Hi there, and welcome to Japan Construction Insider. I’m Shirokuma, and I’ll be your guide to the world of Japanese construction.
Where the name comes from
In Japanese, shirokuma means “polar bear,” and kantoku means “supervisor.” When I worked as a site supervisor, I stayed pale because I really didn’t like getting sunburned — and I’m also on the bigger side. Put those together, and you get the “Polar Bear Supervisor.”
My background
- I’m now in my 12th year in the construction industry.
- As a site supervisor, I worked on projects such as hospitals, industrial plants, food factories, and a public park with hot spring (onsen) facilities.
- During my site supervisor days, I also worked with ICT construction — Japan’s term for using digital tools on the job site.
- Today, I work as a shunin (a team lead position) in production design. That means I create the detailed drawings that show exactly how a building will be put together on site. It’s mainly a desk job, so I’m no longer stationed at a job site every day — but my site experience helps me every single day.
Qualifications
- First-Class Building Construction Management Engineer (a national qualification in Japan)
- Class 3 Multirotor Drone Pilot certification (issued by DPA, a drone pilot association in Japan)
Why I started this blog
I believe there are people around the world who are curious about Japanese construction techniques. I wanted to share what I’ve learned on real job sites, in a way that’s easy to understand — even if you’re new to the field.
What you’ll find here
This site has three kinds of articles.
- Japanese Construction Sites — how a site actually runs: the shape of the working day, the safety rules everyone follows, what people wear on site, and the pressures the industry is under.
- Japanese Technology — the tools that are changing the work: drones, satellite positioning and machine guidance, BIM and production design. What they do on a real site, and where they still fall short.
- Japanese Craftsmen — the people who build: who does what on site, the ranks you’ll hear, the tools they carry, and how skill is measured here.
If you work in construction outside Japan — or you’re thinking of working here — these are written for you. You can see everything in one place on the All Articles page.
How I write these articles
A few rules I hold myself to.
- Experience is labeled as experience. When I write “in my experience,” that is exactly what it is: what happened on the sites I worked on. It isn’t a rule that applies everywhere.
- Numbers need a source. If I can’t find a reliable source for a figure, I leave the figure out rather than guess.
- Laws and regulations are checked against the official text, and I write the date I checked. Rules change — a date lets you judge how fresh the information is.
- Sources are linked so you can read them yourself. Most are Japanese government pages, and I say so when a source is only available in Japanese.
- If I get something wrong, please tell me. I’ll correct it, and I’ll say what changed rather than quietly editing it.
How often I publish
I add new articles regularly — currently one or two a week. Each one takes a while, because I’d rather write one article I can stand behind than five I can’t.
How this site is funded
Some articles include affiliate links to gear I’ve used or would use myself. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what I recommend, and I say so at the top of any article that contains them.
I also plan to show advertising on this site. Details of both are in the Privacy Policy.
What I hope you’ll take away
- Ideas that help you build things more safely
- Ways to work more efficiently
- And most of all, a sense that construction can be a lot of fun
Get in touch
Have a question or an idea for a topic? Feel free to reach out through the Contact page. I’d love to hear from you!