In Japan, April is when companies welcome their yearly batch of recruits, most of which have just graduated university. It’s an important moment because traditionally, works join a company for life.
Quitting for anything other than marriage or pregnancy is frowned upon, even if you discover your work environment is toxic. The older generations expect recruits to push through with a message of “gaman spirit.”
Gaman is a term that comes from Japanese Zen Buddhism and means “to endure the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”
Comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi has a different message to recruits.
To all the new recruits
明日から新社会人の皆様へ pic.twitter.com/GDh90kxlRz
— シ毎(うみ) (@umi10231023) March 31, 2021
明日から新社会人の皆様へ
“To all the new recruits, starting tomorrow…”
Your value as a human being doesn’t change if you run away.
On a recent episode of 激レアさんを連れてきた (I brought a super rare person), co-host Ayaka Hironaka asks Masayasu Wakabayashi to cheer up new recruits who are starting from April (4月から新生活という方も、エールを).
To which he replies, イヤなら、やめろ! (“If you don’t like it, quit!)
This raw honesty triggered a wave of reactions on Twitter, with users such as @umi10231023 debating the advice’s merits.
Many approved the need for new workers to escape if they find themselves in a toxic work environment, arguing that quitting does not equate to “running away.”
‘Balance is key’
見捨ててるように聞こえるけど、自分の身を守れるのは自分しかいないってこと考えるとかなり真理だと思う
逃げた程度で人間の価値は変わらない— まーちゃん (@illbeebac) April 1, 2021
見捨ててるように聞こえるけど、自分の身を守れるのは自分しかいないってこと考えるとかなり真理だと思う
逃げた程度で人間の価値は変わらない
“It sounds like you’re giving up, but I think it’s true considering you’re the only one who can protect yourself. Your value as a human being doesn’t change if you run away.
Other voices cautioned that work doesn’t always come easy, and young recruits also need to toughen up if they want to advance in life. Like for many things, balance is the key.”
‘Clenched their teeth’
もちろん若ちゃんの言ってることにも一理あるんだけど、今のオードリーがあるのはホントに辛い時期に若ちゃんも春日も歯食いしばって辞めなかったからなんだよね。本当に辛い時は逃げた方がいいけど、頑張るのも大事。その塩梅を見極めるのが必要だと思う。
— 春日亭夢乃小若師匠 (@Kazuma21482472) April 1, 2021
もちろん若ちゃんの言ってることにも一理あるんだけど、今のオードリーがあるのはホントに辛い時期に若ちゃんも春日も歯食いしばって辞めなかったからなんだよね。本当に辛い時は逃げた方がいいけど、頑張るのも大事。その塩梅を見極めるのが必要だと思う。
“Of course, there is a reason for Waka-chan to say that, but the reason why Audrey [Masayasu Wakabayashi’s comedian group] exists is that both Waka-chan and Kasuga clenched their teeth during a tough time and didn’t quit.
It’s better to run away [from a bad situation], but it’s also important to do your best. I think it is necessary to identify the situation.”
How to use Japanese particle なら?

The particle なら, which translates to “if,” is a conditional particle that follows a sentence gives us the conditions for an event or situation to happen.
- イヤなら、やめろ: If you don’t like it, quit.
- 暑いなら、エアコンを付けましょう: If you are hot, let’s turn the AC on.
- 風邪なら、休んだ方がいい: If you have a cold, it’s better to take the day off.
なら can also refer to counterfactual conditional statements.
- もしあなたが、王様なら、何をしたいですか: If you were to be a king, what would you like to do?
- もし私があなたの立場なら、同じことをするでしょう: If I were in your place, I would do the same thing.
Vocabulary
Japanese | Romaji | English |
新社会人 | shinshyakaijin | New working adult, member of society/company (especially for newly graduated students) |
新生活 | shinseikatsu | New life (start of a, entrance in a) |
エール | eeru | Cheer, yell of encouragement |
見捨てる | misuteru | Give up |
身 | mi | Oneself, one’s body |
真理 | shinri | Truth |
人間の価値 | Ningen no kachi | Man’s worth, human value |
一理ある | ichiri aru | Have a valid point |
歯[を]食いしばる | Ha [o] kuishibaru | Clench one’s teeth, endure |
塩梅 | anbai | Condition, state, situation |
見極める | mikiwameru | Identify |