Han’s business card lists three professional accreditations: a government license to sell secondhand goods; a certification from Japan’s National Association of Cleanout Professionals, an organization representing eight thousand of Japan’s cleanout companies; and, from the same organization, an accreditation as a shukatsu counselor. The last is unique to Japan. During the country’s post–World War II reconstruction and economic boom, shukatsu described the process of finding a job. But in recent years, older Japanese have changed the first Japanese character in shukatsu so that it takes on a
...more
