Opinions and Essays

What This Is

Mardy doesn't hold back. This corner of 1QQ2 collects his unfiltered thoughts on Japanese workplace culture, interview rituals, seniority systems, and the strange social pressures people quietly accept. Expect sharp observations, a bit of sarcasm, and the occasional contrarian take — all grounded in real experiences from someone who left the conventional path behind.

These essays sit at the intersection of life in New Zealand and reflection on Japan. Distance, it turns out, brings clarity.

Recurring Themes

Workplace Culture

Why do shop staff have to stand all day when a chair would do? Mardy questions the unwritten rules of Japanese work life — from grueling interview etiquette to the odd custom of sending thank-you emails to entire companies after a job interview.

Seniority & Hierarchy

Essays that pick apart the seniority system and ask whether age-based deference still makes sense. Mardy also explores what it takes to build friendships across age groups when rigid hierarchies push people apart.

Money vs. Praise

Is a paycheck enough, or do people need recognition? Mardy weighs the trade-offs between financial reward and genuine appreciation — and questions which one actually keeps people going.

Social Perceptions

How do Japanese attitudes shape the image of Chinese people? Mardy reflects on cross-cultural perceptions and the responsibility individuals carry for the stereotypes they reinforce — or challenge.

A Taste of the Writing

"Why do cashiers and café staff have to stand the whole shift? Sitting down doesn't make the service worse — it just makes the worker less exhausted. Some rules exist because nobody bothered to ask why."

That kind of question runs through the Opinion category. Mardy isn't interested in complaining for its own sake — he wants to understand why things are the way they are, and whether there's a better way. His essays on interview culture, for instance, dissect the strange theatre of Japanese job hunting: the rehearsed answers, the group dynamics, the post-interview email thanking every employee for their time.

Other pieces tackle the tension between chasing money and seeking meaning. When does a salary stop being enough? What happens when praise disappears and all that's left is the routine? These aren't abstract philosophical exercises — they come from someone who walked away from a new-graduate career track and started over in a different country.

The distance between cultures often reveals what proximity hides. Living in New Zealand while reflecting on Japan creates a unique vantage point, one where the silent rules of Japanese workplace culture become sharply visible. The expectation to endure long standing shifts without complaint, the rigid seniority systems that reward time over talent, and the elaborate interview rituals that test conformity rather than capability—these are not just quirks but deeply embedded structures. From afar, the strangeness of these pressures stands out against the more relaxed, informal working styles found in New Zealand. It is not about which system is better, but about recognizing the unspoken social contracts people quietly accept in their daily professional lives.

Writing with honesty about cultural norms often means embracing an uncomfortable edge. There is a tendency to romanticize Japanese work culture from the outside, focusing on its efficiency and politeness while overlooking the personal costs. The sharp observations found in these essays aim to cut through that polished surface, questioning why certain practices persist despite their obvious drawbacks. Sarcasm and contrarian takes serve a purpose here—they disrupt the polite silence that allows questionable traditions to continue unchallenged. Real experiences from someone who stepped off the conventional path carry weight precisely because they chose to see clearly rather than accept comfortably. Clarity, after all, is the reward for distance.

Opinions & Essays