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Ah, Bundy? I don't know where you got your salary info from, but I'm on JET and it pays quite well. I have my rent subsidized and only pay half (around 30,000 yen) for an apartment in downtown Sendai. The rent subsidy is not a Japan-wide thing, though, each city/prefecture has its rules.
The reason an ALT (Assitant Language Teacher) is never placed in Tokyo or Yokohama (which is considered a Tokyo suburb anyway, except by those who live there!), is because American/English culture already saturates these areas and everyone has easy access to native speakers, as well as a plethora of "eikaiwa" (English conversations schools). Where people REALLY need exposure to English is in all those prefectural "inaka" (farm towns, boonies), where no foreigner thinks of going. It's a challenge, that's for sure, but your Japanese skills go up mighty fast and you live in a very different Japan than an ex-pat parked in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, or any other big city.
Speaking of Japanese skills, my advice for those who come here is to learn hiragana and katakana as quickly as possible (it's not that hard), then purchase a decent kanji exercise book (such as "Basic Kanji"). This will take care of your reading and writing, as long as you back it up with regular exercises. As for common, day-to-day speaking, listening skills, NEVER rely on books or tapes. Get out there and make friends fast. They will teach you the spoken Japanese actually used in the real world. They'll be happy to do it, too, since they'll see you as a free English lesson on legs.
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A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.
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