23/06/2026
The scaffolding is up, and of course there’s a double typhoon headed toward Japan. S**t.
I think the two coolest jobs in the world are construction and farming. For silly immigrants like me: in almost any country, there are usually two paths: do work the locals don’t want to do, or do work they can’t do themselves. This my friends, is an uncomfortable topic in Japan because large farming operations and construction companies have historically relied on exploiting foreigners, often through temporary visa programs that treated them as little more than cheap manpower.
Things are changing though. Wages are improving, visa pathways are evolving, and these industries are slowly becoming more attractive again. I think. They still depend heavily on foreign workers, but it feels like the conversation nobody wants to have is shifting.
What surprised me yesterday was the scaffolding crew. All young Japanese (plus Mr. Miyagi) and they looked like they were around my daughter’s age. They were whippersnappers! The fashion too! Whether people like hearing it or not, America absolutely set the global standard for construction and farming apparel. Boots, work pants, denim, hoodies, trucker caps, safety sunglasses it all traces back to American workwear culture. Anyway, these young lads looked badass.
I’m all for immigration, but I’m also happy to see jobs that were once considered sh*tty becoming positions that young Japanese are willing to take again. Construction and farming built every country on earth. They deserve more respect than they get. These young dudes need to stop playing video games and eating boogers all day.
