[toyg]

The job security is on a different level though. Also, I suspect real estate around Tokyo, albeit inflated since the '80s, is not as bad as London, because attractiveness of the city is significantly restricted at the cultural level (London attracts loads of people from everywhere, Tokyo mostly attracts "only" the Japanese).

[barry-cotter]

Tokyo real estate prices have been pretty much flat for the last two decades despite population growing 50%. That’s not an accident. They work hard to make it affordable for people to move there, just like in the UK they work hard on ensuring house prices and rents go up. Governments get the housing market they want to get, based on the priorities they have.

[danielscrubs]

This, so much. We have the same problem in Sweden. It was amazing how easy getting an apartment in Tokyo is. If you want to rent in my Swedish town your best bet is having parents put you on a waitlist when you are born, which a lot did. Buying is of course easy if you have the money, and it’s all governmental regulation causing it.