Hi, I’m Yuriko, and I’ve just started my first full-time job in investment banking in Japan right after graduating from university.
Let’s get into the real details—salary, expenses, and what life actually looks like.
🕒 Working Conditions
- Working hours: 7 hours 30 minutes per day
- Paid leave: 15 days (increases to 21 days from the second year)
- Bonuses: Twice a year (June & December)
- Overtime: Around 30 hours/month (paid)
💰 Monthly Salary
✔️ Gross Salary
- Base salary: ¥260,000
- Overtime: ~¥70,000 (depends on workload)
➡️ Total gross: ~¥330,000
✔️ Net Salary (Take-home)
- Around ¥278,500 after deductions
🧾 What Gets Deducted?
Your take-home pay is reduced by:
- Income tax
→ Paid monthly as an estimate and adjusted at the end of the year - Social insurance (社会保険)
Covers:- Health insurance
- Pension (厚生年金)
- Nursing care, etc.
- Employee pension (厚生年金保険料)
→ Split 50/50 between you and your company - Employment insurance (雇用保険)
→ Helps if you lose your job, take childcare leave, etc. - Other deductions
→ Union fees, etc.
💡 Your insurance premiums are calculated based on your income from April to June.
💡 Reality Check: Salary vs Minimum Wage
- Tokyo minimum wage: ¥1,126/hour
- My hourly rate: ~¥1,363/hour
➡️ It’s slightly above minimum wage, which is honestly surprising for a finance job.
🏢 Company Benefits
Even though the base salary is fixed for all new graduates (regardless of location or qualifications), there are some benefits:
- Housing subsidy
- Free vaccinations
- Savings incentives
- Employee stock ownership plan
🏠 Monthly Expenses
Here’s what I actually spend each month:
🏡 Rent
- ¥0
➡️ I live at home and plan to stay as long as I can
🚃 Transportation
- ¥10,000 – ¥12,000/month
- Work commute: ~¥7,000
- Personal outings: ~¥3,000
🍱 Food
- ~¥10,000+
I try to save money by bringing lunch from home, but here’s what I spend when I don’t:
- Company cafeteria: ~¥250/meal (deducted from salary)
- Convenience store:
- Onigiri/bread: ~¥200
- Salad: ~¥450
- Bento: ~¥800
➡️ Eating out regularly is honestly too expensive for me right now.
📊 Cost of Living in Tokyo
From what I’ve researched, the average cost of living is:
- ¥180,000 – ¥220,000/month
➡️ This really puts things into perspective…
✨ Final Thoughts
As a new graduate in Japan, especially in finance, the salary might not be as high as people expect—especially considering the cost of living in Tokyo.
That said, having no rent helps a lot, and I’m trying to save as much as I can while adjusting to working life.
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