I have lived for a year in Kyoto around the poverty level they were talking about (2 millions and an half yens/year) and I was definitely not hurting for money.

I have lived for a year in Kyoto around the poverty level they were talking about (2 millions and an half yens/year) and I was definitely not hurting for money.... Now it's true that with such a salary I don't think it would be easy to follow the traditional japanese lifestyle of supporting a house-wife plus family but anyway since salaries over there are partly determined by age + the employee's family situation...