You’re lucky you don’t know this detail about salaries, but it’s kind of shitty that those of us on salary don’t get paid overtime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salary

“Salary is a fixed amount of money or compensation paid to an employee by an employer in return for work performed.”

Pretty much all American professionals get paid salary. It’s just sort of the accepted norm. There are some exceptions where some positions offer bonuses, like when you’re in sales, but the majority of Americans get paid a fixed amount of money no matter how much extra time they put in.

That’s not what saabisu zangyo is. What you’re describing is called a “salary.” “Saabisu zangyo” is when you have overtime hours that are unpaid. As in no pay. No salary. Just work.

When I am talking to people who are new to anime, and they ask how close it is to real life in Japan I say it’s like a fun house mirror. You will see some truth, but expect there to be distortions.

When you talk about Densha Otoko are you talking about the book, tv show, or movie? I’ve seen the TV show, and I’m most of the way through the book. It was awhile ago when I watched the show, so I might not remember the exact parts you’re talking about, and so far the book doesn’t seem to reference his direct work experiences.