work motivation

If you ever feel demotivated at work you could use my secret weapon: Papaya Suzuki's song, which featured the ending of the J-Dorama Hataraki Man (literally meaning "hardworking man"). It is a story about a young female journalist (played by Kanno Miho) who switches into "male mode" (yeah, I know! They could have just named it "work mode", but whatever), meaning she has an extraordinary work ethic and, as soon as a good story comes up or a deadline approaches, she is unable of doing anything else exept...work. "Hataraki Man" was one of the most popular series in 2008 in Japan, since it was one of few doramas featuring female leads in slice-of-life depictions of independence, careers and workplace politics, as well as balancing these priorities with friends, lovers and families. Most importantly, this dorama highlights the various difficulties in figuring out just how these contemporary threads tie back into the bolt of Japanese society, which is deeply rooted in its cultural history and traditions. The role of women within contemporary Japanese society has obviously changed over the past few decades, and the prominence of stronger female leads, in the past few years, is a sharp indication of where women currently stand within evolving gender roles.

The "Hataraki Man" song is as silly as one can be, but it has successfully brought me into a hatarki mode before. Why? Because it is a caricature of work life, hence putting mine into perspective and relieving it of its dramatic feel. Because I want to stand up in my office and sing and dance the hataraki song. Here is a part of it, at the end of one episode, with the funny Papaya Suzuki group and one of the characters of the series:

Lyrics (more or less): Working more than anyone else/ without complaining/ for the sake of the future/ and the world/ forever./ Today, too, work, work, work, to the limits of your strength/ Crossing troubled waters and mountains/ Let's go, Hataraki Man!

lololol

Well, if the Japanese don't have a healthy work discipline, I don't know who has ^_^;