dodosuko comments

That's like pouring boiling hot water on the Chinese's burn wound. Confucius says "Don't do unto others, what you don't want others to do to you".

How will Japanese people feel if America says Hiroshima and Nagasaki never happened?

Some people can spend less than what they earn.

I don't buy things I don't need with money I don't have to impress people that I don't even like. Like a lot of people these days do. Putting their pride over living a real honest life.

By 55 I'm off the hook with paying mortgage loan, while those still paying rent better be off with a lot of nenkin or money saved up for paying 40 grand per month rent upon 65 until their death bed. There's even a house to pass on to the next generation

Something that I wish not do after over 55 when age is catching up. Hopefully could already take it easy, holidaying in SE Asia, take care of grandchildren (finger crossed) and just enjoy the rest of life after receiving nenkin post 60.

4 million a year won't pay my Amex card, it's not even close to what I pay for rent.

You're still only paying rent which means you don't own the place. I'm paying 50,000 yen per month for a 3 bedroom house with huge garden plenty space to play for my kids and park my cars, it will be another another twenty something years but we know we have a roof over our head and place to keep us warm for good. Good luck paying 400,000 yen to your landlord each month in the big cities ;)

Self employed meaning you're paying kokumin nenkin? Good luck receiving 50,000 yen per month when Uehara's getting nearly 200,000 yen with Kosei Nenkin after retiring.

Every life choice is a double edged swords.;)

John-san : I know a lot of families living with 3 M tedori with no problem at all here in the country side. So if the article mention 4M per year for a single guy in his 40s is considered poverty, what is the actual break down of his expense? Would it include 15,000 yen for a golf game, 10,000 yen AKB48 concert ticket or 20,000 yen to a kebakura? ;)

We go to Daiso for some household appliance or gardening tool, a koro koro roller could be 400 yen in department store, bicycle kit could be 1000 yen, mug cups could be 500 yen but everything is toned down to 108 yen in Daiso or Seria. That's a lot saved if you buy a lot of things on the long run.

Car shaken done in Autobacks or Yellow Hat only took us 50,000 for a kei car, might cost more in shop that will try to rip us off. We asked for mitsumori at Autobacs beforehand and all is well.

Light sickness like cold, cough, flu could be treated with medicine from general drugstore like Wellness, just ask their pharmacist for their recommendations.

For other things there's always online shop like Amazon or Rakuten where we can get things cheaper. Bought my son's bike for around 10,000 yen online as compared to 20,000 yen in a bike shop.

For entertainment we could rent DVDs for 80 yen in GEO for a whole week (or actually Torrent for free online ;)), we sometimes could just hang out for half day in Jusco AEON mall in the weekend (kids playing in the toys section and game arcade, while I check sport goods and bookshops).

In short, so many things that you could cut corners with spending.

Japan is actually much cheaper and affordable than what a lot of people think, that's if you know your way and know where to look.

3 M a year living a decent and comfortable life here in the countryside with 2 kids. House mortgage, 2 cars, once a year holiday abroad. We cook our own food mostly and ocasionally dine out on weekends or oiwai party.

Sports are either free or 100 yen with local sport clubs (susidized local gymnasium). Gyms for weight training only 100 yen. Swimming pool 150 yen. Tons of parks. My son joined sport clubs here for 2,000 yen per year. Phone bills 4,000 yen for 2 Android smartphones on Kakuyasu SIM cards (beats any ote Docomo, Softbank, AU anyday). Internet ADSL for 3,000 yen a month.

House is all denka could go to only 4,000 per month in spring, autumn ( no gas bills), most expensive would be summer or winter max would be 15,000 (that's if we max out yukadanbo, heating carpet, kotatsu for very cold winter). Transportation 8,000 yen on a 25km/ L running kei for work (covered by company).

We could even still save on the side after all the monthly expense. Basic need is food, house, clothes. We don't need to be super setsuyaku but just have to know where you can substitute the things like for a cup of 450 yen coffee in Starbucks I'd rather go for a Cafe Latte 150 yen in Lawson. Rather than spending 10,000 yen on a high end sushi just go to Sushi Ro for 4,000 pretty much stuffed the whole family. Rather than buying 15,000 jacket in branded shop just head out to Shimamura, Uniqlo, Bingoya, you could get 3,000 yen stylish and warm jacket.

A suggestion to all complaining in the article above or having hard time living in the city, consider moving to the countryside, it worked for us at least.

Tofukuji Temple and Kiyomizudera in Kyoto.

My J-wife owns JP Bank credit card and another from an electronic shop so we just share when using the credit card. So I wasn't thinking of getting one for myself until I was approached by a staff from Sports Authority when I was shopping for some Under Armor t-shirts.

I was asked if I would like to have a credit card with no annual fee guranteed forever (永遠年会費無料） and I even get to choose if I want Visa, Mastercard or JCB. I went to fill their form for 5 minutes. Their main office rang me up a few days later to confirm it's me with the right number (本人確認）. I got my card in less than a week.

I would rate my experience of getting a credit card in Japan as much easier than I thought it would be.

Most nature places or temples I've been to in Japan are free, you just have to pay transport to get there. Tokyo city (Asakusa's Sensoji, Meiji Shrine, Akihabara, Shibuya, to name a few), Mount Fuji, Nikko, Kamakura, Hiroshima (Peace Memorial Park, Miyajima and Itsukushima Jinja) , Kyoto (Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari, Yasaka Jinja, Kurama Kibune), Okinawa's beaches, Nara's park (entrance to Todaiji though will require fee), Ise Shrine, Mount Koya, Kobe (Harborland, Chinatown), Osaka (Dotonbori), and so many more.

Most castles will only charge for entrance inside the castle, Himeji Castle, Osaka Castle, Matsumoto Castle just on top of my head doesn't charge to enter the park areas where you can get a good look and pictures of the castles.

Kanamara phallus matsuri for god of fertility and hoping for more kids to be born in Japan.

Japanese workers need to listen to some food for thoughts from people like

Jon Jandai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21j_OCNLuYg

or

Jose 'Pepe' Mujica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GX6a2WEA1Q

I make less than average Japanese but have time, freedom and love for my family, that's how I roll and that's how people should roll if they want to be happy.

What would you do?

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

All my J-guys buddies are all having happy amazing sexual lives, just none of them involving their J-wives.

@Tigers

well it's that sweet talking that make me end up with my J-wife in the first place :p

@Reckless

we would sometimes leave the kids to the inlaws to have our own time, like going to nearby Onsen, or kinky rabuho just to create the mood, but not too long as the inlaws would get tired of watching the kids ;p

@Cleo

Exactly, simple praises, surprises, gifts (doesn't have to be expensive), and a good mood or place could help, in my country we have a saying "we need to grab their heart and everything will follow suit" ^^

@Thunderbird

My thoughts exactly, I feel sorry for those whose getting few hundred yens allowance while working their whole lives but some of my Japanese friends told me they have a stash account for their hobbies (golf, fishing, cars, girls,photography,to name a few that I know) they put aside a few man yens for their hobbies and give the rest of their income to their wives.

Another big challenge that I had was to keep the sexual relationship still happening even after we have children. I would surprise her sometimes with gifts, sweet talking, etc to keep us the romance alive or 'rabu rabu'. A lot of my Japanese friends turned to prostitution (soaplands, health delivery and such) because their romance turned cold. Where I'm from everyone people have more sex than Japanese couples(at least much more frequent) even way until the kids are old. I don't want to end up having sexless marriage like a lot of my Japanese friends, although we're doing it less than compared to when we were dating but luckily I still have some actions going after my kids are asleep ;p

Mostly cultural issues.

Where I'm from we would have seperate accounts while here in Japan the wives would control the money and give the dads small sum of allowance. We agreed to have our own separate accounts and freedom in managing our family money. We made another joint account where we would use for our expenses (bills, credit cards, expenses). I would never need to ask for money for my hobbies.

I always have to open and shut the door where I'm from so sometimes when I got home I forgot to shut the taxi door and get yelled by the cab driver back at home.

I like how they wear gloves and all, the seat look clean and nice, but the driver could be on the dangerous scary driving sometimes.

I prefer to use Uber these days, they pick you up wherever you are on a click of smartphone, no need to use cash and cheaper than usual taxis.

It's good for me as I'm booking my travels this spring break.

My yen will stretch me farther at least for enjoying my trips to tropical paradises. We're looking to visit Koror this time.

It's a good time to travel at least. Can't wait :D

Why still pay for porn and watch censored porn these days?

Uncensored J-porn is nothing new, and you can watch tons of them for free now on websites like vies, xamer or 2

Hawaii offers the best weather, nature, food and nicest people, I could easily understand why it will always be popular for not only Japanese but travelers from everywhere in the world.

With some of the other tropical resorts in Asia like Thailand, Bali or Cebu (Philippines) that I have visited well sure they're also great places, it's just sometime things could be hit and misses, like the weather could be very very humid which makes you constantly sweating and uncomfortable, food poisoning happened to me in Thailand and Bali, security guards armed with M16 at ATMs in Philippines. There wasn't a time that I wasn't offered girls, weed or magic mushrooms in Thai and Bali by street hustlers if I'm walking by myself. Even Tuk Tuk drivers are always asking if I'm interested in local girls. You'll also end up paying similar price as Hawaii for the higher rank establishment (hotels, spas, restaurants, marine sports and activities) for the better quality in these resort islands if you know what I'm saying.

Sure you ended up paying a little bit more expensive with Hawaii but the Aloha spirit along with the nature, food, people will always be enticing for me to revisit again. Hawaii's just simply 最高!

I work as a waiter in a restaurant and once I had a party of 8 westerners coming to eat, handed them the menu which none of them could read (no pictures to help them figure out what's written on the menu). Luckily, I was able to speak English and while explaining about the dishes, was talking to the customers : " My diet has to be gluten free." " Do you know if this dish is gluten free?" " I'm allergic to meat and seafood". " Could you make this dish without the meat or seafood?" " I'm a vegan" " Do you know any dish that could be eaten by vegans?" "I'm a vegetarian" " What kind of dish do you recommend for vegetarians?"

The energy and time needed to serve this one Foreigner group is equivalent of serving 4 other groups of Japanese costumers. Totally consumed my time while there were other guests also waiting to be served. Sometimes the requests could be very overwhelming.

Back to sushi ordering topic , I think both parties didn't really have the common sense in resolving the issues. For the customer lady, why would you ask for rice free sushi if you know that vinegar rice is a very important part of the dish? Wait until they invent carb-free rice like decaf for coffee. As for the restaurant owner, why would you have to kick your customers out if you could politely apologize and maybe offer her to have sashimis instead?

agree with everyine else, ANA for the win! Polite, kind and beautiful charming CAs, nice uniforms, my last flight to Bali was fantastic, really pampered by their service, they will be at your service when you need them while at the same time leave you to rest when you least needed anything. Overall experience with this airline's simply great.