Latest news with #salaryman
Japan Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japanese 'salarymen' inspire with cheerleading acrobatics
It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. "Smile when times are tough!" shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others — all dressed in dark suits and ties — pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. "Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!" The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds. Calling themselves "Cheer Re-Man's" — a mash-up of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" — the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. "On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health," said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. "If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too." The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 meters into the air in synchronized routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances. The group also competed in "Britain's Got Talent," where they came third in their semi-final. On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy. Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry," she said. "It's so inspirational."
South China Morning Post
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Japanese salarymen find joy in cheerleading
Read more: From Monday to Friday, Satoi Mochizuki works behind a desk as a typical Japanese salaryman. But after hours, the former university cheerleader flips through the air as a founding member of Cheer Ra-Man, an all-salaryman male cheerleading squad that is injecting some high-flying excitement into Japan's typically buttoned-down business world.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Study
In Japan, work doesn't end when the workday does. It ends around beer eight, when the salaryman finally says what he really thinks. Women are underrepresented in these after-hours rituals. Until then, the salaryman is polite, efficient and respectful, almost to a fault. He bows his head when spoken to, drinks when his boss expects him to and lives in a culture where emotional honesty, in everyone's interest, is delayed until the room is drunk enough to pretend it's safe. Although countries like Romania and Germany drink far more per capita, few work cultures have imbibed drinking quite like Japan's has. Interestingly, rebellion isn't the feeling salarymen are chasing, but belonging and release. In corporate Tokyo, drinking is part of the infrastructure. And somewhere between the sixth and the eighth beer, the mask slips — because the system requires it to slip. Office parties are infamous for awkward small talk and overdone cheer. But in Japan, nomikai, or after-hours drinking sessions with colleagues, often go further — becoming socially sanctioned spaces where otherwise reserved employees can temporarily abandon formality. There's even a word for this: bureikō, a state in which social hierarchies are relaxed and people are allowed to speak more freely. While bureikō may offer momentary relief, it also masks a deeper issue. When alcohol becomes the primary socially acceptable outlet for emotional expression, it risks pathologizing connection by reinforcing emotional repression rather than resolving it. Psychologically, it creates a cycle where authenticity is outsourced to intoxication, rather than integrated into daily life. Elsewhere, office parties might feel optional or even avoidable. However, many Japanese salarymen routinely show up not out of joy or desire to bond, but because saying no can feel like career sabotage. This dynamic ties into a deeper cultural code: tatemae — the face you show the world — versus honne — what you actually feel. In Japan, maintaining social harmony often means suppressing your true thoughts, especially around superiors. Emotional honesty becomes a kind of taboo. In the first season of James May: Our Man in…, which explores Japan, the British host chats with a group of salarymen about exactly this. One of them, a mergers and acquisitions employee at a large multinational company, explains: 'In Japan, you're not allowed to say what you think… you have to say a tatemae, which respects the other person, especially if they're older.' May asks, 'But what if you've had, say, eight Asahis?' The salaryman laughs: 'Eight Asahis? Oh, then that's a different question.' The joke lands because it's painfully true. In a culture built on restraint, alcohol does more than loosen lips — it subverts emotional expectations. For many, intoxication becomes the only socially acceptable way to access their honne, the private, honest self they keep hidden the rest of the time. In a country where work is considered sacred, the phenomenon of karōshi, or death by overwork, remains a pressing issue. In 2024, a white paper reported a 20% rise in the number of individuals recognized as suffering from work-related mental health disorders, marking the highest number on record to date. Notably, 79 of these cases involved suicides or attempted suicides. And these are just the cases we know about. This trend is beyond unsettling in a country where, as it is, population and birth rates have steadily been on a decline. The culture of nomikai can marginalize non-drinkers and perpetuate a cycle where alcohol becomes a tool for professional networking rather than personal enjoyment. Even in Western cultures like the U.S., choosing not to drink can sometimes raise more eyebrows than drinking itself. But in Japan, where emotional restraint is already culturally enforced, that pressure is amplified. Younger generations in Japan are increasingly questioning the traditional salaryman lifestyle. There is a growing movement towards achieving a better work-life balance, with some companies experimenting with four-day workweeks to address labor shortages and promote healthier working environments. But if honesty effervesces only after eight Asahis, the problem probably lies in the social role the salaryman is taught to fulfill in silence. A salaryman often doesn't feel psychologically safe at work. Take the Psychological Safety Scale to see if your workplace qualifies.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Japanese 'salarymen' cheerleaders in suits inspire with acrobatic stunts
Photography and reporting by Kim Kyung-Hoon It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. 'Smile when times are tough!' shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others -- all dressed in dark suits and ties --pump their fists and jam to the upbeat pop music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. 'Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!' The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to bring a smile to the gathered crowds. Calling themselves 'Cheer Re-Man's' -- a mash-up of 'cheerleading' and 'salaryman' -- the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a 'conventional' female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. 'On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health,' said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. 'If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too.' The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 metres (23 feet) into the air in synchronised routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances. The group also competed in "Britain's Got Talent", where they came third in their semi-final. On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy. Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry," she said. "It's so inspirational." 'If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too.'
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Japanese 'salarymen' inspire with cheerleading acrobatics
TOKYO, May 13 (Reuters) - It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. "Smile when times are tough!" shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others -- all dressed in dark suits and ties --pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. "Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!" The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds. Calling themselves "Cheer Re-Man's" -- a mash-up of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" -- the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. "On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health," said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. "If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too." The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 metres (23 feet) into the air in synchronised routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances. The group also competed in "Britain's Got Talent", where they came third in their semi-final. On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy. Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry," she said. "It's so inspirational."
