This week I get rich.
Well, not really rice, but today is my pay day – the 25th of each month. On top of that, at the end of the week I get my summer bonus, which is not insignificant. It’s like getting several paychecks at once.
Bonuses work differently in Japan. In many Japanese companies they are more expected than surprising, and people include their appearance in their yearly budgets. My case is a little different as I am a contract employee rather than someone with a lifetime contract, but the basic thrust is the same. Bonuses can be quite substantial, too. When Kuniko worked for her school in Osaka years ago, the bonus made up nearly 50% of her annual salary.
I think companies like the bonus system because unlike base pay they can easily adjust it down citing business conditions, whereas any decrease in base pay means a confrontation with either the union or the employees themselves. And confrontations aren’t really popular here in Japan.
So it’ll be good to see my bank account topped up, especially after the damage I’ve done to it paying for tickets to Europe and the USA.
