tokyoHacker's comments

Disclosure: work in japan

What I have realized talking to the native people here is that working late is due to :

1. Impress peers and managers 2. Impress wife and her friends that you are important to the company 3. (For people with young kids) Not be a nuisance to the sleeping schedule of kids by coming early 4. Nothing much to do after going home because of lack of intimacy with spouse/partner 5. Actual work requirements 6. To earn overtime pay since basic pay is too low to cover all the expenses.

People have different reasons at different points in time.

On a personal note the brand IIT has helped me in making me what I am (whatever that be). Even though I did not make it to IIT, the aspiration to get into IIT made me push myself to my limits. The preparation to get in helped me in getting top score in my state engineering exam allowing me to gain admission to the “best” engineering college of my state. That led to easy job placements, getting selected for lead role ( my manager actually said that he selected me just by the Engineering school I graduated from.. He was happy so I guess I didn’t do too bad on real life performance parameters) and getting accepted for research based masters by prof who knew about the college.

So coming back to the point, the IITs inspire you to dream and be ambitious and bold. I think for that matter alone, the premium value of the brand needs to be preserved. It has helped people from small towns like mine, where people don't know the difference between IIT and ITI, to aim high.

Inspite of having 7/11 at every nook and corner ( specially in Tokyo/Yokohama), it would be hard to get a sandwich, obento(お弁当) or onigiri if you go to a convenience store (コンビニ) just after peak lunch time.

Working as an engineer in a traditional japanese tech company(大企業), I can say that 996 is not a norm here. In fact at my workplace, working on two consecutive weekends is prohibited. A significant fraction follow 995 though.

Ofcourse. What else can we expect from someone who has been there for just 2 years. It takes some audacity to speak about the tech scene of a company as large as Amazon with such limited time spent. Unless he has the overall view of the org ( like a VP of Engineering), I would take any assessment with a pinch of salt.

Anecdote: I am right now travelling in a metro train bound for Tokyo. Of the 17 people around me, 12 of them have masks on them. Pollen allergy is one that could explain such high numbers of masked people at this time of the year.

Disclosure:I am from Kerala so probably a bit biased in favor.

Jackfruit can be used to make jam, dried chips, curries and a bunch of other things that my limited vocabulary restricts me from mentioning. Ofcourse ripe jack fruit is delicious by itself.

To top this, the seed of jackfruit is also used for preparing varios curries. This fruit has a potential that is yet to be tapped to its fullest.

A really good read. Apart from the books that he has penned, I really like the videos ( available on youtube) in which Feynman explains the “why” behind many common sightings.

Just a sidenote: Coincidentally flying to Caltech today for a week of training. Wish he was still alive.

I second this. Amazing documentary. Icing on the cake are the songs (from Bob Dylan and other legends) that overlay the outstanding narration.

NTT - DoCoMo is one of the major providers here in Japan. The others being AU and Softbank. Having said that there are lots of new entrants who offer cheaper rates than the incumbents. They ride on the signal of the major players. I guess its kind of win-win for all. But the rates I pay is close to $10/GB. Unlimited rate for those who are ready to pay $50 or more per month ( not sure about the current rates. Could be a bit outdated)

I think this has more to do with the fact that the landlord is not comfortable dealing with someone who doesnt speak the same language. Also I have heard ( no citations) from my Japanese collegues that the laws are heavily biased in favor of the tenant. Its very hard to evict them. So a Japanese home owner ( conservative as they are) wouldn’t want to take a risk for no additional advantage.

FWIW I got it in less than a month.

I find High Skilled visa to be more useful than a PR. Your parents/Spouse parents can stay with you for longer time ( provided you have a kid less than 7(?) year old)