Construction Work In Japan

During most of my first two years in Japan I had the pleasure/pain of working in construction as an HVAC (Heating/Air Conditioning) Installer. Basically what I was responsible for was tearing out the old ducting, fans, A/C units, heaters, vents and any other related items and installing the new air ducts. I took this job out of desperation of not wanting to be an English teacher. Being a new gaijin I did not yet know that being an English teacher in Japan didn’t really mean you were good at English and new how to teach (this is not always the case – there are many whom actually can and do). In addition I’m not really fond of speaking in front of large groups and my image of being an English teacher consisted of standing in front of a class of 30 people teaching hard grammar. So, I was offered a job by a sympathetic friend who was a foreman for a HVAC company. I still have mixed feelings about this work as I had many positive and negative experiences while involved in it. Let me tell you about some of the positives first. The best thing that came out of this experience was my accelerated learning of Japanese. Not a soul that I worked with could speak a lick of English (other than “hello” and “cigarette?”) I was forced to speak and more importantly listen to Japanese all day long (and I do mean all day). I also learned how to speak Japanese like a Japanese man. Unfortunately many male foreigners who learn Japanese often learn from speaking with their girlfriends or wives or Japanese women in general. In the US for example most the long term residents form Japan that one might run into are women. This is a sad phenomenon and not once in the US while studying Japanese did any of my instructors bring up this issue. (I will have to make a separate post on this issue because it is a problem). Now back to the story. I also had the opportunity to travel to many places and see many sights as our jobs (gemba in Japanese) were often in different cities. I traveled as far south as Shizuoka and as far north as Niigata. I worked on shrines, temples, pachinko parlors, very expensive homes, churches, ramen shops and other restaurants as well as several other locations. I had the chance to see these places from the inside out (that is both bad and good). I was able to eat at a different restaurant almost everyday, which satisfied my hobby of eating and trying different foods. I also got unlimited complimentary drinks twice a day. In the construction biz you take a break about every 2-3 hours and sit with your group and drink canned drinks form vending machines and smoke like a chimney. Needless to say I picked up smoking during this period of my life. I have since quit and hate it with a passion. If your smoking quit man, it’s a bad use of your money, give it to a charity instead. Hanging out and boozing after work was often paid for by others because I was the low man on the totem pole. I was also taken to many places and shown a side of Japan that most people don’t get to see. I learned how to drive in Japan as I was often the wheel man for my crew. (I drove home while they slept). Well, now let me start on the negative stuff. The very worst thing I would have to say is that because of my language ability, I was never able to fully understand what the big picture was and what we had to do in order to finish. I was always in the dark. Sometimes we would work on a hard job for 10 hours and just when I thought we were finished and I would be able to go home BAM (we are going to another job in another city, we will eat in and sleep in the car tonight and go home tomorrow night. This wouldn’t have been so bad had I have known and been able to plan for it, but oh well I couldn’t complain because I was the one who had the language problem and I was lucky to be able to work. Not once did I ever see another foreign worker except on one job there were some Chinese workers. It was embarrassing at first but became amusing to walk down the street in Shinjuku wearing a construction outfit. I wish I had a camera to take pictures of some of the faces and expressions of people (both Japanese and Foreign). I eventually had fun with it. My young co-workers took me to the uniform shop and bought me some radical outfits. Unlike in the US where construction workers usually wear jeans, the Japanese wear special uniforms that come in many shape and colors. The four in my group (whom were all under 25) had camouflage outfits with each being a different color. Mine was gray. It consisted of riding pants (you know with the bulge on the side of the leg like the old Japanese military officers pants) and a vest. It was a blast. It was a dirty job. Sometimes I would deal with fiberglass insulation (which when sweating is miserable) which gives you small slivers that can’t be washed off. Grease from ramen shop ducts. It was also very dangerous from time to time. Its funny (not really) there was safety equipment (goggles, harnesses, gloves etc.) but if you used them it was not cool and others would smirk at you. It was crazy. Cutting steel duct with a grinder and red hot steel sparks shooting into your face because almost all of the grinders had the safety shield removed (it’s easier to use them that way, but dangerous) without safety glasses. I was so damn lucky not to get an eye put out. I saw many whom did. We would work on scaffolding four stories high with nothing below except concrete and the there were two and three foot gaps between the scaffolding. Talk about walking a tight rope. They would also set ladders on top of that scaffolding. Working on the top of that ladder had to be one of the most fearful things in my life, but at night you go out to an izakaya and drink it off with your co-workers. On some job sites foreign workers were not allowed so I would wait in the van for 10 hours. Many times my boss vouched for me and took a lot of shit just to get me on a job site and I really appreciate him to this day for doing that for me. It made him quite unpopular. I would run into the occasional prejudice but it was not even half as bad as an office job. People were really very cool to me and honestly accepted me, probably because I was right there next to them every day going through the same crap they were. I don’t think I ever felt more excepted in Japan as I did while working in construction. One night my boss told me over a beer “Peter, I didn’t think you would last. I didn’t think an American would do this kind of dirty work” I replied, “well, I didn’t want to be an English teacher” and he laughed. He understood my decision. I wouldn’t recommend this type of work to anyone in Japan but if you don’t mind getting dirty it could be a good experience for you. It will be hard to find a job but like almost everything else here, making a connection could do it for you. I definitely wouldn’t recommend the HVAC, but carpentry would be an excellent choice.

Comments

[John Ziemba]

What an interesting read! I'm really glad I stumbled on your site. I'm just an English teacher here, although back in the States I had some real jobs--painting and light carpentry among them. I admire you for toughing it out and picking up Japanese the hard way. The Mikatagahara article was top notch, too. Keep up the great posts!

[Peter]

Thanks John, my Japanese is very far from perfect. Working in construction really excelerated my learning pace though. I have quite a ways to go still. To really get to know this place you really need to know the language, so I continue to study as much as possible. Thanks for visting and good luck on your venture here!

[Mario Yaconetti]

Hey Peter that’s a cool story. I’m turning 18 soon and I’m trying to move to Japan, but first I need to find a construction job. I’m like you I don’t want to sit behind a desk all day. So far I haven’t had much luck. Do you know of any one who will hire a foreigner with only a basic understanding of Japanese language? Any information I would appreciate a lot. Thank you.

[bryan]

mario you are a poo poo head

[Mario Yaconetti]

Hey Peter, it’s me again. I recently turned 18. On July 7th I’m leaving for Ketchikan Alaska to fish and save money. After I’ve saved at least 20 thousand dollars I’m going to Tokyo. I’ll then look for construction work. I hope to travel around Japan one day. Maybe we’ll meet up someday. Anyway good luck to you and your family. I wish you the best of luck. Ja.

[MarioYaconetti]

p.s. (mario you are a poo poo head ) is a post from my older brother Bryan

[Mario Yaconetti]

Hey its me again. I worked on a black cod boat for 3months and only got paid $1,800. I found out I was working for a pirate who was keeping me captive. I ran away after he told me that he wasn’t going to pay me. I would have left earlier though my mind was manipulated from working 15 to 20 hour days and eating very little. I lost about 30 lbs. and almost didn’t make it out alive. He was a crazy captain. He would make me do all the work on the deck while he ate and slept. He made me jump in the 40 degree water and untangle the hooked line. He made me into his perfect slave. I paid for many things that where useless that he wanted and after all my gear, Landry, transportation and everything I ended up making nothing. I talked to a few black cod fishermen and I found out I should have been making between $1,200 and $5,000 every day instead I got $24 a day I then truly felt sick. I came back home. I don’t know how or when I’m going to get to Japan but I’ll find a way.

[Mario Yaconetti]

Now I'm studying to become a health fitness Instructor. I hope to get a job at a hotel or health club in Japan. Well i sure hope this one works!