upwardly mobile Japanese salaryman—is not all there is to life in Japan. It is at the same time a condemnation of the excessive luxury and rampant consumption of much of the Japanese dominant society, and a championing of those left out of mainstream Japanese society. (Indeed, the first chapter's title announces, "I'm an ally of the poor man" (私、ビンボー人の味方です Watashi, binbou-jin no mikata desu).) His message that you don't have to have a lot of money and material goods to make yourself happy is repeated again and again throughout the story. The manga's binbō philosophy can be seen as similar to the voluntary simplicity movement, despite Maekawa's somewhat different reasons for rejection of a consumerist lifestyle. Dai-Tokyo as a living guide Although Dai-Tokyo's main concern may be entertainment and political statement, it also serves as a how-to guide for pulling off a successful and happy poor lifestyle. The entire second page of the manga is devoted to examples of 'cheap living', with several practical instances given, including ways to save money on food, drink, shoes, clothing accessories, and others. More examples are sprinkled throughout the rest of the manga as story elements. Outside of specific money-saving examples, many free or cheap activities, including games, cultural events, festivals, and so on are portrayed throughout the manga. Despite the manga's Japan-only availability, at least one writer has recommended Dai-Tokyo to people traveling to Japan as a good guide on how to enjoy their stay without spending too much. Publication There have been no official English translations of the manga as a whole (and thus no official English title), but Mangajin has translated several chapters in their magazine and small portions of it (a panel at a time) for use in various books as a teaching aid for those learning Japanese. The original Japanese manga first appeared in the weekly manga Morning (モーニング) from March 1986 to October 1989. A total of 167 episodes appeared during this time, and two new episodes were written for the 2005 reprint. It has been collected in five volumes (tankōbon) twice, and again most recently as a two volume set: Wide KC Morning (ワイドKCモーニング) Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manual Vol. 1 (1987) Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manual Vol. 2 (1988) Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manual Vol. 3 (1988) Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manual Vol. 4 (1989) Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manual Vol. 5 (1989) Kodansha Manga Library (講談社まんが文庫 Kōdansha Manga Bunko) Dai-Tokyo