Chapter 142: Uesugi Fuutarou Working Overtime
The reasonable office hours in Japan generally range from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, especially for salarymen. However, Japan's work culture, notorious for its long overtime hours, means many workers don't leave the office until after 8:00 PM, and it's not uncommon for them to stay until late at night.
Although Japanese labor law suggests working hours of around 8 hours a day, the reality is often much longer than that.
Especially in companies known as black companies quitting times can be extremely inhumane. Leaving between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM is commonplace, and often this overtime work goes unpaid.
Uesugi Fuutarou worked at one such black company. Every day was a struggle against an endless pile of work and relentless pressure from his superiors.
The sound of keyboard typing still faintly echoed on the half-empty office floor. Cold fluorescent lights illuminated the work desks with the starkness typical of Japanese offices.
"Uesugi-san, I'm leaving first!"
A coworker stood up, slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder, a tired smile on his face.
Fuutarou only glanced up briefly and nodded.
"Thank you for your hard work (Otsukaresama)."
One by one, coworkers began to say their goodbyes. Quitting time should have been three hours ago, but in a company like this—a black company—working hours were just meaningless numbers.
"See you tomorrow, Uesugi-san."