Survey reveals most Japanese workers want to work from home at least twice per week

Younger and older workers did have different ideas of what the ideal number is, though. 

Last year in the height of the pandemic we saw many companies switching to remote work out of safety, but these days, a lot of companies have returned to the office, much to the disappointment of many workers. While working from home certainly came with many challenges–like being embarrassed about the state of your home in video conferences or suddenly becoming self-conscious of how you look on camera–many people in Japan found remote work to be more appealing than coming into the office, according to a recent survey.

Engineering career support magazine fabcross for Engineers conducted a survey of 4,494 people between the ages of 20 and 59 living in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area (consisting of Tokyo plus the neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa) between August 16 and September 8, 2021. The participants, who included 1,352 manufacturing engineers, 1,878 IT engineers, and 1,264 office workers, were asked to give their opinions on remote work.

▼ Breakdown of respondents. Dark blue for “manufacturing engineers”, light blue for “non-engineers”, and orange for IT engineers.

One of the most interesting questions on the survey was, “Ideally, how often would you like to work from home?” Among those surveyed that were in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, the highest percentage of respondents answered that they prefer to work from home every day. 20 percent of those in their 20s, 30.2 percent of those in their 30s, and 24 percent of those in their 40s answered “Five days or more per week” (the “or more” is likely meant for those who don’t work the average five-day workweek or who regularly work overtime on the weekends.)

For people in their 50s, however, it seems that a more balanced schedule is more desirable, as 22 percent chose “Three days per week”, which was the most popular answer for the age group. However, 20 percent also chose “Five days or more per week”, so perhaps many older workers would ideally like to spend less time in the office and more at home.

▼ “Please tell us your ideal frequency for teleworking”. Results arranged vertically by age (20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s).
Blue: 5 days or more per week; Orange: 4 days; Light blue: 3 days; Yellow: 2 days; Green: 1 day; Turquoise: 1 to 3 times per month; Navy blue: I don’t need to telework; Red: I don’t know.

Based on the chart, however, it seems that the majority of all surveyed age groups would prefer to work from home at least twice per week, as more than 73 percent in every age group answered somewhere in the range of “Two days per week” to “Five or more days per week”.

There were some differences among the different types of workers who were surveyed, however. Manufacturing engineers, for example, whose work is harder to do from home, were much more evenly divided on whether they want more time to work from home or not. The most popular answer for them was “Three days per week” at 20.2 percent, but 18.3 percent said “Two days per week” and 17.9 percent even answered, “I don’t need to work from home.”

▼ From top to bottom: Manufacturing-type engineers, IT-type engineers, and Non-engineers.
Blue: 5 days or more per week; Orange: 4 days; Light blue: 3 days; Yellow: 2 days; Green: 1 day; Turquoise: 1 to 3 times per month; Gray: I don’t need to telework; Pink: I don’t know.

Many non-engineer admin types were in agreement that “Three days per week” was an ideal amount to work from home (25.6 percent), though a good portion still voted for four or even five days per week, too. IT engineers, on the other hand, seemed to mostly prefer to work from home all the time. The most popular answer for them was “Five days or more per week” (36.4 percent).

While the main purpose of the survey was to find out whether manufacturing engineers could work from home and what tools were needed to make it easier for them to do so, the takeaway for most of us is that many people want to be able to work from home, ideally at least two or three days per week.

Though this is a small sample size focused on the engineering industry, based on the myriad of good things that have come from Japanese workers being allowed to work from home, it seems right to say that many people would appreciate a diversion from the usual 40 hours per week at the office. Major companies like Square Enix are already permanently giving their employees the option to choose to work from home, so we can only hope such surveys will encourage more companies to follow suit!

Source: PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: PR Times
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In search of the elusive Sea Urchin Butter from Kaldi【Taste test】

Our reporter is bitter no one but her ever bought her a better butter, like Uni Butter.

In the popular food retail chain Kaldi, there exists a product so delectable that it sells out almost as soon as it hits the shelves. It’s called Uni Butter, but the first part of the name isn’t “uni” in the sense of one butter to unite us all. Rather it’s the Japanese word “uni” – pronounced “ooh-nee” – which refers to those spikey aquatic creatures known as sea urchins in English.

▼ More often than not shoppers are greeted with a sign like this red one saying that Uni Butter is currently sold out and more stock is on the way.

Only a chosen few can be at a Kaldi when its stock of Uni Butter arrives, and recently one of those lucky people was our writer Mai Tsubomi. Restraining her excitement, she carefully took the pack to the check-out counter, avoiding the stares of competing shoppers, and then rushed home like Charlie after finding the golden ticket.

Uni Butter is very simple in concept, Kaldi just took ground-up sea urchin and blended it in with a rich-tasting butter. After opening her tub, Mai found the orange concoction to be very light and fluffy, more like whipped butter. She could easily scoop some up with a spoon.

The spoonful had a salty aroma of the ocean and Mai couldn’t help but take a quick lick of it. Sure enough, the flavor of sea urchin melted throughout her mouth, but keeping in mind this is essentially pure butter and all the calories that come with it, she decided to hold back from just wolfing the whole thing down straight.

Instead, she tried the recommended serving style of placing a dab of Uni Butter on a piping hot bowl of white rice.

It was a lot like putting a piece of sea urchin onto rice, only in this case the meat melts into a rich sauce that seeps throughout the grains. As a result, each chopstickful of rice was coated in a smooth and salty seafood taste.

According to Kaldi, also adding a touch of soy sauce really brings out the sea urchin flavor. Mai tried it and agrees but also feels that anyone would be perfectly happy with just the Uni Butter alone.

For her next trick, our writer decided to make a super simple seafood butter pasta dish by melting some Uni Butter on spaghetti and tossing on some seaweed for good measure. Interestingly the butter taste was firm in this dish, but the sea urchin notes were greatly diminished this way. Luckily the seaweed compensated for that and it was still a good meal overall.

The spread had a much more unified taste once again when topping a baguette. Mai thought she could eat this combination all day.

She felt that butter with a hint of sea urchin had endless applications from eggs to meats, and even as a dip for raw vegetables. Both delicious and versatile, it’s no wonder that Uni Butter is such a hot item at Kaldi which is already known for its excellent spreads.

Mai recommends everyone go out and try some right now for 567 yen (US$5) a pack. At least, she would if everyone had a chance of finding it.

Related: Kaldi
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Which Japanese convenience store sells the best beef stew?【Taste test】

Lawson, Family Mart and 7-Eleven battle it out for victory over our taste buds.

As we head into the deep, dark depths of winter, our bellies are beginning to crave warming meals like hearty stews.

For Mr Sato, our expert in all things edible, nothing hits the spot like a good beef stew, and he reckons the most convenient way to cook one up at home is by purchasing a retort pouch from one of the top convenience store chains.

To prove his point, he hopped online and visited the 7-Eleven website, hitting the “most popular” tab in the “chilled meal” department on the Seven Premium Improvement Committee page.

There, in the number one spot, with 543 hearts to indicate its popularity with the public, was the Seven Premium Gold Beef Stew (circled below).

We were surprised to see beef stew sitting in top spot as the most popular chilled meal at 7-Eleven, but Mr Sato has long sung the virtues of konbini meals, so he was keen to show us how good it was.

The only way to do that, of course, would be to test it out alongside the beef stews from the two other top convenience store chains, so Mr Sato headed out and returned soon after with the following:

• Gold Beef Stew (230 grams [8.1 ounces]), priced at 397 yen (US$3.49) from 7-Eleven
• Premium Beef Stew (230 grams), priced at 399 yen from Lawson
• Rich Beef Stew (225 grams), priced at 398 yen from Family Mart

▼ Left to right: 7-Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart

All three are sold in retort pouches, so Mr Sato popped them all in a pot of water together and brought the water to a boil, heating them for around nine minutes.

▼ So convenient.

Given that the weight and price of the three different packs were pretty similar, Mr Sato would only be able to judge them in terms of taste. And after pouring the contents of each one out and carefully testing a spoonful of each, his verdict was in.

In third place we have…

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▼ Lawson’s Premium Beef Stew!

Lawson’s stew uses a demi-glace sauce that’s been simmered for three days and a brown roux that contains red wine, but overall it was the sweetest of the three. This sweetness was a little off-balance, though, making it a little cloying, and looking at the ingredients list revealed that caramel was used for sweetness and colour.

The caramel notes might make it a good pairing for white bread, but on its own, this stew didn’t have the moreish depth of flavour that Mr Sato was after. The meat, however, was delicious, although the sweetness overpowered the meat, but hey, if you love sweet stews, this might be right up your alley.

Now, in second place we have…

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▼ 7-Eleven’s Gold Beef Stew!

Mr Sato was surprised to find this popular stew wasn’t the winner, especially when you consider the attention to detail given to the demi-glace sauce, the decisive factor for the taste, which is said to have been cooked with meat and vegetables for more than seven days.

This long, slow-cooking process creates a mellow flavour profile, where you can taste the soft sweetness of vegetables. However, rather than being cloying, the aftertaste was bright and refreshing, which is a hallmark of a good quality stew.

That means our first place winner is…

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▼ Family Mart’s Rich Beef Stew!

Mr Sato says there really wasn’t a lot of difference between his first and second place stews, but after a lot of time stewing it over in his mind, he decided that Family Mart just edged out the competition today.

The demi-glace sauce was well-made, and the taste of red wine was slightly more pronounced. In addition, it’s made with anchovies and capers, which give it more body and a slightly more sophisticated flavour profile.

7-Eleven’s stew is lighter while Family Mart’s is richer, so if you’re like Mr Sato and prefer a rich stew with a good depth of flavour, the Family Mart stew is for you.

Still, Mr Sato says you can’t go wrong with any of these beef stews, especially on a cold winter’s day when you want something to fill you up that doesn’t involve you spending hours slaving away in the kitchen.

If you prefer to eat convenience store fried chicken, though, Mr Sato has some recommendations there too, and he’s got some clear winners when it comes to convenience store margheritas and onigiri rice balls as well!

References: 7-Eleven , Family Mart , Lawson
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Temple camping in Japan at Wakayama’s Daitaiji【Photos】

A lot of temples in Japan offer dormitory rooms, but this one has an even cooler option.

When travelling in Japan, one of the most unique forms of accommodation is a shukubo, or temple dormitory. Though they don’t provide all the cushy amenities of a hotel, shukubo offer a memorable way to experience Japan’s traditional and local culture, and are generally open to guests of all faiths.

Daitaiji, a picturesque riverside temple in the town of Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, has a shukubo, but as we recently discovered, it also has a campground!

Temple camping is something we’d never tried before, but eager to change that, our Japanese-language reporter Saya Togashi rolled up to Daitaiji on a late November afternoon. The campground is down a short embankment from the temple’s hondo, or main hall, and is bordered by a grove of bamboo and trees

The side closest to the forest is for tent campers, while the other side of the clearing is for people spending the night in RVs or motorhomes, like Saya was.

▼ The RV/camper side has electrical hookups.

On check-in you’re given bags into which to sort your garbage, and you can leave them with the temple staff when you check out. There’s also water and bathroom facilities, leftovers from the on-site nursery school that the temple used to run.

So far this is all pretty standard campground stuff, but at one end of the clearing you’ll spot this structure…

…and if you peek inside, you’ll see that it’s a zazen-do, or Zen meditation hall.

Zen meditation is just one of many activities available to campers, along with learning to make choshuku, the rice porridge traditionally eaten for breakfast by temple monks in Japan, a descriptive tour of the temple’s historical Buddhist statuary, and transcribing sutras. On the other hand, if you’re after pure relaxation, there’s also a riverside sauna tent.

For her first activity, Saya decided to try her hand, literally, at transcribing sutras (fees vary by activity; for this it’s 1,000 yen [US$8.70]).

Don’t worry if your penmanship isn’t the best, or even if you’ve never written anything in Japanese before. You’re given a translucent sheet of paper to write on, and you can trace the example, or at least use it as a guide, as you form each character. The session lasts about an hour, with the ostensible benefit being that having an activity to focus your physical and mental attention on will keep you from dwelling on past regrets or future worries.

By this time, it was getting close to sundown, and next Saya got to take part in one of the free activities offered to guests: ringing the temple bell!

The bell is located on a raised portion of the grounds, and as the sun dips toward the horizon, the temple’s abbot leads participants up to it to sound the end-of-the-day signal (at 5 p.m. in the winter and 6 p.m. in the summer).

As Saya swung the log and struck the bell, the sound reverberated out into the chilled evening air, echoing in a way that somehow both cleared her head and stirred a certain nostalgic, bittersweet sensation in her heart.

Then it was time for dinner. Campground guests are allowed to barbeque or cook on their campfires. Saya, though, had left her grill at home, so she instead dined on a vacuum-pouch hamburger steak and some freshy cooked rice from her one-person rice cooker. Daitaiji doesn’t sell cooking supplies, so you’ll want to bring any pre-made meals, ingredients, or snacks you want with you.

After gazing up at the beautiful stars of the countryside night sky for a while, Saya hit the sack and got up bright and early the next morning for her Zen meditation session.

Since Zen meditation requires sitting stilly with the same posture for extended periods of time, she was thankful for the thickly padded mats and cushions. These aren’t just for the comfort of Zen newbies, though, as the temple also serves as an evacuation shelter during natural disasters, and at such times the mats are used as bedding for those unable to return home that night.

As she meditated, Saya experienced something unusual, though she didn’t notice until after her session was done. We’re already into the part of the year where Japan’s weather is decidedly chilly in the morning, and when Saya had gotten up, one of her first thoughts was that she wished she’d packed some thermal underwear. As she meditated, though, that sense of cold completely evaporated, but not because the temperature was getting warmer. Once the session was over, she immediately noticed the cold again, given her a newfound appreciation for the effects of Zen.

▼ As mentioned above, the temple also has a shukubo dormitory, the common-use room of which is seen here.

With check-out at noon, Saya had time to relax and soak up the relaxing nature vibes for a bit longer before she needed to get packed up. Reflecting on her stay, she was surprised by just how relaxed, friendly, and cheerful the whole place felt, since she admits to having had a preconception that temple accommodations would come with a more austere atmosphere.

With a total of just nine slots (four for tent/car campers and five for RVs/motorhomes), Daitaiji’s campground definitely has a relaxed, local feel to it, and at 3,000 yen (US$26) a night, it’s extremely affordable too. The campground even has an English website, showing that they’re happy to welcome travelers of various religions and nationalities.

Location information
Daitaiji / 大泰寺
Address: Wakayama-ken, Higashimuro-gun, Nachikatsuura-cho, Shimowada 775
和歌山県東牟婁郡那智勝浦町下和田775
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Top 5 Super Nintendo World souvenirs for winter 2021 according to staff

Park-goers’ Nintendo tastes have become more refined.

Back when Super Nintendo World opened last March, we reported on the five most popular souvenirs at its 1-UP Factory gift shop.

But now that it’s been fully open for several months we thought we’d check back in and ask the staff what items most guests have been having their eyes on and wallets open for.

#5. Princess Peach / Boo Hats

Probably one of the most common sights around this section of USJ is people wearing the iconic Mario and Luigi plumber caps. So naturally, there is no shortage of these at the shop.

But their success has spawned some spin-off gear such as Princess Peach tiaras for those who like to flaunt their feminine side. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the metaphysical tracks, caps in the shape of Boos are the hot sellers recently.

They do look like they’d keep your head warm during the winter months.

#4. Question Block Cookie Tins

This is the only item that survived from the first list earlier this year, and it’s easy to see why. These cookie tins continue to be a big seller in part due to variety of cookies inside, most notably the vibrantly colored power-up item cookies.

But it’s undoubtedly the chance to own your very own question block that makes these a must-have Super Nintendo World souvenir.

#3. Block Cushions

Speaking of a chance to have your very own block, why not have a whole row of them for a comfy neck pillow? Not only that but they heard you like cushions, so they went and put even more cushions in your cushion so you can cushion while you cushion!

It’s perfect when you need a little extra life or invincibility, which brings us too…

#2. Star T-Shirt

Take on all the Goombas who stand in the way of your daily life by carrying an invincibility star with you everywhere you go. This is also one of those reversible sequin T-shirts and you can turn your star multi-colored with a swipe of the hand.

I would have bought one myself, but I already have “Catch me! Get Power” tattooed on my chest.

#1. Limited Edition Dolls Set

It’s probably no surprise that this collection of all the small plush characters is a highly sought after souvenir. All the favorites are there, from Shy Guy to Luigi, and displayed on a plush pedestal.

Oh wait, actually it is a huge surprise when you look at the price.

▼ 48,000 yen ($424)!!!

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Great! I’ll take five,” but hang on! The fine print below says there’s a limit of only three per customer. That’s certainly an effort to curb resellers from hoarding these attractive items. In fact, USJ recently struck a deal with Japan’s largest online flea market to block the sale of their souvenirs there.

When it comes to what merch is best, I can’t argue with the masses, but a cool item is really in the eyes of the beholder. Personally, there were more than a few other things that struck me as especially neat, so let’s do one more round my personal top 5 Super Nintendo World Souvenirs.

My #5. Chef Kinopio Figure

Back in the food ranking, you might recall my taking a fancy to a little mushroom person flipping burgers in the window. That’s Chef Kinopio and there’s a figure of it for sale!

▼ Just in case you missed it, let’s watch it again

Ah yeah… that’s better than Xanax. Anyway, in addition to his soothing soul, Chef Kinopio is also a USJ-exclusive character, making goods bearing his likeness just that much more collectable.

My #4. Dancing Piranha Plant

This is just a Super-Mario-fied version of those old novelty dancing flowers that wiggle around when you clap or play loud music. However, I was really impressed with the advances made in dancing flower technology. Look at this guy go!

Now just imagine what dancing flowers will be like in the year 2055….

My #3. Bowser Jackets

Mario clothing is undoubtedly the best-selling of the bunch, and with good reason, but I’m always drawn to the bad boys and this rack had it all. Probably the king of the hill in this area was the Bowser sukajan jacket.

If I were sporting one of these, then maybe those turtles at the park would finally stop pushing me around.

My #2. Metallic Nano Puzzle Castles

These seemed pretty neat. They’re kind of like a cross between a paper craft and a puzzle to put together a fairly detailed castle belonging to either Princess Peach or Bowser.

My only qualm is that they’re rather tiny for 2,500 yen ($22) each. Hopefully they can make a non-nano version too sometime down the road.

My #1. Mario Watch

Oh yeah, now you’re playing with power! Can you imagine walking into the club with Bowser on your back and this beauty around your wrist?

Its 10,000 yen ($88) price tag made me remark to P.K. that I wondered if it was real gold. He just laughed at me… and rightfully so in hindsight. Still, it is a nice watch as far as Mario watches go.

The fact that we have two different top 5 lists just goes to show that there’s probably something for everyone at the 1-UP Factory, now more than ever.

And no matter what you buy, you’ll be sure to come out a winner. That’s because you’ll get one of these cool receipts.

Be sure to join us next time we find out what Nintendo fashions are tearing up the scene. I have a good feeling that Chain Chomps will make a big splash in Spring/Summer 2022.

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We got our first “rail seal stamp” and an extra splash of happiness at a train station in Fukuoka

This stop is undoubtedly the first of many in our new countrywide, railway-hopping quest to stamp ’em all.

Goshuin, or seal stamps, can be purchased at various shrines and temples in Japan and stored in a small seal collection book (goshuincho) as a record of your visit. Usually featuring beautiful calligraphy and other artistic elements, the seals have become popular and inexpensive souvenirs over the past several years for anyone traveling to new places around the country.

It seems that other industries have taken inspiration from this practice as well because in summer 2020 a new railway-themed version of the seal collection book, called a tetsuincho, was released with cooperation from 40 local railway companies and stations offering individual seals. As rail enthusiasts who also love to “catch ’em all,” this premise sounded perfectly up our alley–so we set out to purchase our rail seal collection book and capture our first seal.

This first station we visited was Kanada Station in Fukuoka Prefecture, which is served by two rail lines that are both operated by the local Heisei Chikuho Railway (or Heichiku for short). Our timing wasn’t the greatest, however, since we arrived after 8 p.m. and the station attendant window was closed…but then we discovered something special in the waiting area.

It was a pair of rail seal-dispensing machines! We never would have guessed that our very first rail seal would come from a machine–but this method came with its own fun, too.

You could purchase a regular seal for 300 yen (US$2.65) or a collaboration seal for 500 yen. We decided to go all out and purchase the more colorful, expensive version on the right.

We inserted five 100-yen coins into the slot…

…and something landed at the bottom with a thud.

It was a little box containing our seal! However, we were still missing the critical rail seal collection book and didn’t have anywhere to affix our seal on to. Since a sign said that the station office was staffed on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., it looked like another visit the following day would be necessary.

That’s why we found ourselves back at Kanada Station the next day in a little more sunlight.

Without wasting any time, we bought the very official-looking rail seal book for 2,200 yen. It definitely felt good supporting local transportation with the purchase as well.

When the rail seal books were first sold last year, they immediately sold out. By November 2021, there were supposedly already more than a few adventurers who had already collected all 40 stamps. With a completed book, you can apply for a “railway master card,” which definitely evokes a Pokémon trainer-like sense of excitement in us.

Each of the individual seals has its own unique flavor. This first Heichiku seal that we received had a “400 series Nanohana (rapeseed flowers) train car” as its main motif along with Heichiku mascot Chikumaru.

In case you’re wondering why the more expensive seal option that we chose is called the collaboration version, it’s a limited-time offering by 15 of the participating rail companies. In particular, each collaboration version features a colorful depiction of a local train car is printed near the top of the seal.

If you collect all of the collaboration versions, the cars will appear to be linked at the top of your collection book’s consecutive pages. The individual railway mascots and the stations’ names are also prominently noted, adding a further local touch.

By the way, we also received a “rail card” at the time of our rail seal purchase. You can receive one of these at all of the participating train stations and they’re an added incentive to collect ’em all (yep, the Pokémon theme is definitely strong here).

On a final note, we couldn’t leave Kanada Station without seeing Heichiku’s famous “Super Happy” train. The design pf this train was completed by professional artist Kensuke Miyazaki along with the children of Fukuchi City, Fukuoka Prefecture (indeed, the “fuku” in both “Fukuchi” and “Fukuoka” means “lucky”). It’s said that anyone who sees this train will become happy.

With that last item of business crossed off and our happiness amplified, we’ll now turn our attention back to collecting the rail seals. Where will we end up next? Maybe we’ll combine getting our second rail seal with a trip to check out some of the newest Pokéfuta to check off two collection boxes at the same time.

Reference: Heisei Chikuho Railway
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