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The story
Shinya Ueda of the comedy duo Cream Stew spoke on Nippon TV’s “Ueda to Onna ga Hoeru Yoru” about the sticker shock he experienced during a trip to the US. The show aired a “shocking bill” story about a meal that would have cost around 1,500 yen in Japan but ballooned dramatically overseas, and it became a hot topic on 5ch too. Reactions went beyond the simple “America is expensive” takeaway, branching into debate over just how far the weak yen has eroded Japan’s purchasing power, the crushing weight of US housing and utility costs, and even the phenomenon of secondhand Japanese goods fetching premium prices abroad.
Shinya Ueda on the Price Gap He Felt Between the US and Japan: “Back in Japan, This Wouldn’t Even Be 1,500 Yen” — A Shocking Bill
Shinya Ueda (56), of the comedy duo Cream Stew, appeared as MC on Nippon TV’s “Ueda to Onna ga Hoeru Yoru” (Wednesdays at 9:00 PM), which aired on the 28th, and talked about a shocking experience from an overseas trip.
The episode’s theme was: “I Don’t Want to Lose Even One Yen! A Special Resolving All Those Money Questions You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask Now.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Isn't that… backwards?
That logic doesn't make sense.
More than eating out, it's the insane rent that's the real killer.
Order otoro, uni, and ikura and you're looking at 300,000 yen.
Seriously?! Guess I can't afford to go there for fun.
Actually, isn't it already about halfway there?
Needing tens of dollars just to buy a sausage muffin, cookies, orange juice, and water — that's basically already worthless paper.
More like the weak yen is a huge factor too, right?
And on top of that, US inflation is stacking on top of it.
Southeast Asia, the way Japan used to look down on it — that's basically Japan's position now, huh.
That's a little off.
It's more like how Japan saw the US and Europe back during the Aso and Democratic Party administrations, when the dollar-yen rate was in the 70s.
In the US, $10 could get you a full course meal.
In Japan, that was 780 yen.
As you know, that exchange rate got so brutal it helped push Japan into the bubble collapse and the "Lost Two Decades."
These days even Asia is in a price-inflation slump because of the strong dollar.
Comparing ramen or airport food abroad doesn't make for a fair comparison.
That's a bit pricier than Japan too, but when you factor in median income — about 4.6 million yen in Japan versus roughly 10 million yen in the US — the US actually comes out cheaper.
What's really crushing Americans isn't this, it's housing costs and utility bills.
This was just last month.
No wonder people from over there are blown away when they visit Japan.
Unbelievably cheap, and even the cheap stuff is amazingly good.
If it doesn't sell, they'd have to cut production, and that's a lost opportunity.
The meat used for beef bowls is just one grade above the scrap meat that gets thrown out — it's a cut called short plate, so it's still cheap.
Eat just a little and you're already at 1,000 yen.
"USED IN JAPAN" has basically become a brand name, secondhand Japanese goods are popular overseas too, and even Mercari has moved into that market and made massive profits.
Flipping secondhand cameras is pretty profitable as well.
That's why foreigners are digging through retro games in Akihabara.
I get why he'd want to move back to Japan once he's done earning money over there.
Food back home in Toyama is good too.
If this mess in the West counts as economic growth, maybe it's fine that we didn't grow.
Is there anything here worth envying? Including the riots and protests in Paris.
Actually, pizza is still dirt cheap over there too — I mean at the deli/prepared-food counter.
You can get a giant cut slice bigger than your face for like 500 yen.
Apparently that's a point of pride for Americans.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Behind this discussion lies the sharp yen depreciation that has continued since 2022, along with Japan’s stagnant real wages. Opinions on the thread split over how to assess high US prices: some voiced pessimism about the loss of purchasing power from the weak yen, while others pointed out that comparing living costs isn’t so simple once local income levels are factored in. In particular, high housing and utility costs were seen as the real core of hardship in the US, with some arguing it’s premature to conclude “America is expensive” based solely on price differences in dining out or groceries. It’s also worth noting that the “1,500 yen” figure mentioned on the show was simply Ueda’s personal impression — the article doesn’t specify the exact store, items, or exchange rate at the time.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Hayabusa+) thread “[Entertainment] Shinya Ueda on the Price Gap He Felt Between the US and Japan: “Back in Japan, This Wouldn’t Even Be 1,500 Yen” — A Shocking Bill.”
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