Shunsuke, 18, third-year, public high school, boy, Chiba prefecture My monthly allowance is 5,000 yen. My parents also give me 2,500 yen for the train fare for commuting to school, and 2,000 yen for food, so about 9,500 yen in all. I started to commute to school by bicycle, in place of taking the train, so I use the train fare for other things ( with all that footwork, I figure I earn it! ). As for expenses,I contribute 1,000 yen to payment of my e-mail account ( my parents subtract it from my allowance! ) As far as spending for food, I usually buy onigiri or a hamburger before I go to cram school after school twice a week, and that comes to about 2,000 yen a month. Then I spend about 2,000 yen per month on snacks -- most of it is chocolate and Pepsi. I use the rest for novels, mainly fiction for young adults. I like writing fiction, so I sometimes buy classical literature of Europe and China. I go to the second-hand bookstores a lot. I almost never buy clothing myself. I wear a uniform to school, and at home, all I need are T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans.

Sample of Shunsuke's Monthly Accounts (yen) Income 1. Allowance (received every month) 5,000 2. Other Train fare 2,500 Food 2,000 Total 9,500 Expenses 1. Food and drink 4,000 2. Clothing 0 3. Hobbies Fiction,manga 3,000 Video games 1,500 4. Other (e-mail account) 1,000 Total 9,500

Commuting to school: Public schools are usually located relatively close by, so most students commute by bus, bicycle, or on foot. Those who attend private schools, however, often commute from considerable distance, some changing trains more than once. Driver's licenses cannot be obtained until the age of 18, so almost no students drive to school (few are driven to school by car).

Original text : The Japan Forum Newsletter no20 "A day in The Life" March 2001.

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