First working day - 2022

We had a very short New Year vacation this year, and our Christmas day was on a Saturday and New Year's Day also falls on a Saturday.  Due to the two weekends, this New Year holiday has been the shortest ever since I came to Japan.  Some people took extra days off but because of Covid, taking additional days means spending more time at home eating more and drinking more.  I decided to go to work as this will get me out of the house and allow my body to do some physical activities.  As I stepped out of the apartment, the air was crisp and dry, and I did not see many souls walking towards the station.  Yes, indeed, many folks are taking extra days off to be with their family.  Like most big countries, most people in Japan need to travel far to return to their home town, where their parents live.  The train I took to work was crowded, but it was not filled beyond capacity as any typical day would.  It was a more relaxing commute for me, and I welcomed it.

My office building was surprisingly empty, and as I entered my office, there were not many people coming to work.  I thought to myself, those people are taking extra vacation days or just teleworking, and I could not tell for sure.  Somehow, I got used to the emptiness of our office.  The pandemic forced telework these past 24 months had made me accustomed to the view before me.  In Japan, we greet our colleagues when we first see them in the new year, and it is the tradition.  And before Covid, this greeting tradition is followed by an in-office party filled with beer and food.  The first day of work is always full of fun, and nobody does any actual work.  I attended the management team New Year's greeting meeting where all the vice presidents talked about each department's happenings and what we did over the holidays.  This year, everyone's stories seem to carry a common theme - we all stayed at home pretty much throughout the vacation.  How boring can this be?  But, it is the pandemic.  None of us can help it or do anything better. 

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