Think you know the Japanese 'Salaryman'? Meet Honda engineer Shotaro Odate
Most westerners familiar with the topic, will envision a very specific stereotype when asked to describe the Japanese 'Salaryman':
Stressed and overworked during the day and into the evening, and later passed out in front of an Izakaya or Tachinomi.
Katie Canales
The man below, is not that. He's Shotaro Odate.
As one of Honda's lead engineers, he's a few rungs above the average salaryman, but that should be even more reason for him to cut a formal and uniform look that fits in with the image of the ideal Japanese executive.
So... what's with the badboy anime hair?
The short answer is that while Odate-san works for a massive Japanese corporation, he doesn't work in a typical Japanese corporate culture.
The secret lies in Honda's philosophy that specifically sets it apart from the crowd: "Respect for the Individual."
It sounds like the usual empty slogan cooked up by any Australian or American company's HR managers. (Sorry, 'People & Culture' team.)
But, from what I've found, this is legitimately a core tenet that traces back to the company's founder, Soichiro Honda – a famously unconventional and creative spirit himself.
The philosophy is powered by three key elements: initiative, equality, and trust. It is an active business strategy designed to attract and retain people who think differently.
For an engineer like Odate, who looks like he just got done starring as Jin in a live-action Tekken movie, his haircut isn't just some punk rebel holdover from high school. Although it is definitely also that.
It's just... a non-issue. The guy gets his work done – and has patents to his name, for that matter – so his style is simply an expression of the individuality that Honda's culture was designed to attract.
Now if Honda could just get on with making more than one cool car for Australia... (How about bringing that new Acura Integra sedan down here ffs??)
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