Daily Routine of Japanese｜Japan is Cheap and Japanese are Poor｜Japan VLOG
6:30 AM It’s hot today. I’m walking to the station to go to work. What do you think about prices in Japan and Japanese salaries? In this video, I will explain about cheap Japan. Why has Japan come to be known as a “cheap country”? Japan was once known as a “developed country with high prices.” In the 1980s and 1990s, Tokyo was one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. People around the world have the impression that Japanese products are high quality and expensive. However, that impression has changed dramatically now. For example, Japan’s national average minimum wage will be around 1,100 yen (about 7.5 dollars) in 2025. It is very low compared to the United States and Western Europe, and has barely increased in the past 30 years. Meanwhile, in other developed countries, wages and prices have risen in line with inflation and economic growth. As a result, Japanese prices and services have come to be perceived as “relatively cheap.” I eat breakfast before going to work. Kanoya (soba restaurant). Ticket vending machine. Chilled tanuki soba noodles. ¥570 ($3.9, €3.4). Water. Chilled tanuki soba noodles. ¥570 ($3.9, €3.4). Chopsticks. Cucumber. Kamaboko. with tempura flakes and green onions. Wasabi. Chili pepper. Thank you for the meal. I’m leaving for work now. 6:00 PM I finished my work. I’m in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The recent depreciation of the yen has accelerated Japan’s cheapness. Since 2020, the Bank of Japan has maintained zero interest rates while the United States has raised interest rates. As a result, the yen has fallen sharply in value against the dollar. For foreigners, it has become a situation where “everything is cheap in Japan.” On the other hand, for Japanese people, the cost of imported goods and overseas travel has risen, making life more difficult. Why do Japanese people feel that they have become poor? Japan’s real wages (the value of wages taking inflation into account) have barely increased since the 1990s. On the other hand, taxes and social insurance premiums continue to rise, while take-home pay is actually decreasing. Lifetime employment and seniority-based systems have collapsed, and non-regular employment has increased. There are an increasing number of families struggling to make ends meet and young people feeling anxious about their future. Many people are giving up on marriage and childbirth, and the declining birthrate is becoming a more serious problem. To tourists, Japan may appear to be a cheap, safe country with great service. Behind this lies the reality that “the economy has not grown for 30 years” and “people’s lives are becoming difficult.” In other words, the problem is not that “Japan is cheap,” but that “Japan is the only country that is not growing.” I’ll have dinner before going home. Keika Ramen (Kumamoto ramen restaurant). Chili pepper. Pepper. Toothpick. Barley tea. Paper apron. Keika Special. ¥1,400 ($9.6, €8.3). Chopsticks. Kumamoto ramen is characterized by its pork bone soup and burnt garlic oil (ma-yu). Pork char siu. Braised pork. Cabbage. Menma. Stem wakame seaweed. Seasoned eggs. Chili pepper. Thank you for the meal. I’m heading home now. Shinjuku Sanchome Station. South Korea and Taiwan have increased their international competitiveness in IT and semiconductors. China has experienced rapid growth led by the state. Europe and the United States have expanded innovation through monetary easing and an entrepreneurial culture. Japan has been bound by past successes, placing emphasis on “avoiding failure” and avoiding “challenges and change.” Japan has been left behind by the rest of the world and has become a country with low wages, cheap goods and services. I buy late-night snacks at convenience stores. Matcha cream puff. ¥216 ($1.5, €1.3). Matcha chocolate fresh cake. ¥248 ($1.7, €1.5). My wife and son are sleeping. I’m going to take a bath. Barley tea. I eat late night snacks. Matcha chocolate fresh cake. ¥248 ($1.7, €1.5). Matcha cream puff. ¥216 ($1.5, €1.3). Thank you for the meal. My room. It’s getting hot in Japan. My wife put the mail in. Life insurance documents. Is Japan a cheap country for you? Cheap Japan is a serious problem for Japanese people. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you for watching my video. See you in the next video.
[Vlog] This video shows the life in Japan.
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I’ll be introducing life, food, culture and travel in Japan🇯🇵
My family consists of my wife, son, and myself😄
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Learn more about Japan and fall in love with it even more!
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46 Comments
日本以外の国ではすべてが素晴らしいと思い込んでいるようですね。カナダ、アメリカ、オーストラリア、ヨーロッパなどの生活状況について、YouTubeの動画をいくつか見た上で、もう一度考えてみるのもいいかもしれません。
The quality of Japanese goods is still way better than those coming from countries that you mentioned in the video. I guess when you say cheap, you mean the monetary value, right?
Interesting information 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Have a great weekend 😀
Disclaimer. It's only my opinion.
I cannot help it but feel uncomfortable when watching his videos.
At first glance you may think he is just a very boring men (by the way., he is a lier too) Why? Well, in one of his videos he said that HIS FRIEND has recommended to try a smoothy from seven eleven. In his other video – says he has NO friends) He contradicts himself. Or chooses lies to get more attention and make people feel sorry for him).if that's the case then it's a cheap trick. Not buying it.
He has a very limited vocabulary (I don't mean his English) His questions, his thought process is evidence of primitive thinking (normally you see this in children) Anyways, it's not my point.
I'd like to share my personal opinion about his body language and what vibe iit gives me. First of all – it's ASMR. Second of all – he is pointing his camera to his feet. 3. His fingers are in front of the camera. 4.His cameras angle is set to show his vast and private parts specifically. No diff. if he is standing or sitting. Camera intentionally pointing out into his private area. 5. Has anyone noted after he changes his clothes after shower… He stands still for sometime facing camera. This way he is exposing his private areas. Fetish maybe?
Fingers, feet, private area – indirectly associated with some 18+ content.
Any other ideas why he does that?
My flight and hotel so travel Wasn’t cheap. Food in 7/11: icecream was cheap so food. From gourmet store wasn’t cheap❤
Actually, US minimum wage stayed very low for years, but it was raised strongly, and is now where it should be. Japan should raise it's minimum wage to competitive standards.
We have a saying in Poland: "The grass is greener where we are not"
The EU's innovation is mainly pseudo-ecological nonsense, such as corks permanently attached to bottles or a ban on old cars entering city centers.
You have lived your whole life in Japan and you see the everyday problems of life in this country.
I have lived my whole life in Poland, I remember the times of communism and now I also live in the EU, which has changed very unfavorably since Poland joined it.
Increasingly strict regulations regarding ecology, drastic increases in the costs of energy, heating, water and waste disposal.
Generally, everything is getting more expensive year by year because everything depends on energy prices.
It is not at all as beautiful as people living outside the EU and Poland see it.
I am interested in Japan, I read a lot about your country although I have never been to Japan.
It is hard for me to compare the EU to Japan because of the extreme differences in mentality and culture between Europeans and Japanese people, but I assure you that if you lived in the EU, after some time you would change your mind about this place.
I would gladly leave Poland and live in Japan and after some time I would probably see the bad sides of life in Japan.
There is no ideal country in the world to live in, there are good and bad sides everywhere.
To conclude, I will quote another Polish saying: "Your home is where your heart is"
I'm an American and recently spent a week in Tokyo. Everything I touched, saw, smelled, tasted, and experienced was much higher quality than what I'm used to. What impressed me the most though was how organized everyone/everything is. Everywhere was spotless, I never felt unsafe in any scenario, and often worried that I wasn't as conscientious as the local population! Being in America feels like you constantly have a knife aimed at you in comparison. I can't speak on wages, as the prices of everything in America are basically double what I was paying in Japan and I definitely don't make double the average Japanese salary. Also, everyone around me just seemed to apply a lot more care and empathy than you'd ever find in America. Maybe the grass really is always greener on the other side though xd
Me encanta Shohei Ohtani, me gusta el baseball de grandes y ligas…..y si creo que Japón es mucho más económico que mi país Puerto Rico…..saludos y fuerte abrazo ❤❤❤
I’m coming back to Japan the 2nd time in November this year! Can say I’m one of those people who enjoys “cheap Japan” right now and I refuse to travel elsewhere in the world and it’s the only place I feel happy after spending my money. It is what it is however, coming back to super expensive London- I always get a massive withdrawal syndrome esp comparing the prices- value for money – basic wage doesn’t match the high inflation. A lot of people feel poor here too.
That's what you get for being evil.
I am from Singapore. For me, it is not the Japan is cheap. Singapore has become the most expensive city on Earth. So most countries are reasonable compared to Singapore. I used to buy my favourite Japanese jam from Donki and it costs about S$9 (USD7 or 1020yen). When I recently went to Japan for holiday, the same product costs half of what I have to pay here in Singapore – about S$4.5. To give you a perspective, a family car will costs you about US$100,000 in Singapore. That same car will costs US$30,000 for most countries in South East Asia. A bowl of nice ramen in Singapore will costs about US$10 but I could get a good one in Japan for US$5. In my opinion, the Japanese people are some of the nicest people on Earth. They take their job very seriously, they are very polite and they try not to inconvenience others. Japan is my favourite travel destination. I wish Japan all the best.
We love visiting Japan. It is cheap for us. I live in Hawaii and going out to eat is so expensive that we have cut back. Eating out ibn Japan is cheaper than buying stuff at the store and cooking at home. It helps that we don't have to tip in Japan yet we get great service. In the US take out counters want tip just for taking our order and handing it to us. We often stay at Toyoko Inn for around 100 US, that same room in Hawaii would run 200 to 300 a night. What impresses me the most is you mentioned the minimum wage which is low yet the workers have such good attitudes and they do thier job with pride, thats not the case here. I am sad to hear how hard it is for you guys toi make a living. Even if the price of things went up we would still visit Japan. I hope things get better soon.
its like spending your whole paycheck on chipotle and beer and good whiskey and having 50k subs that dont even pay for it lmao
Am sure what is CHEAP in Japan is the restaurant because you eat a lot in one day! + 5 days a week! me in Canada that very $$$$! we eat at Mc Donald MINI MENU! AT 6,50$ CN! CHEAP CLOWN FOOD!🤣🤣
Can you try one day! 2:28 machine food?🤤we want to know if it good? thank you! Samurai Daddy!😊❤👍
Japanese are not poor, they have one of the highest medium wealth per adult and they also have some of the highest average household savings in the world. Look how many Japanese can afford luxury items…..
I had the Keika Special in Kumamoto and I believe it was the best ramen I had during my trip to Japan last March.
Your 90’s pay compared to the current inflation is similar to what the pay in the US was like in the 80’s. Both countries are being slowly bleed dry and the birth rate is plummeting. Our systems are failing us. Also, AI is coming in strong and will take many of our jobs and the politicians aren’t speaking about it which means they have no plans for this transition.
Thanks
Yes, being a native Japanese with most of my life living in the U.S., I find the change from Japan being prohibitively expensive (on the rise in global economics) in the 80's to 90's to now losing the Yen exchange rate to a point where everything is so cheap there…an almost scary predicament for the country and its citizens. You're right, they are poor compared to other countries and their GDPs. Hopefully they have enough internal goods to carry on. Your videos show how productive/conformist they are within the culture.
Look at Canada.
The grass may seem greener on the other side, but here in the states, all our wage growth has been eaten up by inflation. So we are all broke too.
Everyone is squeezing stress balls 😂😂😂. Oh God, this one made me laugh out loud.
我觉得他们生活的很潇洒
Noticing a growing Japanese population in Florida. They all tell me they make so much more money here than in Japan. I'm traveling to Japan in November this year.
Have more kids if you want Japan to grow! It's hard though.
Save up an move to Canada with your family. You'll be happier an more rich with your hard work ethic
Did not know about the Japanese economic reality, thank you for enlighting me
Ça me plonge dans le ravissement!
I want to have your green tea cake and greentea puff 🤤 The best green tea of the world is in Japan !
Japan has largely lost the manufacturing sector snd likely will loose more.
A counties wealth is oil and/or manufacturing.
With those Connivence Store Prices I’d be stopping by the shop all the time as well.
It made me smile when I heard David Bowie and Rod Stewart playing in the background ❤️
No matter what, Japan is still one of the best country in the world in my book.
Indeed Japan was rich back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. I felt heartbroken when I left after a 4 year stay in April 1992.
But in retrospect Japan did get poorer as It seems. Canada seemed super poor as compared back then, but now , 30+ years past, I feel Canada is way more richer per inhabitant in terms of disposable invome
家で食べたら？もっと安いではないか
I can't afford buying breakfast and dinner in Australia before and after work. Should I go to Japan for holiday?
@SamuraiDaddy, Japan needs to implement a tourist tax. You have 37 million tourists every year. Also allow anonymous tipping and the economy will grow, workers will feel better and the government can lower the debt to GDP ratio. Japan has a 250% debt to GDP ratio. That's too high and it's causing stagnation. Lastly, Japan needs to give people more time off so they can spend more time with their families OR spending more time "growing" their families if you catch my drift.
No country in the world should should compare its currency with USD coz they just simply print money .Since other countries need $ to trade crude oil and other commodities the currency has high value . Call it dominance of $ post WW2 as a reward of war . Its just a bubble waiting to explode .The moment countries stop trading in USD its over and it has already begin. Japan or for that matter no country is poorer than what it was 50 years ago its only the "Capitalist consumerism" which make one feel " Poor "coz now our brain is chasing a line drawn by capital market and we all act like a sheep to follow it.
Thanks for another video of current events like the economy in Japan, the cheapness. By japanese standards, what kind of money one need to have to live very comfortable in Tokyo right now? What is the amount of money if want to live in roppongi hills or Shibuya, and drive a mid luxury car like Lexus or Tesla?
Indeed, when i visited Japan in the 80s, it felt so expensive. It was advanced and ahead of the other countries in terms of technology and way of life. Today, Japan is very affordable and not longer seen as technologically ahead of its neighbors. In fact , Japan seems trapped in a world which is 2 decades behind. I still love travelling to Japan and appreciate how things work in this country. All the best to Japan and her people.
Your thinking is not right. Japan is always king Empire
Love your videos but I have to admit, they make me very sad. The reality of life for you is very different than here in the U. S. I don’t know anyone who would accept this lifestyle. My daughter and I love Japan and will be making our second trip in October. I hope you can find companionship and peace someday.
you are eating 3meals a day at restaurants and complaining about low salary
Apparently during the 1980s Japanese property bubble, the value of the Tokyo Imperial Palace was higher than all of the real estate in the state of California.