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One of the benefits of Japan’s relatively static economy is that prices for everyday items have, as I have observed directly, remained more or less the same in the 13 years since I first arrived (give or take a few percentage points of the consumption tax increase).
Over my decade or so here, however, I have noticed that some items seem particularly expensive in Japan compared to other countries. I wondered: Why do these cost so much? So I did a little digging on four items that foreigners regularly consider too pricey: movie tickets, pizza, shinkansen (bullet train) travel and mobile phone contracts.
Here’s what I came up with on four popular items we pay too much for in Japan, why we do so and — as a bonus — some ways to help negate the costs and limit the damage to your wallet.
1. Movies
In my current period of post-surgical convalescence, I found myself going to the cinema multiple times during the recent 10-day “Platinum Week” holidays.
However, at ¥1,800 per ticket, a trip to the movies is definitely not the cheapest option for date night. So why is going to the cinema so expensive here? Well, I’ve heard multiple explanations for this down the years.
First, there’s the issue of expectation and tradition. Research will tell you that the history of movie theaters in Japan goes back more than 100 years, predating the modern notion of the “blockbuster popcorn flick,” which wasn’t really a thing until the likes of "Jaws" and "Star Wars" became massive international hits in the 1970s.
For decades, a trip to the cinema here was held in similar prestige as a visit to the theater or a major sporting event and the higher price point reflects this.
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12 Comments
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SimondB
Can't say I agree with the writer on Shinkansens. The train takes you city centre to city centre thus doing away with the time and money spent getting to an airport. Plus you only need to turn up 5 minutes before the train leaves compared with the hour or more travelling by plane. And planes don't have vending machines. No, give me the Shinkansen anytime.
JapanFan
I just checked the price a ticket for a theater here in Honolulu. Regular price is $15.00 and senior is $12.00
My last purchase of Yen was about 112 to the dollar. That works out to about 1,680 yen or 1,344 yen.
If you want some expenses to compare let me give milk as example.
A gal of milk (3.785 liter) sells for $5.99. Do the math:)
bullfighter
I checked movie prices in London. Much higher than Tokyo.
Rail travel is cheaper in Japan than in Britain. Tokyo subway fares are much lower than London underground fares. And, late and cancelled trains are the norm in Britain, the exception in Japan.
Eating out is much more expensive in Britain than in Japan and the probability of good service much lower.
I return to Britain almost every year. There is little in Britain that is less expensive than Japan either in absolute terms or relative to income.
JapanFan
bullfighter:
And let's not forget strikes. My first visit and my first day in London the Underground went on strike. And Paris, well that's a whole nother story.
kohakuebisu
Takeaway/delivery pizza is expensive, but not really worth bothering with anyway. It's meh pizza and I'm usually bored of it after the first slice. A 300 yen slice in Costco every now and then is enough.
Real pizza though isn't necessarily expensive. This one, a salad, and coffee was 1400 yen to eat in right in front of Nagoya Station at 8pm. I think that's a pretty good deal, and it was cheaper to take away. The place is called Solo Pizza Napoletana.
https://ibb.co/1bYwp26
Agree with the comment about everything in the UK being expensive even at 140 yen to the pound. Even a "deal" on craft beers is three for a fiver, or 300 yen each. You can get some pretty good ones in Japan, Ao-oni, Coedo, Captain Crow etc. for less than that in single cans.
HBJ
This is the worst article I've read on here for some time.
None of his four examples are particularly more expensive - if at all - compared to my home country (UK), or other countries I've traveled to.
Some fruit and veg, cheese, souvenir boxes of tiny rubbish cakes, and possibly pet goods - would all be better examples in my opinion.
Serrano
Because - get ready - something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
As far as pizza goes, Domino's has buy one get one free or half price if you buy just one if you get take-out.
FizzBit
Green beans. Why didn’t he talk about fresh green beans or asparagus? Still can’t figure those out.
milk at ¥128 for a liter? Not in my area. ¥170 after tax for the cheap tasteless kind.
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David Varnes
As for expensive vs. cheap, as others have said there are plenty of comparisons to make that show how ridiculous certain things are in Japan.
For example... rice. The average Japanese rice in the supermarket is somewhere around 3000 yen for a 10 kilogram bag. When I lived in Italy, and now in other European countries, the price is about 1/3 to 1/2 that. I can even buy imported Japanese rice for less than the average Japanese consumer pays per kilo in their local ItoYokado or Appleland.
The same can be said for most foodstuffs. Beyond the normal list of things like cheese, meats, breads, etc, even vegetables are less in most of the Southern European countries I've lived in.
Computers and electronics. If you go to a Yamada Denki or Edion, etc, expect to pay 100,000 yen or more for a laptop. Meanwhile, I've bought laptops in the US, in Australia, and in Albania that all are equal to or better in performance to the Japanese ones, for 1/4 the price. These include Samsungs, Dells, and HPs.
So the price of movies? Pizza? Fried chicken? Big deal. You want to really see how Japanese consumers get ripped off, even by their own countrymen with their own 'Made In Japan' products, look elsewhere.
vallum
Pretty bad article. Expensive compared to which countries? Is it really expensive taking into account the average monthly salary in Japan?
Going to the cinema in Brazil, for example, is cheaper than Tokyo, but average salary there is 4 times lower.
About mobile phones, more research should be expected from someone writing an article that could influence some readers. You don't have to buy a new phone in order to switch to a MVNO. MVNOs in Japan actually use the "big three's" (Docomo, Softbank and AU) networks. Some use only one (like Rakuten Mobile, which uses Docomo's network), some use all three (Mineo, for example). What that means is that if you own a mobile phone from Docomo, Softbank or AU and wish to switch to a MVNO, you can just choose one that uses the same network. The only thing you'd have to change is, of course, the sim card.
Keeping your old number is not complicated at all! I don't get why the writer would recommend getting a new one!