Tokyo, the Poorest City in Japan

Tokyo attracts crowds, but the truth is, it doesn’t pay enough — it’s actually one of the most financially difficult places in Japan.

Photo by Cosmin Serban on Unsplash

I was born and raised in a rural part of Japan. Many of my friends there have moved to Tokyo — either for a job or to change careers — hoping to earn more. Sometimes it’s temporary. But in many cases, once they move to Tokyo, they end up staying for life. This isn’t just a story from my circle. The same pattern is playing out across the country. Tokyo, this megacity, continues to draw in people chasing the “Tokyo Dream.”

Since 1955, the population of the Tokyo metropolitan area has not only remained the largest in Japan — remarkably, it has also held the title of the world’s largest for nearly 70 years.

But I began to wonder: Even though so many Japanese — and foreigners as well — long to move to Tokyo, is this city truly a place where people can earn? How much of Tokyo’s massive economic power actually benefits ordinary people like us?

Let me say this first: Tokyo is the Japan’s Most Unprofitable City.

In this article, I’ll look at specific data to explore why Tokyo is not a city where people can earn, and why, despite that, the population continues to concentrate…