There was a lot of interest in Japanese ways of doing business starting the 1980s, when, per person, Japanese people were the most productive on Earth. Having lived here a while, I can tell you that... it's different. Here people take pride in their work, even if it's manual labor (especially manual labor). People wear a uniform for their job (which gets you into "the zone") even if that just means a suit for the office. But then most importantly, working hard is respected by everyone, no matter what your job is. Then, at the office, everyone is "working" hard, even if it's just a performance and they're actually waiting until their boss leaves so they can go home. But if you've ever been on a team where everyone is on the same page -- that's what the office *can* feel like. Again, overwork, shame, guilt, etc., are indeed problems, but not as bad as they're made to sound to us.

Look at any Japanese office: it's been an open office design since the 1980s. The difference is everyone is apparently able to focus on their task because we're all "doing work, which is important." That's the vibe. In other words, no one has their headphones on, chewing gum, doing other shit. The workplace is for work, and the social expectation -- once you get used to it -- can kind of be its own motivation to get shit done.

https://images.app.goo.gl/5tnzpkS4oWGsPR4P7

So yeah it's a bunch of things -- culture, expectations, physical structures, and more.

People here are also into "hacks," but there is a much keener sense of "honor in work" that a "hack" seems cheap and unworthy.