Tokyo is stupidly cheap

[Anonymous]

I dunno why Japan isn't more popular with Americans at the moment - we just got back from there, and it is amaaaaaaazing what the USD gets you there with the current weakness of the yen and a 140:1 exchange rate. Tokyo is so absurdly cheap it is shocking. We walked by real estate agencies and saw so many apartments costing less than $1000 per mo. You can buy fantastic quality lunch sets for less than $15 - and this is in swanky areas like Ginza. Compare those kinds of prices to a sister first tier city like NYC where everything would be 2-3x cost. It's truly remarkable how far the dollar goes currently in Japan. As soons we got back home, we got sticker shock ordering two lattes alone from Starbucks that cost over $11.

Yes, I know there is a lot of macroeconomics issues behind the cheapness of Japan. But I don't think I could recommend the country highly enough of you're looking to travel. The cost is sooooo much better than areas like Europe for what you get. Take advantage of the dollar strength while you can!

[Anonymous]

You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Well to be fair to Tokyo, they do a much better job at constructing housing than the US. That’s why compared to NYC (another city known for small apartments) Tokyo is much cheaper. And public transport much better there too.

https://marketurbanismreport.com/blog/tokyos-affordable-housing-strategy-build-build-build

[Anonymous]

OP if you’ve ever complained on DCUM about zoning reform, preserving SFH, losing parking spots, etc … then you’re part of the reason housing is so expensive here. Tokyo builds more because municipalities cannot control zoning. No NIMBYs.

[Anonymous]

This is the travel forum, so I’ll thank the op for flagging how cheap it is as compared to US cities and European destinations where everything is overpriced.

Brace yourself for $20+ burgers at the local DE/MD beaches.

When we were in Miami last year we met a family from the UK (London!) who complained about the cost at restaurants in Miami (where a burger is $25+ and a nice salad with protein is nearly $30).

If you can eat a nice lunch in Japan for $15, that is reasonable.

But what about flights? Hotels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP if you’ve ever complained on DCUM about zoning reform, preserving SFH, losing parking spots, etc … then you’re part of the reason housing is so expensive here. Tokyo builds more because municipalities cannot control zoning. No NIMBYs.

You zoning evangelists really just can’t wait to bring this up at every turn, huh? You’re as bad as the zero carbon people. What evidence whatsoever do you have that OP is any of those things? And how is that relevant to the discussion of a (temporary) bargain on Japan travel in a travel forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Bubble tea is from Taiwan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Bubble tea is from Taiwan.

I am aware, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Even prepandemic, I found many major 'expensive' metropolitan areas to be surprisingly cheap - top of the list was Paris and Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

I go to Japan 1-2x a year. If you eat at the small places catering to business people it's super cheap and filling. But go to a nice restaurant and prices can easily surpass DC prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Well to be fair to Tokyo, they do a much better job at constructing housing than the US. That’s why compared to NYC (another city known for small apartments) Tokyo is much cheaper. And public transport much better there too.

https://marketurbanismreport.com/blog/tokyos-affordable-housing-strategy-build-build-build

They do a much better job of constructing housing than the US because Japanese culture insists that 30-year-old houses are unlivable and must be torn down and rebuilt. Most people there refuse to live in "used" housing. It's hugely wasteful, and not an apt comparison to pretty much everywhere else on Earth.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusable-housing-revolution

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rapid-destruction-of-homes-in-japan-124412426.html

[Anonymous]

This is counter-intuitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP if you’ve ever complained on DCUM about zoning reform, preserving SFH, losing parking spots, etc … then you’re part of the reason housing is so expensive here. Tokyo builds more because municipalities cannot control zoning. No NIMBYs.

You zoning evangelists really just can’t wait to bring this up at every turn, huh? You’re as bad as the zero carbon people. What evidence whatsoever do you have that OP is any of those things? And how is that relevant to the discussion of a (temporary) bargain on Japan travel in a travel forum?

Dude, OP literally cited rental prices as part of their post. It’s well known that Tokyo housing costs are low due to fewer restrictions on construction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Well to be fair to Tokyo, they do a much better job at constructing housing than the US. That’s why compared to NYC (another city known for small apartments) Tokyo is much cheaper. And public transport much better there too.

https://marketurbanismreport.com/blog/tokyos-affordable-housing-strategy-build-build-build

They do a much better job of constructing housing than the US because Japanese culture insists that 30-year-old houses are unlivable and must be torn down and rebuilt. Most people there refuse to live in "used" housing. It's hugely wasteful, and not an apt comparison to pretty much everywhere else on Earth.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusable-housing-revolution

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rapid-destruction-of-homes-in-japan-124412426.html

Which has zero to do with building multifamily housing in city centers, but thanks for the obfuscation. Anyway, reducing construction costs through cheaper construction is also a way to increase supply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean handkerchief-sized apartments?
With no possibility of parking a car?
And if you have kids, paying for their private prep schools after regular school to have any chance of being competitive come entrance exam time?

There is a reason why the Japanese aren't making babies and why they complain about financial burdens. It's not just about buying cheap bubble tea. Japan also has the highest national debt of any developed nation.

- Japanese

Well to be fair to Tokyo, they do a much better job at constructing housing than the US. That’s why compared to NYC (another city known for small apartments) Tokyo is much cheaper. And public transport much better there too.

https://marketurbanismreport.com/blog/tokyos-affordable-housing-strategy-build-build-build

They do a much better job of constructing housing than the US because Japanese culture insists that 30-year-old houses are unlivable and must be torn down and rebuilt. Most people there refuse to live in "used" housing. It's hugely wasteful, and not an apt comparison to pretty much everywhere else on Earth.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusable-housing-revolution

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rapid-destruction-of-homes-in-japan-124412426.html

Well considering that Japanese people only pay on average 11% of disposable income on housing, they are doing something right!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1289461/japan-housing-expenses-share-disposable-income-working-households/