Since last Friday on the way to work you can’t help but notice lots of young people in suits. In a custom that is still completely strange to me, young Japanese people hired more than a year ago while they were still studying in college are now heading to their chosen companies to get trained in how to work.
April 1st is the start of the fiscal year for every company in Japan, and it makes sense to bring in the new hires now. Men wear the standard “salaryman suit”, women wear black business suits (no other color, please). It is in sharp contrast to the self-promotion and year-round hiring/firing/job changes that I’m used to in the USA.
Yesterday morning there was a new receptionist at the reception desk, and one of the regular receptionists introduced me and explained that I can go in without credentials. The new receptionist gave me a big smile and said greeted me in Japanese, and you could immediately see the energy and excitement that comes with the first day of your career.
As for my students, every day I am meeting more and more new students. By Wednesday of this week I should have met just about everyone, and this week I’m thinking about teaching plans and curriculum for the course. Lots of stuff to think about.
