2007 Photo Contest, Daily Life, 1st prize
Photographer

David Guttenfelder

The Associated Press

01 December, 2006

Traditionally, Japanese white-collar workers have been able to expect lifelong support and loyalty from their employers, in return for unremitting hard work. A 'salaryman' (a Japanese word that borrows from English) follows a punishing work regime that often affects social and family life. The term carries associations of long working hours, and even karoshi - death caused by overwork. To relieve the tension of their working schedule many salarymen go out drinking at night.

About the photographer

David Guttenfelder

Guttenfelder previously spent 20 years as a photojournalist for the Associated Press based in Nairobi, Abidjan, New Delhi, and Tokyo covering news in more than 75 countries aroun...

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