and many employees buying ready-made bento meals from convenience stores, and an elevator custom where the person near the control panel holds the door open until everyone else has exited.

Purohit further notes that Japanese companies generally compensate employees even for short overtime periods, paying for as little as 15 extra minutes of work, and that managers generally respect employees’ time off, rarely calling with additional work once they have logged out for the day.