Japanese companies appear to be becoming more flexible in their evaluation of work styles. Some companies allow employees to telework from Okinawa or Hokkaido if they achieve a certain level of performance. Recently, “multi-workers” who juggle multiple jobs simultaneously have become popular. Effective multi-working can also significantly diversify risk. In addition to increased income and skill development, it can also diversify risk. It’s well-known that combining unrelated skills can create new value.
Mrs. Yamamoto, an IT engineer, works from the living room of her home in Tottori City. The couple moved from the city to the countryside, where she works as a software programmer from home. Her other role is as a hunter, a member of the local hunting association. She’s an accomplished hunter, capturing around 100 deer and wild boars annually. She spends her mornings setting traps and patrolling, and her afternoons working from home. The internet connection necessary for an IT job was also in place, so the couple moved to Tottori in 2018, allowing them to work without disrupting their personal lives. While working a side job, Yamamoto has recently been receiving more requests to write for hunting magazines. In recent years, there have been several incidents of bears invading residential areas and injuring people. Furthermore, damage to crops caused by deer and wild boars has become a serious issue nationwide. In these circumstances, hunters are expected to play an increasingly important role. They can prevent crop damage and sell the meat as wild game. There are also systems in place that local governments can provide subsidies for captures. Yamamoto says that being able to plan at her own pace is an appealing aspect of the job.
Mr. A lives in Okinawa. His sources of income include accommodation, investments, and rentals. With an internet connection, he can now work anywhere. He can participate in meetings online and work while enjoying his travels. His wife, who loves to travel, seems to appreciate this work style. If you work multiple jobs, even if one job is cut back, you can make up for it in the others, and your livelihood can be stabilized. We want to value our families and have a sense of accomplishment in our work as our goal in life. We need an environment that we can design and continue to design the best way of working for ourselves. To achieve this, it seems necessary to consistently acquire behavioral patterns that allow us to acquire several skills from a young age.
