Private college freshmen live on 600 yen a day in greater Tokyo

[gmat]

From The Asahi Shimbun  8 Apr 21

Private college freshmen live on 600 yen a day in greater Tokyo

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14327136

 

I wonder if this will be this generation's "Great Depression" toughener.  Living on a small budget can/could bring discipline and character.

 

Thank god for the internet for free entertainment. 

 

Help your neighbors if you can. I catch bugs for my former employer's son.  I babysit my students after the lesson's over as their Dad and Mom are working at home with two kids. 

 

 

Grant

[Szdfan]

1 hour ago, gmat said:

I wonder if this will be this generation's "Great Depression" toughener.  Living on a small budget can/could bring discipline and character.

I hope not. I live in a region that was affected by the Dust Bowl. My in-laws survived it and I think that experience was a kind of generational trauma that still effects their descendants. 
 

I’m all for discipline and character, but not trauma.

[cteno4]

Usually we can’t stop tragedy, but it’s how we respond to it that’s important and can reduce trauma associated. Learning better ways to respond to hardships for both yourself and others makes things better now and later. It’s the one good thing I keep hoping will come from covid. I think this is what grant was getting at.

 

jeff

[bikkuri bahn]

If that is 600 yen after utilities and cell phone charges, that comes out to 4200 yen/week for food, which is entirely normal for one person as long as you cook at home and don't drink alcohol (probably can squeeze it down to 3000 yen) .  It seems the average student is paying 60000 yen/month for housing, which would typically be for a one room apartment 10~20 years old construction, reasonably near a train station (10 min walk) in an inner suburban neighborhood that's not trendy (think Chofu).  If you downgrade to an apartment 20+ min walking distance from the station (prob. then need to cycle to the station) your rent will go down 5000~8000 yen.  

[railsquid]

Let's hope they don't need new clothes or a haircut or a visit to the doctor or any other essentials.

 

That headline figure is pretty meaningless anyway; it's an average, and doesn't take into account non-parental income sources. Admittedly those are a bit of a problem right now, and I've seen a few TV reports on students who are getting by on that kind of money or have had to drop out altogether, but IMHO that report doesn't give the full picture.

[bikkuri bahn]

Yes, it must be noted they are talking about students going to private unis in the Tokyo area, these have high tuition, the public universities are cheaper.  Typically, if the parents are in a financial situation where one had to work part-time to pay for tuition, they wouldn't send their child to an expensive Tokyo school, but rather a local institution where they can commute from home.  This is the norm here in Sapporo.