About Japan cont.

Land of Opportunity?

Expense

A lot of the expense of living in Japan can be avoided by just looking in the right places. A good place to look is the Sayonara sales section of Tokyo Classified, where returning foreigners sell off their worldly possessions. But be careful, often you can find new items at the same, (or less) cost by shopping around. A good place for electrical appliances is BicCamera. Don't forget your points card though. Many stores offer a points card system which is equal to a 10% discount on everything you buy. Especially popular these days are '100yen shops'. Some of the bigger branches sell a wide range of household goods at, you guessed it, 100yen per item.

Culture

Japanese food is a big part of the culture here,and for those who like it, I hear it is delicious as well as being especially healthy. Personally, I prefer Italian food which is no great hardship as there are probably as many places in Japan serving Italian food as there are places serving Japanese food. Many people eat out a lot of the time, and this is another area where, with careful planning, a lot of pennies (or yen), can be saved. Generally speaking, the big, brightly lit, family restaurants offer the best value for money, though there are fast-food outlets almost everywhere, selling cheap food for those of you who like that sort of thing.
As for other cultural activities in Japan, don't expect too much.Most Japanese peoples lifestyle seems to consist of working and watching TV. Traditional activities such as; tea ceremony, kimono wearing, flower arrangement, calligraphy and so on, seem to be as much a novelty to the average Japanese as they are to the visiting foreigner. It must be said that there is a difference between the older and younger generations in this respect. But then, the same is probably true of almost every other country on Earth.

Working in Japan
Settling in Japan

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