One of the first things that people generally ask me about the differences between working here in Japan as opposed to the U.S. On my last working day at the headquarters of a large and famous Japanese company, I snapped a picture of my workplace. There are so many differences in the working culture, but one of the most pronounced is captured in this picture.
In the US, I always worked in a private office. I know that I've been quite fortunate in that regard, but even for those who don't work in offices, most office workers have a cube...with some walls and some privacy. We also usually have personal phone lines and operate quite independently.
The reverse is true in Japan...the office space is one big office...there is little personal space...and absolutely no barriers between you and the next person. There is a communal telephone line, and generally the youngest or least senior person in the group is responsible for answering the phone and directing the calls toward the other members in the team.
It would be easy to say that one system is good while another is bad, but it's more important, I think to realize the merits of both systems...interesting!
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