Is housing in Japan affordable? From what I have heard, it might be OK outside major cities, but the most desirable jobs seem to be overwhelmingly centralized in those cities.
A 60m^2 apartment just around the periferies of the center of tokyo (I'm talking 10 minute train to Shinjuku) costs about 700k in dollar terms[0] if you want to buy it, and between 1500 to 2000 per month if you want to rent it.
Move further away from the center, and the cost drops dramatically. A house near a station that's 30 minutes from Shinjuku the same size above costs half the price (~350k).
[0] If you think about a 100 Japanese Yen as 1 "Japanese Dollar". It's not equivalent to 1 US dollar, but if you adjust for typical salaries and cost of living it comes out about the same, when you are considering the price of housing, etc.
Tokyo, the most popular city, has decent relatively affordable housing. But you have to make some sacrifices on size, and at the very low end, lifestyle (you might have to go to the bath house for showers).
