Working in Tokyo — how is it so far?
I was assigned to work in our Tokyo office from last year. The assignment is only temporary and can go on for a few months to even more than a year, depending on how circumstances will progress. This move has been on and off the table for years, until, one day, my boss said that I will go, while retaining my post in Manila. Preparation was little to none. I arrived in Tokyo just before spring ended with my 75-liter luggage and a pillow.
My mission, as how my boss puts it, is to understand the business environment, create relationships, and support management. Not only are these broad and have been mooted, but there is some weight attached to these expectations. I was assigned to work with the team who manages costs, and supply and demand — things which aren’t exactly new to me but definitely are beyond my expertise. By virtue, I was expected to liaise between the two key offices.
Tokyo isn’t new to me. I had a good head start before my long term stay. I had been to Tokyo many times. I already visited during all the four seasons; tried and had more than enough raw fish, noodles, and alcohol; visited landmarks; and can breeze myself out of train stations. Tokyo feels like yet another city to me. Tokyo is a workplace.
The company is “white” as opposed to “black”. In the Japanese vernacular, black companies are those with exploitative working conditions. Our company has none of that. The company is adopting more progressive policies — though still far from absolute — when it comes to human resource management. Some executives are making efforts to make themselves accessible to employees of lower stature, which can be atypical for a hierarchical culture.
The workplace is generally peaceful. Everyone is glued (almost quite literally) on their seats, stooped onto their computers, not speaking a word, and focused on their work. There can be some random chatter, people moving around here and there, but that is all. People are doing their own thing. The sense of collective, though invisible, is very strong.
Working with the Japanese requires a different form of art. This isn’t exactly a new realization. I always have reported to a Japanese boss, and worked on a lot of cross-border projects; but, being in their home court is an entirely different story. Not everyone has experience working in a multi-cultural environment, or does trust someone or something not akin to them. This would often cause assumptions of their superiority.
Communicating required a special kind of maneuvering. It is not only about the language barrier (and always feeling worried to be taken out of context). Cutting through the chase, addressing issues directly, and being straightforward and honest with your thoughts (regardless of how careful and mindful you are) are on the other side of their spectrum of what is acceptable. The qualities of those with whom I had relative ease working with are far more like an exception than the norm. I’m not really good when it comes to these things, but I’m lucky to have bosses who would always give me their backing — though sometimes in a different way. Nonetheless, people are generally polite. This same politeness, however, can sometimes create a facade that is difficult for me to see through. “Preserve the harmony”, I was told.
During this entire experience, I get to see how the two offices complement each other. One isn’t exactly better than the other. Each needs the other. Among other things Manila has to learn how Tokyo value customers, while Tokyo has to understand how important it is for Manila not to be haphazard; Tokyo has to learn how Manila plans and manages projects, while Manila has to understand the uncertainties Tokyo is in. But, as a first step, it is important not to be blinded by the abstractions created by distance, stereotypes, and tradition.
My contract was just recently amended and will let me go home sooner than expected. This change is anticipated as foretold by the operational circumstance and organizational climate. There are business decisions that require my support and understanding. As a manager, it is my role to help fortify the foundations of the company and ensure that it can transcend the chaos it has to go through for growth.
If there is something that I learned the most, it is the importance of knowing your worth and standing by it — while still continuously enriching yourself with the realities of the world. Having less does not mean you always have to bow down. Hard work pays but without knowing your values and principles, it can be very easy to get lost.
For now, see you soon, Manila!
