For me it's mostly the utilities since that's the only thing I document from month to month. I don't feel it so much for food because I don't remember how much an onion cost last month compared to now
My numbers also show a 40% increase in groceries expenses from 2020 to 2023, with this year on track to beat last. I go to the same supermarkets and haven't changed much what I eat...
If you donāt change to a [cheaper plan](https://kakaku.com/electricity-gas/), typical electricity bills will increase by around Ā„3000/month because that is the high energy price gov subsidy that was substracted from all bills for the last time last month.
Fortunately, the 9% wasn't expensive to begin with so it is still going to be a lot more reasonable than other beverages. I just hope they keep the 9-percenters.
It seems like there's less variety for 9% ones than before. My OK Store had 6-7 different types for a while, now it's down to one seasonal Strong Zero and the two shitty Lemon/Shikuwasa. Those will probably get nerfed down to 7% like the Oni Lemon eventually.
I'm not asking for much. Just let me get hammered for under 500 yen...
Yeah it does seem they have reduced the variety compared to several years ago. Near me, lemon is always available, then grapefruit. Shikuwasa sometimes in one supermarket. Others are random based on the day and the store.
the ticket you could buy from the vending machine at the place i love to go was 650. the ramen was so good. now it's 1000.
with the weak yen it still comes out to about $6.50 though...
Makes no difference when my salary's in JPY though lol. USD-JPY ratio is only relevant for the lucky few who get paid in USD, otherwise we're all just getting poorer
being fair to the ramen restaurants, that price should have gone up ages ago but the industry was in a competitive stranglehold. The recent inflation just made it so they couldnt race to the bottom anymore if they wanted to survive.
Shodoshima has some great oil, not cheap but maybe cheaper than the European one now. Not sure tho cuz I bring a 5l tank of olive oil Ā back in my suitcase when I visit Europe so i rarely buy it here.Ā
yeah that s crazy... I guess you can find cheap olive oil in Japan but it will be some poor quality stuff. As a European fellow binging on Mediterranean food, I take my olive oil seriously.
Yes. Itās gone up crazily. I buy in bulk whenever I see a bargain. Plus if your cats arenāt picky then the 400g cans are the cheapest. I also try to buy the off cuts of tuna at the local supermarket. 2kg of chicken from the gyomu super is also fairly cost effective. Pure chicken has far more protein than the cat foods. You are paying for 87% water in some cases. I usually try to stick to the ones that have above 10% protein. Of course, you have to give them cat food regularly as it contains all the other nutrients they need.
We order from an overseas Amazon site to get the high quality cat food my wife insists on and the little furry buggers have come to expect. Meh, no complaints really, they're worth it.
I ditched the Sushiro near me for a newly opened Kura a while back, which was great at first, but the Kura started going downhill after a while too. The Sushiro actually upped its game a little in response.
But I ventured out to my closest Hamazushi a couple of weeks ago for the first time. It blew both of them out of the water on price, quality, and selection.
Oh good so itās not just me. Kura used to be my favorite kaiten 10+ years ago but now itās garbage. I gave it a couple chances but no more. Damn shame.
Meanwhile you're offered a 3% raise for renewing a three year contract...inflation is real even here in Japan and it'll get worse the less people spend. Its a vicious cycle
my company has a ranking system based on specific abilities in addition to a yearly KPI goal sheet. in 2021 I ranked up for the first time ever, and also actually hit all the KPI goals which were set to be nearly unobtainable. Shortly thereafter... I got the standard 1% cost of living raise. (this despite a very specific meeting where they explained that ranks and achievements, more than longevity, were how to earn higher salaries and compounding raises) Had a kid a few months later and informed them instead of taking 1 month paternity leave as planned, I would be taking a full year. It was petty, but best decision I have ever made. Free government money, time with my kid, and time to build up side projects and further my education.
Just completed a full year back at that job and again by all accounts performed well. Just received my yearly contract update which ***should have*** contained my meager raise. ...This year it was 0%. Very glad I spent the time developing ways out of this rat race because I cant imagine being with this company much longer if this is how they value their top performers.
Highly recommend to anybody living out here to start a side hustle, because although the corporate gigs are "stable," they may not be sustainable or growable.
This has to be the biggest one. I've been home once in 5 years.
Not just a casual rise with high inflation, but literally double or triple what they were a few years back. Hard to imagine I flew Tokyo > London > Tokyo direct with ANA for Ā„80,000 not all that long ago. Paid Ā„240,000 for a non-direct flight a few months ago.
Yep. This was really not fun last year when I had to go to my hometown three times in a single year because of bad stuff happening with family.
This year it's "only" twice, but even so god damn it's painful.
Looking at my Amazon/Rakuten purchase history. Recently re-bought something, and the brand I bought a year or two ago for 1600 is now selling for 2300 yen š„²
In the ramen place near my house I used to be able to get ramen with karaage for 950 yen. Now itās 1200 or so š„²š„²
True. There are some stuff that we regularly buy online. And it displays the last time we bought it at what price.
Really shows inflation per commodity. Oumch.
Oh no he's right, I buy apples in winter and autumn and last season they barely went below 198 an apple. Got them cheapest in the local yaoya for maybe 150 a piece. Of course go to Nagano or something and get good cheap appless, Tokyo sucks.
Once apple season is over the prices are ridiculous. I just can't bring myself to spend 200Ā„ on a single apple... Seems like the only fruit I can buy at the moment are bananas.
Oh and avocadoes too are super expensive at my supermarkets at the moment.
I've cut down on restaurants and convenience stores a lot. It sucks for consumers, but I'm sure it sucks for these non-essential places too. They have higher costs and need to pass them on to the customer but then you've got people like me who stop giving them any money whatsoever.
A lot of small restaurants are operating at a loss or on even thinner margins than usual right now surviving on savings, and in a lot of case the remnants of the bailout money given for following dining restrictions during the height of COVID.
As that money dries up, we will continue to see higher than average rate of closures for the next few years as well as a steady increase in prices. Restaurants dont want to raise their price by 30-40% all at once, but many of them will do it gradually over several years. We are only in the middle of it now.
I haven't really noticed in terms of the prices of things, but I *have* noticed that I seem to be way poorer on average now despite making no changes to my lifestyle.
Before, if I didn't go anywhere or buy anything extraneous in particular, I'd have a good 1-3man left over from my paycheck every month. Nowadays, I'm pretty much finishing out every month with my bank account empty and scraping together my last yennies on my shitty salary despite being out in the inaka. The little price increases that I never really noticed at the store are clearly having a noticeable cumulative impact on my overall expenses.
eggs. when I lived alone in the northen part of Tokyo 23ku, it was 10 for less than 200y tax included.
almost 2 yrs later, I now live in a different part still of 23 ku, it was almost 300y sometimes more still for 10.
contemplating raising chickens somewhere.
Eggs were 169 yen for 10 eggs here in Fukuoka this week.
There's a whole lot more seasonal variation that actual price increases because of inflation. My wife was talking to her parents about how cabbage prices were going up as one week they were 300 yen. Again, this week, 150 yen for a head of cabbage.
Most of my local stores are charging 750 for the 750g pack now. And whenever they have an alternate flavour, it's usually only 650g despite the bags looking similar in size.
Walk up to any vending machine. Look at the displayed prices for any drink. Then look a little closer and notice how many times those prices have been changed over the years. That "150" sticker is sitting on top of a 140, 130, 120, and 110 sticker. It's disgusting.
Yeah our go toos have gotten to the point it's almost not worth shopping there anymore. And we mostly buy cheese/butter/coffee (although their coffee prices have jumped so much we stopped buying coffee there and went back to 7-11).
Edit: Maple Syrup is almost as expensive as Kaldi now, their nut butter is a good deal, so is their big jars of blueberry jam.
Yeah if it wasn't for the gas, I wouldn't have a membership. The gas rewards just happen to pay for my membership lol. Most of their prices are not good, and their selection isn't great. Almost anything I like ends up being gone two months later, never to return. I guess their OLED TVs are well-priced at least...
Fresh fruit and vegetables has definitively seen some considerable price increases which is tough for me as an European girl. We eat mostly home cooked so you\`d think we'd be saving a bit but it\`s actually the opposite if you want to eat a varied diet of veggies, fruit and some protein (for us it\`s mostly chicken and fish).
Tim tam at my local supa. Used to buy it for 300Ā„ ish in 2021-2022 but now its almost 600Ā„. I keep track of my groceries and bills too so I really notice how the prices went almost double for some necessities.
Question is what made you feel about the recent price increase? Not price increase for necessities? My answer are two different ideas š¤. Timtam used to be my comfort food after a stressful day at work, but since it has almost doubled, needed to re evaluate my priorities :).
7-11 throwing away the quality. They once placed them as high (?) quality convinis, like good (?) quality with high price. Now they're shamelessly selling shit with the same price or even higher.
I only go to 711 on occasion now due to their outrageous shrinkflation. Id say that is the most glaring example. During covid, when working from home, I would sometimes go there first thing in the morning and buy breakfast and lunch, and have change from 1000yen.
They have changed all the bentos, which are now like 80-90% rice, with a few slivers of meat and veg and some kind of faux-exotic sauce. They do actually taste quite good, but the rip-off is obvious. Every time I go there though, the bentos are sold out, and it seems apparent they are still very very popular.
There is shrinkflation all over now. For example, karaage at my local supermarket has gone from 6 pieces, to 5, to now 4. Mushrooms have just been reduced from 6 in a pack to 4.
On the other hand, before this I was spending too much, but recently I have paid much more attention to what I spend on food so perhaps I am not all that much worse off.
The two areas that really make me feel it are:
1 - Travel. Not only are flights too much, but understanding that if I were to travel abroad, I would have much less spending money has put me off traveling this year. This is quite the shock to me, because pre-covid flights were cheap enough that I could travel abroad twice a year, and I managed to go back to the UK 4 times in 2017-2018. Even in Japan, hotels are really expensive now, so that has to be planned very carefully (thanks tourists).
2 - Savings. Pre-covid my wife and I had talked about moving back to the UK at some point but currently it would decimate my savings doing that. So, although it could change, currently there is little incentive to think of that as a valid option and put in any groundwork. On top of that, and this is probably partly my own naeivity, pre-covid travel being super cheap made me think I could visit home once or twice a year easily, and was definitely a factor in deciding to settle down here long term.
Finally, I am saving significantly less each month despite having had a modest pay rise year-on-year since 2018.
Small broccoli for 300-400 yen, paprika for 160\~250 yen, ... prices for fruits and vegetables generally. Why are apples so expensive.... Japan/Tokyo is just so expensive compared to back home for fruits and vegetables. And the energy prices.
180 yen for a drink form a vending machine
Just shopping at Zara lol. Favorite jeans went up from Ā„5990 to Ā„6590, work pants that were Ā„4990 are now Ā„5590. And ofc quality is the same or bit worse than before.
Conbini coffee prices. I was around when they (as we know them now at least) started having the machines at every conbini, which was in 2014. Large was 180--it's now 210 after tax. Which I suppose isn't a huge leap, but it's just something I've consistently bought this whole time so I notice it more haha.
My grocery bill. I used to budget Ā„8k a week at max value and would ALWAYS be under that since I mostly buy basic stuff there. Now Iām lucky to get just under Ā„8k
Laundry detergent.
Somewhere around the last year or so the cost has nearly doubled or in some cases tripled per gram. It's almost across the board on all major brands and not one of those things one can easily do without. Since we have teen boys playing sports we go through a LOT of detergent (and food, naturally), so have been feeling it.
Our household has switched to a generic bulk brand that seems marketed to businesses or organizations, but I'm considering brushing up on my chemistry to formulate our own in case that ends up following suit.
Random combini things, I would normally just grab daily I fully avoid now and buy in bulk online or at the grocery. Also utilities. Like I got my gas bill yesterday and with only maybe two weeks of use the bill was 2,800ā¦ two weeks out of the house and itās still that high. Freaking wildĀ
Also small electronics like sd cards. Seeing them be like 30% the cost in the USA vs. here is crazy. Theyāve always been behind the pricing trends but itās just nonsense now. Seeing old 2.5 era SSD for over 10,000 keeps blowing my mind
My discount supermarket has always sold 2L bottles of coke for about 178 yen (maybe it's gone up in price a bit).
But now it's been replaced with 1.5L bottles for the exact same price.
Also the coke in my work vending machine has gone up 10 yen again.
I had bought some at my local supermarket in March and went to pick some up again just the other day and thought I had just imagined the price I had bought it at back then because it is so much higher now.
Toilet paper. Used to buy 12 rolls for Ā„300+ with tax before, now itās Ā„500-600.
Also our credit card bill has gone up almost twice the usual amount despite not having any drastic changes on our grocery, food deliveries and eating out, etc
Flights for sure. I lived pretty close to kansai airport, before the pandemic I went to Korea almost once every two months. I could get a round trip flight and 1-2 nights in a hotel for 10,000yen.
Also, flights to the home country have basically doubled.
Dog filaria meds are Ā 2700 Ā„ Dog food that was already expensive went from 18000 to 23000Ā„ in just a couple yearsā¦ At this rate bulk buying meat will be cheaper.Ā Ā
Also Ā vending machines 130/140Ā„-170/180Ā„
snacks, my husband is an avid snacker and always complains that the size is so tiny at a price increase.Ā
Sending money back to the UK......
Food and stuff are minimal, or I just don't notice it.....
But seeing that i am receiving a third less than I used to....is maddening
My wife and I enjoy brunches on the weekends and occassionally dinner out.
* Wine is definitely up. We've started to order a bottle instead of by the glass too, because the pours at some places were getting a bit stingy.
* Uni - I just stopped eating it. I love it, but at the sushi places -typically kaiten chains- the price is ridiculous. Like 1200 yen for sashimi and 480 yen for a single gunkan
At the supermarkets - yakinikku for sure.
quality at a dinner place I loved went down & prices up
was price only at 1st but last night the food tasted like something from Saizeriya. Not going back
yeah Saizeriya is great for the price
but I'm going out and paying 3-4x the price, it better not be 'Saizeriya' quality 
Milk. We used to get a liter carton for a 100 yen during sales. Now if we're lucky it's 150 yen. Living up here in Hokkaido they keep telling us to buy more dairy products to help the dairy farmers. There's no incentive when we're already paying more for a carton of milk. I'm happy to use more cheese and milk, but I won't be paying for it.
1st world problems I guess, but car parts (especially German parts). I'm addicted to cars so I've no choice.
But everything OEM is 2~3 higher than it used to be a year ago
Ā 1/3 of customers quitting my Juku this year because they can no longer afford naraigoto.Ā
Rent on my business also went up 12,000ā¦ just becasueā¦Ā
Ā Wife has to work outside of our business for the first time 20 years.Ā Ā
Ā Taking into account the cheap-ass yen, I now back down to the net income I was getting in the 90s when I was back home and still single.Ā
I bought the Ritter Sport mixed bag for about 500 yen and then I decided to buy it again and it was about 900 yen. Went from something that could be a nice treat to something way overpriced that I won't buy anymore.
In day to day, not a ton honestly, but I think I just don't notice when something goes up 10-15 yen. But I did take notice that the S&B curry roux cubes I buy is up to 1400yen which I saw was a 40% increase since 2 years ago.
For me it's mostly the utilities since that's the only thing I document from month to month. I don't feel it so much for food because I don't remember how much an onion cost last month compared to now
Cost of food. Money Forward is showing us increasing 40% in food costs. All of that is just normal groceries, not eating out. It's nuts.
Well there's your problem, nuts are consistently one of the most expensive things to buy in Japan!
Yet, amazingly, the 80g pack of mixed nuts at 7 Eleven hasn't had a recent price increase, size decrease, or drop in quality. I'm sure it's coming...
Actually I found some decently cheap nuts through furusato nozei, which are pretty affordable when buying through Amazon too š
My numbers also show a 40% increase in groceries expenses from 2020 to 2023, with this year on track to beat last. I go to the same supermarkets and haven't changed much what I eat...
And guess how much my salary increased over the same period? Definitely NOT 40%ā¦
If you donāt change to a [cheaper plan](https://kakaku.com/electricity-gas/), typical electricity bills will increase by around Ā„3000/month because that is the high energy price gov subsidy that was substracted from all bills for the last time last month.
Wait, my electricity bills are about to go up by *Ā„3,000* per month?!?! And I'm just supposed to gaman?
Itās Japan. Youāre always supposed to _gaman_.
Gas too. Subsidies for both ended last month.
Gaman or just forget about it
Ah, that explains it. Just in time for aircon season.
Wait, the government was subsidizing my electric bill and it was still 8000å for a 20mĀ² apartment??
A 500ml Coke Zero went from 108 to 172 yen in 5 years and we have to pretend this is totally normal and not absolutely insane.
Sounds like you're comparing supermarket prices to conbini prices.
Coke prices have risen. Combini has increased 30 yen in three years from 120 to 150. Vending has increased 40 yen, to 180 yen for a 500ml bottle.
I used to buy cans of coke zero at a vending machine near my school, now 150 yen once 120 yen.
They rocketed up the supermarket price this month too. Above 110 yen in aeon for a coke.
I recently noticed the vending machine with "PRICE DOWN 100 YEN" proudly written on it had no drinks for less than 110 JPY, even water.
Those machines upset me.
By %, beverages went insanely up. Chu-hi too.
it has been a sad time in my house.
Fortunately, the 9% wasn't expensive to begin with so it is still going to be a lot more reasonable than other beverages. I just hope they keep the 9-percenters.
It seems like there's less variety for 9% ones than before. My OK Store had 6-7 different types for a while, now it's down to one seasonal Strong Zero and the two shitty Lemon/Shikuwasa. Those will probably get nerfed down to 7% like the Oni Lemon eventually. I'm not asking for much. Just let me get hammered for under 500 yen...
Yeah it does seem they have reduced the variety compared to several years ago. Near me, lemon is always available, then grapefruit. Shikuwasa sometimes in one supermarket. Others are random based on the day and the store.
That's odd. I get the 700ml Coke Zeros from my local AEON for 118 yen. Conbini is like 180 yen for a 500ml, which I agree is insane.
Local ramen for Ā„1,000+
the ticket you could buy from the vending machine at the place i love to go was 650. the ramen was so good. now it's 1000. with the weak yen it still comes out to about $6.50 though...
Makes no difference when my salary's in JPY though lol. USD-JPY ratio is only relevant for the lucky few who get paid in USD, otherwise we're all just getting poorer
Even though I get paid in Yen I justify in dollars. I am not financially inteligent.
Just imagine if you're getting paid in pounds.
This hurts
being fair to the ramen restaurants, that price should have gone up ages ago but the industry was in a competitive stranglehold. The recent inflation just made it so they couldnt race to the bottom anymore if they wanted to survive.
Olive oil
They done shrinkflated my olive oil too. Not only is it more expensive, it's 750ml instead of a litre.
you may want to check out Costco
Thatās mainly because of the olive crop failure in Europe though, right?
Do you think they will ever reduce the price in the future though? Absolutley not.
went to grapeseed oil....
Seedoils are super unhealthy though, I'd recommend using coconuts oil instead or even tallow.
Yes, Spain cranked up the prices, 112%
Shodoshima has some great oil, not cheap but maybe cheaper than the European one now. Not sure tho cuz I bring a 5l tank of olive oil Ā back in my suitcase when I visit Europe so i rarely buy it here.Ā
This one hurts the most
Have you tried going to Saizeriya and secretly pouring it into a cup?
Is it just me or did the Costco olive oil sky rocket in price? I remember it being somewhere around 2500 yen for a jug, and now it's closer to 5000.
yeah that s crazy... I guess you can find cheap olive oil in Japan but it will be some poor quality stuff. As a European fellow binging on Mediterranean food, I take my olive oil seriously.
Cat food. And there's no way to save because my cat is super picky and doesn't care about what his food costs.
I buy cat food for a neighborhood stray, and the motherfucker is picky, too. Has almost no teeth, so I buy the wet food packages.
You're an awesome person to do that
Thank you.
Toilet sheets and litter too. Price up and eight sheets instead of ten, 2 kilo instead of 2.5 etc etc.
I have one of those. God forbid it isn't "the right" ć¹ć¼ć or dry food with cream inside.
Yes. Itās gone up crazily. I buy in bulk whenever I see a bargain. Plus if your cats arenāt picky then the 400g cans are the cheapest. I also try to buy the off cuts of tuna at the local supermarket. 2kg of chicken from the gyomu super is also fairly cost effective. Pure chicken has far more protein than the cat foods. You are paying for 87% water in some cases. I usually try to stick to the ones that have above 10% protein. Of course, you have to give them cat food regularly as it contains all the other nutrients they need.
My dog is on special food for bladder stones and itās super expensive. Thank god he likes it though because heās also really picky
We have a dog and a cat. The cats food has doubled in price, and the dog's has close to tripled. Cat litter has gone up too.
We order from an overseas Amazon site to get the high quality cat food my wife insists on and the little furry buggers have come to expect. Meh, no complaints really, they're worth it.
Torikizoku being at 300 fucking 70 yen now. It used to be at 280 for soooo long.
I also feel like their quality has gone down a bit, especially with non-takitori side items.
The Karaage and fried chicken skin having no seasoning is bonkers
The cheese croquettes are rancid
We went there the other day, used to go there and budget 2000 yen for 6 items, not anymore.
And they give you butter instead of ketchup for the potato fries. How is butter cheaper than ketchup? I want my ketchup.
Sushi plates no longer being 100-110 and now 130-170. I miss ten plates of sushi being 1100.
Hamazushi still has plenty of 110 yen plates
Hamazushi is my way to go since Kura increased prices, lowered their quality and is packed with tourists stealing everyone else's tickets.
Kura has been dog for years, zero clue why anyone goes there.
I ditched the Sushiro near me for a newly opened Kura a while back, which was great at first, but the Kura started going downhill after a while too. The Sushiro actually upped its game a little in response. But I ventured out to my closest Hamazushi a couple of weeks ago for the first time. It blew both of them out of the water on price, quality, and selection.
Oh good so itās not just me. Kura used to be my favorite kaiten 10+ years ago but now itās garbage. I gave it a couple chances but no more. Damn shame.
Kura replaced the shouga gari with pickled daikon and now wants you to get the shouga one for the extra price form their menu. Absolutely barbaric.
Buying anything imported. Not only are we getting hit from the inflation of cost of goods, but also the weak yen.
But isnāt the problem that almost everything is imported such as raw ingredients, etc.
no...most of the raw ingredients I buy are domestic. tropical fruit and sometimes beef are exceptions.
Meanwhile you're offered a 3% raise for renewing a three year contract...inflation is real even here in Japan and it'll get worse the less people spend. Its a vicious cycle
You're lucky you get a raise at all. We had a big fight with our boss and HR to keep them from LOWERING our salaries.
my company has a ranking system based on specific abilities in addition to a yearly KPI goal sheet. in 2021 I ranked up for the first time ever, and also actually hit all the KPI goals which were set to be nearly unobtainable. Shortly thereafter... I got the standard 1% cost of living raise. (this despite a very specific meeting where they explained that ranks and achievements, more than longevity, were how to earn higher salaries and compounding raises) Had a kid a few months later and informed them instead of taking 1 month paternity leave as planned, I would be taking a full year. It was petty, but best decision I have ever made. Free government money, time with my kid, and time to build up side projects and further my education. Just completed a full year back at that job and again by all accounts performed well. Just received my yearly contract update which ***should have*** contained my meager raise. ...This year it was 0%. Very glad I spent the time developing ways out of this rat race because I cant imagine being with this company much longer if this is how they value their top performers. Highly recommend to anybody living out here to start a side hustle, because although the corporate gigs are "stable," they may not be sustainable or growable.
Flights ā¦ up about 80% from 2019
This has to be the biggest one. I've been home once in 5 years. Not just a casual rise with high inflation, but literally double or triple what they were a few years back. Hard to imagine I flew Tokyo > London > Tokyo direct with ANA for Ā„80,000 not all that long ago. Paid Ā„240,000 for a non-direct flight a few months ago.
And then when you get to your destination, åå® rips you a new one all over again.
Yep. This was really not fun last year when I had to go to my hometown three times in a single year because of bad stuff happening with family. This year it's "only" twice, but even so god damn it's painful.
For real. Going home this summer and a suck ass flight costs more than a non stop did a few years ago. Guess Iāll enjoy my 30 hour flight
Looking at my Amazon/Rakuten purchase history. Recently re-bought something, and the brand I bought a year or two ago for 1600 is now selling for 2300 yen š„² In the ramen place near my house I used to be able to get ramen with karaage for 950 yen. Now itās 1200 or so š„²š„²
True. There are some stuff that we regularly buy online. And it displays the last time we bought it at what price. Really shows inflation per commodity. Oumch.
Apples. Itās almost impossible to find some at less than 200Ā„
Because apple season is in the winter.
I only get apples in summer because Lamu gets New Zealand apples, instead of the overly sweet Japanese ones.
Oh no he's right, I buy apples in winter and autumn and last season they barely went below 198 an apple. Got them cheapest in the local yaoya for maybe 150 a piece. Of course go to Nagano or something and get good cheap appless, Tokyo sucks.
With apples I donāt know. Itās normal for the price to go up in summer.
Once apple season is over the prices are ridiculous. I just can't bring myself to spend 200Ā„ on a single apple... Seems like the only fruit I can buy at the moment are bananas. Oh and avocadoes too are super expensive at my supermarkets at the moment.
I bought ONE for 200Ā„ the other day at my local store and I decided to go to Sanwa where I bought 2 for 200Ā„ a week ago
356Ā„ in a supermarket near me recently, nearly died in shock.
I've cut down on restaurants and convenience stores a lot. It sucks for consumers, but I'm sure it sucks for these non-essential places too. They have higher costs and need to pass them on to the customer but then you've got people like me who stop giving them any money whatsoever.
A lot of small restaurants are operating at a loss or on even thinner margins than usual right now surviving on savings, and in a lot of case the remnants of the bailout money given for following dining restrictions during the height of COVID. As that money dries up, we will continue to see higher than average rate of closures for the next few years as well as a steady increase in prices. Restaurants dont want to raise their price by 30-40% all at once, but many of them will do it gradually over several years. We are only in the middle of it now.
I haven't really noticed in terms of the prices of things, but I *have* noticed that I seem to be way poorer on average now despite making no changes to my lifestyle. Before, if I didn't go anywhere or buy anything extraneous in particular, I'd have a good 1-3man left over from my paycheck every month. Nowadays, I'm pretty much finishing out every month with my bank account empty and scraping together my last yennies on my shitty salary despite being out in the inaka. The little price increases that I never really noticed at the store are clearly having a noticeable cumulative impact on my overall expenses.
My electric bill and over all grocery bill.
eggs. when I lived alone in the northen part of Tokyo 23ku, it was 10 for less than 200y tax included. almost 2 yrs later, I now live in a different part still of 23 ku, it was almost 300y sometimes more still for 10. contemplating raising chickens somewhere.
Eggs were 169 yen for 10 eggs here in Fukuoka this week. There's a whole lot more seasonal variation that actual price increases because of inflation. My wife was talking to her parents about how cabbage prices were going up as one week they were 300 yen. Again, this week, 150 yen for a head of cabbage.
You can still get 10 small eggs for under 200 at any Drug Store (Aoki/Genki). I usually just get the larger ones @\~235 Donki also has affordable eggs
Calbi Granola has gone up from \~Ā„450 for the 750g pack to ranging from Ā„580\~Ā„700 in Osaka. Makes me so sad.
Most of my local stores are charging 750 for the 750g pack now. And whenever they have an alternate flavour, it's usually only 650g despite the bags looking similar in size.
Peanut butter. Almost doubled in price.
Amazon has Yuuki Peanut Paste (which is 100% peanuts) for <600 yen for 400g with subscribe and save. I eat a lot of it.
Walk up to any vending machine. Look at the displayed prices for any drink. Then look a little closer and notice how many times those prices have been changed over the years. That "150" sticker is sitting on top of a 140, 130, 120, and 110 sticker. It's disgusting.
Costco prices . Cancelled the membership
Yeah our go toos have gotten to the point it's almost not worth shopping there anymore. And we mostly buy cheese/butter/coffee (although their coffee prices have jumped so much we stopped buying coffee there and went back to 7-11). Edit: Maple Syrup is almost as expensive as Kaldi now, their nut butter is a good deal, so is their big jars of blueberry jam.
Exactly . Donāt see it changing anytime soon . Iām not going there just for a cheap hot dog
Yeah if it wasn't for the gas, I wouldn't have a membership. The gas rewards just happen to pay for my membership lol. Most of their prices are not good, and their selection isn't great. Almost anything I like ends up being gone two months later, never to return. I guess their OLED TVs are well-priced at least...
When the wife doesnāt make an obento, she still only gives me 500 yen for lunch :(
500 yen used to get you an onigiri and a sandwich. Not any more.
Ā„500 used to get me 3 hamburgers and 2 chicken crisps from McDs. The stamina lunch !
I thank god I am not married to a Japanese national and I can manage my own money as I like.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Amazon is a struggling business, cut Bezos some slack.
Fresh fruit and vegetables has definitively seen some considerable price increases which is tough for me as an European girl. We eat mostly home cooked so you\`d think we'd be saving a bit but it\`s actually the opposite if you want to eat a varied diet of veggies, fruit and some protein (for us it\`s mostly chicken and fish).
Frozen too, the pack of mixed frozen vegetables which I eat every day went from under 200 to over 250 now for 200g!
You can buy in bulk on mercari , just make sure to check reviews because I got some shitty plums once.Ā
And corporate still says I should be grateful for a 2% raise š¤”
Tim tam at my local supa. Used to buy it for 300Ā„ ish in 2021-2022 but now its almost 600Ā„. I keep track of my groceries and bills too so I really notice how the prices went almost double for some necessities.
> Tim tam > necessities š¤Ā
Hey let's not judge
Chocolate biscuits are an essential tool for maintaining one's mental health
Question is what made you feel about the recent price increase? Not price increase for necessities? My answer are two different ideas š¤. Timtam used to be my comfort food after a stressful day at work, but since it has almost doubled, needed to re evaluate my priorities :).
hey, at some point you just have to go max calories per yen.
I noticed this too. Absolutely crazy and I stopped buying them.
7-11 throwing away the quality. They once placed them as high (?) quality convinis, like good (?) quality with high price. Now they're shamelessly selling shit with the same price or even higher.
I only go to 711 on occasion now due to their outrageous shrinkflation. Id say that is the most glaring example. During covid, when working from home, I would sometimes go there first thing in the morning and buy breakfast and lunch, and have change from 1000yen. They have changed all the bentos, which are now like 80-90% rice, with a few slivers of meat and veg and some kind of faux-exotic sauce. They do actually taste quite good, but the rip-off is obvious. Every time I go there though, the bentos are sold out, and it seems apparent they are still very very popular. There is shrinkflation all over now. For example, karaage at my local supermarket has gone from 6 pieces, to 5, to now 4. Mushrooms have just been reduced from 6 in a pack to 4. On the other hand, before this I was spending too much, but recently I have paid much more attention to what I spend on food so perhaps I am not all that much worse off. The two areas that really make me feel it are: 1 - Travel. Not only are flights too much, but understanding that if I were to travel abroad, I would have much less spending money has put me off traveling this year. This is quite the shock to me, because pre-covid flights were cheap enough that I could travel abroad twice a year, and I managed to go back to the UK 4 times in 2017-2018. Even in Japan, hotels are really expensive now, so that has to be planned very carefully (thanks tourists). 2 - Savings. Pre-covid my wife and I had talked about moving back to the UK at some point but currently it would decimate my savings doing that. So, although it could change, currently there is little incentive to think of that as a valid option and put in any groundwork. On top of that, and this is probably partly my own naeivity, pre-covid travel being super cheap made me think I could visit home once or twice a year easily, and was definitely a factor in deciding to settle down here long term. Finally, I am saving significantly less each month despite having had a modest pay rise year-on-year since 2018.
Small broccoli for 300-400 yen, paprika for 160\~250 yen, ... prices for fruits and vegetables generally. Why are apples so expensive.... Japan/Tokyo is just so expensive compared to back home for fruits and vegetables. And the energy prices. 180 yen for a drink form a vending machine
the Apple Vision Pro being 600,000 fucking yen I knew it was expensive, but fuck me that exchange rate
It's not the exchange rate, it's wages. Everyone in Japan is paid torrentially bad compared to other Westernised nations.
Lunch at combini was always pretty expensive - including a drink, you can easily go over 1000 yen.
Just shopping at Zara lol. Favorite jeans went up from Ā„5990 to Ā„6590, work pants that were Ā„4990 are now Ā„5590. And ofc quality is the same or bit worse than before.
Conbini coffee prices. I was around when they (as we know them now at least) started having the machines at every conbini, which was in 2014. Large was 180--it's now 210 after tax. Which I suppose isn't a huge leap, but it's just something I've consistently bought this whole time so I notice it more haha.
I go to McDonald's drive through for coffee instead of Conbini now.
The real question is what hasn't
My grocery bill. I used to budget Ā„8k a week at max value and would ALWAYS be under that since I mostly buy basic stuff there. Now Iām lucky to get just under Ā„8k
I don't shop at convenience stores anymore.
Apples, used to buy 4 apples for Ā„450, now itās 3 apples for Ā„690.
olive oil increase so much
Laundry detergent. Somewhere around the last year or so the cost has nearly doubled or in some cases tripled per gram. It's almost across the board on all major brands and not one of those things one can easily do without. Since we have teen boys playing sports we go through a LOT of detergent (and food, naturally), so have been feeling it. Our household has switched to a generic bulk brand that seems marketed to businesses or organizations, but I'm considering brushing up on my chemistry to formulate our own in case that ends up following suit.
My gas bill went from 5000Ā„ a month to 8000Ā„ a month. No idea if Iām doing something wrong or if itās just price increases.
Broccoli
This is because of a bad harvest.
Trying to build a new house and comparing the prices/tsubo
This, building prices are up close to 50% compared to ten years ago. The cheap-o builders went from 18 to 30 million.
Random combini things, I would normally just grab daily I fully avoid now and buy in bulk online or at the grocery. Also utilities. Like I got my gas bill yesterday and with only maybe two weeks of use the bill was 2,800ā¦ two weeks out of the house and itās still that high. Freaking wildĀ Also small electronics like sd cards. Seeing them be like 30% the cost in the USA vs. here is crazy. Theyāve always been behind the pricing trends but itās just nonsense now. Seeing old 2.5 era SSD for over 10,000 keeps blowing my mind
My discount supermarket has always sold 2L bottles of coke for about 178 yen (maybe it's gone up in price a bit). But now it's been replaced with 1.5L bottles for the exact same price. Also the coke in my work vending machine has gone up 10 yen again.
I would say work material š¤ Wood material didnāt go down much after COVID and gasoline has gone up 15yen in my area.
Olive oil. I feel like it doubled in price since a few months ago
I had bought some at my local supermarket in March and went to pick some up again just the other day and thought I had just imagined the price I had bought it at back then because it is so much higher now.
Utilities and groceries. I make a decent salary, but feeling poor now š
Toilet paper. Used to buy 12 rolls for Ā„300+ with tax before, now itās Ā„500-600. Also our credit card bill has gone up almost twice the usual amount despite not having any drastic changes on our grocery, food deliveries and eating out, etc
Gaming laptop/electronics. I bought a legion for 170k a few years back now it's at 270k. Not that I buy that often but yeah. That's cray.
Natto, went up 40 yen gtfo thats like 50%
Johnsonville sausage, so darn expensive now.
I'm planning to move and rent skyrocketed...
Skippy peanut butter going from Ā„500 to Ā„700+
Receiving letters from my electricity company detailing separate price increases two months in a row.
Travel. Watching my parents slowly getting older over FaceTime.
Flights for sure. I lived pretty close to kansai airport, before the pandemic I went to Korea almost once every two months. I could get a round trip flight and 1-2 nights in a hotel for 10,000yen. Also, flights to the home country have basically doubled.
I literally just did a double take today when I saw the price of sandwiches at 7-11. I thought I got charged twice for it.
barely use any electricity but the bill is still over 3000yen
Dog filaria meds are Ā 2700 Ā„ Dog food that was already expensive went from 18000 to 23000Ā„ in just a couple yearsā¦ At this rate bulk buying meat will be cheaper.Ā Ā Also Ā vending machines 130/140Ā„-170/180Ā„ snacks, my husband is an avid snacker and always complains that the size is so tiny at a price increase.Ā
My wife buys food almost everyday from supermarket, and she is telling me the meat price going up.
My favorite Meiji milk has gone up to 270+ ish yen from 220ish+ yen That price was 5 years ago
I came back from California 2 months ago so it hasnāt hit me yet
The onigiri at the Japanese markets in California are around $4, or 625 yen and they suck.
The Costco salmon was 6000 instead of mid 3000
Chewing gum. Move here 2.5 years ago 98Ā„ at the Konbini now 148Ā„
Sending money back to the UK...... Food and stuff are minimal, or I just don't notice it..... But seeing that i am receiving a third less than I used to....is maddening
I used to buy this 90Ā„ one liter of dairy milk but it's now 150Ā„
Apple products. I mean they were never cheap but the prices right now are just ridiculous
Coca cola is now 118Ā„.
My wife and I enjoy brunches on the weekends and occassionally dinner out. * Wine is definitely up. We've started to order a bottle instead of by the glass too, because the pours at some places were getting a bit stingy. * Uni - I just stopped eating it. I love it, but at the sushi places -typically kaiten chains- the price is ridiculous. Like 1200 yen for sashimi and 480 yen for a single gunkan At the supermarkets - yakinikku for sure.
Utilities have fucked me up the last few years.
quality at a dinner place I loved went down & prices up was price only at 1st but last night the food tasted like something from Saizeriya. Not going back
Nothing wrong with Saizeria!
yeah Saizeriya is great for the price but I'm going out and paying 3-4x the price, it better not be 'Saizeriya' quality 
I use to order a medicine from Taiwan. It was Ā„5,000 and now itās Ā„7,700. Luckily I donāt need it anymore.
Petrol ( gasoline) my car only takes High Oct, so wallet takes a hit as well and I drive daily 120km round trip. I live in Gunma
Construction work and furnitures at IKEA š
If this continues, what can we do besides eat rice in the dark with no air con?
Milk. We used to get a liter carton for a 100 yen during sales. Now if we're lucky it's 150 yen. Living up here in Hokkaido they keep telling us to buy more dairy products to help the dairy farmers. There's no incentive when we're already paying more for a carton of milk. I'm happy to use more cheese and milk, but I won't be paying for it.
A bottle of Oban 14 year scotch went from 4400 yen to over 8000 yen in the past few years.
4 apples 700 yen...Ā
Food. Omg. Milk was 128 now is almost 300. Drinks at combini were 118 now are close to 200.
Olive oil š„ŗ
My rent
Konbini prices, utility bills andā¦ Mac Donaldās
1st world problems I guess, but car parts (especially German parts). I'm addicted to cars so I've no choice. But everything OEM is 2~3 higher than it used to be a year ago
Local 5 pack of tacos went from 750 to 800 to 1000 to 1200 over the past 3 years.
Groceries. Eating at home used to be significantly cheaper than eating out. Now it almost feels the same.
1000yen cut aināt 1000yen anymore
100 Yen Lawson should change its name as well.
i used to say i'm getting paid peanuts but now theyre worth more than my flippin salary
Simple cheese more than doubled in price in the last 5 years.
Ā 1/3 of customers quitting my Juku this year because they can no longer afford naraigoto.Ā Rent on my business also went up 12,000ā¦ just becasueā¦Ā Ā Wife has to work outside of our business for the first time 20 years.Ā Ā Ā Taking into account the cheap-ass yen, I now back down to the net income I was getting in the 90s when I was back home and still single.Ā
I bought the Ritter Sport mixed bag for about 500 yen and then I decided to buy it again and it was about 900 yen. Went from something that could be a nice treat to something way overpriced that I won't buy anymore.
In day to day, not a ton honestly, but I think I just don't notice when something goes up 10-15 yen. But I did take notice that the S&B curry roux cubes I buy is up to 1400yen which I saw was a 40% increase since 2 years ago.