5 ms·

Aging population, weak yen, pension payments that are not enough for international travel, and cultural preference for expensive guided experiences all seem lik

Aging population, weak yen, pension payments that are not enough for international travel, and cultural preference for expensive guided experiences all seem like reasonable factors here Going to the US or Europe is a several thousand dollar commitment for the average Japanese person

MuffinFlavored 4y ago
Going to Japan is a several thousand dollar commitment for the average American/European, is it not?
- georgeplusplus 4y ago
  True but the Euro/US dollar didn't devalue against the global currency market by 45%.
  - el-salvador 4y ago
    Just wondering if this has this made cheaper travelling to Japan as a foreigner (earning in USD)? Or have prices already adjusted?
    - spacehunt 4y ago
      I just came back from Tokyo. Everything seems cheap right now, especially food, but prices are starting to rise. For example Uniqlo has announced they will raise prices by quite a bit next year. Imported goods have been adjusted already. Regular unleaded petrol is around 170 yen per litre around Tokyo.
      - tomjakubowski 4y ago
        for american context that's around $4.54/gallon at current exchange rate
        fomine3 4y ago
        Gas price isn't good metric for overall commodity price comparison because it's taxed and now subsidized by each country.
      - DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
        Gas prices are the last thing I worry about when travelling around in a foreign country, especially in Japan which has a great train network. Gas prices also have a bad correlation story with overall prices of living (accommodation and food, mainly), especially so when comparing across countries.
        spacehunt 4y ago
        Apologies. It was the only "foreign" / "imported" thing I paid for while in Japan (I was road-tripping around the Fuji Five Lakes which does not have a train network at all.) Accommodation and food prices seemed to be roughly around the same as before, but I did note some bottled soft drinks seemed to come in smaller sizes than before (450ml vs 500ml). Checking my notes again just now, I did see the Nest Mini 2nd Gen for ¥2980, but that seems to be part of a Christmas promotion going on, so not a useful data point.
        DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
        Yeah I see so that explains that. In my experience consumer electronics are also a bad indicator for overall expenses, at least in my country and in Japan they have been so. The majority of my expenses really goes into accommodation / rent, food and drinks, and public transport. And also books, which have become sort of cheap now especially when you order via amazon.jp (i.e. from the comfort and price level of your home) due to the devalued Yen.
        than3 4y ago
        > Gas prices also have a bad correlation story ... Perhaps only subjectively, depending on where you go. Energy is typically the backbone of any modern country, and the price level being fixed by OPEC allows several comparisons that are accurate.
    - amrocha 4y ago
      Yes! If you plan on spending a lot of money then this is a great time to visit
    - tatami 4y ago
      I was there in June and cost of living felt 30-40% cheaper than Germany, it was amazing (for me)
- amrocha 4y ago
  Yep, and a lot of people never visit Japan or Asia in general because of that. That being said, it's all relative to income. Wages are low in Japan, and taxes are higher. Wages have also remained flat ever since the 90s when the bubble burst, and Japan hasn't experienced any inflation until this year. Meanwhile inflation has continued in Europe and north America, so travel has consistently gotten relatively more expensive to a Japanese person.

MuffinFlavored 4y ago

Going to Japan is a several thousand dollar commitment for the average American/European, is it not?

georgeplusplus 4y ago
True but the Euro/US dollar didn't devalue against the global currency market by 45%.
- el-salvador 4y ago
  Just wondering if this has this made cheaper travelling to Japan as a foreigner (earning in USD)? Or have prices already adjusted?
  - spacehunt 4y ago
    I just came back from Tokyo. Everything seems cheap right now, especially food, but prices are starting to rise. For example Uniqlo has announced they will raise prices by quite a bit next year. Imported goods have been adjusted already. Regular unleaded petrol is around 170 yen per litre around Tokyo.
    - tomjakubowski 4y ago
      for american context that's around $4.54/gallon at current exchange rate
      - fomine3 4y ago
        Gas price isn't good metric for overall commodity price comparison because it's taxed and now subsidized by each country.
    - DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
      Gas prices are the last thing I worry about when travelling around in a foreign country, especially in Japan which has a great train network. Gas prices also have a bad correlation story with overall prices of living (accommodation and food, mainly), especially so when comparing across countries.
      - spacehunt 4y ago
        Apologies. It was the only "foreign" / "imported" thing I paid for while in Japan (I was road-tripping around the Fuji Five Lakes which does not have a train network at all.) Accommodation and food prices seemed to be roughly around the same as before, but I did note some bottled soft drinks seemed to come in smaller sizes than before (450ml vs 500ml). Checking my notes again just now, I did see the Nest Mini 2nd Gen for ¥2980, but that seems to be part of a Christmas promotion going on, so not a useful data point.
        DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
        Yeah I see so that explains that. In my experience consumer electronics are also a bad indicator for overall expenses, at least in my country and in Japan they have been so. The majority of my expenses really goes into accommodation / rent, food and drinks, and public transport. And also books, which have become sort of cheap now especially when you order via amazon.jp (i.e. from the comfort and price level of your home) due to the devalued Yen.
      - than3 4y ago
        > Gas prices also have a bad correlation story ... Perhaps only subjectively, depending on where you go. Energy is typically the backbone of any modern country, and the price level being fixed by OPEC allows several comparisons that are accurate.
  - amrocha 4y ago
    Yes! If you plan on spending a lot of money then this is a great time to visit
  - tatami 4y ago
    I was there in June and cost of living felt 30-40% cheaper than Germany, it was amazing (for me)
amrocha 4y ago
Yep, and a lot of people never visit Japan or Asia in general because of that. That being said, it's all relative to income. Wages are low in Japan, and taxes are higher. Wages have also remained flat ever since the 90s when the bubble burst, and Japan hasn't experienced any inflation until this year. Meanwhile inflation has continued in Europe and north America, so travel has consistently gotten relatively more expensive to a Japanese person.