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Will I make enough?
I'll be honest, that number concerns me.
I'm moving with my wife, and we're planning for kids now.
Is this realistically enough for us to up and move to Tokyo and give our kids a good quality of life? Without family in the area I'm worried it will be quite difficult.
the school thing is worth thinking about now, not later. if you go public elementary, most wards have good ones but the zoning can be a pain, and some schools have a reputation for being stricter or more rigid. if you even think you might want international school for the kids, that's like 2 to 3 million a year per kid, which at 7 to 8m salary is just not happening. so decide early if public school is okay, because that's the real budget breaker.
also, don't sleep on the tax side. your first year you'll pay full residence tax on the previous year's income, but since you're new you get a bit of a pass, then it kicks in the second year and that's a solid 10% of your take-home gone. people forget that and it hurts. so plan for your real monthly income to be lower than what the salary calculators say the first year.
one thing nobody's said: check if the company offers a spousal visa or work support. if your wife ends up on a dependent visa, she can't work full time without a separate visa, and that's a hassle. if she wants to work, some firms sponsor her or help with the paperwork, which is a huge quality of life boost. worth asking.
7-8 million pre-tax is workable, but it depends heavily on your wife's plans and your housing choices. That's roughly 550k to 650k a month take-home depending on deductions, and a 2LDK in a decent but not central ward like Nerima or Edogawa will run you 150k to 200k. You can find cheaper if you're willing to commute 40 minutes from Saitama or Chiba, which many young families do.
The bigger issue is childcare. If your wife isn't working, you'll be fine on daily expenses, but you'll save almost nothing. If she plans to work, hoikuen (public daycare) is heavily subsidized, often 20k to 60k a month for one kid, but the waitlists in popular wards are brutal. You'll want to register early and be flexible on which ward you live in, that's where the real stress comes in.
Also factor in the move itself. Setting up a home from scratch, furniture, deposits, and key money (reikin) can easily eat 800k to 1 million yen in your first three months. That will hurt at 7 million, so I'd negotiate for a relocation package or a starting bonus if you can.
I'd say it's enough for a decent life, but not a cushy one. If you're used to saving a lot or want private international school later, that's where it falls apart
Honestly, 7 to 8 is doable but you'll feel the squeeze, especially the first year. The thing people don't mention is how much little stuff adds up, like school supplies, club activities, and doctor visits for the kids, that's easily another 30 to 50k a month once they're older.
I'd also look outside the typical expat areas. Places like Kawaguchi or Ichikawa are way cheaper and still a quick train ride in, plus you get more space for the money. If your wife can work part-time or find something flexible, that changes
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.