49. did a lot of things in life but none of it was what i wanted to do. still unsure of what i really wanted to do but have 101 things to do to put food on the table and am good at it; what i DON'T want to do.
Chris- please don’t burn yourself out trying to live up to perceived expectations. Your content is so valuable, that longevity must be prioritized over volume. I can personally relate to the pressure you are putting on yourself, and I know that you have to keep your focus on your own happiness or else you will burn yourself out. Love your content, please look after yourself. ❤
On the topic of Western expectations for the gen z to gen alpha folks, I think influencers flexing a luxurious but unrealistic lifestyle plays a significant role
There's an inheritance tax in Japan and debt can be inherited. The inheritance tax thingy was put in place post-war to prevent dynasties from forming. Works pretty well when compared to South Korea's chaebol taking control of the country.
The amount of influence the chaebol families have over the government and the people here in Korea is massive and inescapable, yeah. The chaebol system is one of this society's great vulnerabilities
@@Justin-zl6dmhahaha 100% you're a teenager bro. No one asked you to comment on this dudes picture and no one cares about it. You're embarrassing yourself
What are you talking about? Now go get an expensive degree you won't get to use so someone missing 4 teeth can call you an idiot through a lip full of chewing tobacco.
I’m happy I survived the layoffs dude, the company probably likes me bc of how fast I work and wanted to keep me there for a while and have no plans on laying me off even tho I’m already like 2 years in for work there 😁
I agree with Pete's viewpoint to the whole 'being rich' part of the episode. No society is perfect, but, I would rather be in a grounded world than one than sells false promises. The UK's own culture reflects this grounded reality in its comedy in fact.
Only 20? You must have enlisted into one of the better companies. Legally they're pushing 40 hour overtime. A lot of companies illegally push 80 or more and legal enforcement is sparse.
If you look for a place away from the city center, you can find a number of places where rent is very inexpensive. (In Tokyo, there are many people who commute from Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba in neighboring prefectures.) And there are also systems in place where the company will subsidize the rent, as well as food and transportation expenses. It is true that there are still some old-fashioned places in Japan today, but unlike the past, things have changed considerably, and there are more and more places where working hours and holidays are better treated than in the west. Well, you have to work overtime but earn even more in wages lol. Taxes are high because they include deductions for medical care and insurance. The places that offer better benefits also have a higher percentage of applicants, and there is a very high possibility that not only job skills but also Japanese language skills will be required...
@@noxnox7445yea but you could make these arguments about any urban center in NA as well. People commute from NJ to NYC for work, doesn’t make it not a massive pain in the ass. Most people would rather not have to commute 2 hours a day to go to a job with heinous OT requirements and social pressures unparalleled in the west. No one is going to get mad at you for taking your holiday in America(even with how short it is)and they aren’t going to expect you to bring them gifts back. You can say Japan has changed all you want, but pretty much every metric disagrees with you. They wouldn’t be facing a collapsing populace if they weren’t overworked.
@@noxnox7445 Of course there are exceptions, but in practical terms the only guaranteed subsidy that Japanese companies normally offer is for commuting expenses (and even then, there is usually a max amount and anything beyond comes out of your own pocket). The commuting expense is also based on a pre-determined cheapest route, so it's not like Japanese companies will pay for your Uber. The rent/food subsidies you mentioned are more likely to be offered by foreign companies who send people to Japan, or by Japanese companies who assign employees away to branch offices in other prefectures. Some traditional Japanese companies still offer company dorms (complete with curfews), but these are generally limited to unmarried employees under a certain age, and even those who fit the criteria can only live in such dorms for a set period (during which they are expected to get married and move out). You mention working overtime to earn even more in wages, but that is not always the case. Japanese laws limit the amount of official overtime a Japanese company can make an employee work, but it is not uncommon for people to put in those overtime hours while not officially on the clock. Also, the wages in Japan are so low to begin with (wages have not really increased in decades) that a lot of Japanese people have no choice but get those overtime hours to supplement their base pay and make ends meet lol. On paper, Japanese companies offer more paid time off than in those in the west, but you should also realize that not many Japanese people actually use their paid time off due to intense social pressure at work (fear of causing more work for coworkers, fear of missing out on face time with bosses that could affect their promotion chances, etc.).
That's a vast generalization about the US, probably a few years old. Things started taking a nosedive here since 2016, and that just went exponential starting in 2020 and hasn't leveled off, at least here in a rural area of a southern state in the US.
I'm from the US, and my elementary school had a very large mural by the front office that said, "If you can dream it, you can do it". We definitely had this idea of being able to accomplish anything we want in life instilled in us from a young age.
Well, not quite everywhere. Here in Finland, and the rest of the Nordics really, it's still difficult to be anything but middle class. Though, Covid and then the war in Ukraine have dented the economy at least for the next few years.
In Cali i'm not surprised. Lower class in Cali is upper class in the rest of the USA. Except for like NYC. In Tennessee a nice house is like 1500 a month.
That’s your problem! You’re living in California. You’re gonna need to move to another state (not New York or Florida) to be in middle class comfortably.
@@ThisisCitrustbh at this point cali is probably more expensive than most of NYC. Like yea places like Hudson yards exist, but that’s not most of NYC. You can still get an apartment in places like brooklyn for circa $1500(expensive in most of America but doable for many in NYC). The bay area and LA probably have outpaced most of NYC housing wise at this point. Def depends on the neighborhood though etc. Also not all of TN is that affordable lmao, my friend lives in Knoxville and pays a little over $1000 for an apartment monthly and that was a pretty good deal when he got it. Nashville is even worse from my understanding
@@jubileus4597this isn’t really true. I moved to MI for university and the standard of living is a lot lower in a lot of the state compared to NY, and they make a lot less money. It’s hard to maintain being middle class anywhere in the US rn inflation is just eating us alive
I had a part-time colleague whose main job was music management (we were more of a hobby) - of a surprisingly large band. He invited the whole company to a gig once, and let's just say he wasn't a fan of the supporting act's performance. He told us they'd be better off stripping than doing music. But well, apparently there's some bands that can do both.
The sad reality is, that even trained professionals barely earn more than a Combini worker. Add to that the fact, that job security has dropped to near zero. And the daily abuse at work. In such an environment, why should you even try??
that's my story! I was starting to think it wasn't going to make it onto the podcast! though with the content that was left out I can understand why. lol still happy to hear it being read on the air. thanks!
Thanks for commenting here! 😁 Could you tell me where can I find the full story, yours and others involved? That whole bit seemed so alien to my world that it was really facinating.
That we all dream about being rich is an unfortunate myth about America. The vast majority of people who can get rich here were born into wealth. The reality is that most of us can barely afford food and housing, and many of us can't even afford that.
Looking to teach in Japan later this year, but not through the JET program. I’ll admit I’ve wondered about affordability in Japan, even after looking at some job ads for English teaching. The cost of living here in Canada is extremely high, yes higher than the UK and USA. So I’m hoping that maybe it won’t feel as bad since it’s still cheaper in Japan. Such as your colleague paying $800 a month or non subsidized housing. I pay $1648 for a one bedroom apartment 🫠
Yeah but it's full of sweeteners. Pete was a bit misleading, a lot of these drinks changed their recipes around 15 years ago. The one good thing about the sugar tax is it's easier to find drinks that actually have sugar
I feel like young people here in the States are more realistic when it comes to what they wanna be in the future, but there's also a growing understanding that you don't need to be rich to be happy. Wealth isn't the dream, happiness is. Sounds more like stability and security is the dream over in Japan.
Of course agreed but, I do wish FOR ALL OF US REGARDLESS OF NATION, CULTURE, COLOR, & SPIRITUAL BELIEFS to have the "Upper Middle Class Lifestyle". Which means a certain amount of "Material Wealth" but, not Super Rich either.
I saw the Plasmatics at CBGBs in 1978-79? Wendy O. Williams (WOW) put a guitar in a stock and chainsaw'd the thing in half. Around the same time I went to a concert where Laurie Anderson was performing (some underground venue) and she was singing blindfolded. At one point she tripped over the microphone cord and almost took a headder over the stage.
In America a lot of people will think they can make it rich, but the reality is you are much more likely to be able to do it in the UK. It's like George Carlin said 'That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.'
@@jimbocho660 look up upward mobility sometimes called social mobility. It will show that while the UK is lower than most of europe it is still better than the US. That is if you were born in one economic class you are more likely to go higher in the UK than the US. And most of the US mobility is sports and entertainment related. Doesn't help that healthcare will wipe out a lot families equity.
@@MartinEB72 Thanks. People often say tech salaries are much higher in the US than the UK, which they are, but the cost of living is also much higher. Chicago, for example, is twice as expensive as Manchester. They're in a lot of trouble, but I think we're headed in the same direction.
Here in the United States things are getting increasingly bleak and nihilistic as the younger generation is feeling more hopeless as that optimism of everyone getting rich is not only dying but being replaced with a sense of doom. At least in Japan you can have a affordable place to live to stay housed and have universal healthcare. The goal for most young kids in the US now is to not end up homeless and passing away under the bridge from a preventable illness since the hospital refused to treat you, since they only treat the rich or financially ruin you in some cases. Really looking forward to leaving the US and I do not have high hopes for the future of the US, I think Japan will fare much better as they have more social cohesion and stronger shared morals compared to the money above all else even if you sell your soul and ruin 100 other people mentality in the US which causes society to literally slowly cannibalize itself from the inside until the country is a shadow of it's former self.
speak for yourself. this outlook is kind of pathetic and just not really indicative of reality. Most zoomers aren’t viewing the world like this in the US. Also, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about as it is illegal for hospitals to turn you away for treatment in America, regardless of your insurance status. America isn’t a monolith, it isn’t culturally static across the continent nor is the standard of living and economic opportunity static either. Please stop speaking for the entirety of us, your views aren’t necessarily reflective of reality
I think so. I was confused and wondering if I dreamed about that part, but going back to the audio podcast there were several minutes that aren't included in this video version. Shame cause that part was funny and you learn a bit more about the island camping video.
Was doing JET when the exchange rate was much more favourable. But recognized that Japan was not good for me long-term career-wise (and other reasons). On the other hand, I am seriously considering retiring to Japan. For someone with considerable savings and passable language skills the low-cost housing outside of major urban centres and relatively low cost of living, it seems like a good option. Would either of you (Chris and Pete) consider retiring in Japan, why or why not?
We might have multiple flavors of everything. I counted one time there’s 25 different flavors of Oreos at the moment. But our McDonald’s only has apple pies. We never get a different flavor. Y’all get all the fun food over there I want to teriyaki burger.! 🍔
I went to a hardcore punk show in Shimokita in my first trip to Japan recently. Same level of insanity, just less nudity lol. There was a band with a frontman who didnt sing a single vocal
I can confirm the story about the Heavens Door! This seems to be a "normal" show for that venue 🤣 A friend of mine went there for another kind of weird idol (but which isn't lewd) and was quite surprised by the event and what happened. He instantly recognized the first one from the story! 😆
Yeah, only 1% of Americans are ritch, many look ritch but pay 55% in taxes and are more or less broke all the time. And those of us who aren't as lucky get to live with crippling debt. As a country we're so broke we can't even pay attention. It's a nice place to visit though ;p Going on an Alaskan cruise in later in the year, I highly recommend it if you and Natsuke end up back in the states
Literally the month before Spice Girls hit it big in Australia Geri Halliwell featured in one of those "page 3" magazines with the girls on full display. Was quite the eye opening introduction to the Spice Girls
right and in the United States when I Was growing up kids were like I want to be a lawyer, doctor, astronaut, supreme court justice, lol, I mean I remember there was this girl in our class who was always trying to one up everyone like that with those ideas.. I remember I said being a pilot wouldnt be bad.. or I said fireman I think is what I said because my friend's house had burned down right when I was young & I remember he had a Nintendo game he brought over & he said look at this they pulled it from the fire it's one of the only things that survived.. THE NES GAME WORKED! .. this was like 1987 ... it was melted but worked
Interesting subject, does Japanese culture measure richness in quality of life rather than financials? I recently worked on a project in London where houses in one road are from £20million to £60million, this is unreachable for a typical British student if you asked if this is the amount of money needed to be rich. I think having a wage comfortable for a family life, having access to creating good memories and happiness is the measure of richness.
Don’t know how you can get rich with a salary that hasn’t changed in 30 years and rising taxes and depreciating house values. I live in Shizuoka -a white collar city less than an hour from Tokyo by train and over 700,000 people, with a big beautiful Shinkansen station. Doesn’t matter-the population is decreasing and house values are plummeting. How would one get rich? Better yet how would one stay “middle class”? Not have kids, spend less and don’t buy big purchases. Ah ah!! The Japanese economy in a nutshell
@@noxnox7445 my fourth company and I’m at the top of the pay grade for this job. Also work part time to get more cash. You don’t know what you’re talking about
At this point, I think most young people in developed countries just faces the reality that getting rich is pretty much impossible. Thanks for the previous generations.
Literally why I didn't teach in japan. I really wanted to but saw how abysmal the salaries were and pursued a stem degree in US. I easily make 5-6 years teaching salary in 1 year. It's not about being rich but securing my financial future. Emergency fund, having quality health insurance, and saving for retirement. In the US it isn't that everyone is trying to be rich. It's simply very easy to fall behind here and wind up homeless/bankrupt/working till you die. It's a fast moving, high stress, expensive environment. In japan you can get away with making less and have more social benefits at your fingertips. The US provides nothing, taxes you and says good luck.
It deeply saddens me to see Japan struggles financially. The products they've made seems to be made out of passion. I honestly do wish more japanese products were imported into amazon more commonly, especially the stress relief products which looks like passionate works of art instead of cashgrabs that look rushed. It's heartbreaking, there are people still working themselves to death within the Anime and Manga studios.
American here, and I passionately disagree with Pete. Having dreams that you may fail at is far better than not having dreams at all and just living a life of no motivation and mediocrity. For one, success often comes after multiple failures, and if you never try then you’ll never truly test yourself and reach success that may be in a different field. Often when you fail, you learn a lot about yourself and what you can succeed at, which means that when you fail you also might just land higher than you were before. Steve Jobs failed at Apple, got fired, learned form his failure, started Next, bought Pixar, came back to Apple and instituted what he learned from failure to make Apple even more successful than before. Not only that, but his failure at Apple that lead him to found Next developed Mac OSX operating system which he brought to Apple and was the foundation of the iPhone and macOS of today. Having dreams of success that you strive for is very important on so many levels. You learn from failure and get all the closer to achieving your dreams or discovering another dream you can fulfill.
#thefaxmachine Dear colony cheese Chris and Paipa cheese Pete, I am often amazed by the quality of videos that you put out Chris and by the amount of logistics and expenses involved when making your productions. I was curious as to what you might create if for some reason Mr.Beast allowed you to use his finances and production crew for a video. Are there things you have wanted to do but couldn’t do to monetary or production restraints or do you feel you are in a satisfactory place with what you are creating now. Also I would love to hear what Pete would do if he had Mr. Beast’s money
I don't think its just a Japan problem. Even here in my country, getting rich is really hard nowadays, especially when the economy is getting increasingly destructive. It's tough out there. Even simple groceries like eggs and onions is bloody expensive now.
@@ninjaseikai wait, actually?!?! what happened in the censored parts? Plus what place was it? Do you know the location? Can we have the picture folder? Thanks!
@@kv4648 yeah. I can show you the unredacted email. Then you can decide what you want to see. Because I have videos from all of it. I was doing an ethnography at the time. I won't post it here. But if you send me a message I will put it there.
@@ninjaseikai sorry for not responding. Got busy for a couple days. How could I message you? I have discord, telegram, Instagram (idk how to use), gmail and probably others.
I've noticed many will emphasize aspects of the kind of life they want as opposed to a dream career. E.g. "I want to be able to eat lots of tasty food and sleep in during the week". Probably a healthier, Lie Flat-y approach for the way the world is headed.
Who cares? Japanese are already rich. Rich in culture, history, and character. The only thing holding back Japan is the Japanese "live to work" cult. I am a Japanese nationalist, I want Japanese families being the center of life. I want the Japanese to work to live, not live to work. I want village life to return. Respect for the farmers, passion for the uniqueness of villages, not the boring monotonous sameness of the megacities. #SaveTheJapanese
We'll, the Japanese people who are struggling everyday CERTAINLY care. Taxes are high and the economy isn't doing well and they're on a decline. Stop talking like a dumb weeaboo.
Its hard to get "rich" depending on what you define as rich, in every country for most people. If you are super lucky and of course also work hard you can get rich as a youtuber or whatsoever but it makes sense and is true that most rich people say the first 100k $ are the hardest to earn. If you have enough money you can start investing and survive trough passive income completely or mostly but getting there is so hard .... I somehow managed after living like a monk for 20 years to get about 1500$ of interest troughout the whole last year ... already less then a month wage but then again my country asks for another 30% of tax even though I already paid almost 50% tax from the money I earned trough working before .... so I have to pay another 30% from the money that I already paid 50% on before ;(
Who’s trying to get rich? In Canada, I’d settle for being able to pay my student fees, rent, and food all in the same month without getting evicted so my landlord can raise rent prices on my apartment.
For any Americans who are thinking of doing the JET program, don't forget that you still pay US taxes on your income in Japan, so you get double-taxed. Other countries do not do this, it's pretty much only the US who forces citizens living abroad to still pay Federal income tax. Just keep it in mind when trying to figure out whether you can afford to live on a low salary or not.
You have to file, but only have to pay US taxes if your income outside the US is over a certain threshold (foreign earned income exclusion). The JET salary by itself is nowhere close to exceeding that threshold, so please get your facts straight.
Is it because workers have been paid the same salary for 30 years with no pay rise. Glad I left Japan, no discrimination renting an apartment and my salary has doubled.
What, no pressure? Japan kids have huge pressure as competition is high and economic situation is average to bad. 1/3 of japanese men stay single super long. It is not about getting rich in Japan, it is about earning enough to provide for a family.
It's interesting how young Japanese people just say "office worker" when asked about their future job. I suppose job stability from a general education is one thing, then again, it's kind of odd that there's not "much" in it when it comes to individual ambition. With an increasingly aging population in a modern country, you'd think that there would be a rising demand for welfare technology and the development of said technology. I wonder how many "office workers" there will be in healthcare in the future. Surely nurses, doctors, surgeons, and dentists in Japan aren't just educated office workers with a couple of medical courses from online universities. Even with a decreasing population there should still be a demand for people in the construction industry, veterinarians, mechanics, etc.
Surprised that Japan considers $70k to be rich I make above that in Iceland and honestly it's just enough to make ends meet - But...Iceland is a very expensive place to live
That's the difference, if I'm not mistaken $30k is on the higher end in Japan. Plus, depending where you live, the cost of living is pretty low, even in Tokyo to a degree. I'm speaking as someone from NYC.
I make around 18k as a fulltime teacher in Tokyo and its alright. Rent is half what it'd be where I lived in the US. Still paycheck to paycheck, though.
America's Economy is quite strong currently but, so are the Cost's of literally everything; GREEDFLATION IS LARGE AND IN CHARGE here in The States & Evidently Japan as well.
Chris, please spin the Cup Noodles humidifier a little bit just so it looks like a real cup of noodles. It's so obvious that there's a spout that spits out the supposed to be steam. Cmon man, sell the fantasy.
A millionaire is more common than you think, and it isn't that big of a deal. The rub is, you're going to work your entire life to get it in your retirement.
To Pete, when you have less choices of flavors you will be happier. At least in psychology university i was taught that with less choices you are happier because when you have too many you leave unsatisfied.
Fewer choices do not automatically equate more happiness. The actual research afaik is that there's a happy medium where there's just enough choices to have variety, but not so many choices that they start becoming stressful. So there's a happy medium to thrive for, but that optimal amount will vary depending on the situation.
I rather live in a society with low and realistic expectations where people try find happiness in the mundane than a completely delusional culture where depression and anxiety are on the rise because everyone thinks they can be the next billionaire.
People in the US believe they can, but statistics show in UK and western/northern Europe you will do much better, the statistic is: social mobility. Not saying having part of the culture in the US dreaming big, but it's just sadly so much worse than in the past. Lots of people now do worse than their parents, instead of better than their parents. Because of unrealistic ideas: take on far to much debt ,which is very costly in the long run.
Omg.....they seriously said Western kids feel more pressure when in Japan, for a normal lifestyle, they have to overwork (in my country too) and I have lived in two western countries where people can get by without higher education, wouldnt lift a finger without extra compensation and have govt payments for hard times (which is a very good thing but what a ridiculous statement ).
I'm 43 and STILL don't know what I want to do when I grow up...
49. did a lot of things in life but none of it was what i wanted to do. still unsure of what i really wanted to do but have 101 things to do to put food on the table and am good at it; what i DON'T want to do.
Chris- please don’t burn yourself out trying to live up to perceived expectations. Your content is so valuable, that longevity must be prioritized over volume. I can personally relate to the pressure you are putting on yourself, and I know that you have to keep your focus on your own happiness or else you will burn yourself out. Love your content, please look after yourself. ❤
On the topic of Western expectations for the gen z to gen alpha folks, I think influencers flexing a luxurious but unrealistic lifestyle plays a significant role
There's an inheritance tax in Japan and debt can be inherited. The inheritance tax thingy was put in place post-war to prevent dynasties from forming. Works pretty well when compared to South Korea's chaebol taking control of the country.
Is it like the West's one where the debt passes to the estate or u just get debt anyway
The amount of influence the chaebol families have over the government and the people here in Korea is massive and inescapable, yeah. The chaebol system is one of this society's great vulnerabilities
100 year mortgages too
The "accent" episode isn't cringey, it's goofy. It's fun watching you both try so hard to keep them going.
It's a bit cringy, that's what makes it fun and goofy though.
It’s fun hearing them laugh at each other doing their accents 😂
idk bro was kinda cringe,, but that's what the viewers wanted clearly so;; good for them lol
aint no way you talking about goofy with a furry picture and name this next generation is done
@@Justin-zl6dmhahaha 100% you're a teenager bro. No one asked you to comment on this dudes picture and no one cares about it. You're embarrassing yourself
Getting Rich? In this economy? We are happy if we get to live a life out of poverty, asking for more feels like asking for disappointment.
What are you talking about? Now go get an expensive degree you won't get to use so someone missing 4 teeth can call you an idiot through a lip full of chewing tobacco.
I’m happy I survived the layoffs dude, the company probably likes me bc of how fast I work and wanted to keep me there for a while and have no plans on laying me off even tho I’m already like 2 years in for work there 😁
Men never will be satisfied in this dunya. Aim for Jannah.
@@rimenahiso basically you're saying don't make Paradise in Earth
F.I.R.E movement
“A lot of the negative emotions people feel is because their reality is different from what they expected of it” Dang things got real fast.
I agree with Pete's viewpoint to the whole 'being rich' part of the episode. No society is perfect, but, I would rather be in a grounded world than one than sells false promises. The UK's own culture reflects this grounded reality in its comedy in fact.
I've tried applying for jobs in Japan. Salaries for full time people are
Only 20? You must have enlisted into one of the better companies.
Legally they're pushing 40 hour overtime. A lot of companies illegally push 80 or more and legal enforcement is sparse.
If you look for a place away from the city center, you can find a number of places where rent is very inexpensive. (In Tokyo, there are many people who commute from Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba in neighboring prefectures.)
And there are also systems in place where the company will subsidize the rent, as well as food and transportation expenses.
It is true that there are still some old-fashioned places in Japan today, but unlike the past, things have changed considerably, and there are more and more places where working hours and holidays are better treated than in the west. Well, you have to work overtime but earn even more in wages lol.
Taxes are high because they include deductions for medical care and insurance.
The places that offer better benefits also have a higher percentage of applicants, and there is a very high possibility that not only job skills but also Japanese language skills will be required...
@@noxnox7445yea but you could make these arguments about any urban center in NA as well. People commute from NJ to NYC for work, doesn’t make it not a massive pain in the ass. Most people would rather not have to commute 2 hours a day to go to a job with heinous OT requirements and social pressures unparalleled in the west. No one is going to get mad at you for taking your holiday in America(even with how short it is)and they aren’t going to expect you to bring them gifts back. You can say Japan has changed all you want, but pretty much every metric disagrees with you. They wouldn’t be facing a collapsing populace if they weren’t overworked.
Tech is a bad comparison as the US has disproportionately higher salaries in the tech industry than pretty much any other country.
@@noxnox7445 Of course there are exceptions, but in practical terms the only guaranteed subsidy that Japanese companies normally offer is for commuting expenses (and even then, there is usually a max amount and anything beyond comes out of your own pocket). The commuting expense is also based on a pre-determined cheapest route, so it's not like Japanese companies will pay for your Uber.
The rent/food subsidies you mentioned are more likely to be offered by foreign companies who send people to Japan, or by Japanese companies who assign employees away to branch offices in other prefectures. Some traditional Japanese companies still offer company dorms (complete with curfews), but these are generally limited to unmarried employees under a certain age, and even those who fit the criteria can only live in such dorms for a set period (during which they are expected to get married and move out).
You mention working overtime to earn even more in wages, but that is not always the case. Japanese laws limit the amount of official overtime a Japanese company can make an employee work, but it is not uncommon for people to put in those overtime hours while not officially on the clock. Also, the wages in Japan are so low to begin with (wages have not really increased in decades) that a lot of Japanese people have no choice but get those overtime hours to supplement their base pay and make ends meet lol.
On paper, Japanese companies offer more paid time off than in those in the west, but you should also realize that not many Japanese people actually use their paid time off due to intense social pressure at work (fear of causing more work for coworkers, fear of missing out on face time with bosses that could affect their promotion chances, etc.).
That's a vast generalization about the US, probably a few years old. Things started taking a nosedive here since 2016, and that just went exponential starting in 2020 and hasn't leveled off, at least here in a rural area of a southern state in the US.
I'm from the US, and my elementary school had a very large mural by the front office that said, "If you can dream it, you can do it". We definitely had this idea of being able to accomplish anything we want in life instilled in us from a young age.
It’s impossible everywhere. I’m from Cali and it feels really impossible to be middle class right now.
Well, not quite everywhere. Here in Finland, and the rest of the Nordics really, it's still difficult to be anything but middle class. Though, Covid and then the war in Ukraine have dented the economy at least for the next few years.
In Cali i'm not surprised. Lower class in Cali is upper class in the rest of the USA. Except for like NYC. In Tennessee a nice house is like 1500 a month.
That’s your problem! You’re living in California. You’re gonna need to move to another state (not New York or Florida) to be in middle class comfortably.
@@ThisisCitrustbh at this point cali is probably more expensive than most of NYC. Like yea places like Hudson yards exist, but that’s not most of NYC. You can still get an apartment in places like brooklyn for circa $1500(expensive in most of America but doable for many in NYC). The bay area and LA probably have outpaced most of NYC housing wise at this point. Def depends on the neighborhood though etc. Also not all of TN is that affordable lmao, my friend lives in Knoxville and pays a little over $1000 for an apartment monthly and that was a pretty good deal when he got it. Nashville is even worse from my understanding
@@jubileus4597this isn’t really true. I moved to MI for university and the standard of living is a lot lower in a lot of the state compared to NY, and they make a lot less money. It’s hard to maintain being middle class anywhere in the US rn inflation is just eating us alive
Chris not understanding how appealing it is to watch 2 people who have a great relationship together😂
I had a part-time colleague whose main job was music management (we were more of a hobby) - of a surprisingly large band. He invited the whole company to a gig once, and let's just say he wasn't a fan of the supporting act's performance. He told us they'd be better off stripping than doing music. But well, apparently there's some bands that can do both.
The sad reality is, that even trained professionals barely earn more than a Combini worker.
Add to that the fact, that job security has dropped to near zero. And the daily abuse at work.
In such an environment, why should you even try??
that's my story! I was starting to think it wasn't going to make it onto the podcast! though with the content that was left out I can understand why. lol
still happy to hear it being read on the air. thanks!
Thanks for commenting here! 😁
Could you tell me where can I find the full story, yours and others involved?
That whole bit seemed so alien to my world that it was really facinating.
Underground subcultures & music are truly the best in Japan ✨
That we all dream about being rich is an unfortunate myth about America. The vast majority of people who can get rich here were born into wealth. The reality is that most of us can barely afford food and housing, and many of us can't even afford that.
Why don't poor people just buy more money
Looking to teach in Japan later this year, but not through the JET program. I’ll admit I’ve wondered about affordability in Japan, even after looking at some job ads for English teaching. The cost of living here in Canada is extremely high, yes higher than the UK and USA. So I’m hoping that maybe it won’t feel as bad since it’s still cheaper in Japan. Such as your colleague paying $800 a month or non subsidized housing. I pay $1648 for a one bedroom apartment 🫠
R Whites sugar made lemonade with yellow top is normally available at Asda.
Yeah but it's full of sweeteners. Pete was a bit misleading, a lot of these drinks changed their recipes around 15 years ago. The one good thing about the sugar tax is it's easier to find drinks that actually have sugar
I feel like young people here in the States are more realistic when it comes to what they wanna be in the future, but there's also a growing understanding that you don't need to be rich to be happy. Wealth isn't the dream, happiness is. Sounds more like stability and security is the dream over in Japan.
Of course agreed but, I do wish
FOR ALL OF US REGARDLESS OF NATION, CULTURE, COLOR, & SPIRITUAL BELIEFS to have the "Upper Middle Class Lifestyle". Which means a certain amount of "Material Wealth" but, not Super Rich either.
I saw the Plasmatics at CBGBs in 1978-79? Wendy O. Williams (WOW) put a guitar in a stock and chainsaw'd the thing in half. Around the same time I went to a concert where Laurie Anderson was performing (some underground venue) and she was singing blindfolded. At one point she tripped over the microphone cord and almost took a headder over the stage.
At Pete’s urging I went to my local Mac and purchased a Butterscotch Pie. Holy cow that was delicious!
In America a lot of people will think they can make it rich, but the reality is you are much more likely to be able to do it in the UK. It's like George Carlin said 'That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.'
Can you elaborate on this please?
@@jimbocho660 look up upward mobility sometimes called social mobility. It will show that while the UK is lower than most of europe it is still better than the US. That is if you were born in one economic class you are more likely to go higher in the UK than the US. And most of the US mobility is sports and entertainment related. Doesn't help that healthcare will wipe out a lot families equity.
@@MartinEB72 Thanks. People often say tech salaries are much higher in the US than the UK, which they are, but the cost of living is also much higher. Chicago, for example, is twice as expensive as Manchester. They're in a lot of trouble, but I think we're headed in the same direction.
My favorite part of the accent video was Sharla saying, “It tastes shit.”
Here in America I'll just be happy to have a place to live and food to eat
That will never exist as they keep raising the bar constantly
I would be happy with a place to live in a decent place. I am tempted to get a small piece of land and build a small home.
Even that's getting to be a challenge. The pie keeps getting smaller but the big shots still get half of it no matter what
Here in the United States things are getting increasingly bleak and nihilistic as the younger generation is feeling more hopeless as that optimism of everyone getting rich is not only dying but being replaced with a sense of doom. At least in Japan you can have a affordable place to live to stay housed and have universal healthcare. The goal for most young kids in the US now is to not end up homeless and passing away under the bridge from a preventable illness since the hospital refused to treat you, since they only treat the rich or financially ruin you in some cases. Really looking forward to leaving the US and I do not have high hopes for the future of the US, I think Japan will fare much better as they have more social cohesion and stronger shared morals compared to the money above all else even if you sell your soul and ruin 100 other people mentality in the US which causes society to literally slowly cannibalize itself from the inside until the country is a shadow of it's former self.
speak for yourself. this outlook is kind of pathetic and just not really indicative of reality. Most zoomers aren’t viewing the world like this in the US. Also, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about as it is illegal for hospitals to turn you away for treatment in America, regardless of your insurance status. America isn’t a monolith, it isn’t culturally static across the continent nor is the standard of living and economic opportunity static either. Please stop speaking for the entirety of us, your views aren’t necessarily reflective of reality
Listened to the audio version yesterday, did the part about Chris discussing about the 'outrage' to his camping on an island video get edited out?
I think so. I was confused and wondering if I dreamed about that part, but going back to the audio podcast there were several minutes that aren't included in this video version. Shame cause that part was funny and you learn a bit more about the island camping video.
Was doing JET when the exchange rate was much more favourable. But recognized that Japan was not good for me long-term career-wise (and other reasons).
On the other hand, I am seriously considering retiring to Japan. For someone with considerable savings and passable language skills the low-cost housing outside of major urban centres and relatively low cost of living, it seems like a good option. Would either of you (Chris and Pete) consider retiring in Japan, why or why not?
hey Chris, you could make a Thailand travel series with Garnt!
We might have multiple flavors of everything. I counted one time there’s 25 different flavors of Oreos at the moment. But our McDonald’s only has apple pies. We never get a different flavor. Y’all get all the fun food over there I want to teriyaki burger.! 🍔
I went to a hardcore punk show in Shimokita in my first trip to Japan recently. Same level of insanity, just less nudity lol. There was a band with a frontman who didnt sing a single vocal
I can confirm the story about the Heavens Door! This seems to be a "normal" show for that venue 🤣 A friend of mine went there for another kind of weird idol (but which isn't lewd) and was quite surprised by the event and what happened. He instantly recognized the first one from the story! 😆
Yeah, only 1% of Americans are ritch, many look ritch but pay 55% in taxes and are more or less broke all the time. And those of us who aren't as lucky get to live with crippling debt. As a country we're so broke we can't even pay attention.
It's a nice place to visit though ;p
Going on an Alaskan cruise in later in the year, I highly recommend it if you and Natsuke end up back in the states
“As a country we're so broke we can't even pay attention.” That’s golden!!!!
Literally the month before Spice Girls hit it big in Australia Geri Halliwell featured in one of those "page 3" magazines with the girls on full display. Was quite the eye opening introduction to the Spice Girls
Thank you, seemed like she did quite a few photoshoots! I never knew!
Awesome podcast chris thumb up
MacIntosh Butterscotch from my childhood...mmmmm, My Uncle Jim always had a pocketful. Muffy from Oz(Australia)
Amazing episode as always
22:48 pause for good fortune and luck
right and in the United States when I Was growing up kids were like I want to be a lawyer, doctor, astronaut, supreme court justice, lol, I mean I remember there was this girl in our class who was always trying to one up everyone like that with those ideas.. I remember I said being a pilot wouldnt be bad.. or I said fireman I think is what I said because my friend's house had burned down right when I was young & I remember he had a Nintendo game he brought over & he said look at this they pulled it from the fire it's one of the only things that survived.. THE NES GAME WORKED! .. this was like 1987 ... it was melted but worked
I would listen to a daily podcast about Pete’s car saga!
Interesting subject, does Japanese culture measure richness in quality of life rather than financials? I recently worked on a project in London where houses in one road are from £20million to £60million, this is unreachable for a typical British student if you asked if this is the amount of money needed to be rich. I think having a wage comfortable for a family life, having access to creating good memories and happiness is the measure of richness.
Just tried McDonald's butterscotch pie, it's soo good~ ❤ their espresso and tea frappe also slaps 👍
Don’t know how you can get rich with a salary that hasn’t changed in 30 years and rising taxes and depreciating house values.
I live in Shizuoka -a white collar city less than an hour from Tokyo by train and over 700,000 people, with a big beautiful Shinkansen station. Doesn’t matter-the population is decreasing and house values are plummeting.
How would one get rich?
Better yet how would one stay “middle class”?
Not have kids, spend less and don’t buy big purchases.
Ah ah!! The Japanese economy in a nutshell
It's not Japan's fault that salaries haven't changed over time, it's the company's fault.
And it's also your fault for not changing jobs.
@@noxnox7445 my fourth company and I’m at the top of the pay grade for this job. Also work part time to get more cash. You don’t know what you’re talking about
Bar Rockaholic in Shibuya! Missed that place, great bar.
At this point, I think most young people in developed countries just faces the reality that getting rich is pretty much impossible. Thanks for the previous generations.
Literally why I didn't teach in japan. I really wanted to but saw how abysmal the salaries were and pursued a stem degree in US. I easily make 5-6 years teaching salary in 1 year. It's not about being rich but securing my financial future. Emergency fund, having quality health insurance, and saving for retirement. In the US it isn't that everyone is trying to be rich. It's simply very easy to fall behind here and wind up homeless/bankrupt/working till you die. It's a fast moving, high stress, expensive environment. In japan you can get away with making less and have more social benefits at your fingertips. The US provides nothing, taxes you and says good luck.
It deeply saddens me to see Japan struggles financially. The products they've made seems to be made out of passion. I honestly do wish more japanese products were imported into amazon more commonly, especially the stress relief products which looks like passionate works of art instead of cashgrabs that look rushed.
It's heartbreaking, there are people still working themselves to death within the Anime and Manga studios.
I only worked out what i wanted to do with my life about 4 years ago, and im 43 now
Butterscotch looks like toffee. It is good that Pete is broadcast DJ instead of Monkey Zookeeper 🙂
Y'all had the BEST coke ever though! The peach coke from 2018 I think. Been chasing that flavor ever since, ours was not as good.
American here, and I passionately disagree with Pete. Having dreams that you may fail at is far better than not having dreams at all and just living a life of no motivation and mediocrity.
For one, success often comes after multiple failures, and if you never try then you’ll never truly test yourself and reach success that may be in a different field. Often when you fail, you learn a lot about yourself and what you can succeed at, which means that when you fail you also might just land higher than you were before. Steve Jobs failed at Apple, got fired, learned form his failure, started Next, bought Pixar, came back to Apple and instituted what he learned from failure to make Apple even more successful than before. Not only that, but his failure at Apple that lead him to found Next developed Mac OSX operating system which he brought to Apple and was the foundation of the iPhone and macOS of today.
Having dreams of success that you strive for is very important on so many levels. You learn from failure and get all the closer to achieving your dreams or discovering another dream you can fulfill.
"What are you pointing at?" Wait...you can SEE him? Does Pete have spy cameras in Japan?!
What do you mean spy cameras? They are literally in a video call 😅
off topic but you kinda dont need the popfilter for that microphone in particular
#thefaxmachine
Dear colony cheese Chris and Paipa cheese Pete,
I am often amazed by the quality of videos that you put out Chris and by the amount of logistics and expenses involved when making your productions. I was curious as to what you might create if for some reason Mr.Beast allowed you to use his finances and production crew for a video. Are there things you have wanted to do but couldn’t do to monetary or production restraints or do you feel you are in a satisfactory place with what you are creating now.
Also I would love to hear what Pete would do if he had Mr. Beast’s money
Took halfway into the episode to get to what the title was talking about 😂
I don't think its just a Japan problem. Even here in my country, getting rich is really hard nowadays, especially when the economy is getting increasingly destructive. It's tough out there. Even simple groceries like eggs and onions is bloody expensive now.
I'm now burning with curiosity about what happened in the original email. Could we somehow get access to it?
Is Jared in the comments?
I'm here
@@ninjaseikai wait, actually?!?!
what happened in the censored parts? Plus what place was it? Do you know the location?
Can we have the picture folder?
Thanks!
@@kv4648 yeah. I can show you the unredacted email. Then you can decide what you want to see. Because I have videos from all of it. I was doing an ethnography at the time.
I won't post it here. But if you send me a message I will put it there.
@@ninjaseikai sorry for not responding. Got busy for a couple days.
How could I message you? I have discord, telegram, Instagram (idk how to use), gmail and probably others.
Most of my students in Japan seemed to want to be flight attendants, or bakers, which I was quite surprised by. Also a few RUclipsrs of course!
I've noticed many will emphasize aspects of the kind of life they want as opposed to a dream career. E.g. "I want to be able to eat lots of tasty food and sleep in during the week". Probably a healthier, Lie Flat-y approach for the way the world is headed.
Who cares? Japanese are already rich. Rich in culture, history, and character. The only thing holding back Japan is the Japanese "live to work" cult. I am a Japanese nationalist, I want Japanese families being the center of life. I want the Japanese to work to live, not live to work. I want village life to return. Respect for the farmers, passion for the uniqueness of villages, not the boring monotonous sameness of the megacities. #SaveTheJapanese
We'll, the Japanese people who are struggling everyday CERTAINLY care. Taxes are high and the economy isn't doing well and they're on a decline.
Stop talking like a dumb weeaboo.
Zom100 be like
Don't feel bad--becoming rich in the U.S. is also impossible. Hell, I'd settle for "upper middle class" at this point.
Why did you re-relese the same episode from months ago? Did it not get enough views the first time?
Its hard to get "rich" depending on what you define as rich, in every country for most people.
If you are super lucky and of course also work hard you can get rich as a youtuber or whatsoever but it makes sense and is true that most rich people say the first 100k $ are the hardest to earn.
If you have enough money you can start investing and survive trough passive income completely or mostly but getting there is so hard ....
I somehow managed after living like a monk for 20 years to get about 1500$ of interest troughout the whole last year ... already less then a month wage but then again my country asks for another 30% of tax even though I already paid almost 50% tax from the money I earned trough working before .... so I have to pay another 30% from the money that I already paid 50% on before ;(
Can you do a cover article about Japan's lunar rover that is about to land on the moon?
Who’s trying to get rich? In Canada, I’d settle for being able to pay my student fees, rent, and food all in the same month without getting evicted so my landlord can raise rent prices on my apartment.
I've worked for millionaires. I never want to be rich. Good food and good conversations are all I need to be happy...
For any Americans who are thinking of doing the JET program, don't forget that you still pay US taxes on your income in Japan, so you get double-taxed. Other countries do not do this, it's pretty much only the US who forces citizens living abroad to still pay Federal income tax. Just keep it in mind when trying to figure out whether you can afford to live on a low salary or not.
No you don’t you can fine for an exception, horrible advice do more research. I worked there for 11 years filed every year and never paid a dime .
You have to file, but only have to pay US taxes if your income outside the US is over a certain threshold (foreign earned income exclusion). The JET salary by itself is nowhere close to exceeding that threshold, so please get your facts straight.
Interesting. Casper the Friendly Ghost is the prevailing opinion of spirits, in Japanese culture? Do they have an equivalent to a poltergeist?
TAXES, FREE means more TAX. Every Tax is cascaded down to last consumer.
Is it because workers have been paid the same salary for 30 years with no pay rise. Glad I left Japan, no discrimination renting an apartment and my salary has doubled.
The accent bit was hilarious
What, no pressure? Japan kids have huge pressure as competition is high and economic situation is average to bad. 1/3 of japanese men stay single super long. It is not about getting rich in Japan, it is about earning enough to provide for a family.
I think the main thing Chris needs to work on regarding his American accent is to learn more idioms that don't involve four-lettered words.
What else do you expect? The replied 'office worker' as they comply with the general understatement and modesty.
150,000k is middle class in Seattle 😅 no really ........😢
Woh 😮
Just an observation. It seems like Pete has stronger feelings in today's topic.
I think Pete and Chris would be amazing in a Dragon Quest game as voice actors. Have you two gave anime voice acting a go?
i actually know what act the guy saw. damn.. imagine not knowing about that before you go to the show.. they really dont hold back.
Don't worry Pete. You can still get the Galaxy Caramel pie.
It's interesting how young Japanese people just say "office worker" when asked about their future job.
I suppose job stability from a general education is one thing, then again, it's kind of odd that there's not "much" in it when it comes to individual ambition.
With an increasingly aging population in a modern country, you'd think that there would be a rising demand for welfare technology and the development of said technology.
I wonder how many "office workers" there will be in healthcare in the future. Surely nurses, doctors, surgeons, and dentists in Japan aren't just educated office workers with a couple of medical courses from online universities.
Even with a decreasing population there should still be a demand for people in the construction industry, veterinarians, mechanics, etc.
Let's make 2024 the year Chris puts the "American" accent to bed. I love you Chris, but my goodness that accent. The humanity.
Surprised that Japan considers $70k to be rich
I make above that in Iceland and honestly it's just enough to make ends meet - But...Iceland is a very expensive place to live
That's the difference, if I'm not mistaken $30k is on the higher end in Japan. Plus, depending where you live, the cost of living is pretty low, even in Tokyo to a degree. I'm speaking as someone from NYC.
I make around 18k as a fulltime teacher in Tokyo and its alright. Rent is half what it'd be where I lived in the US. Still paycheck to paycheck, though.
Look at the average household debt of EU countries.
It's absurd that it's higher than in the US.
America's Economy is quite strong currently but, so are the Cost's of literally everything; GREEDFLATION IS LARGE AND IN CHARGE here in The States & Evidently Japan as well.
so about 70K us? damn. wow. Japan love yourself even a little.
Of course he bought the DVD ;)
Chris, please spin the Cup Noodles humidifier a little bit just so it looks like a real cup of noodles. It's so obvious that there's a spout that spits out the supposed to be steam. Cmon man, sell the fantasy.
A millionaire is more common than you think, and it isn't that big of a deal. The rub is, you're going to work your entire life to get it in your retirement.
It's impossible to make it now. Everything is oversaturated.
Charlotte saved that vid her British accent was hilarious
Getting rich anywhere is hard, at least it's easier to open a business in Japan compared to Australia
To Pete, when you have less choices of flavors you will be happier.
At least in psychology university i was taught that with less choices you are happier because when you have too many you leave unsatisfied.
Fewer choices do not automatically equate more happiness. The actual research afaik is that there's a happy medium where there's just enough choices to have variety, but not so many choices that they start becoming stressful. So there's a happy medium to thrive for, but that optimal amount will vary depending on the situation.
@@Ajyia yes, i didn't want to make it complicated and boring to read
Out of musical curiosity, what was the name of these punk bands...?
I would love to know
I rather live in a society with low and realistic expectations where people try find happiness in the mundane than a completely delusional culture where depression and anxiety are on the rise because everyone thinks they can be the next billionaire.
Japans youths should be focused on trades instead of wasting time in college if "officeworker" is the generic response to what do you want to do
People in the US believe they can, but statistics show in UK and western/northern Europe you will do much better, the statistic is: social mobility.
Not saying having part of the culture in the US dreaming big, but it's just sadly so much worse than in the past. Lots of people now do worse than their parents, instead of better than their parents.
Because of unrealistic ideas: take on far to much debt ,which is very costly in the long run.
So is $70k in the question asked for students for their ideal income to become rich translating to 8 million yen?
The US isn't the paradise foreigners make it out to be, and I'm a born and raised citizen
Omg.....they seriously said Western kids feel more pressure when in Japan, for a normal lifestyle, they have to overwork (in my country too) and I have lived in two western countries where people can get by without higher education, wouldnt lift a finger without extra compensation and have govt payments for hard times (which is a very good thing but what a ridiculous statement ).
Rent for me is about 1/2 of my salary on average... 1/3 sounds great