Reflections on Four Months of Remote Work in Fukuoka

Introduction

(2020/02 ~ 2020/06)

Around mid-February, the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan began escalating in Tokyo. Although I work in Fukuoka, my company announced a remote work policy at the end of February to curb the virus’s spread, aiming to minimize commutes and reduce the risk of infection. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences from this period.

What I Actually Experienced

Without the daily commute (which wasn’t long to begin with—only about 45 minutes round trip), I found that I had much more usable time. In the past, I used to arrive at the office early and sit in a café to organize my tasks for the day. Now, I tend to sleep in deliberately, which is definitely something I need to reflect on.

On the other hand, my productivity has indeed increased. That said, the office environment is still far more comfortable: air conditioning, a large 27-inch 4K monitor, a maxed-out iMac, high-speed internet, a standing desk, and an ergonomic chair. My setup at home is relatively bare-bones. However, without workplace distractions, I can fully focus on my tasks, and I’ve been able to complete many of them ahead of schedule.

I also noticed that some colleagues experienced a sharp drop in productivity while working remotely, which was fairly evident from their GitHub contribution graphs and the number of submitted Pull Requests.

Personally, I’m able to draw a clear line between work and personal time, so I generally don’t find myself doing chores during work hours or working after clocking out.

Uber Eats

Whenever I felt too lazy to cook during this period, I just ordered Uber Eats—probably around 20 to 30 times by now. Since delivery workers have had it especially tough during the pandemic, I always added a tip with each order, and I even asked them if they actually received the tips. Their answer was that while they do receive them, they don’t see it upon delivery; they only find out after the delivery is completed.

Observations in Japan

• Almost everyone on the street wears a mask, though after the state of emergency was lifted, fewer people seemed to be wearing them (based on my observations when occasionally going out).
• Convenience stores and supermarkets all put up plastic sheets at checkouts to prevent droplet transmission.
• A lot of people still head out to play in parks.

The Downsides

Declining Health

Because I had more time, I ended up spending even more hours glued to the screen trying to get things done, which led to rather poor time management. The gym was closed during this time (and to add insult to injury, they still charged membership fees). With no gym workouts and prolonged sitting, my shoulder and upper back pain became increasingly severe. Looking back, even with the gym closed, I should have done some bodyweight workouts at home.

Recently, after watching some videos from SBD, and with gyms finally reopening, I’ve restarted my workout routine. My strength and stamina have dropped so much; having to start all over again really sucks.

Time Management

Previously, having clearly defined working hours made it easy to plan what I wanted to do in my free time. Now, I find myself working somewhat aimlessly. I did manage to do a lot of things on and off—like tinkering with IoT and Raspberry Pi, reading a few books (Atomic Habits, Factfulness, Deep Work, etc.), learning new frameworks, writing a few tech articles, and catching up on previous deep learning coursework—but it still feels like I need to manage my time better so that my efforts feel more grounded and purposeful.

• Tokyo COVID-19 Information Website
• Fukuoka COVID-19 Information

Can’t Return to Taiwan

During the pandemic, traveling back to Taiwan from Japan requires a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Moreover, Japan has banned foreign nationals from re-entering—even if you hold a student or work visa. So once I return to Taiwan, I won’t be able to come back to Japan (at least not for quite a while).

Conclusion

I have no idea when this period will finally pass. Once the pandemic is over, the first thing I want to do is spend a whole day gazing at the sea at Chiwata Station. After that, I can’t wait to go back to Taiwan, hear familiar Mandarin everywhere, binge on Taiwanese fried chicken with bubble tea, and catch up with old friends I haven’t seen in ages.

Also, pizza in Taiwan is just so good—I miss that cheese-stuffed crust so much. For some reason, pizza in Japan is overwhelmingly salty, and the crust isn’t great either; you’re really just eating it for the novelty. Oh, and KFC egg tarts! I remember when I first went to a KFC in Japan, I assumed egg tarts were on the menu everywhere. The clerk just looked at me with utter confusion and said, “For egg tarts, you might want to try a bakery.”