What vacation?

2011年9月3日 (土)

Hey people ~ I trust everyone had a nice rest over Obon? What’s that? You didn`t travel anywhere? What`s that? No time off? Just one day? That`s not a holiday, is it?

For my Obon I traveled around Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia for nearly 3 weeks. It was a fantastic trip. I saw many great places and had some cool experiences. Many people told me I was lucky to have such a long vacation and, to a degree, I agree with them – I am lucky to have time to travel. But this brings me to my point – should finding a job that gives a few weeks of vacation be considered “lucky”?

Or should a few weeks of vacation time be a standard part of a full time job contract?

I think we all agree the latter is better. Unfortunately, business culture (especially in Japan) insists there is no time for extended vacations. Too much work to be done. I realize many people are locked into work routines that give them little to no chance for extended travel. But if you believe like I do that life is short (and only happens once), perhaps you`ll find a way to make time for yourself.

I’m very happy to work for a company that gives its employees ample time to travel. And as best I can, I always will work for such a company. So get out there and see the world. It’s your right;)