Japan is perceived as being an expensive country by many foreigners. Some things are expensive, while others are cheaper (depending on which country you are comparing prices to, obviously).
Recently, lifestyle website Madame RiRi carried an article, giving six examples of what foreigners in Japan found to be more expensive than back home.
1. Food
Although there are many restaurants offering reasonable prices due to the prolonged recession, many foreigners still say that food in Japan is expensive. The main gripe is that the servings are too small, so it costs more for people who eat a lot. Furthermore, some foreign people felt that international foods such as peanut butter,tacos, pizza, and so on are fairly expensive.
2. Education
Japanese education is certainly expensive. For example, many foreign people say that rucksacks (used by Japanese elementary schoolchildren), school fees , examination fees for entering university, and so on, are exorbitant. Japan also has cram schools, which are not very common abroad, and that adds to the cost of a child’s overall education.
3. Fruit
The land of 10,000-yen melons. Foreigners are puzzled as to why so many items of fruit are considered luxury gift items — 2,000 yen for a piece of gift-wrapped fruit in Japan that might cost $2-3 in the U.S. Pineapples and bananas are the only cheap fruit, it seems.
4. Movie tickets
The average price of a movie ticket in the U.S. is $7.95 (about 750 yen). In Japan, you’ll have to shell out at least 1,800 yen.
5. Alcohol
The price of beer in Japan is four times more expensive than in Germany and twice as expensive as in the U.S. Also, wine prices in Japan are four times more expensive than in France. There is saying that German people drink beer like water and French people drink wine like water because they are so cheap.
6. Skin care products
Some foreigners said that skin care products in Japan are three times more expensive than in the U.S. Generally speaking, Japanese people may spend a lot more money on beauty products than people in other countries.
The above items are just six examples. There are plenty more.
If you spotted something that strikes you as being too expensive in Japan, share your comments here.
Source: MADAME RiRi
Comments
I know the pizza is expensive to buy, 3000 yen for a 10-12 inch pizza seems high to me. I have made lots of pizza in my cooking days, and think I will try an experiment to see what it will cost to make good quality pizza from scratch in Japan. I think that it might turn out to be just as expensive! Something to consider for making from scratch is what ingredients will be more expensive (Italian cured meats and cheeses) while others might be cheaper (try a caramelized onion, prawn and spinach instead). Chicken and bbq sauce instead of prosciutto and olives? Corn and mayonnaise can stay the hell off my pizza’s unless its crappy Shakey’s in Yokohama.
I think energy costs are incredibly expensive. To only heat the living room in my one-bedroom apartment (to 17 degrees Celsius for 10 hrs/day) in the Shiga countryside cost 13 000 yen a month with an oil/radiator heater. Last year I tried a gas heater which cost 15 000 yen a month. My apartment was built 3 years ago, but with no insulation and very drafty windows located in an area that received 1 metre of snow in the last 24 hours (which is not unusual) it seems impossible to heat without using kerosene.
Quite often Italian-style restaurants will have all-you-can-eat pizza bars in the 1600-2000 yen range. Wafer thin Japanese pizza of course, but not that bad once you accept the reality. 😉
if you find them expensive and unreasonable , don’t buy them ! simple
I have paid $30-35 for a large pizza with several toppings here in Alaska, because ingredients are expensive to ship here and the cost of fuel to keep the ovens hot is also very high. Thank goodness I’ve learned how to make my own from scratch.
I have paid $30-35 for a large pizza with several toppings here in Alaska, because ingredients are expensive to ship here and the cost of fuel to keep the ovens hot is also very high. Thank goodness I’ve learned how to make my own from scratch.
Food is expensive in many ways. But, is it really worth it to cut corners in your nutrition and well being.
Yes, pizza and fruit are ridiculously expensive. It seems that the supermarkets are packed with cheap processed food like instant ramen for a couple of hundred yen, while you`re expected to pay through the nose for fruit, from what little choice actually exists.
Well, in seven years I am here, I can tell that almost everything product and services are quite too expensive. The basic reason seems to be, because there is not a price protection institution, and please, forget plice to work on a case, or give to you a written report even you have been under a clear commercial fraudulent action.
Then Japanese are not people able to stand for their basic rights, they prefer to buy near-to-expiration date, half-rotten vegetables and fruit sold in special shells (which are forbidden to sell in civilized countries). Japan trows away thousand of tons of not fully expired food wile many shops are selling expired items… What is the editor choice to look for JP lovers to tell fake stories, and how reasonable is Japan? Well I know, this is Japan.
In Italy we have people that believes at fly donkeys, as well the pizza she is telling cost an average of 3.500 yen (only 45 USD!!!) we bought some time from different main company, to change, but, it was always quite bad (to do not say horrible). Overpriced and bad, I know gaijin has no rights to tell what is the life here.
It is good that you point out you just heard about that. It is not true. I heard that cows can fly. Is it true? Can you?
I even feel that rent of houses are too high in comparison to Germany and that too they are bare naked.Utility charges add up to the cost and again disposing all the furniture and household items are also adding up to cost.
Compared with the cost of pizza, beer, and wine in Australia….It’s about the same. Beer…is cheaper here in Japan….Australian wine is surprisingly not that much more expensive (900 Yen = $11.30), and French and South American wines are cheaper in Japan. And to get a good pizza in Oz….hand tossed etc…mmm…about the same. I guess this tell us that Australia is expensive!
Contact lens solutions. When my J-friends visit me (in Canada) they always go home with their suitcases full of the stuff! And cans of olives but that would fall under your ‘food’ category.
As a seven year resident I’d agree with all this. You can get pretty cheap fruit though – it’s just the posh stuff that costs a lot. And pizza costs a fortune because they probably import all the ingredients so that it tastes “foreign”. I just wish they wouldn’t slather mayonaise over everything….
Yes, in Japan, over 3,000Yen for what would be a medium sized pizza in the US. Totally ridiculous. You can find a better deal on pizzas in the family style Italian restaurants though.
I never bought “pizzeria” pizza in Japan. It wasn’t that good, and it was ridiculously expensive. Sometimes my friend and I bought pizza at an Italian restaurant that made authentic (ie not American) pizza–that was good, but still a bit pricey. My solution was to buy frozen pizza at the supermarket. A package of two very small frozen pizzas cost about 500 yen. I’d dress up the tops w spices and cook the crust in a frying pan, then cook the top in the broiler.
Anna: They’re not; a pizza for 3000 yen is equivalent to a 75 SEK / $10 pizza at home (normal Swedish serving) – it might be considered ‘family size’ to the Japanese though…
From what i heard, Pizza in Japan has family portions, it means that one pizza is so big that 4 people can eat it… it’s probably because of that, but i only heard about that.
Oh you see, Japanese pizzas are made ‘properly’ and only with the highest ingredients unlike foreign pizzas which are made by snide business people.
1# Cost of a Pizza is ridiculous. 3,000+ Yen. What`s the justification?