yoshisan88 comments

@Pukey2

China's economy is not collapsing. However, everyone, including the CCP itself, knows that things are not as rosy as before the pandamic.

Record high youth unemployment, oversupply of real estates, house prices falling etc.

Do you think if the West is struggling, China, who exports billions of dollars of goods to the West, has no effect? The Chinese used to think that their domestic market is huge enough that they did not need the West. Goods time does not last forever.

Companies like Honda and even Tesla are failing because they are not innovating

Car manufacturers are struggling to find first time buyers in China. Many of their sales are people trading in their older models for a new one. No matter how much innovation they have, when people has no money then they just cannot sell.

From the internet:

BEIJING, Sept 9 - Passenger vehicle sales in China fell in August for the fifth straight month, industry data showed on Monday, though sales of all-electric and plug-in hybrid models rose, helped by subsidies for drivers trading in more polluting vehicles.

Sales fell 1.1% from the same month a year earlier to 1.92 million vehicles, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed. That compared with a 3.1% decline in July.

New energy vehicle (NEV) sales, however, jumped 43.2% to account for a record 53.5% of total car sales, as local EV champion BYD set a sales record and U.S. rival Tesla had its best month of 2024.

Car exports increased 24% after a 20% rise in July.

The numbers reflected waning consumer confidence, with first-time car purchases lagging behind trade-ins, the association said last week.

Apart from the rise of BEV and PHEV, things in China are not as rosy as before. Therefore, some car manufacturers are pulling out. I believe Mitsubishi did it last year.

By the way, EV was predicted to be the future but recently it looks it is not the case. Different kinds of vehicles will co-exist together for the near future.

It comes despite Japan welcoming a record influx of foreign visitors, with nearly 18 million tourists entering the country in the first half of 2024.

Is there any reliable survey done on "foreign visitors coming to Japan and climbing Mt. Fuji is on their to do list"? I believe many foreigners loves sight seeing and some can shop and eat till you drop in Japan (my wife and I are among them). However, is climbing Mt. Fuji really that popular among foreign tourists? Maybe the decline is because the measures impacted domestic travellers.

Well. A while ago some Japanese news outlets claims the rice shortage is partly due to the record influx of foreign visitors. Now they says foreign visitors were coming to Japan to overwhelm their beloved mountain. I wonder what is next?

Don't get me wrong. I have been to Japan for more than 8 times since 2009 (next time is Kyushu and Shikoku, then I will have set foot on all four main islands of Japan). I absolutely love Japan and seriously regret not learning Japanese while I was younger. However, linking negative news to foreign tourists without supporting data is a bit rich.

Starbucks still has good vibes. For some going to Starbucks with friends for a good chat is a very enjoyable experience. Sales are down is because many regular customers have less money now which they can spoil on pricy takeaway coffees.

Here down under even McDonald's, which usually does well in a economic downturn, are struggling to attract customers. No money no Starbucks coffee, mate.

If I have a $20 product in my hand and I’m at the counter and I show the cash to the staff, I just walk away with the item in a second.

What if you are purchasing multiple items like going to a super market? Do you take out your phone and sum up the total value of your purchase plus tax and prepare the correct amount of cash in notes and coins before you go to the counter? What is the amount of different notes and coins you need to prepare before hand? I can put 100 items in my trolley. After the staff at the check out scan them all, I use what ever cashless payment I want and pay it in less than 15 seconds. No a second needed for any preparation.

Going cashless is foolish! You are falling right into the “one world government” scenario of the future. Stick with cash. When cashless systems fail, I just grin as I deal in only cash except for large purchases like plane tickets. Everything else….cash only! Do you really want to be watched and controlled? Think long and hard about why “they” want you to go cashless!

You still working or retired. Do you get paid in cash? Do you deposit the cash in a bank or keep it in a money box at your house? If you workplace pay you using electronic transfer it is cashless payment, mate. No escape.

Being watched? Security cameras are everywhere now. You dress as Dark Vader your face when going out?

One world government. I do not mind if it bring peace to the world. The world is seriously fractured now.

Society needs cashless payments like a fish needs a bicycle. If there is any point to it at all, it is to allow total control of all these electronic digits by the people who control the databases. And I cringe every time when I have to wait in line, cash in hand, for some young "cool" people to fiddle endless with their cellphones to make their digital purchases. Congrats Japan to be slow with this insanity.

Really. I do not think you can shop online by paying cash, right? Online shopping can only be done by using cashless payments. Society needs online shopping. My 73 year old dad shop online more than I do. He keeps telling me the amazing good deals he found.

When someone cannot use something probably, it does not mean that thing is crap.

My mum cannot use her smart phone probably, so smart phone sucks, right?

Assuming no late payments and excluding membership fee, if any, is purchasing using a credit card not more expensive than using cash?

Or there is still interest/any charges that need to be paid

Most retailers charges the same for credit card or cash. Some retailers, usually restaurants, charges and extra 0.1% to 0.3% for credit card payment. 1 to 3 cents extra for every $10 spent, we can live with that. Or we would use our bankcard (see below).

Government departments would charge more for credit card payment and payments are bigger so we would use BPay through our bank. No extra charges.

We always fully pay our credit card bill every month so never pay any interest.

Australian credit cards are terrible. Most requires you to pay an annual fee or additional cards, especially those that allows you to earn points for flights. However, there is still some without that and we are using them

By the way, opening a saving accounts with Australian banks you would get a bankcard with wireless pay function. It is not a credit card. You can only spend what you have in your account. Using it would not inclur any extra fee.

Credit cards are not credit. It’s debt!!!!

Only for people with no self control. My wife and I have been using multiple credit cards for over 30 years. We are never in any credit card debt.

I am curious. For those who would only use cash. How much cash do you keep at home? I know Japan is LOW in crime but still things happen. Also there is the risk of earthquake, fire, gas explosion etc. Therefore, I believe people would not withdraw all their money and keep them home. For people who lives in big city like Tokyo and use public transportation, it is very easy to find an ATM to withdraw cash.

I drive to work everyday and taking a detour to an ATM to withdraw cash every week is just too inconvenient to me.

. They want to increase the loss of financial control and speed up those transactions. Stick with cash! You will thank yourself in 30 years time. People always say I’ll save what’s at the end of the month, but that’s so hard when you’re cashless. Pay yourself first, then go for cash.

Thanks for your kind advice. I have very high self control on spending. Not long ago I used my savings to buy a brand new car so using cashless payments is no problem to me.

(I) turn around my backpack (II) take out my mobile (III) unlock it (IV) scroll for app (V) scan (VI) put back my my mobile (VII) zip my backpack, wow, what a advance technology of cashless transaction. sorry the last thing on earth i will do is cashless, cash is king! (I) take out my cash (II) pay (III) leave. Thank you Japan for still using the cash and your banknotes is such an art, it is a shame if we left behind such a delicate and neat banknotes

There is "tap and go" credit card or cash card which U can easily pull out from your wallet and you do not need to count.

delicate and neat banknotes

After changing hands 100 times, are they still delicate and neat.

It is not. Many people, including yourself, often overlook the fact that handling cash also comes with costs.

Handling cash takes longer time and extra manpower so shops, especially supermarkets would need to employ more staff. Unless they install self serve check out machines that allows cash payment. I do not think supermarkets are kind enough to not put the extra cost on their customers.

Age is not really a problem. My 75 year old mum uses her "tap and go" credit card to do all her shoppings. She actually struggles with cash cause she can no longer count properly.

I would like to share something interesting. Some time ago I read an news article about some young Australian are doing almost their banking transactions online or using cash payments but are still going to the ATM to get cash. The reason is they need the cash to buy illegal drugs. Therefore Australia will never become a careless society. LOL.

Also some young people are switching back to cash cause they have no self control on using their credit cards. That is the only way they can manage their spending.

@rainyday

First I only stated there is something called technophe. I apologise if I offended anyone.

So may I ask those who says using cashless payments violates your privacy, do you use a smartphone? I saw quite a few people still using those old flip phones when I was in Japan.

The only reason I still carry cash in my wallet is because if the seller do not accept cashless payments or the system is down I can still pay.

technophobe

Noun

a person who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology.

Also, why should I be forced to carry around a mobile device everywhere I go?

I don’t want to spend hours downloading apps or adding my personal details to multiple sites.

Cash is far easier and convenient.

It is a personal choice so there is no right or wrong but cash is far easier and convenient just makes me laugh.

Over the weekend my wife and I went shopping. She usually needs to carry a few items when going out. Also her wallet is too big to fit in her back pocket so my wife always has a handbag and I usually carry her bag. She went inside a shop, found an item she liked, went to the counter to pay for it. Did she need to ask me to hand her the handbag so she could open it, then took out the wallet, opened the wallet, found the cash, handed the cash to the staff, waited for the change, counted change, put the cash back in her wallet?

Nope. She pulled her mobile phone from her pocket. Turned it on and put the phone over the scanner. Done in less than 15 seconds.

You sucks at doing something does not mean it is crap.

I bet they are just laundering money acquired by their parents from shady CCP schemes.

Read the whole article before commenting, mate.

From the article;

Their backgrounds vary widely, and they're leaving for all sorts of reasons. Some are very poor, others are very rich. Some leave for economic reasons, as opportunities dry up with the end of China’s boom. Some flee for personal reasons, as even limited freedoms are eroded.

These Chinese may have different backgrounds and reasons to leave China (as stated in the article). However, they are all just trying their best to find a better lives for themselves or even their childrens. They have choosen Japan to settle. The rich ones are lucky. While the others would definitely face challenges and hardships. I wish them the best of luck.

ICEs are still the way to go….

From the internet back in June:

Toyota Australia announced today it will no longer sell petrol-only variants of RAV4 and all other models where hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) are available.

EV will still have fans. PHEV and hybrid vehicle are getting more popular.

This is not discrimination. If they can afford to fly to Japan and go sightseeing they'll be fine. 

I would not use the word "discrimination". Many people living in Japan have luxury handbags, live in mansions, drive imported luxury cars. I have no luxury handbag, live in a small house, drive a Toyota Corolla. So I should pay more than them when visiting the castle is bit rich.

However, I believe charging the same entry fee for everyone while giving discounts to locals, students, elderlies etc are acceptable.

Along with higher demand - partly attributed to record inbound tourism this year - supermarkets across the country have struggled to keep rice shelves stocked in recent months and some have imposed quotas on how much customers can buy.

Well it uses the word "partly" but still it is not a factor. Before the pandamic inbound tourism in Japan was high and big number of Chinese tourists were visiting Japan. Chinese loves eating rice. Was there any rice shortage?

Extreme weather disrupts the supply and Japanese are hoarding rice in preparation for possible natural disasters increases the demand. Who would come up with foreigners eating all Japanese rice is either xenophobic or a moron.

Japan's automakers were never interested on electric vehicles until it was too late. Now we star seeing the consequences and it will get way worse in the upcoming future unfortunately. 

Not really. EV was predicted to be the future but now it looks likely BEV, PHEV, Hybrid and ICE vehicle will exist together in the near future.

And those pushing EV's - those who buy one with current battery technology are in for higher insurance premiums until the battery thermal runaway issues are resolved. 

According to information on the internet, the annual premium for a BYD Dolphin is about the same as a Toyota Corolla Hybrid.

And those pushing EV's - those who buy one with current battery technology are in for higher insurance premiums until the battery thermal runaway issues are resolved. 

From the internet:

LFP battery

LFP batteries have a superior thermal stability, making them resistant to thermal runaway even under extreme conditions. This inherent safety feature makes LFP batteries a preferred choice for applications where safety is paramount.

It's more than just "prices." If Toyota made the equivalent of a Chinese BYD Seagull -- let's say a fully electric Yaris selling for $15,000 (Seagull goes for around $12,000), production would go through the roof.

It will only become a reality when we can fully charges an EV in less than 5 mins. and well maintained charging stations are everywhere.

Toyota is strong in hybrid cars field,Toyota hybrid cars sells well everywhere.

From Toyota Australia back in June:

Toyota Australia announced today it will no longer sell petrol-only variants of RAV4 and all other models where hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) are available.

The move means that Corolla and Camry sedans and the Corolla Cross, RAV4 and Kluger SUVs are now 100-per-cent HEV for customer orders.

https://citywestcountry.co.uk/24-fun-facts-about-byd/

Having manufactured most parts of their cars themselves, BYD has been able to save a lot of money which is what makes their models a lot more affordable.

All components of the BYD Dolphin, except for the tyres and windows, are made in-house.

I have just watched a news video on NHK World. In the video it tells the factors that cause this rice shortage:

Last year's drought and extreme heat destroyed crops.

Japanese are eating out more after the COVID restrictions.

Japanese are stocking up more in preparation for possible earthquake and typhoon this month.

The record number of foreign tourists arriving in Japan.

In my own humble opinion, it is a good report as it includes interviews with farmers. However, I cannot believe it would say "record number of foreign tourists" is a factor. Tourists numbers were high in Japan before the pandamic and there were no rice shortage. The shortage is caused by extreme weather and hoarding. Perhaps NHK is not as reputable as I thought.