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In any other country this advert where two people proudly announce: “Our total annual income is 3.55 million. We bought our mansion!” would be one of those pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams that many young professionals could only dream of.
However, in Japan this ad has left people feeling despondent about the future of the country and thinking to themselves, “I wouldn’t be smiling so much, if I were them.”
First of all, this salary is in yen, which has a base unit around a hundredth of many other currencies. So as the 28-year-old boyfriend here stands with his thumbs confidently in the waist band of his jeans announces his 2,150,000 yen annual salary, in U.S. dollars he would be making about $21,000 a year.
The pretty woman on his arm couldn’t be more proud of her beau as she boasts her own salary of 1,400,000 yen, which equates to around $13,750 per annum, for a combined dual income of $34,750. Sure, it’s a lot more than some people have in Japan,and even in the US during these times of financial crisis, but it’s hardly a “Let’s shout it to the world!” type cash flow either.
Then there’s the “mansion” they had just bought with their hard-earned money. The word "mansion" in Japanese is widely used to refer to a condo or apartment. It’s kind of like how a public housing project might be given a euphemistic name like Clearwater Mansion, only in Japan it’s as if it caught on to the point that “mansion” had become the generic word for all multiple-occupant buildings, the only real difference between them and the average "apaato" apartment being that there’s often a lobby and, sometimes, a security guard or door on the ground floor.
As a result of all this we have two people boasting that their combined household income was still well below the national average for full-time workers (which is 4.1 million yen according to 2012 data) and they just bought a condo.
This has led to feedback from netizens such as:
“I wouldn’t be smiling like that.”
“Japan’s tragedy.”
“Those figures are pretty realistic if you live in the countryside.”
“Is it this bad in other countries too?”
“What the hell does he do?! lol”
“That’s enough to live in a rural area. And if you’re happy, who needs money?”
“Well, being a model doesn’t pay very well.”
A few people commented on the disparity between the man and the woman’s income as well, but to be fair the pair don’t mention what their fictional jobs are. However, perhaps rather than a sign of economic disaster in Japan, this is just a changing of the times. They say that 40 is the new 30, by which logic our 20s would be the new teens. Remember; it’s that magical time in our lives where we do crap part-time jobs for next-to-no money.
Source: Twitter via My Game News Flash
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Notes from the Evangelion payroll department – How much does Shinji earn? -- 10 surprising lifestyle habits of Japanese savers: Why are men who throw things out good with money? -- How mean are you? Compare your life with the average Japanese person
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4 Comments
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kurisupisu
Would the writer prefer people on a mediocre income not able to afford to buy an apartment?
This is a senseless article....!
ambrosia
Exactly! It seems like the point of the advertisement is that you don't have to be rich or even make as much as you might think you do, in order to be able to afford to buy a decent home. It may not be a mansion in the English sense of the word but there's nothing wrong with that for a young couple not making millions.
Mocheake
Better than being a hikkikomori and/or sponging off your parents until they die. Their situation is still better than that of a good percentage of the world's population. Be thankful for what you have.
Equality
I'm still trying to figure out the point of this article. Since it's an advert, why all the detailed analysis by the writer and judgement by netizens? Do the latter thing that the models, incomes, and home purchase are real?