Cultural “Self” Awareness Post 

Hi Guys,

I had a great time in the second class and I hope you did too. It showed me things that I did not know and some that I knew already. From the lesson and the reading I learned about the long hours, company loyalty and the dedication of one's craft (Shokunin). I found "Karoshi" or in other words the death from overwork to be very disturbing. I understand dedicating yourself to a cause, interest or job, but this is too much and this would probably would never happen in my country (Bulgaria).

The video that we watched in class showed us that in many offices usually women ot the younges employees are expected to prepare coffee for the others. This shows the clear hiererchy some places have in Japan. In Bulgaria making coffee is such a simple task anyone can do that if some place incorporated in in its culture it would be seen as disrespectful most likely. Maybe if the youngest prepare the coffee it would be seen as more normal, but if only women do it, it may be seen as sexist.

Also as I mentioned in class back home we do not really have the closed up offices its more open. Bulgarians value direct communication and a connection in some form. I feel like in some places you can even build a bond with your higher-ups or even boss. Work in general seems to be way more laid back and thats why I think if I had to choose one of the two countries for working specifically I would choose Bulgaria.

These were my thoughts regarding the class and I would love to hear yours too. Until next week!

Sincerely Yours,

Hristiyan

Comments

  1. FeliciaOctober 6, 2025 at 11:17 PM

    The laid back vibe of work in Bulgaria is definitely more better than the strict rules of Japan in my opinion. I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HaydenOctober 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM

    Thanks for sharing. Are some of these differences you've seen in Bulgaria widespread or only limited to a few specific sectors?

    ReplyDelete

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