Every time I meet someone and they ask me what I do and I tell them I’m a carpenter the reaction I get really throws me off. Everyone seems amazed and starts asking a bunch of questions and what not while not caring to ask more questions about what other people around me do. I’ve never had this reaction anywhere else and it’s just a little funny to me.
I didn’t think anything of it until one day I was cutting some joints only to find out that a postman had been standing behind me for 10 minutes waiting for me to finish so he could give me a package. Later, when I told my boss about it, he said that carpenters are usually seen as angry people when we’re working and so people try not to interrupt out of fear of making us mad.
That had me wondering, are there any other stereotypes or stigmas around carpenters that I just don’t know about?
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Hey,
I’ve never met a carpenter personally, so I wouldn’t have a bad or good opinion of you and your work if I were to meet you.
I’d be more impressed or interested about seeing a foreigner (assuming you are one) doing an “unusual” type of work, aka not office/English teaching/retail/hotel work.
no particular stereotypes, just assuming you are indeed a foreigner, it might come as a surprise to a lot of people that you are a carpenter, since the general image of foreigners is that they work in offices or english teaching jobs
Only judging from mid-80s manga?
(Of which I’ve read far too much, but…)
Japanese carpentry / house-building is seen as an essentially Japanese profession, integral to the fabric of society and, given the amount of practice they’ve had over generations of random natural disasters in a nation long defined by wooden architecture, the archetypal *daiku-san* is a man of serious craft and ability.
So you hear old stories of professional carpenters doing extraordinary work on shrines, temples, and grand houses. You see things like competitions to see who can shave the thinnest possible wisp of wood off a block while keeping it whole.
This is a country that has a strong respect for diligence and attention to detail, which fits well into the image of the *daiku-san*. The angry part is more reserved for the master craftsmen and bosses who have to deal with less-experienced underlings, from what I’ve seen, because genius hates when things get in the way, I guess?
There was a huge shortage after the Great East Japan earthquake and they were incredibly sought after and people were waiting months (even years) for them to come in.
I have absolutely no negative connotation for all the daiku that I meet, but I do think it is considered a bit of a blue collared job so they may be surprised a foreigner is doing that job. Especially if you’re white.
If you were a lady daiku I bet you’d get a lot more incredulous “eeehhhhhhhhhhh!?!?!??”
Edit: Lady Daiku is probably my new band name.
That’s interesting that people are so surprised. I live in a suburban neighborhood where there’s always construction or démolition projects going on, and these days almost half the crew looks to be foreign. Mostly African, SE Asian or middle eastern though, but definitely seen some European/ Caucasian men too. Because of the shortage of Japanese construction workers these days, I would not say it’s uncommon at all.
Some of their sons are said to end up religious figureheads for thousands of years.
People are not disappointed. They are surprised.
Because foreign carpenters are very rare.
Knowing full well that there are many corners of the internet and that different content circulates depending on which corner of it I’m in, **PART** of the answer to your question might be:
Japanese craftsmanship has a certain reputation about it, in particular on social media. If the algorithm wills it, ones feed could be flooded with anything from ‘glorious nippon folded steel’ to ‘thinnest planed wood is thinner than tissue paper!’ to ‘master brushmaker takes up to 10 years to complete one brush’.
Obviously some of it is true, some of it is horse manure, and knowing the difference between reality and stuff made up for internet fame is not always easy.
I think you represent an accessible point of REAL LIFE insight into one of those worlds, and because it’s unusual, people may want to cherish the rare chance to speak to someone and learn something new.
… As far as I know, carpenters are highly respected and to a level that might even be awe.
I get this same reaction a lot. I build scaffold, stages and do carpentry work for events and concerts.
The thing is though, the guys who do this work are often the most genuine people and are not afraid to speak their mind.
They demand respect while working but when it’s time to chill out they are the most genuine and helpful people around. They are just rough around the edges.
The workshop guys I work with are lovely unless I break something they made because I have to call them out to fix it.
Japanese office workers don’t know how to communicate with carpenters and builders.
> Everyone seems amazed and starts asking a bunch of questions and what not while not caring to ask more questions about what other people around me do. I’ve never had this reaction anywhere else and it’s just a little funny to me.
Most foreigners in Japan do white collar work because it generally is not possible to get a work visa for jobs focused on physical labor. The foreign carpenters I know here are all on spouse visas or have PR.
My Japanese FIL named his dog John after a foreign carpenter that visited Japan 50+years ago. Make from that what you want
This reminds me, my uncle came to Japan during the early 80’s to do carpenter work. I couldn’t imagine the stares of bewilderment he got back then.
I get it, but my perception is a bit different, it isn’t because you are a carpenter, it’s because you are a foreigner who isn’t an English teacher or salaryman. I have my own family business, we outfit/convert vans to campers, a lot of customers are surprised to see a foreigner building stuff in rural japan I suppose.
Had some dudes do some reformation on an old place in Ibaraki a few years ago, they seemed pretty chill to be honest.