Working hours in Japan are not for wimps, and this is less glorious than it sounds. There even is a word in Japanese for working oneself to death, and we are not talking coal mine explosions here. We are talking working 9 to 5, as in 5 a.m.

I have not witnessed a case of karoshi myself, but I know people who have. I see people sleeping in office every day, not going home for weeks. I have heard co-workers talk of serious stress-related health issues. I have recently seen two colleagues in their twenties collapse at their desks and being wheeled of in an ambulance. I would rather see companies die than their employees, but sometimes I think I am the only one.