Things on a Train

In many cultures there are things that you should and should not do on a train.
In America, it is perfectly acceptable to eat on a train. There are even snack cars for it. But in Taiwan or Singapore don't dream of it. It is a fine-able offense.

There are similar rules in Japan as well. But the only super important one that will also apply to any bus you take is to not talk on your phone. There is only one car that will say not to use your phone. In fact it tells you to completely power it off. This is because that car is specifically for people with pacemakers. In the other cars phones are allowed and I am not even sure you could have any hope of preventing their usage, but you are not really allowed to talk on them. On the few occasions I have actually seen it happen (I think I have seen it 3 times in the 9 months I have been here), no one will stare you down...well not usually. If there is a particularly disgruntled old maid then perhaps you are in no such luck. Rather more often it is the opposite: people go out of their way to avoid looking at you and make displeased noises and faces.
So rule number one. Don't talk on your phone on the rail or buses, but using it is perfectly fine.

The next one is not really a rule per se but more of a cultural aspect. I have noticed you don't really eat or drink on trains or buses...Though night buses seem to be a bit more of an exception. The cultural part of this quirk comes from how Japanese people don't eat and walk. They believe that you must be sitting (almost anywhere) to eat for it to be acceptable. They also believe that you should enjoy your food (part of the reason why you should sit) and to partake in it leisurely so as to enjoy the flavors to the fullest. Remember this is a country that is very thankful for their food. When searching for a place to eat outside of an establishment a few places seem to be more acceptable than most; a park bench vs. in the alley at the backdoor to some establishment crouching on the ground. I am sure you get the picture. Well I think because when you are on a train you are actually sitting I think it must be occasionally acceptable. However the behavior isn't frequented likely because it makes the interior dirty or possibly because it is eating while transporting again. Granted walking and eating is a lot more physical than train riding and eating, they are both methods of commuting which is one of the only common grounds I can find between the two. If you do decide to eat or drink on a train...Well first of all drinking is just more acceptable over all. Especially in the summer. But if you decide to eat, people really do tend to look. It is not the stare down for talking on a phone kind of look it is more like a 'what's she eating? is it good?' kind of look.
With that here is rule number two: Don't frequent eating and drinking on trains.

And here is one last final things I have noticed.
Make up. Girls really love to put their make up on on trains. I mean the young ones going out for a night or a day. It is a fairly common event really, but you really get stared down for it. Also I can't imagine it being an easy take. All stations have bathrooms and I just think it would be significantly easier to do it while stationary and without having to juggle a mirror and all your cosmetics. The reason they get stared down is because they are seen as cheap by much of the Japanese population. A pro if you will. She may just be a normal girl going out for the night with some friends and didn't want her parents to see her with her new face on before she left (you know since most Japanese people do really live with their parents). But in Japan's eyes any classy kind of girl would not need to put make up on on a train and should go somewhere none public to adorn herself. Additionally Japan seems to really prefer a natural look for most women seeing make up, especially in excessive amounts, as severely cheap or trashy.

Japan's Pricetag

What the What?! Do I really need $5000.00 to move to Japan!?

No. You need more than that.


Ideally you should really move to Japan with at least 500,000￥.

At this point most people are like what the heck?! I am moving there to make money, not to spend all of it! Well, it's a trade off. It's crappy I know, but you need money to start a new life somewhere, anywhere.




Don't want to buy in?
If you don't want these money worries, my advice is to move to Korea. The EPIK program is nice and generous and pays for your flights (they pay a set fee so if you get a cheap flight, you really tend to make money - I think my flight was $480.00 and they reimbursed me somewhere around a grand). In addition they house you for free and give you three free meals a day during training. I apologize, I can't seem to remember if they pay you for the training or not... But they DO they pay you exactly a month from when you start. They also provide you with free housing and furnishing for your entire time in Korea. Sometimes, as in cases like mine, they even pay for your bills; that is because the place I stayed in was so cheap that they had to find a way to use the rest of my budget for housing. However, if you place costs more than the housing budget, then you may end up paying a little bit extra a month. I am talking like a hundred dollars or less.


So what do I need all these monies for?

The biggest thing you need money for is your apartment. It costs a nice handsome price for something that could equal a New Yorker's closet space. Why does it cost so much? Japanese apartments have a lot of hidden fees and such. You have to pay for things like key money, insurance and a few months rent ( just in case).


So now I have a place what about the rest of the money?
You need it to furnish your place. Some places and contracts, especially ones with Leopalace, will have furnishings including: a TV, bed frame, TV stand, table, microwave, fridge, and washing machine. Please note that if you want to go with your own place you have to buy all these things. If that is the case, you can find pretty sweet deals at the local recycle shop. But overall, the majority of these appliances can be pretty expensive in Japan. With that being said I still bought my toaster oven at a recycle shop for 1,500￥.

Furnishings check.

Now you need food and dishes and a futon! That last one is extremely important. Yes, if you work for Interac they will offer you a nice deal on bedding, including a pillow, kake and shiki futon (the one you sleep on and the comforter), as well as all the accompanying casings. But if you are picky about bedding, then get your own! I got a nice shiki futon from Muji and Ikea has cheap down comforters that are also very nice and plush. Between those two stores, you should have everything you need for sleeping and eating in your apartment. Beware though, some placements have the misfortune of being nowhere near an Ikea (not being near a Muji...don't be preposterous), if that is the case Konan (コナン) is a wonderful alternative.

Apartment check. Furnishings check. Everything else check.
Now what?
After that, and perhaps most importantly, you need a phone. You are require to have one so that your company can contact you in a pinch. Sure, you can get a pay as you go one, but if you are planning on staying in Japan longer, I personally really recommend getting something with a bit more snazz. Japanese smart phones have truly unlimited data, also you can use them to pay your bills by simply walking in a store (however, I think this may be an android only service), or use them for a nifty app that tells you exactly when trains arrive and the fastest route from point A to B (Jorudan). Overall they are just really useful.
Can't I just use my old phone?
Short answer. NO. You can absolutely not use your old phone. Also Japanese stores do not sell only the SIM cards either. So quit asking. I swear that is like the first thing that people fresh off the boat ask. Can I buy a cheapo phone and switch the SIM card? Still a neg. The SIM card you buy has to match the functions of your phone (ie: data plans). This leaves you with two choices, go cheap or go all the way. Personally, I have an iPhone. They had a deal for Japanese citizens that made it free when they purchased it. NOT being a Japanese citizen I paid 46,000￥ for it. However, my monthly rate is cheaper.



OK so now for a break down of your start up costs:

Apartment Total: 198200￥

• Key Money (non-refundable deposit): 50,500 ￥
• Key Exchange Fee: 3,150 ￥
• Fire Insurance (good for 2 years): 20,000 ￥
• Data Entry Fee: 2,100 ￥
• Rent for August (Partial): 12,410 ￥
• Rent for September : 55,020 ￥
• Rent for October : 55,020 ￥

Furnishings at recycle shop prices! 57,000 ￥

• Toaster oven 1,500￥
• Microwave 5,000￥
• Rice cooker 3,500￥
• Fridge 8,000￥
• Washing machine 12,000￥
• Bed 8,000 ￥
  (find online or at sayonara sales) 
• TV 10,000￥
  (for whatever reason even the analog ones are still expensive!)
• Kotatsu 9,000 ￥
  (including table and kotatsu futon)
  (new its pretty hard to fund used) 

Apartment oddities 30,600

• Dishes 6,300￥
  (pots, pans, utensils, plates, bowls, mixing bowls, spatula, ladle, chopsticks)
• Futon x2 10,000￥
• Sheets 3,000￥
• Towels 1,200￥
• Bathroom supplies 800￥
  (toilet paper, scrubber...)
• Shower supplies2,600 ￥
  (shower rack, shampoo, conditioner, tooth brush, tooth paste, soap...)
• Kitchen supplies 800￥
  (trash cans, soap, sponge...)
• Cleaning Supplies 1,500 ￥ 
• Closet stuff 1,400 ￥
  (coat hangers/organizers)
• Shelving 500 ￥ per
• Fan 2,500 ￥

Phone (varies)

• iPhone 46,000 ￥ 
• pay as you go4,000 ￥ 

What do you do with all the left over money? 

Eat. 

Pay bills. 

Transportation. 

These are all things you need to consider as well. Since you are not going to get paid for possibly 2 months. But you get paid for training? Yes this is true...However this will come with your first pay check. For most that pay check comes the month after they start working. Hypothetically, say you start working in April. You will not get paid until the end of May. Therefore, if you come over in March for training, you need to make sure you have enough money to cover food expenses (which are higher) until you get paid. Personally I go through about a 10,000￥ a week. I cook all of my meals. You can of course pay much less. Also since you pay for three months of your apartment, you clearly don't have to worry about paying that, say for three months, but you do need to worry about paying for the gas, electric, and water bills for each month. In addition to those bills, you will also get your phone bill too. And on top of that, there is your insurance that you need to pay every month. 

And I know some of you right now might be saying 'but they said I will get paid for transportation'. And you will. But it is a reimbursement. You get reimbursed the exact amount that you spend for transportation. AFTER you spend it. So you need to have enough to make it to your first pay check and then they will reimburse you for all the money that you previously spent on transportation. Also, they say up to 20,000￥ they will typically not go too far over it, and on the flipside they will only pay you for how much it costs you to get to your schools and get home from them (so no funny business!). If that means it is only 6,000￥ then they only reimburse you for 6,000￥. 

Since Japan is just so expensive, please do not fool yourself into thinking that once you obtain 500,000￥ that that is the end all and you are set to go off to Japan. Please notice I did not cover a single before-cost in this blog. This is largely because I did not come from America, or the U.K. or any place that could be useful to you. I came from Korea. And as such my process was very different from your own. But for curious readers I highly recommend checking out The Rising Daikon's breakdown of the monetary units required for that. 

NOW! 

With all that being said, and for people still freaking out about Japan's pricetag, companies, like Interac, will often give you a cash advance and can help you out a bit (which you pay off bit by bit via your paycheck in an amount that you find convenient). Other companies, like JET, will pay for your plane ticket over, as well as part of your housing. Additionally, you can choose things like cheap housing, only eatting things from the dollar store, minimizing your furnishing (you don't need that toaster), sleeping on the floor (Japanese style!), which are all valid and available options to a penny pincher looking for adventure. But my advice, make the most of your time here...whatever that means...Just live and don't regret it!