Well, I have been in Japan for 2 months now or perhaps 9 weeks in total. Again, if you ask me how I like Japan. I will say that I like it. Before I left singapore, I heard so many information about Japan and how the life here is going to be liked. To tell you the truth, I have been wanting to pull out from the program many many many times and for 2 months I was contemplating to quit. I have to say that coming here comes with a lot of trade off. Yeah, I trade many things including my career and time. Nevertheless, there are things that are just priceless and timeless.
Anyway, this post is not going to talk about my life. I want to share a bit what I have found about Japan. Japan is a beautiful country to visit and well, perhaps a place to earn a living for some. Well, need to bear in mind that the cost of living in Japan is high, thus the money earned may end up not that much.
Ok, back to the point about Japan. If you ask me whether Japan is cheap. Definitely not, but if you ask whether it is affordable. YES! If you really live in Japan as in living (not tourist), the bulk of your income/ money will go into housing. I think in Tokyo area, the average rate for single apartment (single/ 1 person) is around 100,000 yen and around yokohama will be around 85,000 yen. It will depend on area, accessibility and facilities. Of course, it may still be possible to find a slightly cheaper housing, but well, it is better to set a buffer price.
Another cost that is high is transportation, eating out and shopping. Thus, it is practically everything. It is really making a difference whether you go out on weekends (travel) or not, whether you eat out or not and whether you shop or not. However, if you just go to office, eat at home and live simply, you will not spend much. I think 50,000 will be more than enough.
So, how are the prices of groceries here?
1. Vegetable, starts with 100 yen above. The price varies for different supermarkets. The cheaper ones would be Ita Yokado, Dai-ya and the more expensive ones will be Tokyu and well, I can’t remember the name. The rest will just fall in between,
2. Fruits are utterly expensive here. I could not afford a watermelon here 
. The cheapest is apple and persimmon that cost 100 yen each. Small watermelon (I mean really really really small) will be around 600 yen and above, oranges will be 600 yen (for a few, 5 perhaps and it is small), melon (don’t ask!) and the list goes on. The bottom line is to give a basket of fruits as present is part of the culture I guess.
3. Meat, chicken is the cheapest- around 200 yen for 2-3 fillet. Well, if you buy Japanese produced meat/ beef, errrr expensive. Fresh fish is also expensive, a few hundred yen for a few slice. Everything in the supermarket is sliced nicely, packed well and priced tactfully.
4. Milk, yogurt an dairy products are reasonable or can I say cheap? I think it will cost around 200 yen for 1l milk. The rest will be priced around the few hundred yen (<500 yen).
5. Rice- definitely more expensive than singapore. I think 2 kg around 1000 yen.
6. Bread- 1 piece starts with 105 yen (the cheapest)
7. Eggs- 200 yen for 10 eggs.
8. Sauces- reasonably priced
9. Liquor- Cheap! 
10. The rest? I think reasonably priced.
How about transportation:
1. The first 1-2 stations, mostly train will start with 130 yen. Bare in mind that this is within the city.
2. Should you want to go from Tokyo- Osaka, well there are various choices. Air-plane, shinkansen, normal train (many types) and highway buses. The price of airplane and shinkansen are competitive, one-way is around 15000 yen. Normal train will be half the shinkansen and the bus price is around half or one-third depending on the season.
3. Basically, if you want to travel in Japan (as a resident, not a tourist), it is costly. Tourists are given lower fair here. I could not believe that the government is doing that. Yeah, a tourist’s rate which may be even less than half that the locals have to pay. Gosh.
As for the rest, such as:
1. Mobile phone, there are 3 major provider, docomo, au and soft bank. The monthly package varies depending on individual needs. As for the rate, err reasonable but just don’t call for too long.
2. Eating places: hmm there are countless eating establishment here. Just try them and enjoy.
3. Shopping malls: errr everywhere as in everywhere. I guess Japan is a place for shopaholic.
4. Convenient stores are everywhere, every corner may have more than 1.
5. Cigarettes are cheap, 300 yen/ box.
6. No dustbin, so just bring a bigger bag whenever you go to be a temporary dustbin.
7. Unlike singapore which emphasises 3 R, Japan has only 1 R, recycled! Considering how much waste we make here daily with all the nice packaging and we are obsessed with appearance and beauty, it is unfortunate that there is no room for reduced and reused.
8. Parking is exorbitant, but car is cheap.
9. House is expensive, rental is expensive
10. Library is not matched for singapore sophisticated library. Singapore has superb libraries.
11. This country is totally clean 
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12. Japan has this standard colour of grey and blue grey and green grey. Definitely not colourful
13. GPS is totally useful for Japan as the address system is not systematic. It is not a surprised to get lost here. I guess the housing estate reveals the fact how old the civilisation is!
