In episode 3, we speak with Takashi Yamashita, a staff member at the rural training organization Asian Rural Institute, based in Nasushiobara, Tochigi.
The Japanese salaryman is a world-famous symbol of the strict and demanding work culture of traditional Japanese companies. Even today, top-down hierarchical structures favour age over skill, conformity down to the colour and shade of your suit, and only until recently was life-long employment not the overwhelming norm.
Takashi Yamashita, is familiar with this grueling salaryman lifestyle, having worked as a car salesman for six and a half years. Working six days a week, year after year, Takashi grew emotionally and physically depleted, and yearned for a drastic life change. However, taking the leap with a family, with two small kids, is no easy decision particularly in Japan.
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