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I'm having a little trouble following and replying the comments on multiple levels. Been a reader of HN for a couple of years, but a contributing user for only

I'm having a little trouble following and replying the comments on multiple levels. Been a reader of HN for a couple of years, but a contributing user for only a few days. > This results in the funny situation that for me eating out at cheap shops in Japan is maybe 20-30% more expensive than cooking for myself, while in Germany eating out at cheap shops is 2 to 4 times more expensive than cooking for myself. In the end I can manage with ~900en per day in Germany, but have to cook myself 6 times a week, while I spend 1500en per day in Japan and eat out 7 days a week. I think the above explains most of my shock with food prices in Europe. Number 1, eating out is so much more expensive that it is ridiculous. And 2, I am used to all kinds of bento and so-called prepared meals in supermarkets in Japan, that simply do not exist in the West. I can buy ingredients in a Western supermarket and cook myself, or I can eat out, but I have no middle ( and for me the usual ) option to eat a cheap, but delicious and already prepared bento or similar meal. But there's one more thing related to the above. All these fresh, short-lived meals in supermarkets and shops in Japan, start to get discounts in the afternoon, anywhere from 10% all the way to 70% as they get close to shutting down the store, because it's food that will be thrown away after that. ( Yes, it's a great and serious food waste issue. ) This system does not exist in the West. We've saved incredible amounts of money on high quality food going to shop at supermarkets and food stalls as late as possible over the years. A few of my favourite shops I have never been to before 19:00, ever ! Why pay 3,000 JPY for a sushi tray made at 7 AM and bought at 10 AM, when I can pay 1,200 JPY at 20:00 for the same sushi tray that was prepared at 18:00 and they will throw away at 21:00 ? I would say when alone, I'm hovering myself between 1,400 and 1,800 yen daily for food, and very rarely cooking, because for one thing, I'd end up making the same exact food I buy ( or more appropriately, I should say the same meal ) and won't be as tasty, plus it'll take a time shopping and cooking that it's simply not worth the few extra hundred yen. Even 'junk food' ( by which I mean something like wakame onigiri or negitoro for instance ) is relatively healthy and dirt cheap. I wouldn't even know what to do with a 15 million yen salary, honestly. Crazy money.

ascar 8y ago
> going to shop at supermarkets and food stalls as late as possible Yes I do the same multiple days per week. It works surprisingly well here though. Rarely more than 3-4 boxes left on the shelf that has over a hundred around noon. Sometimes it was even fully sold out. > I wouldn't even know what to do with a 15 million yen salary, honestly. Crazy money. With higher salary easily come higher living standards. Bigger house, not looking at food prices so much, more expensive vacations. I got by with 1.5million yen the last years, but could barely afford the 600million to 1 billion yen family house I would like to have one day (Munich, not SF!) even with a 10mil yen salary (6mil post tax) and no increase in living standards from the 1.5mil.
- Ultramanoid 8y ago
  > With higher salary easily come higher living standards. Bigger house, not looking at food prices so much, more expensive vacations. While I kind of understand it, I also see a difference in general between Japan and not just the West, but also many other places in Asia, notably Chinese cultures ( as referenced before, no discussions of salary for instance in Japan, and no showing-off of means even if you have them ) when it comes to contentment. To reach a point where you don't have to think about getting something better, and that's a decision to make, because there is always something better. As I also mention I keep hearing about 'stagnated economy' but I look around and I see me and everyone I care about being paid, living well. I don't care for 15 million as opposed to 4 in that sense. お金持ち is easily thrown around slightly offensively in Japan, while in Taiwan callling you rich would be high praise. I've downsized in many respects over the years. I could spend more on food now, but I don't need to. Used to live in a house 4 times bigger than now, and I wouldn't go back to it for anything now. I earned three times more 20 years ago ( and spent as much as I earned ), but as I also mentioned before, no money in the world is getting me into corporate Japan to die of karoshi or spend 90% of my time stressed, abused, and exhausted. The only thing money could help with or improve in certain circumstances is health, which in the end is the only thing that really matters in life.

ascar 8y ago

> going to shop at supermarkets and food stalls as late as possible Yes I do the same multiple days per week. It works surprisingly well here though. Rarely more than 3-4 boxes left on the shelf that has over a hundred around noon. Sometimes it was even fully sold out. > I wouldn't even know what to do with a 15 million yen salary, honestly. Crazy money. With higher salary easily come higher living standards. Bigger house, not looking at food prices so much, more expensive vacations. I got by with 1.5million yen the last years, but could barely afford the 600million to 1 billion yen family house I would like to have one day (Munich, not SF!) even with a 10mil yen salary (6mil post tax) and no increase in living standards from the 1.5mil.

Ultramanoid 8y ago
> With higher salary easily come higher living standards. Bigger house, not looking at food prices so much, more expensive vacations. While I kind of understand it, I also see a difference in general between Japan and not just the West, but also many other places in Asia, notably Chinese cultures ( as referenced before, no discussions of salary for instance in Japan, and no showing-off of means even if you have them ) when it comes to contentment. To reach a point where you don't have to think about getting something better, and that's a decision to make, because there is always something better. As I also mention I keep hearing about 'stagnated economy' but I look around and I see me and everyone I care about being paid, living well. I don't care for 15 million as opposed to 4 in that sense. お金持ち is easily thrown around slightly offensively in Japan, while in Taiwan callling you rich would be high praise. I've downsized in many respects over the years. I could spend more on food now, but I don't need to. Used to live in a house 4 times bigger than now, and I wouldn't go back to it for anything now. I earned three times more 20 years ago ( and spent as much as I earned ), but as I also mentioned before, no money in the world is getting me into corporate Japan to die of karoshi or spend 90% of my time stressed, abused, and exhausted. The only thing money could help with or improve in certain circumstances is health, which in the end is the only thing that really matters in life.