Serious Question for you guys living in Japan

[Onyx]

Ok, i have a serious question for you guys that are still living in Japan...

First my thoughts/ research.....

I went to Japan last year late May for 2 weeks. My flight was $900 Dollars round trip and i brought $1500 spending money.

Im going to Japan again this year late May but i plan on staying for a Month this time. So i figured i would need about $3,000 dollars spending money.. As for flights i cant seem to find any lower than $1,400. But i can swallow that because im gonna stay for a month this time so wont seem like such a waste... But then i started thinking, why is the air fair so much more expensive for the same flight, same time one year later?? Especially since fuel prices are much less expensive than they were this time last year..

So i figured, maybe the reason why is because the economy here went to $hit since May of last year.. Well, i did a little research on the Conversions rates for Dollars to Yen since May 2008 until right now and i almost had a heart attack... May of 2008 conversion rates were 1USD =104.308 JPY today's rates 1USD = 89.4449 JPY So that's 16%.. as of right now I'm gonna need 16% more money.. And since it hasn't even been a full year yet, im just gonna assume by time its May the numbers might fall somewhere between the 20-25% range This, kinda throws a wrench in my plans to stay for a month.. Pretty much im gonna have to bring an extra $1,000 a total of $4,000 spending money..

My question...

For you guys living in Japan, has the cost of living or eating over there decreased at all? I know Japans economy is doing better than here in the US, but i hear its not as strong as it was last year.. Have you noticed even a slight change in prices of things?? Increase or decrease??

Any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Onyx

For you guys living in Japan, has the cost of living or eating over there decreased at all? I know Japans economy is doing better than here in the US, but i hear its not as strong as it was last year.. Have you noticed even a slight change in prices of things?? Increase or decrease??

Not really. Things still cost the same amount, and in fact a number of things have gone up due to the fluctuation in gasoline prices. At one point they were extremely high (190yen/liter) so the transportation costs were putting places out of business. They raised the price of things to accommodate the additional gas prices... Now gas has fallen (105yen/liter) but no one is lowering prices.

So you can pretty much expect things to cost the same amount as they did before.

[mrnicekid]

about the cost of living, i must agree with nyororin... things doesn't change much.

economically, things doesn't really feel all that bad.

and because the rate of yen is high right now, it is extremely beneficial to go abroad for holiday because now i could buy more things with the same amount of money i bring last year.

of course, people with foreign currency would feel a significant loss if they change their money to yen...

[Onyx]

alright.. thanks

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by Onyx

For you guys living in Japan, has the cost of living or eating over there decreased at all? I know Japans economy is doing better than here in the US, but i hear its not as strong as it was last year.. Have you noticed even a slight change in prices of things?? Increase or decrease??

The Japanese economy is taking a larger hit than the US since the economy is mostly export driven.

Mind you, if you've got the cash (especially in terms of yen), it's definitely a buyers market. You'll probably find great deals on accommodations, tour packages, etc.

Unfortunately for people like me who are thinking of moving there to find work, 2009 will probably be a pretty depressing year... no pun intended.

--

"Japan's recent economic decline is faster than that of the U.S., which has been experiencing the worst financial crisis in a century," Kazuo Momma, head of research and statistics at the Bank of Japan, said in a speech in Tokyo Monday.

Economists expect economic growth figures next Monday to reveal Japan's economy contracted at an unprecedented annualized rate of 11.7% in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Mr. Momma said the Japanese economy, which is the second largest after that of the United States, could have shrunk at an "unimaginable" speed in the fourth quarter and would likely contract at a similar pace, or worse, in the first three months of 2009 as exports decline.

[Onyx]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

The Japanese economy is taking a larger hit than the US since the economy is mostly export driven.

Mind you, if you've got the cash (especially in terms of yen), it's definitely a buyers market. You'll probably find great deals on accommodations, tour packages, etc.

Unfortunately for people like me who are thinking of moving there to find work, 2009 will probably be a pretty depressing year... no pun intended.

--

"Japan's recent economic decline is faster than that of the U.S., which has been experiencing the worst financial crisis in a century," Kazuo Momma, head of research and statistics at the Bank of Japan, said in a speech in Tokyo Monday.

Economists expect economic growth figures next Monday to reveal Japan's economy contracted at an unprecedented annualized rate of 11.7% in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Mr. Momma said the Japanese economy, which is the second largest after that of the United States, could have shrunk at an "unimaginable" speed in the fourth quarter and would likely contract at a similar pace, or worse, in the first three months of 2009 as exports decline.

very interesting, ill have to keep my eye on the exchange rates then. Thanks for that info.

[mrnicekid]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

Mr. Momma said the Japanese economy, which is the second largest after that of the United States, could have shrunk at an "unimaginable" speed in the fourth quarter and would likely contract at a similar pace, or worse, in the first three months of 2009 as exports decline.

i really hope the shrinking really does stay just for the first 3 months of 2009, because i'm starting work on april.

[jasonbvr]

For airfare try going through Beijing on Air China. I found that to be the cheapest right now. Also consider Korea. Go to a search engine like kayak.com and enter in a multi-city flight. You don't have to stay overnight in Seoul or Beijing so just enter the arriving and departing dates for the same day.

[Sanchome]

You might be able to get a better deal at some hotels in Japan than you did a year ago to help offset the stronger yen. But, as far as food and train tickets and that type of stuff, the prices haven't dropped.

[Nyororin]

I honestly don`t think that the economy is hitting the normal consumer nearly as much as it appears to be in the US. No one around me has been laid off, had pay cuts, etc. Nowhere around me has closed down...
But it seems that if I call any relatives in the US that is all they talk about. Someone losing their job, someone`s company closing down, etc.

I think that as a result of the big burst of the bubble back in the 90s, people learned quite a bit, and aren`t quite in the same sort of position. There is a big enough level of buffer that normal citizens aren`t really taking the hit.