How do people survive in Tokyo?

Hi. Just came back from Japan (Tokyo/Hokkaido) and absolutely enjoyed my stay there.

Just curious, I walked around Tokyo and saw many young people (guys and girls) shopping for expensive clothes, wearing designer accessories like LV, Gucci, Prada, etc., and they do it so often even on weekdays/nights (every night is like Chrismas shopping here in the US!). How do people in Japan afford such expensive/leisure items? Do they all have high-paying jobs, don't save at all, or what's the story?

Another thing I was curious was, I took a train to the airport at 5:30am to the airport, and let me tell you the street was as crowded as say 9am in the US. Is it just me or do people in Japan don't go home? It seems even if they have anything to do, people just sit on the street and IM....

Anyway, just found it interesting...any comments/answers will be appreciated :p

How do people in Japan afford such expensive/leisure items?

Most average people cannot easily afford such items easily. The people, whom you see shopping there, have above average income. There is naturally an unproportionally high percentage of such people in the high end shopping districts of Tokyo. It is just like 5th Avenue in NY. Don't confuse these districts with average Tokyo or even average Japan. Most people in Japan are very conscious about expenditures these days.

Another thing I was curious was, I took a train to the airport at 5:30am to the airport, and let me tell you the street was as crowded as say 9am in the US.

Again, I assume you are referring to busy districts like Shibuya and Shinjuku, where people return from a night in the red light district in the early morning. Comparable to Time Square in NY, but don't confuse them with regular districts. Most Japanese people start working between 8:30 and 9am.

The reason I wonder is even people in their twenties seem to own $1000+ Gucci/LV bags. Is it true that they all have above average income jobs? What kind of jobs do most people hold in Tokyo? It's really amazing crossing the street in Shinjuku or Shibuya...so many luxury items worn by young people.

In Japan luxurious fashion hand bag is considered to be an item number one, for example Japanese fashion magazines often suggest a particular set of items that is in fashion this season it like "what to buy" or �ghow to dress" articles and bag is quite often is the most pricey, so if you see a girl with LV (the most popular brand in Japan by the way) even if the bag costs 2000 usd it doesn�ft mean every thing else in her life is up to this level.

BL, like Uji has said, the people you see in those districts (Shibuya, Shinjuku, especially the entertainment districts) do not represent a full cross section of the entire Tokyo or Japanese population.

It would be like you looking at the people in New York City's 5th Avenue, Times Square in in areas of Los Angeles, Beverely Hills etc, and thinking that those places represent an entire cross section of the United States.

I think a lot of young people make owning brand goods a priority. They may live in a tiny cheap apartment far from the city centre, use public transport and eat cheap food, but they make sure they have that handbag, even if it means borrowing money or asking grampa to buy it for them. It's a matter of priorities.

also, many young people live with their parents until they get married (and some even after they are married) so they don't have any living expenses like rent, food, etc. so they are able to spend the money they earn on personal items.

it is not only in Tokyo but also in Paris, London, Milan etc. that young people put owning luxury goods as their # 1 priority. As posters have said, unmarried young people live with their parents and aren't expected to pay room and board. Another reason for their high "disposable" income is that in Europe and Japan young people--and even not so young ones--living in big cities, or even small ones, don't have to own a car. Right away they have $US 5000-
10 000 to play with.

another thing to remember is that while going to college, they are still living with their parents. There aren't dorm room charges most of the time. I knew a lot of students that commuted more than 1 hour just to get to class. Also their parents pay for their college fees. The student will have a part time job and much of that money is saved and spent on cell phone bills and lots of fashionable items.

If the majority of fashionable people you saw looked like college age... that is one reason why.

Sad to say but it's not totally unheard of that in some cases, young girls even sleep for money just to buy luxury goods. This happens in other parts of the world too.

And just curious, do young working adults who live with their parents contribute any sum of money to their parents at all or do they get to spend all their salary for their own?

Nana,

do young working adults who live with their parents contribute any sum of money to their parents at all or do they get to spend all their salary for their own?

I know people who do and people who don't.

I (must confess that I) sometimes ride 5:30-ish trains in Tokyo after drinking all night, and I have to say that they aren't crowded at all. Often, there are hardly any people riding. I wonder which line you took to where and what day and what you mean by "crowded". Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Rush hours are usually around 7:00am to 8:30am, 5:30pm to 7:00pm, 9:00pm, and then around midnight's last trains. But then, being a city girl, I was surprised when a (Japanese) friend who grew up in the countryside saw an evening train with just three or four passengers per car standing and called it "crowded".

I work full time on a relativly low wage, and I own an Armani suit.

That hardly makes me rich, and it far from represents my entire lifestyle. If I was going out to impress, I'd wear something expensive that gave off the impression I *wanted*, not something from my normal price range just to demonstrate how much I earn.

I imagine the people you saw are generally the same. They're out and about, and want to look stylish, even if their whole lifestyle doesn't reflect their current appearance.

It seems to be well-known between many travellers that Japanese are a well-dressed lot. I tend to take such things for granted so did not really notice but that was the first thing my colleague commented to me when he first came back from a short holiday in Tokyo. On my recent trip to Tokyo I tried to pay more attention to what they wear and yes, I do think most of them dress nicely indeed. However, the most well-cut suit I've seen on a man while I am on holiday is in a train, from Milan to Florence.

Backpacking in Tokyo made me feel like I looked homeless. Fashion in Tokyo is amazing, at least I fit in with the Harajuku crowd!

Most Japanese companies provide bonuses to employees twice a year, and that bonus is ususally worth 2.5 months salary.
Even if you're still young and you only get paid about $2000~$2500/month, that would be more than $5000 each time you get a bonus.

That kind of chunk of money can get you nice bags, clothes, traveling abroad cost etc.

As for univ. students,
that's probably their family is rich or well off. Like other people said, most Japanese univ.students don't pay tuitions( parents pay) and if you live with their parents,
they have money to spend for themselves.