Job Discussion Forums

gimmebear · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 6

Really, my subject says it all. Some say that the cost of things is not too bad in Tokyo, but then others go on about how expensive it is. Please tell me if it`s possible to save there.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

It is possible, definitely. My mate saved 30,000,000 in 11 years in non-teaching work.

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

Been there briefly and I`d imagine it depends on how you like to have a good time. Here in Nagano its cheaper to live than in England, with one exception: beer. As I`m the only teacher in my school I`ve practically given up drinking but when I have gone out I`ve often spent more than 1000Y on a half, about 6 pounds or 10 US dollars I`d imagine. Rents got to be high down there too, though I see most chain schools advertise rents as far higher than you should have to pay. Mine is a two room (with bathroom) chalet type place, new, and with most mod cons and I pay 33K yen, about 170 pounds. thats pretty cheap by any standards for a single appartment. These chain schools that charge 60 - 70k yen and then give you the blurb that you`re getting a good deal because you don`t pay the key money, are full of bullshit basically.

Sorry, probably not much help! Good luck,

Chris

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

Cool, I love the way it beeps out swear words, didn`t notice that before. Sorry Dave!

Chris

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Assuming that the OP wanted to know about making/saving money as a teacher, Sweetsees's response was way off the mark. I agree with canuck in asking for MUCH more detailed information. To save 3 million yen a year in Tokyo requires quite a different salary from a teacher!

If you want a small sampling of prices in Tokyo, look at this.
www.pricechecktokyo.com

Because the cost of living is higher in Tokyo compared to smaller cities, you can expect a slightly higher salary from the conversation schools, but not much. You will still have to base your savings on your outgoing expenses, and a big chunk of that is rent. The closer you live to downtown, the more you will pay, just like anywhere else in the world. Rent can be anything from 30,000 yen/month to 250,000 yen/month. Food costs depend on whether you are a meat-eater or vegetarian, and just how much you eat. You can get by quite nicely on 30,000 yen/month if you make your own lunches.

Nightlife is costly, and a very conservative month of going to clubs and bars will run you 30,000 to 50,000 yen. People don't realize that trains and subways stop around midnight, but many westerners are in the habit of staying out past that time, so they have to rely on taxis to get home, and taxi fare doubles after midnight. Charm charges (entry fees for bars) can be 4000 to 10,000 yen, whether you get a drink with that or not).

Many people also consider working in Japan to be more of a vacation than a job, so they spend a lot of money on sightseeing. Well, the main holidays you get from conversation schools are the same ones that everyone else in the country get: Obon, Golden Week, and New Year. At these times of year, hotel and transportation rates double or triple, so you spend far more than usual, but you are often stuck with this because of your work schedule.

Basic savings on a standard conversation school salary with a moderate lifestyle is about 70,000-90,000 yen/month (after nightlife expenses and basic necessities). What you do with this is up to you, and it will determine how much you can actually SAVE.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

This, of course, wasn't in Tokyo but may or may not be Guinness Book material.

Pulled into a campground this summer and was just starting to unload when we discovered we had missed one of the zeros on the daily fee. Yes, folks 10,000 yen a night! Which would explain the way the occupied sites looked like something out of a camping catalog showroom.
And may explain why there were several occupied sites but not a soul to be seen. Absolutely amazing!

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Just dug this up, a survey of the most recent retail price index, with prices of commodities in different areas of Japan.

http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kouri/15i2.htm

crazyteacher · Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 34 Location: Tokyo

About rent (usually the biggest expense) You can get some cheap deals if you are willing to be a bit weird. I live in a decent size (6 mat bedroom, 4.5 mat dining, 1 mat kitchen) place 1 station from shinjuku (I can walk home in 40 minutes. This is good for the late nights). Its 47000 a month. The main problem with the place is that there is no bathroom (there is a toilet) so I had to rig up a shower in the genkan.

I was offered even cheaper places (30000 a month) one express stop from shinjuku.

I would imagine a place out in the boonies without a bath would be cheaper still but I wanted to be near shinjuku.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Trust the government to put in exhorbitantly high prices. Don't know about the rest of the cities, but the prices for Sapporo are not that high. I'm sure they did some sort of average, but even so, some of those prices are way off.

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima