ビジネス日本語講座

In this episode, Shigeki examines a surprising weakness many people have: the belief that “I am not the kind of person who gets scammed.” While people often assume that only the uninformed or careless fall for fraud, the reality is more complicated. Modern scams increasingly target individuals who see themselves as rational, skeptical, and intelligent consumers. By appealing to a person’s self-ima...

In this episode, Shigeki discusses a practical survival strategy for working in traditional Japanese companies: do not raise your employer’s expectations too high. While exceeding expectations may initially lead to praise or promotion, it often creates a cycle where standards keep rising without corresponding increases in pay or rewards. Over time, this can lead to burnout and long-term exhaustion...

In this episode, I reflect on the growing popularity of the “digital nomad” lifestyle. Social media often portrays working from cafes, traveling the world, and escaping office life as an ideal form of freedom. But what exactly are these stories offering? Many of them provide neither practical knowledge nor a reproducible path. Instead, they function as a display of lifestyle. Similar to FIRE conte...

In this episode, I examine the recent popularity of the idea of “verbalization” in Japan. While many people now emphasize the importance of expressing thoughts clearly, Japanese society has traditionally valued harmony, restraint, and reading the atmosphere rather than openly stating opinions. I explore how the rise of social media and online platforms has changed this dynamic, making confident sp...

This episode examines the history of Japan’s internet side-hustle culture and explains how the 2010s produced what the speaker calls “the last men.” After the global financial crisis and the rise of smartphones and social media, many people began seeking freedom from traditional corporate careers. Online gurus promoted the idea that anyone could earn large incomes through simple methods. In realit...

This episode explores the idea of “safe” and “dangerous” addictions in modern society. While people admire passion and obsession, their evaluation changes depending on what the object is. Reading or fitness may be praised, while drug use is condemned, even though the underlying psychological mechanisms are similar. The difference lies in social approval and control. “Safe addictions” are those tha...

This episode explores why self-help continues to sell so well by analyzing its underlying structure. The key argument is that the true product is not knowledge or techniques, but anxiety. Self-help content identifies vague personal fears and offers reassurance, creating a cycle that keeps people engaged. Abstract language plays a major role, allowing ideas to feel meaningful without clear definiti...

This episode explores why Japanese society does not truly allow people to start over. While the ideal is a system where anyone can change careers at any age, the reality is different. Companies prioritize young graduates, organizations struggle with hierarchy when older beginners enter, and cultural values favor staying on one path. As a result, people become trapped in “octopus pots” — narrow car...

This episode explores the concept of the “octopus trap” as a metaphor for modern careers. In traditional systems, people were encouraged to specialize deeply within a single field, often staying in the same role or company for decades. While this provided stability, it also led to identity becoming tightly bound to one domain. As industries shift due to automation and structural change, these “tra...

This episode examines why modern content often feels shallow or uncomfortable. It introduces a three-stage model: an earlier era where meaning was serious and tied to responsibility, a later period where lightness and meaninglessness were accepted honestly, and the present, where light content is forced to appear meaningful. The result is a mismatch—superficial ideas presented as if they carry dep...

This episode explores a fundamental question: do we really choose freely, or are our choices shaped by society? From music and careers to life decisions, we believe we act on our own will. However, the available options are often pre-structured by media, culture, and social expectations. The sense of “free will” may function more as a psychological mechanism that enables action rather than a true...

This episode explores why many Japanese workers appear overworked, focusing on the concept of “overquality.” Using everyday examples like convenience stores and comparisons with Thailand, the talk shows how Japan’s high service standards have become the default expectation. What was once a bonus—exceeding expectations—has turned into a minimum requirement, leading to overwork and stress. The episo...

This episode explores whether social media connections are truly useless. While likes, follows, and comments create the illusion of connection, they often function as temporary relief from deeper loneliness. The discussion reframes these shallow interactions as “waste” that can be transformed through a process of “fermentation.” Drawing on Nietzsche’s philosophy, traditional Japanese agricultural...

This episode explores why class struggle appears absent in modern society. While conflicts between groups with opposing interests still exist, they are no longer visible in traditional forms like strikes or mass movements. Instead, dissatisfaction is internalized as personal failure, and structural issues are reframed as individual responsibility. The complexity of modern power structures makes it...

This episode explores a harsh reality: the better someone speaks, the less their content is questioned. In today’s information-saturated society, fluent speech often replaces substance. What audiences consume is not truth or depth, but the feeling of understanding—comfort, clarity, and emotional ease. Skilled speakers avoid concrete claims, rely on abstraction, and create arguments that are diffic...

In today’s episode, I explore a simple but uncomfortable idea: people who can understand instructions quickly tend to survive easily in modern society. In workplaces, fast comprehension reduces friction, lowers training costs, and makes you appear reliable. As a result, you are less likely to be excluded or struggle financially. However, this ability is not the same as creativity. Many thinkers, a...

In this episode, Shigeki examines why “athletic-minded” white-collar workers often struggle in capitalism. While they excel in labor markets through discipline, endurance, and obedience, these strengths do not translate into success in capital markets. Capitalism rewards systems, scalability, and income generated without direct time input. In contrast, the athletic mindset equates effort with hour...

In this episode, Shigeki explores why many Japanese companies still retain what he calls a “socialist view of the body.” While Japan is often seen as politically conservative, its corporate culture treats the employee’s body not as personal capital, but as part of the organization’s productive machinery. The common phrase “your body is your capital” sounds empowering, yet structurally it reinforce...

This episode questions the common workplace phrase “Your body is your capital.” While health is essential, the episode explains that, from an economic perspective, the human body is not capital but the source of labor. Capital is something that can continue generating value even when you are not working, such as assets, systems, intellectual property, or brand value. The discussion also explores w...

This episode explores why the business term “Supply Chain Management (SCM)” often turns into a buzzword or “magic spell” in corporate environments. While SCM is originally a practical framework covering procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and delivery, its broad scope makes it easy to use without concrete meaning. The episode explains how abstraction, IT integration, consulting language, and di...

This episode explores an unspoken survival strategy inside many traditional Japanese companies: showing your presence, even when you have no specific task. In these environments, performance alone is not enough. Relationships, trust, and perceived cooperation strongly influence evaluation. Visiting departments, engaging in small talk, and being visible function as “sharing existence,” not just sha...

In this episode, I explore the common workplace phrase “Don’t make me say the same thing twice” and what it reveals about work culture. I discuss how this mindset often prioritizes speed and immediate understanding over patience, training, and long-term employee development. Not everyone learns at the same pace, and pressure to understand instructions instantly can reduce confidence and increase m...

In this episode, I explore why many Japanese salary workers who leave corporate life often choose to open soba restaurants. This is not simply about food or personal preference. It reflects deeper cultural and psychological factors. Soba represents visible craftsmanship, disciplined training, and a socially respected independence story. Many workers are attracted to the idea of creating something...

In this episode, I discuss why large-scale AI-driven job loss may be less likely in traditional Japanese corporations. While global discussions often focus on productivity and automation, many Japanese companies prioritize employment stability, organizational harmony, and relationship-based evaluation. I explain how workplace survival often depends not only on technical skills, but also on reading...

This episode explains the practical mindset needed to survive and stay employed in traditional Japanese corporations. Instead of focusing on personal philosophy or self-expression, employees are often evaluated based on reliability, consistency, and the ability to execute instructions. The episode introduces a key concept: switching your thinking “subject.” Inside the company, think from the compa...