It’s uncommon worldwide, but the majority of Japanese companies pay for employees’ regular daily commuting expenses in full [1]. Typically this is in the form o

It’s uncommon worldwide, but the majority of Japanese companies pay for employees’ regular daily commuting expenses in full [1]. Typically this is in the form of a commuter ticket that is good for journeys anywhere on the route between your home and work. Pretty handy if you want to break up your journey midway to run some errands or stop off at a cafe or restaurant. Granted, this is something of a holdover from Japanese society in the late 20th century where lifetime employment was the norm, and nowadays this practice is becoming slightly less common. For instance, a specialist working for a Japanese company (like myself, a few years back), should expect to pay for their own transportation costs. Frankly, it was worth bearing the cost myself, though, as I did not need to reciprocate loyalty to the company in the same way my coworkers did by spending long hours at the office and participating in mandatory-ish social gatherings that lasted late into the night. [1] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/14/business/how-employer-transportation-allowances-helped-create-commuter-hell/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/14/business/how-em...