This blog entry tells you all you need to know about working conditions in Japan. It expresses very well the mindset that creates the work culture, both the good points and bad points. The writer seems to prefer the Western way, but she is Japanese and explains the situation well.
Do you know why we don’t have long holidays as European or American people? Taking a long holiday makes colleagues work even harder, which results in only 4 or 5 days holiday will be average, 1 week holiday is the lucky thing. If one says she wants 2-week holiday, she would have to feel very nervous against her boss, who of course may not say OK for her taking such a long holiday, and she has to feel so sorry against her colleagues who would think “I have to work extra 2 hours everyday overtime, because of her!”. By the time she leaves, she would try not to leave her work too much to her colleagues, and so she will stay longer hours to try to finish her work as much as possible. On the previous day of her holidays, she would say “I’m sorry to bother you and make you busy with my extra work.” to her colleagues. Even while she is off for holidays, she is busy thinking of souvenir for obligation which will make up for the inconvenience she made her boss and colleagues bare while she was off. When she finally returns to the office, she says “Thank you for helping my work” to each colleague of her department and then gives souvenir one by one. In this way she feels “not guilty” any more. But she would also think, “Going thru all these things, do I still want to take a 2-week holiday? No, I’d rather not!”
A big problem in Japan is that the culture is so resistant to change. I think a lot of people in Japan feel the same way as this woman does, but there’s not a cultural space for people to stand up and say, “hey, me too, let’s change this!” Instead, everyone is nervous to speak up and admit this, and even if they did, they would expect raised eyes, sarcastic remarks, disappointment, or even social exclusion if it was brought up. And everyone would feel like that’s the right way to respond.