Do you know this word? "Hygge" It is Danish word. It means like "comfortable" or like so. "Hokkori" "Matteri" in Japanese. This word is very important to the Danish people and can be said to represent the Danish way of thinking. It's a traditional word that's been around for a long time, and it's a common sense for the Danish people, and it's word that's familiar to everyday life.
However, please think about the habit in Japan, is there some likely traditional thinking, word or custom? I can't come out with there is word or thinking way of similar to Danish language "Hygge" in Japan, which is recognized by all people. So why doesn't this kind of thinking and culture exist in Japan?
I think that's because of Japan's way of thinking about labour or working. Can you imagine the situation of that if you want to go home after the work, if there are some people include your boss or college, maybe almost all the Japanese think that I can't go home because everyone still working... even if you go home, you'll feel sorry for going home first leaving others behind.
However the people in Denmark or other foreign country have a completely different way of thinking compare with these Japanese people. This is due to difference in the way we think about work-life balance. What I would like to focus on here is the difference in working hours between Japan and Scandinavian countries, including Denmark.
According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Asian countries, including Japan, Mexico and Russia, have worked more than 2,000 hours a year. On the other hand, the total number of working hours in Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark and Sweden, ranges from 1,300 to 1,500, indicating that there is a difference of more than 700 hours between the least and the most.
I think that happiness will be different between people who work in the last 700 hours and people who value time outside of their family, lovers, and friends. I believe that I can do my best at work and school because of the support of my family and loved ones, spending time with these people is many times more important than cutting down on my company, sleeping less, and mentally. Do you think so, too?
The data I would like to present here is the World Happiness Survey, which has been conducted annually by researchers from the United Nations and the United States since 2012. Finland ranked first in overall happiness among people around the world based on various criteria. Also, looking at this data, Scandinavian countries are also at the top. By the way, Japan ranked 62nd.
From this date that the way of thinking about labor that exists in that country has a great influence on the level of happiness felt by the people.
If Japan establishes a labor system that naturally creates a concept like "Hygge," it will improve the satisfaction and happiness of the people and become a better country.