Posted far from home for his job at Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, father of two Tsutomu Kojima was "really lonely" until he began working remotely during the pandemic for the first time.
COVID-19 has upended office routines worldwide, but in Japan—where punishing hours and reliance on paper files, ink stamps and fax machines has long been the norm—some say the shake-up was sorely needed.
Pre-pandemic, just nine percent of the Japanese workforce had ever teleworked, compared with 32 percent in the United States and 22 percent in Germany, according to Tokyo-based consultancy firm Nomura Research Institute.
But a quiet revolution in the country's rigid business culture is underway, with firms working to digitise operations and offer more flexibility to staff who were once expected to stay late, go drinking with the boss and accept far-flung transfers.
Kojima used to live alone in accommodation provided by Hitachi near Tokyo, an hour and a half by bullet train from his family in Nagoya.
Back then he would return only twice a month, but now the 44-year-old works exclusively from home, and says he is more productive and closer to his teenage daughters.
"I have more time to help them with their studies. My youngest told me she hopes things stay like this," he told AFP.
"I used to feel really lonely" in Tokyo, Kojima said, but he has since realised that "true balance means not giving up on family".
Japan had been slow to embrace teleworking, but since the pandemic forced a re-evaluation, many have come to enjoy their newfound freedom.