JapanGender 日本ショウ: PRACTICES

Identities and subjectivities are shaped by the culture in which we live as much as the culture of a place is shaped by the individuals within it (Donovan, Spring 2013). This recursive relationship is particularly interesting when looking at social practices in Japan.

Emphasis on Work and Achievement as a Social Practice in Japan

Karōshi | 過労死

Karoshi is a term for a phenomenon largely associated with Japanese men that loosely translates to 'death from overwork' in English.

Karoshi

When looking at karoshi as a social practice, understanding the factors that influence men in Japanese society to work so hard is key. Men are taught from a very young age that achieving a high level of financial security and social class correlates with esteem in society. The pressure to compete and is intense, leading many men to ignore almost every other aspect of their lives in exchange for success. Source

Further Reading:
Are the Japanese Worked to Death?
Japan's Killer Work Ethic
Karoshi: Death By Overwork in Japan

WORK, HOBBIES, AND HIGH STANDARDS

The intense work environment of Japanese culture is just one element that influences national trends in Japan. More than ever before, Japan is witnessing the growing trend of its young people remaining single. Despite discriminatory wage differences among genders in Japan, women are achieving standards of living that do not require a partner to be the bread winner. In what some are calling a passive rebellion, many men are choosing not to pursue demanding career paths and traditional home lives.

(Nakajima, 2012)