It was another warm morning today. The sky is cloudy, but it is not cold and feels comfortable. There is only about one week left in February, and I feel that the month is passing very quickly…😅
As I wrote yesterday, Japan is currently in the middle of a three-day holiday weekend. With this kind of weather, I imagine many tourist spots are quite busy. However, one unfortunate thing might be that in many workplaces, salaries for this month have not yet been paid. Not all jobs are like this, but in Japan many companies pay salaries on the 25th of each month. If the 25th falls on a weekend, then payment is usually made on the 24th instead. This seems to be an old custom, and there are several reasons for it. For example, companies are busy at the end of the month, work attendance is often finalized around the 15th so ten days later is convenient, and many automatic payments, such as household expenses, are scheduled for the end of the month. In the past, calculations were done by hand using calculators rather than computers, so this schedule may have developed for practical reasons. And it still continues to this day.
Because of the recent economic slowdown, shops tend to become very crowded right after the 25th, which is payday. This trend seems to be becoming more noticeable each year. Stores also plan special sales and promotions around that time. Sometimes I think, “Oh, there are so many customers today,” and then I realize it is payday. I imagine it is the same for tourist spots and restaurants. After payday, the number of customers probably increases. So during this three-day holiday weekend, there may actually be slightly fewer people out shopping or traveling. I have also heard that it is similar on the days when government pensions are paid to people over 60. The pension is deposited every two months, covering two months at once, on the 15th of even-numbered months. As for me, since I run my own business, there is no fixed payday (although I do have a rough schedule). Once a month, I transfer money to myself 🤣
I plan to stop by the workshop later this afternoon. If I have enough time, I will continue yesterday’s work and attach the sliding key panel on the other side of the 27-steps puzzle boxes. However, I am also planning to clean up some of the trash that has accumulated in the workshop, so I am not yet sure how much I will be able to do. If everything goes well, both the 27-steps and the 14-steps puzzle boxes should be completed by the end of this month. It is not completely decided yet, but for the next production, I am thinking about making 10-steps Mame puzzle boxes (the very small 1-sun size boxes). I hope to produce them together for an order from the Hakone market and for several requests from overseas shops.
