When it comes to life in Tokyo in particular, people really do not have time for anything outside of work and a small slice of time on weekends (if you even get

When it comes to life in Tokyo in particular, people really do not have time for anything outside of work and a small slice of time on weekends (if you even get that--overtime is even more crushing if you're a man since you're born to work). When you factor in the overtime and 45-90 minute commutes each way, that really doesn't leave any time to do anything else. In smaller cities, the commute isn't nearly as bad as Tokyo so that provides a little more breathing room, and that's why I chose to live away from Tokyo despite fewer job options and being in a fairly "boring" town. And when it comes to money, it's primarily based on age and nothing else. A 59 year old thumb twiddler counting down the days until he can retire and chug some beers from morning to night will easily be getting paid more than double a 28 year old engineer whose work is the backbone of the company.