Workers at Japanese Festivals: the Last Bastion of "Japaneseness" in Low-Level Service Industry?
"Now, this job is exclusively for males. Workers are required to wear all-black suits...there should be no stripes of any kind on the suit. The shirt underneath should be white, and there should be no color buttons on the shirt...only black or white buttons. Dress shoes also need to be black. For people who have hair that is not black, the hair needs to be dyed black before showing up for work. Also, no facial hair of any kind. No mustache, no beard. The face needs to be completely clean-shaven. No exceptions..." The lady nonchalantly went on to describe the requirements for the job.
The situation is an initial hiring meeting for part-time workers staffing many of Japan's big summer festivals. Featuring famous musicians and tens of thousands of attendees in massive open spaces or indoor arenas, such festivals usually require dozens of staff members just to direct attendees to their assigned areas, help musicians with their sets, and sell a variety of goods related to the event. Many college students and other youths, attracted by the opportunity to go behind the stage and see the big festivals at work, enthusiastically apply for the opportunities to work as an event staff.
For the opportunities to see their favorite celebrities in action, these workers do need to make certain sacrifices. Salaries are low, at less than 9 USD per hour. Times are irregular, as festivals only happen so often (and mostly in the summer) and many people fight over a limited number of spots as staff members. And there is the dress code and the corporate "business manners." Workers are not only expected to adhere to a very set way of dressing, but also a very set way of behaving during the event. Smartphones are of course not allowed, neither is taking breaks outside designated hours and doing non-work-related talking.
In a nutshell, working as an event staff in Japan is, like some many other things in Japan, an exercise in visual and behavioral conformity. The need for men to shave off all facial hair and wear nothing but a preapproved black suit is enough to deter anyone who, for religious or personal reasons, cannot adhere to such a strict dress code. It is difficult to imagine any Muslim or Sikh men working as an event staff in a Japanese summer festival in the foreseeable future, for instance. Some companies save prospective foreign employees the trouble of even applying, telling them that their company is "currently not allowed" to handle foreigners.
The strict dress and behavioral code will become increasingly problematic for an industry that is consistently running short of manpower. Japanese convenience stores and fast food joints, with their slightly higher wages than what event staff can hope to get, are already highly dependent on foreign students and part-time workers to fill the ranks of operational staff. Some stores and eateries are completely run by foreigners speaking accented Japanese. For all its attraction to youths hoping to see musicians in action, event organizers have to realize that eventually, they too, have to resort to foreign youths to man the festivals.
Perhaps event organizers are reluctant to change their dress and manner codes for fear of violating Japanese principles of good service. Festival-goers spend much more money and time than they do at convenience stores and fast food shops, and consequently expect much higher more satisfying service levels than they would in everyday retail outlets. But if Japanese people can tolerate their convenience store clerks wearing hijabs and having non-black hair, it is difficult to argue that they would be angry if their music festivals are run by similar people.
If anything, Japanese music festivals should be much more international in orientation than Japanese society as a whole. Many music festivals feature foreign musicians or at the very least, foreign-influenced music. Many festivals are attended by so many foreign travelers and residents that many festival organizers specifically look for staff members who can speak foreign languages. Surely Japanese people who attend such foreign-influenced festivals are more used to the sight of foreigners and would thus by OK with staff members being supposedly less Japanese visually and behaviorally?
And if global trends are also relevant here in Japan, then the youths, who make up the bulk of attendees at most large, non-family-oriented festivals and events, would be much more socially progressive than people of their parents' and grandparents' generation. Even while Japanese elders openly express suspicions toward the presence of foreign residents and especially workers in Japan, youths should be much less bothered, if not more welcoming of the foreign presence. Festival organizers should embrace the overall progressive trends and loosen their strict dress and behavior codes.
The situation is an initial hiring meeting for part-time workers staffing many of Japan's big summer festivals. Featuring famous musicians and tens of thousands of attendees in massive open spaces or indoor arenas, such festivals usually require dozens of staff members just to direct attendees to their assigned areas, help musicians with their sets, and sell a variety of goods related to the event. Many college students and other youths, attracted by the opportunity to go behind the stage and see the big festivals at work, enthusiastically apply for the opportunities to work as an event staff.
For the opportunities to see their favorite celebrities in action, these workers do need to make certain sacrifices. Salaries are low, at less than 9 USD per hour. Times are irregular, as festivals only happen so often (and mostly in the summer) and many people fight over a limited number of spots as staff members. And there is the dress code and the corporate "business manners." Workers are not only expected to adhere to a very set way of dressing, but also a very set way of behaving during the event. Smartphones are of course not allowed, neither is taking breaks outside designated hours and doing non-work-related talking.
In a nutshell, working as an event staff in Japan is, like some many other things in Japan, an exercise in visual and behavioral conformity. The need for men to shave off all facial hair and wear nothing but a preapproved black suit is enough to deter anyone who, for religious or personal reasons, cannot adhere to such a strict dress code. It is difficult to imagine any Muslim or Sikh men working as an event staff in a Japanese summer festival in the foreseeable future, for instance. Some companies save prospective foreign employees the trouble of even applying, telling them that their company is "currently not allowed" to handle foreigners.
The strict dress and behavioral code will become increasingly problematic for an industry that is consistently running short of manpower. Japanese convenience stores and fast food joints, with their slightly higher wages than what event staff can hope to get, are already highly dependent on foreign students and part-time workers to fill the ranks of operational staff. Some stores and eateries are completely run by foreigners speaking accented Japanese. For all its attraction to youths hoping to see musicians in action, event organizers have to realize that eventually, they too, have to resort to foreign youths to man the festivals.
Perhaps event organizers are reluctant to change their dress and manner codes for fear of violating Japanese principles of good service. Festival-goers spend much more money and time than they do at convenience stores and fast food shops, and consequently expect much higher more satisfying service levels than they would in everyday retail outlets. But if Japanese people can tolerate their convenience store clerks wearing hijabs and having non-black hair, it is difficult to argue that they would be angry if their music festivals are run by similar people.
If anything, Japanese music festivals should be much more international in orientation than Japanese society as a whole. Many music festivals feature foreign musicians or at the very least, foreign-influenced music. Many festivals are attended by so many foreign travelers and residents that many festival organizers specifically look for staff members who can speak foreign languages. Surely Japanese people who attend such foreign-influenced festivals are more used to the sight of foreigners and would thus by OK with staff members being supposedly less Japanese visually and behaviorally?
And if global trends are also relevant here in Japan, then the youths, who make up the bulk of attendees at most large, non-family-oriented festivals and events, would be much more socially progressive than people of their parents' and grandparents' generation. Even while Japanese elders openly express suspicions toward the presence of foreign residents and especially workers in Japan, youths should be much less bothered, if not more welcoming of the foreign presence. Festival organizers should embrace the overall progressive trends and loosen their strict dress and behavior codes.
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