quote of the day

assistant jobs in japan

Well, I better write something before people start thinking I went out of business or dropped dead. Speaking of rough times, boy are we getting pounded these days with the economy and swine flu! For a while Japan seemed to be unaffected by the swine flu, but now with the huge outbreak in Osaka and Kobe, it's become mass hysteria. Companies require all employees to wear a surgical mask, but you can't buy one because they're all sold out.

I get alot of e-mail enquiries from aspiring photographers around the world about the possibility of an assistant position, and working in the photo industry here in Japan. This year I've been getting alot more of these calls because of the downturn in economy around the world. Perhaps people think that Japan might have more opportunities, and why not spend some time in an exotic culture while waiting for the economy back home to recover.

Well, Japan is no different. Right now photographers here are starving for work as a result of cutbacks on advertisement. I heard that Nissan called off all print media ads this year. Magazines on the average have seen 40% decline in ad revenue, forcing many publications to go off circulation. Conde Nast's "Glamour" never even saw its first issue come off the press here. Esquire Japan is going out of circulation along with other mens life style magazine such as "BRIO." Many of the lucky ones still in print have to make cost cuts such as no travelling out of Tokyo, or in the worst case lower fees for writers and photographers.

So there you have it. As a result, more photographers are starting to work alone unless the situation calls for an extra hand. Then he will hire an assistant on a freelance basis. But the photographer would only be able to hire a freelance assistant if there is sufficient budget with the photography fee.

Going back to the topic of people from other countries trying to assist here. Unless you can speak Japanese and know your way around the city, you're practically useless. I think this is the same in any country. Very few japanese photographers speak any english at all, and the last thing they want to do is hire someone who they cannot communicate with. Okay, I speak fluent english, but if I can't meet my assistant in the morning at a particular location in the city, or have my assistant run some errands with in the city.... same thing.
Add to the already difficult situation comes the swine flu. With the recent outbreak in Osaka and Kobe, tourists and visitors from abroad are often subjected to a 10 day quarantine (after arrival )before they can freely move around the country. And you have the risk of catching the virus as all the stores are sold out on surgical masks. Right now, it is not a good time to come over here.

For those who still want to come over, I suggest you bring alot of money so you can survive for the duration of your stay assuming that there's no immediate work available.

Above is a picture from my assisting days in New York 26 years ago. The 80's was probably the peak of the golden age of photography.