After decades of deflation, Japanese grow veggies, avoid booze to trim the fat on household bills
- Consumers long used to businesses cutting prices to boost consumption have recently been shocked by the spike in electricity, gas and water bills
- While economists say Japan has avoided the even sharper price rises seen in other parts of the world, some residents are changing their daily habits to cut costs
“I can’t afford an entirely new wardrobe, especially if those prices start rising as well – which is very possible – so that’s why I have taken up walking and jogging,” he said.
For Yuuki Bando, a business owner in southern Japan, the biggest worry is the rising price of fuel. To balance costs, she has made a conscious decision to purchase more seasonal vegetables that are usually more reasonably priced at the supermarket.
“I have to use my car every day and the price of fuel is already noticeably higher from a couple of months’ ago,” said Bando, pointing to how wages had not changed in more than a decade for most company employees.
“But what choice do I have? I live in a relatively rural area and I need the car for work,” said Bando, who runs the Bang-Do interpretation service in Tokushima City on Shikoku Island.
