Value Village ／ Health
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Working from home became established in Japan from 2020. Alongside "no commute, how relaxing" came back pain, eye strain, too little movement and isolation. This article sets out the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) telework guideline and how to set up a workable space in a Japanese home, where desks and dining tables are often small and low.
| Item | Target |
|---|---|
| Chair | Height-adjustable, soles of the feet flat on the floor, with a backrest. With a dining chair, add a cushion and a footrest |
| Desk | A height at which your elbows are at 90 degrees (roughly 60–72 cm). Make up for a low dining table with a monitor stand |
| Screen | Top edge below eye level, viewing distance 40 cm or more, laptop on a stand with an external keyboard to raise your line of sight |
| Lighting | 300 lux or more on the work surface; avoid reflections on the screen (do not sit with your back to a window) |
| Breaks | No more than 1 hour of continuous work, then a 10–15-minute pause. Break up sitting every 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| Temperature and humidity | Room temperature 17–28°C (63–82°F), humidity 40–70% (the office hygiene standards as a guide) |
| Movement | The commute walk (several thousand steps) is gone → deliberately go for a walk, take the stairs (Physical Activity Guide 2023) |
| Working practices | A clear start and finish to the day, reporting your breaks, preventing long hours (Telework Guideline) |
[Verify] Check the guideline figures (desk height, lux, temperature and humidity) against the MHLW materials and the Guideline on Work with Information Devices.
The commute walk disappears, sitting increases and posture slips. Pay deliberate attention to steps, breaks, and the desk and chair.
The table is too high, the chair too low and the laptop pulls your gaze down — the classic recipe for neck, shoulder and back strain. A monitor stand, an external keyboard and a footrest fix it for a few thousand yen.
Without punctuation, breaks usually get fewer, not more. Set a timer to stand every hour, and go outside at lunch.
Weekday sitting time is a separate problem from exercise (see our article on sitting too much). Spread it out with a daily walk, stairs and housework.
The guideline sets out roles for both employer and worker, and asks that rules on lending equipment and covering costs be agreed between management and staff. This is something you can raise with your company.
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https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/koyou_roudou/roudoukijun/shigoto/guideline.html
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000539604.pdf
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10904750/001171393.pdf
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
This article is not meant to diagnose or manage any specific medical condition. If you are worried about your health, see a doctor rather than relying on your own judgement.
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