 
Ryo, 17, second-year, public high school, girl, Hokkaido
My monthly allowance is usually about 5,000 yen. I also receive about 25,000 yen extra for meals. I also earn about 5,000 yen a month selling old clothes at the flea market and selling books to the second-hand bookstore. Sometimes I make a whole batch of handmade beadwork accessories and sell them to my friends. I often get special requests, and I can make pretty attractive cell phone straps with designs. I made a lot of money last year because beadwork accessories were in fashion.
 I spend a lot of money compared to my friends. Of the 25,000 yen I get for eating, I actually only spend about 12,000 yen on meals. I buy cheap things to eat and keep as much as possible for other things. On weekdays I can buy lunch at the school shop, which is an average of about 500 yen. I buy a PET bottle of cold tea almost every day and have it with me all the time. We have all kinds of tea, but I like the bitter-tasting types the best. Maybe I picked up that taste in tea ceremony club. I also spend about 3,000 yen on the monthly manga magazine, Shuukan shoonen jampu ( I've been reading it since I was in elementary school ), poetry collections, and such, and about 10,000 yen on CDs. Recently I got The Greatest Hits: Love Psychedelico. The songs are really cool, and so is their website. I also spend about 5,000 yen on movies and shopping. My parents will pay for my personal needs and clothing, and for my cell phone bill, too.
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 Sample of Ryo's Monthly Accounts ( yen )
|
| Income |
| 1. Allowance ( received monthly from parents ) |
5,000 |
| 2. Other |
 Part-time work |
5,000 |
Food
( received monthly from parents ) |
25,000 |
| Total |
35,000 |
| Expenses |
| 1. Eating |
12,000 |
| 2. Clothing |
0 |
| 3. Hobbies |
| CD's |
10,000 |
| Manga |
5,000 |
| 4. Miscellaneous |
5,000 |
| Total |
30,000 |
 O-cha: Although demand for pekoe tea and coffee, and sports drinks has definitely increased, beverages based on traditional Japanese tea enjoy a strong market. You can purchase an immense variety of drinks, either canned or in PET bottles at convenience stores or vending machines.
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