So, how much pocket money does your wife give you?

[yanpa]

Why male Japanese wage-earners have only 'pocket money'

The 15th of each month is a big day for 36-year-old Yoshihiro Nozawa: it is the day he gets paid.

But every month, he hands over his entire salary to his wife Masami.

She controls the household budget and gives him a monthly pocket money of 30,000 yen ($381; £243). Despite being the breadwinner, that is all the money he can spend on himself over the next 30 days.

"The last five days from the 10th of each month are usually the toughest," says Yoshihiro.

To put the amount of his pocket money into context, the Nozawa family of four could easily spend 30,000 yen at Tokyo Disneyland in a day.

Yoshihiro and Masami have two children, Rino aged 6 and Ren aged 8, and they are the reason his wife decided to put him on a fixed allowance.

"I started controlling the household budget when I became a housewife after having children," says Masami.

"Suddenly, there was only one income and their educations and private lessons cost a lot."

Under the thumb

Yoshihiro nods but he says 30,000 yen doesn't go far in the world's most expensive city, Tokyo.

"She makes me a lunch box every morning so that helps a lot," he says as he eats his lunch alone in a nearby park from his office.

...more...

[GomiGirl]

Well sure - give up your responsibility in the finances and you have something else to bitch about regarding your wife to your mates.

Rules in our house are, if you were not involved in making the decision on something then you are not allowed to bitch about the result. That goes for both of us. There is nothing worse than back-seat drivers.

But asking a serious question now.. is Tokyo really considered the most expensive city in the world anymore? I think it is quite livable after more than a decade of deflation.

[Taro Toporific]

Why male Japanese wage-earners have only 'pocket money'
...more...

Did you notice how the Japanese reporter of the BBC conveniently ignored the reason WHY salarymen have only 'pocket money''?

[GomiGirl]

I love it when my mother in law comes to stay. It is like having a wife. She cooks, cleans, baby sits, folds laundry. All I have to do is go to work and come home. Love it.

Sure my husband is better than the stereotypical husband that does nothing. But it sure is nice to be that husband from time to time.

[yanpa]

But asking a serious question now.. is Tokyo really considered the most expensive city in the world anymore? I think it is quite livable after more than a decade of deflation.

If you're looking at it through the lense of the current exchange rate, then it probably does appear a tiny bit bogglingly expensive. Or if you're looking at the price of hiring a maid and chauffeur for your 300sqm penthouse in Azabu I guess it's also a bit on the pricey side. Or you have an addiction to US$100 watermelons. But otherwise it's not all that bad in comparison, and I love the way many of the prices are the same now as they were when I was first living here in 1996 or so.

[Coligny]

Can I have a "I am the househusband, idiut!" or am I supposed to check "i am the wife" instead ? thats total discriminashiun...

[GomiGirl]

Can I have a "I am the househusband, idiut!" or am I supposed to check "i am the wife" instead ? thats total discriminashiun...

There is an option for you:
My wife keeps *me* in the style I am accustomed to.

[yanpa]

Can I have a "I am the househusband, idiut!" or am I supposed to check "i am the wife" instead ? thats total discriminashiun...

There is an option for you:
My wife keeps *me* in the style I am accustomed to.

Exactly, I was thinking about phrasing it "I'm Coligny" but I believe the option may also apply to some other members so kept it more generic.

Anyway, who are the poor sods who selected the first two answers?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Anyway, who are the poor sods who selected the first two answers?

I answered the top one. I don't have any other choice..

[GomiGirl]

Can I have a "I am the househusband, idiut!" or am I supposed to check "i am the wife" instead ? thats total discriminashiun...

There is an option for you:
My wife keeps *me* in the style I am accustomed to.

Exactly, I was thinking about phrasing it "I'm Coligny" but I believe the option may also apply to some other members so kept it more generic.

Anyway, who are the poor sods who selected the first two answers?

Guess which one I checked??? *Cue goofy grin*

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Guess which one I checked??? *Cue goofy grin*

I couldn't see the "Can't Answer this Question 'Cause I'm Getting my Man a Beer"...that one must only have been for Premium Members.

[Coligny]

Can I have a "I am the househusband, idiut!" or am I supposed to check "i am the wife" instead ? thats total discriminashiun...

There is an option for you:
My wife keeps *me* in the style I am accustomed to.

I didn't check this one because it's not the case...

The place is a fucking dump. In fact worse than a dump... The place have potential, the same way a bag of concrete have potential...
In 6 years here Lanxade didn't manage to do ANY VISIBLE DAMAGE. It's was a cat that would fuck an aircraft carrier beyond repair in less than a month. It's because nothing, short of an explosion could make the place worse. In fact... an airstrike would bring improvement...
I sooooo miss my student room in Paris...
Everytime I ask for help cleaning or reorganising she dive for excuse not to do fucking shit... Her last grand idea when I ask for a new kitchen (*) is to suggest to "buy a house" process that would certainly take longer than establishing the first human colony on mars but would provide for the perfect excuse not to do anything here since "we decided to move" (inaction through action, wonderfull concept)

(*)Actually not a kitchen but the former nurse office that i converted the best I could, but not shelve or pantry, everything is stored on tables, floor, or old equipment that could not be moved...
One day if I'm sufficiently pissed of I put pictures... but right now I'm waaayyy to ashamed...

[GomiGirl]

I don't know you or anything about your wife but if you have the time and the money, what is stopping you from just doing it the way you want to. Sounds like the home decoration or renovation is not high on her priorities but if it is on yours, would she mind if you just took the initiative and did stuff?

Post photos and get suggestions about what is possible in various spaces. Plenty of handy people on this board who might have some good ideas. You never know, somebody might even volunteer to give you a hand with projects.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Agreed...if there's one thing I've sorta learned about this cuntry, it's much, much, much, much easier to say "sorry" than "Can I do something you've never done before?"

Something to cheer you up...you say your cat can destroy aircraft carriers, I reply it's because they're French and the Charles de Gaul is the worst aircraft carrier ever made...well, Google "HMAS Melbourne."

[yanpa]

Something to cheer you up...you say your cat can destroy aircraft carriers, I reply it's because they're French and the Charles de Gaul is the worst aircraft carrier ever made...well, Google "HMAS Melbourne."

Melbourne was the only British Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions

West Island Australia, I'm proud of ya!

[Coligny]

I don't know you or anything about your wife but if you have the time and the money, what is stopping you from just doing it the way you want to. Sounds like the home decoration or renovation is not high on her priorities but if it is on yours, would she mind if you just took the initiative and did stuff?

Post photos and get suggestions about what is possible in various spaces. Plenty of handy people on this board who might have some good ideas. You never know, somebody might even volunteer to give you a hand with projects.

I will make a little recap soon aboot all the adventure in this building. At first my wife was the biggest feet (and knuckle) dragger... But then I discovered that also nearly all the subcontractor were scumm worthy of the death panel... (last time the water company came, they didn't fix the aircooling water tank leak on the roof, who should have been disabled since the aircooling was stopped 20 years ago, I had to fix it mahself, and for good measure, they fixed my perfectly working loo flush tank who now drip from the top handle). Or the electric maintenance company that I had to threaten so they upgraded the main inbound fuse. I even got the argument from on of the derper "herp derp, in mah house I got 50A too and it never blow"... great answer Tanaka... I bet your house is not a 4 story building with around 30 rooms, a workshop with masheen tools and more computer and analog subsystems than can be traced...

Usually, finding a contractor (the gaijin barrier), convincing that you have full clearance for any modification (the "is not yer property barrier"), then having them to understand what you want (the "We japanese don't do like this barrier") is a bit difficult. They are used to push any bullshit on people to do what they want to do and bill accordingly. A real work... not so much. (The whole building central aircon scandal makes me really want to kill, and I wasn't even there, but basically, there was one chiller and 2 boilers, one for the tap water, one for the central heating, one of the boiler broke down and in order to push for quick and easy sale all the system was decomissionned -up to putting sand on the burried kerozen tank in the parking- and few individual and window aircon where installed as well as 2 small water heaters, that's the only thing the company knew how to bill, replacing or repairing the boiler was out of their league).

(and I think the wording is "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission")

For the kitchen, few year ago I saw a commercial on the back of a taxi for system kitchen installation with showroom near the Toyogawa river. But the URL has been lost... so now I try to follow taxis... to see if they go to other taxis... with commercial on their back...

[GomiGirl]

Is it insured?

[Coligny]

Is it insured?

Yes, I think dad did it smart and tied a long term credit with insurance clause. That's why he's still making monthly paiement, that are in fact just insurance disguised as credit. (Because as me Julie, between what he still make and what he spend... he should be driving a month old Benz instead of a carbon-dated Prius).

But... it's a concrete building (don't burn well). With constantly maintained fire/heat/smoke alarm... That I once triggered with burned croissant in the oven... Before there was a direct phone uplink with the fire station, but it was -luckily for me- cancelled...
And the fire station is litterally 3 minutes by car from here... so between slow propagation times and rapid intervention capacity... any fire would rub out quite easily...

[matsuki]

Damn Coligny, it might put your mercobenz fund back a bit but what's stopping you from buying land and building a real house?

***new lemur was amazed that houses could appreciate in value rather than depreciate in the standard 30 years (despite taking a lifetime to pay off) I give her credit for "getting it" immediately after I asked how much maintenance Japanese tend to put into their overpriced, underbuilt tsukaitsute homes.

[FG Lurker]

But... it's a concrete building (don't burn well). With constantly maintained fire/heat/smoke alarm... That I once triggered with burned croissant in the oven... Before there was a direct phone uplink with the fire station, but it was -luckily for me- cancelled...
And the fire station is litterally 3 minutes by car from here... so between slow propagation times and rapid intervention capacity... any fire would rub out quite easily...

Think the insurance company would cover an "accidental" C4 detonation?

[Coligny]

Damn Coligny, it might put your mercobenz fund back a bit but what's stopping you from buying land and building a real house?

Because... We already have the Bunker and the family home (deserted) which is also a Bunker... 3 story only, but the same insane amount of concrete... Since it's out of question for me to leave without the parents inlaw... I don't think adding moar houses to the matter would solve anything...

Let see how it would end...
I won't tolerate the standard shitpile they build these days.
That would mean bringing back my wife's uncle for the blueprint (he did the house and the clinic).
So... what would be the point ? we already got 2 concrete structures that just need to be refreshed inside...

The house is awesome, she's few meters from one of those ricefield irigation rivers, cooler in summer, warmer in winter... But she's shock full of junk and the wood flooring on the first floor need to be torn appart-redone as well as removing the 4 tatamis rooms (first floor, 6 mat each) that waste an insane amount of place and were designed for burial ceremonies and shit...
Trouble is, need to pay to discard the junk, and paying for trash removal is considered wasting money by me Julie, so instead the whole house is wasted... Can't fight stupid...

[Coligny]

Think the insurance company would cover an "accidental" C4 detonation?

Accidental airstrike... maybee...

[yanpa]

Think the insurance company would cover an "accidental" C4 detonation?

Accidental airstrike... maybee...

Time to start hosting your local Al Qaeda meet?

[matsuki]

Damn Coligny, it might put your mercobenz fund back a bit but what's stopping you from buying land and building a real house?

Because... We already have the Bunker and the family home (deserted) which is also a Bunker... 3 story only, but the same insane amount of concrete... Since it's out of question for me to leave without the parents inlaw... I don't think adding moar houses to the matter would solve anything...

Let see how it would end...
I won't tolerate the standard shitpile they build these days.
That would mean bringing back my wife's uncle for the blueprint (he did the house and the clinic).
So... what would be the point ? we already got 2 concrete structures that just need to be refreshed inside...

The house is awesome, she's few meters from one of those ricefield irigation rivers, cooler in summer, warmer in winter... But she's shock full of junk and the wood flooring on the first floor need to be torn appart-redone as well as removing the 4 tatamis rooms (first floor, 6 mat each) that waste an insane amount of place and were designed for burial ceremonies and shit...
Trouble is, need to pay to discard the junk, and paying for trash removal is considered wasting money by me Julie, so instead the whole house is wasted... Can't fight stupid...

LOL, is this your way of offering me a job, room, and board in glorious Aichi? I don't think it would take more than a month to clear that mofo out and auction off everything. Once it's empty.....

[gaijinpunch]

I've considered Tokyo (and Japan in general) to still have that "stupidly expensive" stigma due to the fact that they nickel and dime the shit out of you, nothing is for free, and the meaning of "bargain" in Japan is totally lost. I also enjoy activities (gyms) that cost literally a fraction of the cost in foreign lands as they do here.

Quick examples:
Nickel and Dime: So many things are on timers here. Gyms for one. Pay 400 yen to use the gym... go over the 2 hour allotment, and you get whacked with an overtime fee. It's pretty easy to stay under, but I've been known to pass out on the stretching mats.

Nothing is Free: No chips before my over-sized portion of food? Where are the refills? Coffee 2x the cost, as you're paying for the space whether you use it or not.

Meaning of Bargain:
-99% of Japanese couldn't bar tend their way out of a paper bag. Add to the fact that drinks are expensive, and you have a pissed off, only halfway drunk FG.
-I just don't see things on sale here that much, and when I do, it's shit. Clothes don't fit me anyway, so what do I care?
-Tsutaya at one point was adopting the Netflix business model. Looked promising. 1200 yen a month. Max: 4 DVDs. :/ I'm sure this is outdated, but it wasn't that long ago, and I laughed my balls off.
-Grocery stores

Working in Japan's favor: No tipping, which does bring down the cost of some things, like dining out. I still think they should stop renewing cab licenses when old drivers day and start focusing on lowering the price (and the overall CO2 emissions).

[Coligny]

BULLSHIT !!!! there is plenty of sales in Japan... Go to any Eiden or Yamada, half the shop is always on sale...




If you don't look too closely that is...

Because... usually... under the big red supposedly lower price sticker... you can still see the regular price...

Which never fail to be the same...

(noticed this for stuff that I buy in industrial quantity... the total amount on the bill was really looking like the normal amount I usually spend...)
(TIJ, but in first world country, fake discounts are illegul...)

[FG Lurker]

Working in Japan's favor: No tipping, which does bring down the cost of some things, like dining out.

I really love this about Japan, and really hate having to tip when in many other places. Drives me nuts. Pay staff properly and set prices properly to match. If staff don't perform fire them and hire someone who will. Problem solved.

I still think they should stop renewing cab licenses when old drivers day and start focusing on lowering the price (and the overall CO2 emissions).

Taxis used to be much more tightly controlled. Japan tried deregulation (in some markets?) which has lead to some interesting results. There are now way more taxis on the roads and prices overall have come down. The problem now though is that drivers can't make a decent living working normal hours, and has lead to drivers doing some mighty crazy things to pick up fares -- such as weaving across multiple lanes of traffic when they see someone with their hand up. Drivers are also working longer and longer hours, some as long as 18 hours a day. As expected this has lead to more accidents...

I think there is talk to bring back more regulation and to reduce the number of cabs. Prices will go up again (gas has gone up dramatically since taxi prices started to fall...) and it will once again be harder to get a taxi at peak periods. There will be fewer taxis idling the rest of the time though and their safety record should improve as well.

[gaijinpunch]

BULLSHIT !!!! there is plenty of sales in Japan... Go to any Eiden or Yamada, half the shop is always on sale...

Things are for sale... they're not on sale.

I think there is talk to bring back more regulation and to reduce the number of cabs.

It's a love hate. San Francisco is the perfect city to look at. I think those drivers make decent livings and the fares aren't nearly as expensive as here. However, you're FAR more likely to be standing on the sidewalk holding your cock waiting for one to come by.

[Tsuru]

For your worst case scenario, look no further than Amsterdam. Almost all of our wonderfully free-market taxis are some form of fuckoff expensive Merc, fares are _really_ _fucking_ _expensive_, the thugs drivers are _really_ _fucking_ rude, that is, if you manage to find one that speaks Dutch or English at all and they never seem to know where you want to go. Not that they need to, because they will take the longest way anywhere to con you out as much money as they possibly can. If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam or Schiphol airport, take a hotel shuttle if you can. Have someone pick you up in a car. Take the train. Take the bus. Buy a bicycle. Walk. Crawl. Do NOT take a fucking taxi. If there was a tactical weapon that killed only taxi drivers I'd happily vote to have it dropped on our capital.

I wish I was exagerrating: they are widely acknowledged to be the worst in Europe second only to Bulgaria or something. Many a tourist and foreign businessman continues to find that out everyday to their detriment, vowing never to use one again. I sincerely hope I can save someone the trouble of finding this out for himself.

[Coligny]

BULLSHIT !!!! there is plenty of sales in Japan... Go to any Eiden or Yamada, half the shop is always on sale...

Things are for sale... they're not on sale.
.

That was...

The joke...

/le tired...