So About That ¥477,000 Average Summer Bonus...

The average summer bonus in Japan is supposedly ¥477,000, which makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong. 🤔

First of all, who's getting this money

According to a new survey, the average summer bonus for a full-time employee is hitting ¥477,000 this year. That’s up ¥18,000 from last year. So, somewhere out there, people are celebrating.

Of course, there’s a catch. This is heavily skewed by large companies, where 44% are increasing bonuses. At small companies, that number drops to 31%. So if you work at a tiny Eikaiwa or a startup run out of a closet in Shinjuku, you might want to manage your expectations.

The most common bonus amount is apparently between ¥300k and ¥500k. That’s enough to cover your ridiculously high city taxes, maybe buy a new air conditioner for the deathly summer, and still have enough left over for a nice Strong Zero.

The path to ¥10 million a year

The report helpfully points out that if you want a stable, high income, you should stop relying on bonuses and just become a manager.

It lays out the career path for us. At 45, you could be a *kakaricho* (team lead) making about ¥6.4 million a year. By 49, a *kacho* (section chief) pulling in ¥8.5 million. And at the ripe old age of 53, you finally ascend to *bucho* (department head), earning a cool ¥10.2 million. Simple.

Oh, and for buchos, there’s a tidy ¥64,000 monthly pay gap between men and women of the same age. So that's a thing.

Everyone wants to work for Toyota

A survey found that 41% of people are envious of their friends' jobs, which feels… low. The most envied employers? Local civil servants, national civil servants, and Toyota.

Nobody’s dream is to get a stable government job more than people in Japan. It’s all about high salaries, good benefits, and a job so stable you'll probably have to be surgically removed from your desk chair upon retirement.

The price of being the bucho

But here’s the trade-off for that manager life. The number one reason managers want to quit is the insane workload. Over half of them are taking work calls and answering emails outside of work hours, and nearly 40% work on their official days off.

And yet, about 60% of managers say they want to keep their jobs. The top reason? "Yarigai" — that uniquely Japanese sense of purpose and fulfillment you get from your work. That, and seeing their subordinates grow.

So you can either have the money and the stress, or… well, you know how it is. You just have the stress.