I live in Japan, have traveled widely throughout the country, and I would disagree with your notion that $11 gets you more in another part of Japan outside of Tokyo. Unlike the U.S., where prices can vary widely when you leave big cities, in Japan prices are pretty much consistent throughout most of the country. The only real cost benefit you get from not living in Tokyo is the occasional cheaper apartment rent.<p>In general wages in Tokyo for all manner of jobs is quite low, this is in stark contrast to the country's rich, tech-forward image.
I was skeptical of this, such low wages for a potentially dangerous job. I found this (in Japanese):<p><a href="http://job.j-sen.jp/hellowork/job_3373229/" rel="nofollow">http://job.j-sen.jp/hellowork/job_3373229/</a><p>Indeed it seems not far from the what the article says. It's around 1100 to 1400 yen per hour (around U$14~17/h). It's for general unskilled labor and has no education or skills requirements. Above average pay for the countryside, but still seems low if the job can expose you to above average levels radiation even in normal conditions (the ad was published before the disaster).