No. 5: The most I ever paid in rent was a total of 600 yen a month. I had moved next door into a much nicer apartment in my building, and the budget for my salary and rent had already been submitted by my office.  They were very apologetic…

No. 4: I was a JET living in Otsu, the largest city in Shiga prefecture, from August 2002 until August 2004. The Board of  Education in Michigan paid for the rent for all of the occupants in the building, because there was (at the time) a special teacher exchange program happening between Lansing, Michigan and Otsu.  I was given a 2-bedroom fully furnished apartment FOR FREE that had two balconies and views of Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake.  The apartment had everything from a TV and VCR, to a heater/air conditioner, dishes, a toaster oven, a microwave oven, measuring cups, towels, a washer and dryer and a double bed.  It was a 20 minute train ride to Kyoto and a 40 minute ride to Osaka.  Additionally, we had a lovely system called Home Duty set up, which meant that during all school vacations (during the New Year’s Break, during Spring Break AND the 6 weeks of summer), we were allowed to “work at home” or “explore the culture in the city” with Japanese colleagues. That means 8 or 9 extra weeks of vacation each year. We did NOT have to take nenkyu for this time, unless we left the country. The Board of Ed also reimbursed us for any work-related travel.  The building had at least 5 other JETs living in it at all times, which meant that should we need to borrow some eggs, sugar or a futon for a friend visiting, then all we had to do was take the elevator down one floor.  I was even able to have kerosene delivered to my door.  Because the landlords were so flexible about the comings and goings of JETs, we were even able (and encouraged!) by the landlords and Board of Ed to leave a week or so before the contract ended, so that the landlords could clean and prepare the apartment for the new JETs.

No. 3: I had a small but completely furnished apartment – tv, vcr, phone and answering machine, ac/heater, etc. – all paid for.  I received *two* mama-chari bikes and, the kicker, a free CAR.  Did I mention the little account book that I handed to the gas station attendants so that I didn’t have to pay for the gas?  So essentially my only expenses were gas and electric and entertainment, which was pretty sweet considering I also received semi-annual bonuses equivalent to a month’s salary.  As good as my deal was, I know it wasn’t the best one on the JET Program, because the other ALT in my town had the same deal except they gave him a full-on house to live in.  If there was a downside, it’s that my town was pretty strict with the holidays and time off.  No leaving school early if there was nothing to do, and no more than the allotted vacation time.

No. 2: Living in the countryside of Shimane-ken I was able to save almost all of my money.  My apartment (suitable for a family of 4) was fully paid for and stocked with all manner of household necessities including TV, VCR, desk, bed, etc.  I received a vehicle to travel to my countryside junior high schools.  This was also paid for by the Board of Education in my town.  They paid for all gas to travel to and from the schools in addition to paying for the insurance and minor repair work.  Of course, how can I forget those delicious mid-day lunches with all my wonderful students for the bargain price of 200 yen each.  All in all, my only expenses were for fun and travel.  I was able to save quite a bit during my time in Japan and by prudently saving and waiting for the yen/dollar exchange rate to hit new lows (at that time approx. 100 yen/$), I would go down to the local bank and exchange my yen for dollars which on returning to the states amounted to a healthy sum.  My only regret, if I had stayed one more year the yen/$ exchange rate hit the all time low of 80 yen/$.  Ah well, to be an expat in Japan for just one more year.

No. 1: I lived in a small town in Tottori-ken (the least populated prefecture in Japan). My town had less than 5,000 people spread out over a hilly and green 250 square kilometers. In other words – it was CHO-inaka, podunk, small town. I loved it! And, I have to say, I may have had one of the best deals on JET. In my 2 years there, I actually had two houses. The first was a brand-new, 2 story town house with three bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and huge bath room. I also had a garage with extra storage space and a small flower garden.  However, that was hospital housing, and half-way through my first year, a young doctor moved into town and I had to relinquish my swanky digs. I was prepared to move into a small apartment down by the river (which is where some of my predecessors had lived). Instead, however, my supervisor took me to another house down the street from my original place.  This one was even bigger, and it was cheaper because it was owned by my office. For a mere 3 man a month I got: a two-story, three-bedroom detached house with a driveway big enough for three cars, and a huge terrace (the yaki-niku parties I had up there…). It also had a huge and fully planted garden (asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, shiso, blackberries, tomatoes, eggplant, etc), which I quickly learned how to take care of.  (Would you know what a potato plant looks like?). But the best part was something I didn’t discover until the spring of my second year (just months before I was to leave) – my house had its own small rice paddy! I discovered this one day when I was chatting with my neighbors and inquired about the overgrown, weed-infested rice paddy next door to me. To my
surprise, my neighbors said that the reason that paddy was overgrown was because it was mine, and I hadn’t done
anything to cultivate it!  Wow. We did plant in it, but I left the country before we could harvest it. Either way, it is pretty cool to have your own rice paddy. I guess that’s the benefit to living in the inaka!

It turns out the JET before me had “high tastes” and demanded to have her own apartment away from the other teachers’
housing.  To tell you a little bit about her background, I heard that she demanded to eat sushi every night, made the
school pay for some outrageous things, and during her last year as a JET (1995), her family came to visit and bought a
nifty, new Toyota RAV-4 as a toy and had it shipped to England!  Meanwhile, I was MADE to pay for the “inheritance” of:

I was definitely shafted compared to the rest of the JETS in the same town who received rent-free, new (with A/C!!)
apartments, cars, and even paid for no utilities.  My school was great, though, and wanted a “fresh new start” for me.
They bought me a new fridge, top-of-the-line mama-chari bicycle, and extra-long futon.  Although, instead of A/C, they
gave me one of those glass bells to hang in the window.  Like a good JET, I made sure I didn’t screw the next JET after
me.  I ditched the apartment with 6 months left on tour (and I had to pay Rei-kin of 8-man just to get out of the
apartment!!!) and went into a homestay.  I paid the homestay 5-man a month and got all the food, beer, and nihongo they
could force-feed me with.  Right before the next JET arrived, I got him into the free teachers housing just one floor away
from an incredibly nice administrator in my school.  The only thing I charged him for was the phone line.