It's been brought to my attention that I only ever talk about my endeavors outside of work. I promise, I do actually work. I think it is worth mentioning the office dynamics as well as the type of work I do. Before I whip out a bunch of technical garble, lets focus on the daily grind at AIST.
Every morning Matt and I meet in the parking garage to bike to our office at the AIST West campus. On our way to work we pass by the two complexes of the National Institute of Material Science (NIMS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and a whole lot of other researchers on bikes. This is the Science City, remember? Also, everyday we ride by a small section of road that has been under construction the entire 3 months I have been here. I'm not kidding, it's just plain bananas.
Everyday they tear up the same section of pavement, do some work, and repave it. This is all between the hours of 9am-5pm. I honestly think they spend at least half of the day cleaning up from the previous day and for the next day. But I digress....
Once we cross the entrance threshold we get saluted by the guard. For me this never gets old. In Japan they have immense respect for their researchers. Therefore, working at an institution in Tsukuba has a certain amount of prestige. After we park our bikes under the parking cover, we scan our badges and walk inside.
The first thing I noticed when I entered our building for the first time was the darkness. The hallways, stairwells, and bathrooms are almost never lit with artificial light. In fact, even in our office, the only lights that are turned on are the lights that pertain to one's workspace. I must admit it was a little hard to get used to at first.
When we get into our office we greet everyone with "Ohayo Gozaimasu!" which means good morning. Shortly after settling into my desk, one of the secretaries brings me coffee just how I like it. Immense hospitality is displayed everyday here. Our bosses and coworkers never hesitate to bend over backwards for us. Their perpetual kindness makes me very grateful for the people I have been placed with here in Japan. Below are a couple of pictures Matt and I took with some coworkers during the cherry blossom bloom in April.
Once 12 o' clock rolls around, someone will flip on the tele as everyone gathers around the central table. Lunch is usually very social as everyone talks about the news, weather, ect. If its a clear day, I will eat my lunch fast and get changed for soccer. From 12:30 to 1:30 I play soccer with about 15 other researchers from AIST West. It is sometimes very fast paced even though some of the guys that play are over 60 years old! What's really great though is that I've been able to join a local soccer league with some of the people I play with at lunch. My fist official game was a couple weeks ago. Below is a picture Katie took of me while I waited to go in.
The next break in the work day is the 3:00 tea time. The secretaries usually gather everybody's mugs, make tea, and lay out snacks for everyone to enjoy at the central table. This is another social time where people talk about work and non-work related matters. During tea is usually when Matt and I tell everyone about our trips, show pictures, or ask questions about Japanese language and culture.
At 5:00 a bell chimes and an announcement comes on over the speakers. The message goes something like "AIST is implementing measures to prevent global warming. Please conserve energy by turning off any lights or equipment when you are not using them." In fact, this same message is played in the morning and at lunch time. Sustainability is ingrained in the culture of AIST. In fact, the central campus boasts the title of "Mega-Solar Town" because of its over 1 MW of solar power generation capabilities via photovoltaics.
Another interesting message is announced on Wednesdays which encourages people to finish their work and go home. Wednesdays are days that AIST officials try in vain to prevent people from working overtime. It never works though because everyone just ignores the message. I can't imagine any company having to make that announcement in the U.S. I think this is a major cultural difference between America and Japan. In Japan, the general mindset is that people 'live to work' whereas Americans 'work to live.' Although I really enjoy my work, while in Japan I will definitely be more on the 'work to live' side.
Usually around 5:30, Matt and I gather our things and leave the office with a "sayonara!" If it is a Tuesday or Friday we make our way to language classes at the AIST Central from 5:45 to 7:45. Every other day we just mozy on back to the Ninomiya House.
-Seth
Every morning Matt and I meet in the parking garage to bike to our office at the AIST West campus. On our way to work we pass by the two complexes of the National Institute of Material Science (NIMS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and a whole lot of other researchers on bikes. This is the Science City, remember? Also, everyday we ride by a small section of road that has been under construction the entire 3 months I have been here. I'm not kidding, it's just plain bananas.
This photo was taken on April 7th. Today is June 16th. They are still working on the that area.
Everyday they tear up the same section of pavement, do some work, and repave it. This is all between the hours of 9am-5pm. I honestly think they spend at least half of the day cleaning up from the previous day and for the next day. But I digress....
Once we cross the entrance threshold we get saluted by the guard. For me this never gets old. In Japan they have immense respect for their researchers. Therefore, working at an institution in Tsukuba has a certain amount of prestige. After we park our bikes under the parking cover, we scan our badges and walk inside.
The first thing I noticed when I entered our building for the first time was the darkness. The hallways, stairwells, and bathrooms are almost never lit with artificial light. In fact, even in our office, the only lights that are turned on are the lights that pertain to one's workspace. I must admit it was a little hard to get used to at first.
When we get into our office we greet everyone with "Ohayo Gozaimasu!" which means good morning. Shortly after settling into my desk, one of the secretaries brings me coffee just how I like it. Immense hospitality is displayed everyday here. Our bosses and coworkers never hesitate to bend over backwards for us. Their perpetual kindness makes me very grateful for the people I have been placed with here in Japan. Below are a couple of pictures Matt and I took with some coworkers during the cherry blossom bloom in April.
Matt and I standing with one of our bosses Segawa san
With a couple of our secretaries
Once 12 o' clock rolls around, someone will flip on the tele as everyone gathers around the central table. Lunch is usually very social as everyone talks about the news, weather, ect. If its a clear day, I will eat my lunch fast and get changed for soccer. From 12:30 to 1:30 I play soccer with about 15 other researchers from AIST West. It is sometimes very fast paced even though some of the guys that play are over 60 years old! What's really great though is that I've been able to join a local soccer league with some of the people I play with at lunch. My fist official game was a couple weeks ago. Below is a picture Katie took of me while I waited to go in.
Waiting, hoping, wishing
The next break in the work day is the 3:00 tea time. The secretaries usually gather everybody's mugs, make tea, and lay out snacks for everyone to enjoy at the central table. This is another social time where people talk about work and non-work related matters. During tea is usually when Matt and I tell everyone about our trips, show pictures, or ask questions about Japanese language and culture.
At 5:00 a bell chimes and an announcement comes on over the speakers. The message goes something like "AIST is implementing measures to prevent global warming. Please conserve energy by turning off any lights or equipment when you are not using them." In fact, this same message is played in the morning and at lunch time. Sustainability is ingrained in the culture of AIST. In fact, the central campus boasts the title of "Mega-Solar Town" because of its over 1 MW of solar power generation capabilities via photovoltaics.
Another interesting message is announced on Wednesdays which encourages people to finish their work and go home. Wednesdays are days that AIST officials try in vain to prevent people from working overtime. It never works though because everyone just ignores the message. I can't imagine any company having to make that announcement in the U.S. I think this is a major cultural difference between America and Japan. In Japan, the general mindset is that people 'live to work' whereas Americans 'work to live.' Although I really enjoy my work, while in Japan I will definitely be more on the 'work to live' side.
Usually around 5:30, Matt and I gather our things and leave the office with a "sayonara!" If it is a Tuesday or Friday we make our way to language classes at the AIST Central from 5:45 to 7:45. Every other day we just mozy on back to the Ninomiya House.
-Seth
June 21, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Bro,
What an awesome day. Sounds like great fun.
August 22, 2010 at 9:55 PM
For the construction section near the AIST-east, i was in Tsukuba since November and they were there :)