It Is Worth It? or On Frugality and Unattachment
by Joel R. Voss aka. Javantea
April 11, 2006 12:53 JST
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To be frugal, to work, to pay off debts, and to not get attached. It is worth it to do these things because the reward is bigger than a trip to Tokyo. Going to Tokyo is a reward for me for good behavior in the world of my natural existence. I have lived on a tight budget in Seattle, spending only what I need to survive and a very small amount available for entertainment (~$15 per week average). I have worked 20-40 hours per week for a year as a programmer, earning a large wage. I have paid off all my credit card debt and have earned a sum equal to my student loans effectively putting me at $0 net worth. I have (easily) resisted the temptation to get involved with anyone in Seattle. This has freed me to do what I want, how I want, where I want.
Frugality is more than getting the most for your money. To be frugal, you have to go with the bare necessities, saving money by doing that which is cheap. Walking instead of driving, dining in instead of eating out, renting a movie instead of buying, renting the cheap room instead of the expensive apartment, wearing clothes out instead of keeping up with fashion, and so on. By looking at my short list, you can see that I do not go without, I go with, but I don't waste money on expensive items no matter how much status or common fashion cares. I don't have spending limits because I simply don't buy very much.
I don't work 40 hours per week, that's true. Many people are either jealous or unhappy about this, but it's just a fact of life. I'm quite happy with it just how it is. I get my work done and that is that. But the idea of getting work done and getting paid is quite key to my success. The money I have earned in this year has made all the difference. It has turned hard work into prosperity which has made everything above and below work out.
Read more »Costs of Staying in Japan
by Joel R. Voss aka. Javantea
April 12, 2006 14:27 JST
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I feel that it's useful to discuss cost of a Japan trip. If you're not interested in a low budget trip or if you just aren't interested in the numbers, disregard this.
You've probably have good numbers for the plane and room. The cost of food, transportation, and entertainment are pretty important to the total cost of a stay. Food is going to cost more than rent if you plan to eat out even if you only spend 1/3 of rent on food at home.
My current statistics are as follows: 30000 yen ($250) the first week, 20000 yen ($167) the second week. A breakdown of my food, transportation, and entertainment budget can be found below.
Read more »Staying in Japan
This is just a sub-category, so click a link to an article below.
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Manga in Tokyo
by Joel R. Voss aka. Javantea
April 14, 2006 20:56 JST
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Manga is Japanese comics. When I talk about a manga like Shounen Jump, I'm talking about a thick book which has a dozen manga series. When I talk about a manga like Naruto, I'm talking about one of the series. You can buy the thick book if you want to read many series or you can buy a graphic novel of a single series.
There's a full discussion of whether foreign* artists who write manga-style comics are creating comics or manga and whether manga artists are creating comics in Japanese or whether they have an asset in calling it manga. I like to think that manga is a style and an asset which can be created by anyone no matter their nationality. My reasoning is 2 parts: 1) manga can be clearly identified as different from realism-based comics and funnies, and 2) the word comic is diluted, especially in America (where it can mean stand-up comedy, funnies, or realism-based cartoon serials). For example, my manga is Javantea's Fate. Megatokyo is a good example of an American made manga.
* You'll notice certain English words are linked like the word foreign. They are linked to the proper Japanese translation. They also have a tooltip so you can read the translation in tiny print without opening the online Kanji-English dictionary. Disregard these if you aren't interested in learning 1 Japanese word per paragraph.
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