Today is the first day of the Japanese fiscal year. All throughout the country, fresh-faced shinnyuushain (new hires) attended their first day of their first full-time jobs with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Uniformly dressed in ill-fitting new black suits, they roamed the streets in packs on their way to and from the company that many of them will serve for the rest of their working lives. No doubt, a momentous occasion for those involved, but for someone like me who’s on the outside, it’s like watching fresh meat heading to the slaughter. The next year of their lives will be filled with suffering and hardship as they learn what they must do to fit in and toe the company line. And, thus, the loss of their youth, the crushing of their spirits and the death of their souls will duly commence, followed by roughly 38 years of ardent devotion to the national cult of salarymanism until they finally retire at the age of 60, at which point they realize that they’ve wasted their entire lives in the office and have no idea to do with the remainder of their time until the arrival of death.

I wish them all the best.

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My apologies for not posting in the past few days. The end of the fiscal year is always an extremely busy time. Hopefully I’ll be able to find more time once things get settled within the next week or so. In the meantime, here are a few more photos from my day in Asakusa in March. Yes, utter crap, I know, but whattayagonnado?