My week starts on Sunday, as does the Japanese calendar. I had Fridays and Saturdays off while I was still a kaishain <\/em>\u4f1a\u793e\u54e1 <\/em>(company employee), and I rather liked it, so I stuck with it. Sundays always feel slow and quiet as I return to work from the comfort of my home. I was never fond of open offices, and I much prefer working in my own environment. It can be lonely, but I like the quietness. I mostly do translation work, which is a rather solitary endeavor to start with.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I start early in the morning so that I can benefit from the day\u2019s sunlight as much as possible. I have to admit, I do feel like the reality of a 9 to 5 job is a bit out of touch with the reality of Japan\u2019s sunny hours, considering that in summer, the sun rises as early as 4:45 am. <\/p>\n\n\n\n