cost of living question
Paulrus
to settle a discussion my wife and I are having.
My wife is from Japan and she and I have been talking about the cost
of living here in Indiana. She is worried we simply aren't earning
enough to make ends meet and exclaimed - if we lived in Japan, things
would be much easier because she could get a job and contribute to our
income.
Now, Indiana has some of the lowest cost of living in the country.
Currently we're renting a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house for $500 a month.
Could someone just run down the following for me?
1. The average salary for teaching English in Tokyo
2. The average OL salary (no college degree)
3. A rundown of the costs of a husband, wife and 2 kids (one of them
an infant that would require daycare - the other would require a
babysitter or some sort of afternoon care) living in Tokyo - rent,
electricity, TV, taxes, etc.
I personally don't think we could save any money at all living in
Tokyo - my first attempt at calculating our cost of living ended up
with it costing more than we could actually earn. I certainly don't
think we could live the lifestyle we're currently living.
If possible - PLEASE CC me your answer by email. Google groups makes
it a real PITA to read newsgroups...
Thanks
Paul
Fabian
"Paulrus" <6oo2...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message
> 1. The average salary for teaching English in Tokyo
250 yen/mo
> 2. The average OL salary (no college degree)
I guess 200 yen/mo
> 3. A rundown of the costs of a husband, wife and 2 kids (one of them
> an infant that would require daycare - the other would require a
> babysitter or some sort of afternoon care) living in Tokyo - rent,
> electricity, TV, taxes, etc.
500 yen/mo
Bear in mind that a) prices are generally lower outside the cities, and
b) the above figures are totally detached from reality.
--
--
Fabian
Visit my website often and for long periods!
http://www.lajzar.co.uk
Ryan Ginstrom
> I was wondering if those of you living in or around Tokyo would care
> to settle a discussion my wife and I are having.
>
> My wife is from Japan and she and I have been talking about the cost
> of living here in Indiana. She is worried we simply aren't earning
> enough to make ends meet and exclaimed - if we lived in Japan, things
> would be much easier because she could get a job and contribute to our
> income.
In general, cost of living and local wages are tied, so there is probably
not a lot of difference from area to area, for comparable jobs. If your wife
could work in Japan and not in the US, it might well make you more
prosperous.
But the fact that your wife can't work in the states suggests that she
doesn't have the English skills to do so. In that case she is probably very
isolated (I don't think there is a large Japanese community in Indiana), and
going back to familiar Japan probably has an allure that is not entirely
monetary. Especially if she is from Tokyo and trying to live in Indiana --
that's two shocks: Japan to US, and metropolis to hicksville (no offense of
course).
AFAIK, the standard pay for an English teacher in Japan is 3 million
yen/year, which is the minimum they can pay you and still give you a visa.
Lucky for you, you can get a spouse visa, so you can work even cheaper than
that.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Brett Robson
>
>Now, Indiana has some of the lowest cost of living in the country.
>Currently we're renting a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house for $500 a month.
>
Which country is that?
.
----
"I went to Japan once, and was very dissapointed in what I saw."
quote from Japan Today forums.
Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson
> I was wondering if those of you living in or around Tokyo would care
> to settle a discussion my wife and I are having.
>
> My wife is from Japan and she and I have been talking about the cost
> of living here in Indiana. She is worried we simply aren't earning
> enough to make ends meet and exclaimed - if we lived in Japan, things
> would be much easier because she could get a job
Why can't she get a job in Indiana?
> and contribute to our
> income.
Although women in Japan on the whole manage the family budget, and in
my case anyway, make a very good job of keeping track of the pennies,
there seems to often be a major detachment from the big picture.
I also wonder if she's actually saying "I want to live in Japan".
> 1. The average salary for teaching English in Tokyo
There's various places that advertise jobs, http://www.daijob.com
being one that springs to mind. A fresh-off-the-boat English language
performing monkey will get 250,000 per month before tax, for example.
> 2. The average OL salary (no college degree)
I would guess somewhere between 1000 to 1500 yen per hour would be
normal, with little or no career path.
> 3. A rundown of the costs of a husband, wife and 2 kids (one of them
> an infant that would require daycare - the other would require a
> babysitter or some sort of afternoon care)
I think it would be cheaper for her to be a housewife and take the tax
breaks.
> living in Tokyo - rent,
> electricity, TV, taxes, etc.
Rent, of course, depends on where you want to live - for a 3LDK in a
reasonable area I would guess you'd be lucky to get away with less
than 100,000 yen per month. Broadband is cheap, everything else is
expensive. If you currently shop at huge US superstores, I would guess
everything would be doubled at least. Tax is relatively low, I run at
under 20% including all city, national, health, pension, etc
deductions.
> I personally don't think we could save any money at all living in
> Tokyo - my first attempt at calculating our cost of living ended up
> with it costing more than we could actually earn. I certainly don't
> think we could live the lifestyle we're currently living.
Unless you manage to land a plum ex-pat contracting deal with
accomodation and yearly 8 digit salary, or are single and prepared to
live in a grotty cardboard box, I don't think you should expect to
live above the day-to-day subsistence level.
> If possible - PLEASE CC me your answer by email. Google groups makes
> it a real PITA to read newsgroups...
No, it's very easy. You post here, you read here.
> Paul
Ken
Michael Cash
Yasumoto-Nicolson) belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>
>I also wonder if she's actually saying "I want to live in Japan".
That was my immediate thought as well.
Scene: Bumfukt, Tennessee, Population 10,000 give-r-take
Me, just prior to heading out on the road for a month or so:
"So, are you still going to be here when I get back from
work?"
Disgruntled wife:
"Yes. I don't know how to get to the airport."
Paulrus, my guess is that your wife is hinting that she ain't exactly
happy in Indiana and that money has jackshit to do with it. You know
that old chestnut about everybody in the world wanting to live in
America? It ain't true.
I think too many Japanese women who marry foreign guys have all too
rosy a picture of how wonderful life is going to be in Gaikokuland.
Then they get there and find out that it can be damned hard. Some have
the requisite adventurous spirit to make a go of it, some don't.
If/when you discover you have the latter on your hands, then *you*
have to make some hard choices and decide in what way *you're* going
to adjust. A short list of options:
1. Live with a woman who goes nutso on you as you watch
2. Move to a city with Japanese people, food, and stuff available
3. Move to Japan and *you* be the permanent fish-out-o-water
4. Get ready for when she divorces your ass
It ain't about money, Paulie, that's just the framework she's putting
it in. I took Option #3, by the way.
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> It ain't about money, Paulie, that's just the framework she's putting
> it in. I took Option #3, by the way.
>
I took the same option as well and aside from a few bumps in the road here
and there it has all worked out real nice.
By the way,I'm from IN too and married my wife in a judges' office in
dowtown Indy.
My wife LOVES Indiana. So do my sisterinlaw and fatherinlaw. They think it's
a wonderful little city.
My wife has also planned which restaurant she wants to work at if we ever
move back there.And that is not meant as a bad joke but a reality type
thing. She would also be more then qualified to work in the section of a
ritzy private school there that they keep for little japanese kids.She would
do fine.
Brian
Eric Takabayashi
That's great. If in Hawaii, my wife would probably have to work for a hotel or
Japanese tour company, because her English is not so great, and my wife does
not want to leave Japan. My kids think of Hawaii as a place to go swimming.
May I ask why you prefer to be in Japan? I did it for the money and working 40
hours a week.
mr.sumo snr.
news:3F8EA721...@yahoo.co.jp...
>
> That's great. If in Hawaii, my wife would probably have to work for a
hotel or
> Japanese tour company, because her English is not so great, and my wife
does
> not want to leave Japan. My kids think of Hawaii as a place to go
swimming.
>
> May I ask why you prefer to be in Japan? I did it for the money and
working 40
> hours a week.
Ahem...I do it for the money, quality of life, respect attached to the job
(by Japanese), the opportunity to spend my evenings surrounded by young
women, never again having to answer to a manager and working no more than 25
hours a week!
(I do technically have a boss for 90 minutes every week when I teach at the
local nursing taindai - but since I've seen her once in two years - and she
didn't even speak to me on that occasion I don't think it really counts)
--
jonathan
--
"Never give a working visa to ducks"
Paulrus
> > it a real PITA to read newsgroups...
>
> No, it's very easy. You post here, you read here.
Actually no Ken, it's not. The only way to actually get responses via
Google Groups is to do a search for my user name and then wade through
the results - many times the responses don't come for several hours
after they were actually posted. When I did a search this time I
found your reply but the other responses didn't show up at first. It
took a bit of extra digging to actually find those other posts. I
wasn't asking for EXCLUSIVE email replies, I was asking for people to
CC me via email so I wouldn't miss any answers. If I had a true
usenet connection I could fire up Outlook Express and read replies
with no problem - but I don't. I don't think politely asking people
to CC a response to me is so horrendously difficult. Again - I
understand the concept of usenet and I believe it's important for
posts to be made publically so everyone can share the information - I
was simply asking for COPIES to be sent to me so I was aware they had
been posted.
Thank you for your response, however. The other poster was right - my
wife's English is not good enough for her to work here. Furthermore,
she has no marketable job skills & therefore would be looking at a
minimum wage job. I think, based on my estimates, it would either
take 100% of her pay or possibly more to put our kids in daycare if
she took a job here.
I think it IS a case of being homesick, even if she won't admit it.
Her family just visited us last month and I think she's just now
starting to miss them again.
Thanks for all the information. I really don't see how the numbers
could add up any better than they do here. Yes, our rent is $500 a
month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 2 car garage. A 24 pack of
cokes cost $5 or less. Our groceries, including all baby supplies,
diapers, formula, etc, runs less than $500 a month. Electricity is
$55 a month.
Furthermore, my wife runs a little "garage sale" business online where
she buys stuff at garage sales and then sells them to Japan for 2X her
cost. It doesn't earn much, but it's extra income.
Thanks again,
Paul
Eric Takabayashi
> Thanks for all the information. I really don't see how the numbers
> could add up any better than they do here. Yes, our rent is $500 a
> month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 2 car garage. A 24 pack of
> cokes cost $5 or less. Our groceries, including all baby supplies,
> diapers, formula, etc, runs less than $500 a month. Electricity is
> $55 a month.
Incredible. I wish I could do that.
May I ask why it has to be Tokyo, and not somewhere less expensive?
Drew Hamilton
>1. The average salary for teaching English in Tokyo
Why is it that you assume that this is the only thing you could do in
Japan? Why is it that everyone assumes that this is the only occupation
for foreigners in Japan? What is it that you do in Indiana? Couldn't
you get a job doing that instead?
- awh
Drew Hamilton
>If possible - PLEASE CC me your answer by email.
If possible - PLEASE GET an email account that doesn't bounce.
- awh
Michael Cash
belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>Paulrus <6oo2...@sneakemail.com> wrote:
>>1. The average salary for teaching English in Tokyo
>
>Why is it that you assume that this is the only thing you could do in
>Japan?
It could be that he *wants* to do that......nah.
>Why is it that everyone assumes that this is the only occupation
>for foreigners in Japan? What is it that you do in Indiana? Couldn't
>you get a job doing that instead?
That's a realistic option for only a very small portion of the people
who come here. Are you engaged in the same line of work you did
wherever it was you came from?
Jim
>
> Thank you for your response, however. The other poster was right - my
> wife's English is not good enough for her to work here. Furthermore,
> she has no marketable job skills & therefore would be looking at a
> minimum wage job. I think, based on my estimates, it would either
> take 100% of her pay or possibly more to put our kids in daycare if
> she took a job here.
>
> I think it IS a case of being homesick, even if she won't admit it.
> Her family just visited us last month and I think she's just now
> starting to miss them again.
>
> Thanks for all the information. I really don't see how the numbers
> could add up any better than they do here. Yes, our rent is $500 a
> month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 2 car garage. A 24 pack of
> cokes cost $5 or less. Our groceries, including all baby supplies,
> diapers, formula, etc, runs less than $500 a month. Electricity is
> $55 a month.
>
At some time you may want to see if changing your style of living by
moving to Japan will result in a happier married life, regardless of what
it does to your bank account and/or standard of living. If your wife
is depressed because she doesn't speak the local language and her only
companions during the day are gibbering babies, maybe she'll be much
happier back in Japan.
From experience I can say that a happy home life is worth whatever it takes.
Or rather, IMNSHO, getting out of an unhappy married life is worth
whatever the cost.
Drew Hamilton
>That's a realistic option for only a very small portion of the people
>who come here. Are you engaged in the same line of work you did
>wherever it was you came from?
Well, I still am wherever it is that I came from. But when I do go back
to Japan, then yeah, it'll be the same line of work.
I guess I just got tired of hearing "Oh, you worked in Japan, eh? So
which school did you teach for?" as if it was absolutely inconceivable
that I could have possibly done anything else.
- awh
mr.sumo snr.
news:7cr261-...@urd.awh.org...
For a 'quick fix occupation' English-teaching is the best way to go. If the
guy has a 'pushy' mother-in-law he could set up his own business, get her to
more-or-less bully mothers into sending their kids to his classroom, and
find himself with a fat back pocket in no time. I will admit though that
once you sell yourself to the 'English satin's it's very difficult to
reclaim your soul and pursue another line of work. I'm sure I'll pay for it
in the afterlife - an eternity of correcting high school entrance test
English papers perhaps?
--
jonathan
--
"Never give a gun to ducks"
mr.sumo snr.
...can somebody inform me when son is going to start sleeping through the
night...I can then perhaps start going to bed again....snooze...
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
>
> May I ask why you prefer to be in Japan? I did it for the money and
working 40
> hours a week.
>
My wife wants to live here.
Brian
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> Why is it that you assume that this is the only thing you could do in
> Japan? Why is it that everyone assumes that this is the only occupation
> for foreigners in Japan? What is it that you do in Indiana? Couldn't
> you get a job doing that instead?
In my case,teaching pays ALOT more than cooking. I have never seen a cooking
job advertise a good wage here.
Brian
Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson
> > > it a real PITA to read newsgroups...
> >
> > No, it's very easy. You post here, you read here.
>
> Actually no Ken, it's not. The only way to actually get responses via
> Google Groups is to do a search for my user name and then wade through
> the results
Try:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=fj.life.in-japan
instead, or just click the "Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan" hyperlink in
the header of every message.
> Thanks for all the information. I really don't see how the numbers
> could add up any better than they do here. Yes, our rent is $500 a
> month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 2 car garage. A 24 pack of
> cokes cost $5 or less.
I think you can get no-brand cola for about that in Japan
> Our groceries, including all baby supplies,
> diapers, formula, etc, runs less than $500 a month.
I'm not at the baby stage yet, but the two of us probably run at a
little under 50,000 yen including all household cleaning stuff, etc,
but then neither of us eat much meat or fish or prepared meals.
> Electricity is
> $55 a month.
Japan is apparently the most expensive place for electricity in the
world. IIRC it's about 40 or 50 yen per kWH, and of course since
double-glazing, or even draught-proof windows are unheard of in all
but the newest flats, we run at about 12 - 15,000 yen during summer
and winter for electric and gas, and about 9,000 yen right now.
> Furthermore, my wife runs a little "garage sale" business online where
> she buys stuff at garage sales and then sells them to Japan for 2X her
> cost. It doesn't earn much, but it's extra income.
Well, you could do the same from here with manga, J-Pop, etc. If I had
more free time, I'd get into eBay reselling Pocky at thrice the
price...
> Thanks again,
>
> Paul
Ken
Public Enema
here living with me and just the same she doesnt have the necessary skills
and qualifications to work here..........Thats what she claims anyway, I
personally feel she lacks the confidence sometimes and desperately feels
homesick. It is on that note that we willboth be moving to Tokyo in August
next year. Now Im the money earner of the relationship and the tables will
be turned on me as I will be looking for work in Japan and my language
skills aren't the best in the world either although by the time I get there
I would have been learning 2 years. Still its a challenging one and although
its a great move for me if it works,I love Japan I cant help feeling how it
will be for me especially as the cost of living is higher than London!
"Paulrus" <6oo2...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message
news:733c8a12.03101...@posting.google.com...
The 2-Belo
Some people can be so pig-headed about this sort of thing, they'll even work it
into the script even when you've clearly established that you're NOT, I repeat,
***NOT*** (that's an English word that means "NOT") working for Nova or ECC or
Geos or Kensington or World or Happy Happy Smiley Gaigo Gakuin Kogyo or etc.
There have been at least two occasions -- after I've told someone I am a
computer system/network engineer -- where they would respond, "Oh. So, then, you
teach at night?"
Feh.
I understand that people such as myself, in jobs not related to language or
international blah blah, are a small minority. But it kind of grates on me that
some people seem to actively refuse to explore life in this country in any other
fashion.
--
The 2-Belo
the2belo[AT]msd[DOT]biglobe[DOT]ne[DOT]jp
news:alt.alien.vampire.flonk.flonk.flonk (mhm21x20)
news:alt.fan.karl-malden.nose (Meow.)
http://www.godhatesjanks.org/ (God Hates Janks!)
Processing failed. Hit any user to continue.
The 2-Belo
>of course that should have read 'English Satan'
I read it as "English Satians", and thought of the eki-mae English schools as
Aum-like cult buildings. Worked out to be a nice analogy.
>...can somebody inform me when son is going to start sleeping through the
>night...I can then perhaps start going to bed again....snooze...
Age 22, I'd wager.
Brett Robson
>
> It is on that note that we willboth be moving to Tokyo in August
>next year.
> my language
>skills aren't the best in the world either although by the time I get there
>I would have been learning 2 years.
If I can offer some advice. As you've made the decision to move, she should be
speaking to you entirely in Japanese and you replying in Japanese to your best
ability, even if you have to put English words into a Japanese sentence. Do as I
say, not as I do ;)
another fool
> of course that should have read 'English Satan'
>
> ...can somebody inform me when son is going to start sleeping through the
> night...I can then perhaps start going to bed again....snooze...
At age 18 more or less, but I`ve heard from reliable sources that that
doesn`t help with the parents being able to sleep through the night.
Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson
> There have been at least two occasions -- after I've told someone I am a
> computer system/network engineer -- where they would respond, "Oh. So, then, you
> teach at night?"
I used to get that a few times:
"I'm working for Matsushita in R&D"
"Teaching English to the staff?"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
> Feh.
>
> I understand that people such as myself, in jobs not related to language or
> international blah blah, are a small minority. But it kind of grates on me that
> some people seem to actively refuse to explore life in this country in any other
> fashion.
In the last 3 months I've thrice had obaaaachans come up to me and say
"Amerika-jin desuka?". Still, it could be worse, they could call me
English - I let them off with Igirisu-jin, but I use Sukottorando-jin
or Eikoko-jin when I reply.
BTW, I've never had anyone approach me for the "free English lesson"
thing (although I thought that was what my BYJW was after after our
first date!), barring some primary-school kids on the
"interview-a-gaigin" school trip thingie at Kankuu.
Ken
mr.sumo snr.
news:44845040.03101...@posting.google.com...
Only consolation is that I'm getting really good at online Risk II again..
--
jonathan
--
"Never give an aaaaarrrgh to ducks"
Brett Robson
I might have my interweb thingy Friday next week, get ready for some
competition.
Michael Cash
<la...@my.nuts.wouldja?> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
Like the bumper sticker says,
"If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy"
Declan Murphy
Wouldn't it depend to some degree on what you are cooking, & what
position you had within the workplace hierarchy etc? The chef working in
the building next door to my office earns a pretty good salary - as in
shitloads. In addition to cooking, his role includes training chefs how
to use Electrolux equipment in commercial kitchens. His younger
assistants of course don't earn as much, but judging by the lack of
staff turnover they apparently earn relatively more or in better
conditions relative to elsewhere. Seems to be a nice niche.
--
A hand on the bush is worth two birds on the arm.
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> Like the bumper sticker says,
>
> "If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy"
>
Brian
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> Wouldn't it depend to some degree on what you are cooking, & what
> position you had within the workplace hierarchy etc? The chef working in
> the building next door to my office earns a pretty good salary - as in
> shitloads. In addition to cooking, his role includes training chefs how
> to use Electrolux equipment in commercial kitchens. His younger
> assistants of course don't earn as much, but judging by the lack of
> staff turnover they apparently earn relatively more or in better
> conditions relative to elsewhere. Seems to be a nice niche.
>
culinary school and got that title.
Every job ad I have seen for cooks pays shit compared to teaching.
But,I haven't really dug too deep either. Just glances. I have decided
though,that I enjoy teaching children. It's a good kick in the ass for me
and most of the kids seem to dig me. I'm happy where I am now and don't
really want to cook again for a living.
Brian
Michael Cash
<la...@my.nuts.wouldja?> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>
Here's a little conversation I once had with a McNova manager. One
which left her dumbstruck.
"Would you like to teach children's classes?"
"Can I spank them?"
"No! Of course not!"
"Then I'm not teaching them."
End of conversation.
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> "Would you like to teach children's classes?"
> "Can I spank them?"
> "No! Of course not!"
> "Then I'm not teaching them."
>
> End of conversation.
>
I have found that my old feelings of wanting to light their little asses up
faded once I realised that with one good-bellowing-right-from-the-diaphragm
HEY!!!! YOU!!!! STOP NOW!!!!! I could calm the little fuckin' assholes right
down.
They have a tendency to be nice to ol' Brian sensei after that shit.
And if that doesn't do it, I'll get in their mothers' faces about proper
child rearing after class.
Brian
cc
"Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing" <la...@my.nuts.wouldja?> wrote in message
> They have a tendency to be nice to ol' Brian sensei after that shit.
> And if that doesn't do it, I'll get in their mothers' faces about proper
> child rearing after class.
I don't teach to kids, because I don't want to hear their histeric Japanese
parents after (if not during) the class.
CC
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> I don't teach to kids, because I don't want to hear their histeric
Japanese
> parents after (if not during) the class.
>
> CC
I make them leave the classroom.
One in-class visit per month.
I wave them byebye and close the door.
Brian
cc
"Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing" <la...@my.nuts.wouldja?> wrote in message
> I make them leave the classroom.
> One in-class visit per month.
> I wave them byebye and close the door.
And they obey ? You spank them or what ?
I don't know why a Japanese primary school kid needs to study French on
Sundays instead of playing at the park. But the parents that found a reason
are usually not people I want to deal with.
That's good if you can set your conditions. There are schools were a
Japanese staff + 2 mothers check and film all the classes for fear a wild
gaikokujin bite or scratch a child.
CC
Dick Muhfukkin Bagswing
> That's good if you can set your conditions. There are schools were a
> Japanese staff + 2 mothers check and film all the classes for fear a wild
> gaikokujin bite or scratch a child.
>
> CC
Thankfully,I have never had to deal with those types of conditions but I
have heard other teachers speak of them.
I worked for a company for awhile that only allowed the mothers to come to
class once a month. Otherwise the kids pay no attention to the class.
So,I kept this little rule as I moved into the more independent style of
working that I do now.
I absolutely NEVER allow videotaping of classes. That would cost extra.
Bigtime.
If you are working in an even slightly independent manner you can make these
rules and get away with it. As I do.
Brian
Prophet of the Way
Paulrus wrote:
> My wife is from Japan and she and I have been talking about the cost
> of living here in Indiana.
Cost of living in Japan
5 kilograms rice: 1780 yen
1 liter milk: 178 y
1 apple: 148 y
10 eggs, small size: 160 y
box corn flakes, 180 grams: 248 y
0.5 liter beer: 278 y
12 rolls toilet paper, 60 meters each: 228 y
(Above prices are for varieties on the lower end of the price scale. Gourmet,
organic food can be twice as much or more. 1 ounce = 28 grams. 1 liter is
roughly 1 quart.)
1 liter gasoline: 100 y
Bufferin, 20 tablets: 598 y
Monthly subscription to Japan Times (daily newspaper): 3900 y
Newsweek Magazine (Eng.) at a bookstore: 800 y
Monthly NHK fee: 1395 y
(All television set owners are supposed to pay this.)
Add 5% sales tax to above.
On total costs the following survey of living expenses of college students may
be of help:
http://www2.univcoop.or.jp/alacarte/waynow/gaman.html (Japanese text)
------
Wages:
Starting hourly wage for kitchen staff in McDonalds: 750 yen
(Convenience stores, supermarkets pay about the same. Ads appear often,
indicating high turnover.)
Hourly wage, office work requiring high English proficiency: 1500 y
(TOEIC score 700, computer skills necessary. I don't think they'd hire someone
without a college degree.)
> If possible - PLEASE CC me your answer by email. Google groups makes
> it a real PITA to read newsgroups...
Email to your address bounced with this message:
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+
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+
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Ryan Ginstrom
"Prophet of the Way" <a...@wta.att.ne.jp> wrote in message
news:3F92FBFC...@wta.att.ne.jp...
> Cost of living in Japan
Tokyo, you mean. Which is cool, since that is what he was asking about. But
things are considerably cheaper here in Okinawa.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
ZX81
"Paulrus" <6oo2...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message > Furthermore, my wife
runs a little "garage sale" business online where
> she buys stuff at garage sales and then sells them to Japan for 2X her
> cost. It doesn't earn much, but it's extra income.
May you post your wife web page?
Thanks
Guido
Michael Cash
<a...@wta.att.ne.jp> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>
>Monthly NHK fee: 1395 y
>(All television set owners are supposed to pay this.)
The NHK guy came around to see us over the weekend. My wife was
actually standing there at the door hemming and hawing with the guy as
though there were a chance I would actually pony up. I told him to
fuck off. No point talking with the guy when I already know what the
outcome is going to be.
another fool
Our guy hasn't shown up since we moved here about 4 months ago. First
time he showed up the wife and her folks were unpacking and I was
doing baby herding duty. They politely told him to come back. He
came back the next day and my wife told me to talk to him - I told him
(nicely) we aren't going to pay. He took out some english paper and
tried to explain that we had to. I told him (nicely again) that we
weren't going to pay. At this point he started walking up the
driveway towards the door so I walked back inside and shut the door in
his face. Figured it was easier then me having to physically remove
him if he decided he wanted to go into the house.
Rafael Caetano
>
> Tokyo, you mean. Which is cool, since that is what he
> was asking about. But
But is food significantly more expensive in Tokyo? Judging from that
list, Fukuoka is not significantly cheaper.
The big difference is rent, of course.
[]s
Rafael
Ryan Ginstrom
"Rafael Caetano" <rcae...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:94a6da7.03102...@posting.google.com...
Yes, food is significantly cheaper here. Especially meat and fish, but
produce and dairy as well. The only thing that is not much cheaper, and may
even be more expensive, is rice.
Of course rent/land prices are a lot cheaper, up to a point. Prime property
will still cost quite a bit, since all those rich Tokyo slobs like to buy
their little bessou's here in Okinawa.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Gerry
wrote:
> Paulrus <6oo2...@sneakemail.com> wrote: >1. The average salary for
> teaching English in Tokyo
>
> Why is it that you assume that this is the only thing you could do in
> Japan?
Perhaps because we all know so many people who have worked in Japan,
almost of them teaching English.
> Why is it that everyone assumes that this is the only occupation for
> foreigners in Japan?
Not "only"; just predominant. I think most folk understand that highly
qualified folk with very specific skills which are not evidenced
generally among the Japanese, can work there. I would think the things
that can't be found locally would be pretty picayune. Why would someone
hire gaijin to do tasks you can easily get a local to do, especially
when unemployment is on the rise?
> What is it that you do in Indiana? Couldn't you get a job doing that
> instead?
As for me, I'm a programmer for a market research company in southern
California. I suppose somebody in Japan might want someone who can't
speak the language very well working for them. But why not hire someone
who spoke Japanese fluently, and could navigate email and all the rest
acceptably?
I don't think that my assumption that a Unitedstatesian working in
Japan is more than likely an English teacher is sucha wild-ass guess.
--
///--- Vote for the richest Republican. He understand the common man.
Prophet of the Way
I wrote:
> Cost of living in Japan
> Monthly subscription to Japan Times (daily newspaper): 3900 y
> Newsweek Magazine (Eng.) at a bookstore: 800 y
> Monthly NHK fee: 1395 y
5% sales tax included for these items.
John Ormston
respectable being a truck driver, an embassy employee or an English
teacher-it really doesn't matter-does it? All of this talk of which school
do you work for etc. is a lot of bollocks, and I don't really hold any more
respect for anyone else who is basically here doing a job and making ends
meet-well to make ends meet. we are all here for different reasons and work
in jobs but for any person who looks down on another persons job here-thats
sad-for me it amounts to jealousy
"The 2-Belo" <the2...@msd.biPOKPOKglobe.ne.jp> wrote in message
news:3f8f5209$0$2949$df06...@news.sexzilla.net...
>
> >Michael Cash <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> wrote:
> >>That's a realistic option for only a very small portion of the people
> >>who come here. Are you engaged in the same line of work you did
> >>wherever it was you came from?
> >
> >Well, I still am wherever it is that I came from. But when I do go back
> >to Japan, then yeah, it'll be the same line of work.
> >
> >I guess I just got tired of hearing "Oh, you worked in Japan, eh? So
> >which school did you teach for?" as if it was absolutely inconceivable
> >that I could have possibly done anything else.
>
> Some people can be so pig-headed about this sort of thing, they'll even
work it
> into the script even when you've clearly established that you're NOT, I
repeat,
> ***NOT*** (that's an English word that means "NOT") working for Nova or
ECC or
> Geos or Kensington or World or Happy Happy Smiley Gaigo Gakuin Kogyo or
etc.
>
> There have been at least two occasions -- after I've told someone I am a
> computer system/network engineer -- where they would respond, "Oh. So,
then, you
> teach at night?"
>
>
> I understand that people such as myself, in jobs not related to language
or
> international blah blah, are a small minority. But it kind of grates on me
that
> some people seem to actively refuse to explore life in this country in any
other
> fashion.
>
>