2008 Woodie Awards
270 reasons to live in Chico
$270 rent is a dream price for her
By: Takenori Anabuki
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"$270 rent for this size room is very, very cheap," said Akiko Natui, a Butte College student from Japan. "I won't be able to rent a room with that amount of money in Japan, except rooms that are really old or that don't have a bathroom."
It is common that money for rent accounts for most of college students' expenses in Japan. Also, sharing rooms with other people is not common in Japan.
Natui says that even though she can't work outside the campus, it is not inconvenient at all because the rent in Chico is very cheap and prices in America are generally cheaper than those in Japan.
"I can spend as much as I want on clothing, toys and alcohol because other things are so cheap," she says. "In addition, prices of brand-name clothing and alcohol in America are also about half of those in Japan."
She buys things that make her life more enjoyable, she says. She wants to keep being surrounded by pretty things in her life. That's the basic motivation for shopping, she says. Her room is colorfully decorated with vividly colored carpets, cloth, and several types of toys including Snoopy figures and "Monsters Inc." toys.
"I buy things that make me and my life happy and pretty," she said. "I have money to spare for those things because of cheap rent."
America is a huge country. The size of California alone is the size of Japan. There is plenty of land to spare, she says.
"$270 rent is a dream price for me, "she said. "It is luxurious to live in this big room with only $270 a month."
Other stories in this series
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American materialism seen from the Far East
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What would you be paying in Japan?
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