[jasonbvr]

Last week I had dinner with a couple of JET friends and we were discussing the differences in our wages. I was telling them how much I made and the salary of another ALT who is on the bottom end of the pay scale. They were asking how he could afford the income tax with that salary and I said, "What are you talking about, tax is just a flat 10 percent." They were like, "We pay four man (40,000 yen) a month in taxes." Turns out JET's have to pay in to the Japanese pension system. At the end of their stay in Japan, they will be reimbursed the majority of their taxes paid. I feel a lot better now about being a private ALT, but it would be nice to have that little added bonus when I leave Japan even if you have to do some paperwork to get it.