

McDonald’s Wage For Nuclear Job Shows Some Japan Towns May Fade - marcog1
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-10/mcdonald-s-wage-for-nuclear-job-shows-some-japan-towns-may-fade.html

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adario
I live in Japan, have traveled widely throughout the country, and I would
disagree with your notion that $11 gets you more in another part of Japan
outside of Tokyo. Unlike the U.S., where prices can vary widely when you leave
big cities, in Japan prices are pretty much consistent throughout most of the
country. The only real cost benefit you get from not living in Tokyo is the
occasional cheaper apartment rent.

In general wages in Tokyo for all manner of jobs is quite low, this is in
stark contrast to the country's rich, tech-forward image.

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gommm
Having lived in Kyoto for quite a while and going occasionally to Tokyo, I
don't completely agree with you...

Restaurants for one are cheaper and better value for money in Kyoto than in
Tokyo... The housing situation is also quite different... What doesn't change
all that much though are transport prices (although, as soon as you go to a
place with only JR and no competition prices are much higher) and every day
items... All in all, I think for the same quality of life in Tokyo than in
Kyoto, one would need maybe 30-40% more wage...

That said, I agree with you on wages, I was quite surprised at how low the
salaries in Japan are. Young employees just don't get paid much no matter
their level of education, their productivity or their usefulness to the
company... Seniority is the biggest criteria for salary increases (that and
being married and having kids).

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mullr
Of course, $11 in Fukushima-ken likely gets you more than the same in Tokyo.
Ignoring this simple fact comes off as dishonest to me.

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Natsu
It may be worth mentioning that, while $11/hr apparently is the wage at some
McDonalds in Tokyo, the people cleaning up the radioactive stuff are being
paid significantly more and rotated in & out to avoid having too much
exposure. The article I saw yesterday quoted a wage of a few hundred dollars
for a couple hours of work and mentioned people with stopwatches measuring how
long they could be safely exposed, in addition to their dosimeters.

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nandemo
I was skeptical of this, such low wages for a potentially dangerous job. I
found this (in Japanese):

<http://job.j-sen.jp/hellowork/job_3373229/>

Indeed it seems not far from the what the article says. It's around 1100 to
1400 yen per hour (around U$14~17/h). It's for general unskilled labor and has
no education or skills requirements. Above average pay for the countryside,
but still seems low if the job can expose you to above average levels
radiation even in normal conditions (the ad was published before the
disaster).

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swaits
Lost decades...

