The PR Times survey was also instructive in what husbands did to supplement their monthly allowances. For example, Among the other replies: Meanwhile, Spa Aug. Taxes will be levied not only on income from part-time jobs, but also sales of collectibles via flea markets, investments in common stocks, trading in cryptocurrencies and early cashing in of life insurance policies.
As for those Michelin-starred restaurants? Prices at some are downright ridiculous, as you might expect. Is Japan expensive for things to do? With this being said, since so much of travel in Japan is exploring and taking in the culture, the impact of this fact upon your bottom line is likely to be minimal. For instance, you may get hit on your currency exchange if you complete it at a manned booth somewhere—automated machines generally offer better rates.
Furthermore, gifts and souvenirs shopping in Japan in general, really can add up, particularly if you want to purchase authentic goods and handicrafts, instead of the mass-produced ones you can more easily find in the tourist centers of major cities. How much is your trip to Japan going to cost?
And how expensive is Japan to travel for mid-range and luxury travelers? For a business to succeed in Japan, it needs at least 2 essential things. One of course is capital. The other, however, is control of the distribution channels, and this is where many foreign firms fall short. This system is currently strangling the domestic economy. So a system was made that employed lots of workers, though many of the jobs were and still are redundant.
Also there are often several wholesalers sitting between the producer and retailer, each taking their cut. From Sept. The real reason was that the middlemen were eating up nearly all the savings. In Merill Lynch economist Jesper Koll noted that Japan has , wholesalers — a staggering number. Yet two-thirds of them just sold things to each other and not retailers or producers, and four-fifths of Japanese wholesalers have less than 10 employees each. Distribution channels in Japan are extremely exclusive — usually an arrangement to carry your goods also means only your goods and no competitors.
Then they have to fight it out with eachother for the store owners to carry their products on the best shelves; space being extremely limited. For decades Japanese people were told and they accepted the notion that higher prices were necessary to keep the whole nation employed—and Japan has had the lowest unemployment rates in the industrialized world. Docking fees for ships and planes is also insanely high, and it can cost more to ship something across Tokyo than to ship it across the world.
High gasoline taxes and expensive electricity also make transport more expensive. Other NTBs will be mentioned later. After jumping in head-first into Japanese life, and satiating yourself trying all the typical Japanese delicacies and drinks, the ex-pat here sooner or later starts to yearn for a little taste from home. And if you want to find some perfume, make-up, or Beverly Hills type of gift, the difference is even worse.
This is one cultural factor not mentioned in many books. For decades Japan has kept out or highly taxed foreign products for so long that today ANY good that sells from the West immediately has a halo of luxury around it. And for snob-goods, the higher the price, the higher the demand for it. Frozen flour tortillas can go for yen a dozen, more than 5 times the price in the US.
Sports equipment also commands a high price. Now there are just hundreds. Today even Japanese Big Business is learning that in order to compete it needs less governmental entanglements. Today, nearly all the formal tariff and quota barriers are gone.
Some apologists declare Japan to be just as free as everywhere else. Yet, market penetration for many foreign goods is still insignificant. The reason? The NTBs. Some laws make up some, such as the prohibition of discount prices on books or CDs, thus blocking or delaying any healthy competition or net commerce like Amazon. Today after years of unmet consumer demand, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is still deadlocked on allowing OTC medicine sales online.
The rigged distribution keiretsu also forms one, complicated licensing procedures are another, as well as other barriers that also include the language and cultural differences.
If you want to buy something, you can use any language that you want. But if you want to sell something, you MUST speak the language of your customer. Yet few westerners ever learn Japanese to the extent to conduct business transactions. Japanese shoppers are also picky and conservative. Plus, many US firms are still ignorant of Japanese culture and buying behavior, and think whatever advertising works in the US is good enough anywhere else.
Some US and European companies have bought stock of struggling Japanese firms; how much this will change things is still yet to be seen.
One other significant but often glossed over barrier is the nature of the Japanese themselves. Thinking is again a group-oriented activity.
There are some things I still find are expensive. For example renting an apartment is still relatively expensive compared to the price and size one would get elsewhere. The most recent article I read on the world's most expensive cities had Tokyo and Osaka at 1 and 2, followed by Sydney and Melbourne 3 and 4.
I'm from Melbourne, so that might explain why I don't find Japan all that expensive. Prices seem fairly similar - some things more expensive, some things cheaper - but overall it's not that different to what I'm used to. I actually read it wrong, but you were not that far off the mark. Some foreign company executives visiting Japan rack up expenses and take a taxi from Narita to Tokyo , etc.
I've heard that on a few occasions. That would definitely keep the myth going! Many of these expensive polls are subjective and not really meant for the average traveler, or the average poster. I once read an article about a man saying Tokyo was very expensive, because he often spent dollar dinners and bought 50 dollar US dollar magazines.
The interview was done with an expat businessman. I'm just back from a 10 day trip to Japan. I found things even in Tokyo much less expensive than other "expensive" cities like New York and London. Public transportation is similar cost to other large cities Narita Express is a little high but comparable to similar services in some expensive cities , and I found eating out to be quite a bit less expensive than most of Europe at local type places - not fancy business restaurants.
A hot meal "lunch set" is the same cost as a cold sandwich in most U. But I also come across unhappy tourists from United States, Australia, or Western Europe who had never been abroad or having been backpacking in India or Laos coming to Japan expecting cheaper prices as it's all in Asia. Skip to main content. Sign in to get trip updates and message other travelers. Browse all 38, Tokyo topics ».
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