Honest Question: How Can You Afford it?

Is it just me or do things feel like they are out of control lately?
Living in Japan can sometimes make you feel like you are on another planet, and so I wanted to take this opportunity, check in, and see... how things are going

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**Where to Send Stuff** - As of 10.2021
Norm Nakamura - Tokyo Creative Redhorse Corporation Co. Ltd
1-10-5 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Kokugikan Front Bldg 2F
130-0015
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Tokyo Lens Podcast:

[TokyoLens]

Did you catch the last video about the amazing youth revitalizing and saving Japan?
Hugely love that early comment squad!! Notification peeps all the way!!
See you down below!

[issohyatt]

please do tokyo/japan on an extreme budget video anyway

[localhjay]

I live in the suburbs of Chicago and i work in a warehouse driving a forklift. The only reason i can afford to live okay is because my rent is dirt cheap compared to actually living in the city itself. I went to japan for a week last year, and i saved up around a year's worth of savings to go. The flight was 1000USD and i brought 3000USD for spending money. My hostel was 18 dollars a night. On past trips to japan, i budgeted about 100 bucks a day. I went hard last time and bought a lot of things ive wanted for a long time (video games, records, model kits). Theres tons of free and awesome things to do in the typical places like Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto that you dont have to ball out of control and go shopping everyday. But it was really fun to treat myself especially working very hard for months on end, it's nice to finally be able to get yourself some nice things and cherish them for years to come. I bought a 400 dollar hoodie and trust me, i don't normally do that. But I'll wear it every day, treat it with care and hold the memory of where i was when i got it close to my heart.

[weatherwitchandfelinefamiliars]

Bless you. I'm 51 never been abroad in my life and never will, haven't had a holiday since 1990 and won't again. No meals out, no takeaways, no new clothes for decades, no new anything. I have to pay for twice daily carers which is brutal and have no savings. I was housebound for four years until March, and still am without my carers. I lost my home, mother, partner and father within 20 months. Plus cats. How do I cope? By living through videos like yours. I get to see Japan, I get to see the world. I escape. I laugh, not like I used to with everything but I still laugh. I have my beautiful cats. Hearing their purrs, feeling that soft fur, seeing their antics, that's everything. I have explored wonderful cities and secret corners around Japan, it's amazing. I may sometimes be in bed at 6.30pm because the day was dire but then I travel the world with cats at my side.... Can't beat that. You create what you do, i don't always watch it immediately, I save them for a boost ❤ Thank you for what you do ❤

[dereila]

I feel my generation is thriving on pure survival mode. I'm in my late 20's, working since I was 18, and I can't afford having a life. Wearing clothes until they literally fall apart (and can't be fixed), not going out, and choosing hobbies that won't cost me much to keep. I love travelling and surprisingly, many times it has been cheaper for me to be on the move than live in the same place. I'm a nomad, although not always by choice. Life is hard, no matter how motivated you are. We live in a messed up system. On a side note, however, it makes me happy to see how grateful and cheerful you feel in Japan :)

[stevenhardy]

Just moved to Japan a few months ago, not able to work my trade due to the language barrier. So I'm currently working a minimum wage part-time/full-time job. I live on the Chuo line around 25 minutes from Shinjuku, my apartment is a 1K with one of those little loft sleeping areas, it's plenty for a single guy. It's around a 20 minute walk from my closest station. I make around ¥135, 000 a month, rent with wifi is ¥60, 000, bills come to around ¥10, 000 a month and I spend roughly ¥30, 000 - ¥40, 000 on food. I could work as an Engineer in the UK and have a 'better' quality of life, however I want to try and build a life in Japan, so you just have to stick some things out. I'm a simply man, I don't need much, so I would say I am enjoying my life.

[steperra]

I saw a comment on how a generation before us a lot of people could afford to have a holiday every year, have a nice enough place to live, have kids, and hobbies. For my generation (older Millennial) and younger we have to pick one. I picked vacations, so I save hard every year so I can travel (I go to Japan every two years ^^) but I do nothing else: I don't eat out, I don't have hobbies that cost money etc. I don't think there's some magic answer, so if anyone is struggling then I want you to know that you're not doing anything wrong: it's not your fault that the world is unfair and I hope things get better for you.

[sanmai_van]

I really appreciate this channel. It's rare to see genuine respect and empathy on Youtube. People talk about it but I rarely feel it. Thanks.

[zyeborm]

We live vicariously though you mate. You don't make ostentatious shows of wealth in your videos and you often show the cheaper side of things. Everything you do seems achievable once you get there, which really helps lighten the load of existing here (Sydney).

Been going through a tough time, but things are getting better. Wifey wants to visit Japan and has for a long time. I'm hoping next year we can achieve her goal. Your videos help make that dream seem more like something we can achieve.

A low budget trip would be awesome especially if it catered to non speakers. Things that'd be great to see for us personally would be the cherry blossoms (doing that cheaply could be difficult) and studio Ghibli museum naturally. I'm somewhat limited in mobility, i can only stand for about 30 minutes at a time if that makes an impact. Again just as content ideas, I'm sure whatever you do will be great.

[Greazz]

Hey Norm!

I'm a bigtime lurker and almost never comment, but this time I'd like to share since you asked.

I turned 33 this year and of the last 13 years I'd say the first 10 were rough both financially and mentally. But about 3 years ago now I decided to make a career change and it turned out to be the best decision I could've made at that point in time. Ever since I've been doing a whole lot better on both ends, so much so that I can finally afford that trip to Japan I've been dreaming about for most of my adult life. I'll be hopping on a plane sometime in May 2025 and be in Japan for about 3 weeks... I'm super excited for it :D

As for the job I ended up swapping too, it's something I can't say too much about as it involves the manufacturing of your favorite TCG and of course that comes with a lot of NDA's.

I loved the 1.000.000 seconds series you did on the Explore channel and hope to see you do more.

[guideCG]

We are family of 3 living in Bangkok, Thailand. Our life didn't have much problems with economic as my parents have already build their fortune and I need to look after and run it.

However, I do worked on other things that I liked too and luckily that my wife really supported me well and we have lovely daughter.


Most of my safe money is mainly for travel special Japan. We travel to Japan every years for vacation and I love to show my daughter a different life and culture.

We have been watching your video since you started and love everything you did. Your journeys are amazing so far and thank for sharing those to all of community.

[thesilentgirl]

Im not ok im chronically ill and have chronic pain my mental health sucks but watching this channel helps me escape for a bit and see places and things i will never get to see

[andyrobertking]

It's lovely that you asked. I think times are tough for everyone who isn't extremely wealthy. I come from a very work focused hard working working class family from just outside of London. The downside is the average house is 13 times the average salary and I lived with my parents untill I was 37 to be able to get on the ladder. I'm thinking of myself as one of the very lucky ones ! But I can't help but think I missed out on my 20's and 30's I basically came out of university and continued living like a poor student for another 15 years. Thankfully after lots of hard work I have a decent paying job. But without my parents patience I'm pretty sure I'd be on the street right now. I spend my Christmas bonus walking around handing money to homeless people as it so easily could have been me. Hope you're all doing well and surviving - big love to all.

[damian]

I have established myself in the hydro power generation industry in Washington State USA with the help of training and benefits I received form my 6 years in the Navy. I don't have a family to support, just me and my dog so my expenses are relatively low. I also don't go out often and cook meals using relatively cheep ingredients. Basically I am in a good spot, but a lot of my friends and family are feeling the pinch of inflation.
Every time I look it feels like something that I need has doubled in price and halved in quality or quantity. I anticipate that standards for quality of life in America are going to keep going down for those that still work to earn a living.

[WinsomeWinslet]

One of the ways we're dealing with the cost of living is we started a garden and are growing our own greens, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, etc. It saved us a TON of money this past summer. Now we're planting out fall veggies so we can keep saving money.

[mcsilustrador]

I am extremely sad to know that I will never visit Japan. It is a country that I have loved since I was a child. I end up feeling fulfilled in other people's videos, like yours. That scene with the trains crossing, the river and the vegetation almost made me cry. I could stay there all day doing nothing. Thank you very much for the simple and well-made content.

As for how I am doing, everything is fine. Life is going well here in Brazil. I work as a freelancer from home. I am an illustrator/designer. That is how I pay my bills. It is bad because it is not a fixed income every month and I end up having a bit of a hard time, but I survive.

I live in Fortaleza, a beach city. Today the sun is shining beautifully but I am feeling lazy on a Sunday here in my bed. lol.

Take care!

[Booklover]

Honestly I live for these videos. Traveling and seeing people’s lives outside from where I live. I can’t even an afford a vacation and visit a local place. Nothing that requires plane let alone a hotel

[smithesque]

I'm barely scraping by. My rent takes two thirds of my paycheque and the rest is taken by bills and food. I'm very lucky that I have that much and can just about survive, but it's a life with only a little joy. I count my blessings as best I can, but it gets hard sometimes when something breaks and you can't fix it. Still, travelling to Japan is a dream of mine so I live vicariously through videos like yours, especially seeing just little places and streets and alleyways and track-side cafes is so evocative, and I would love to see a budget travel Tokyo guide in the hopes that I can one day make my dream come true. And I think a lovely bridge where you can see some trains is one of the best sights in the world - that one with all the greenery is gorgeous.

And to everyone else having a hard time right now, keep going!

[MariaMartinez-xmfl]

Seamstrees here... low pay, almost starving... Got a job, starting tomorrow, hope it gets better. 💙🇩🇴🕊️

[kduo]

I am in Australia, the cost of living here is very high but my husband and I are organising our sixth trip to Japan in February. For us coming to Japan is a cheap holiday if you plan. I always get airfares when they are on sale and research where to stay and go. Next years trip we are planning to go to more rural Japan, Shikoku. I compare accomodation and we don't eat at expensive restaurants when we are away. We never or rarely eat out when we are home and do extra jobs to put into the Japan fund. I sew and do markets as well as work full-time. For us to stay in a basic hotel in Australia you are looking at least $200 per night. I get great deals in Japan. For us we would rather travel to a country that is beautiful, full of wonderful people and fab food than waste money on takeaway or going out here. We love Japan and can't wait to get back to our other "home". thanks and we love your videos.