Workation as a new work style in Japan

The coronavirus has forced many companies globally to shift their working style. Due to the pandemic, we have seen a rise in both employees and employers working from home. The past year saw “workation” as a buzzword too.

However, in Japan, the prospect of working from home may not be as easy as in other countries. The work culture in Japan often expresses the importance of working in a physical office. Although working from home, having a workation, or even working alone seems to be a no-brainer in other countries during the pandemic, this may not be so in Japan. We will look at how Japan tackles the issue of working throughout the pandemic, the rise of the workation, and the importance of working as a unit in Japan.

Coronavirus pandemic forced Japan to accelerate remote working

Japanese highly value working in their company. This makes total sense since the individualistic factors are not as prevalent in Japan as in Western countries. The Japanese work environment stresses team building and working in harmony with one another. Furthermore, hierarchy in the workplace is a major part of work-life in Japan. Colleagues spend many hours a day together and are sometimes seen as a second family for some. It is also very common for many couples to meet on the job in Japan.

It is rather important to build strong bonds with coworkers and keep the traditional structure of having a physical workplace by making sure everyone shows up to the office. One can imagine the massive shift in mentality that Japanese businesses had to deal with at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Although many companies throughout the world shifted to working from home, the transition has been difficult for businesses in Japan.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the majority of Japanese employees were still working from the office. In March last year, approximately 82% of workers were still commuting to the office. However, due to Japan’s state of emergency in early 2020, more than half of workers were completing their duties from home. Unfortunately, there was a sharp dip in numbers working from home after the state of emergency was lifted.

However, although this may be true, Japanese businesses and companies have adapted the work-from-home style, and many companies in Japan are now considering making this move permanent. Moreover, employers began to also hop on the workation train.

Enter workation

You may not be familiar with what “workation” entails. A workation is exactly what it sounds like: a form of working while on holiday. It allows people to execute their duties remotely while spending leisure time in a location that may be far from the office.

How is remote work different from a workation? Remote work tends to be more permanent, while a workation is more of a temporary getaway from the regular 9-to-5 office life. The idea of a workation appears to be catching on in Japan.

Mie Prefecture has already begun beefing up its infrastructure with high speed internet and comfortable facilities to attract more locals within Japan to visit. The prefecture has also converted old and abandoned buildings, such as schools, to accommodate workationers. This began in 2020 due to the steep drop in tourism within regions that relied on visitors to bolster the local economies. This could be one of the best ideas for Japanese businesses because Japan’s countrysides have a large number of abandoned buildings and empty sites due to depopulation.

Workation as an opportunity to regional revitalization

It would be significant if other companies began to follow suit and possibly invest in workation sites around Japan, especially since the country’s rural areas and mountainous regions already have the infrastructure to carry out such a task.

Japan is facing significant depopulation in its smaller town and rural areas. Many individuals have decided to move to bigger cities due to better job opportunities and other important factors. If you head to Japan’s countryside, such as Wakayama prefecture, many abandoned houses and buildings are still standing and are perfect for renovating and repurposing.

Wakayama is also home to an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage that spans through its mountains. The seaside is a great place to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, or other outdoor activities that await other tourists or workationers.

Workation in Japan marks the advent of new workstyles

Workationing in rural regions can help bolster those local economies, especially if these places can provide the right resources needed for remote work. Workation destinations wouldn’t only be limited to Wakayama. However, it is definitely a hidden jewel in Japan that could use a little love from visitors.

The coronavirus has forced companies and individuals to reevaluate workstyles worldwide, and Japan is not an exception. Remote work or workations should increase over the next few years in the island country to give office workers the opportunity to relax and enjoy their time away from the traditional office life. Japanese companies are at a turning point; whether they decide to follow this global trend will be a testament for future generations.