Tokyo Prices

Why is This Woman Laughing?

Because she's selling fruit for $8.40 each!!
Think that's an anomaly?? Keep reading!
Remember when ¥360 = a buck? And ¥1,000 lasted FOREVER!?
I told this woman that, and then she REALLY started to laugh (behind her hand, of course)!


One peach = eight BUCKS ?	THREE strawberries = eight BUCKS ??	This is not your imagination! A single melon = ¥10,000 = eighty-four BUCKS !!??

IT GETS WORSE!!


	This little melon = ¥15,000 = $126.00!!! Notice that it has its own well-constructed, 48-tatami condominium. You're looking at the sun deck, where the fruit takes the sun all day. The jacuzzi and the computerized toilet are on the 2nd floor below.

New for 2001!
The it-could-only-happen-in-Japan SQUARE WATERMELON! A bargain at only $83!



They are grown in a square mold, so that they come out the EXACT size that fits nicely into the small Japanese refrigerators. You can imagine the hassle they used to have when you look at how much space they take up in your Frigidaire (do they still call them that?).		This is a marvel of Japanese ingenuity. The simplicity of it is astounding! Why has no one else ever thought of it before? Maybe because our monstous refrigerator boxes kept getting bigger, and there was no need. This is also a neat little size, so you don't have to eat watermelon twice a day before it gets bad. (Note the cute little gaijin girl in their ads.)

Prices in Tokyo -1998

    Apartment ("mansion"!), 2 rooms, Shibuya, monthly
Apartment, western style, 4 rooms, Shibuya, monthly
Beer, 355ml, Japanese brands
     Beer, 355ml, Heineken
     Bread, white, sliced, 6 pieces
     Coke, 355ml (12 US Fl oz), at vending machines
     Coke, 355ml (12 US Fl oz), neighborhood 7-11
     Coke Classic, 350ml (12 US Fl oz), U.S. import
     Chewing gum, 10 pieces
     Cigarettes, king size, pack of 20
     Flour, 1kg
     Internet Access, unlimited analog dial-up, monthly fee
     MacDonald's cheese burger
     MacDonald's hamburger
     MacDonald's BigMac
     MacDonald's Egg McMuffin
     Milk, 1 liter
     Mineral Water, Evian, 1.5 liter
     Mineral Water, San Pellegrino, 750ml
     Mouthwash, Listerine, 1000ml, U.S. import
     Movie ticket
     Mr. Donuts "old fashion" donut
     Newspaper, daily, Japanese
     Newspaper, daily, English
     Petrol (gasoline), regular, 1 liter, +-10yen
     Pizza, Domino's, 25cm (14")
     Postage, air mail, 25g to Asia, Guam, Midway, etc.
     Postage, air mail, 25g to North/Central America
     Postage, air mail, 25g to Europe, Mid.East, Oceania
     Postage, air mail, 25g to Africa, South America
     Rice, medium-to-high grade, 5kg
     Spagetti 450g
     Starbucks, Ginza branch, latte, cappuccino, short
     Starbucks, Ginza branch, latte, cappuccino, tall
     Starbucks, Ginza branch, House Blend Coffee, 200g
     Starbucks, Ginza branch, House Blend Coffee, 500g
     Steak, sirlon, from Kansas USA, per 100g
     Sugar, 1kg
     Taxi, type 1, for the first 2km
     Taxi, type 1, every 200 meters thereafter
     Taxi, type 2, for the first 1km
     Taxi, type 2, every 250 meters thereafter, up to 2km
     Telephone line
     Telephone line installation
     Telephone, analog, home use, monthly charge
     Telephone, ISDN (BRI), home use, monthly charge
     Telephone, calls to mobile phones, 0800-1900 hrs., 10 seconds
     Telephone, local call within Tokyo, 3 minutes
     Telephone, local call within Tokyo, 2300-0800 hrs., 4 minutes
     Telephone, long distance, 20km, 90 sec.
     Telephone, long distance, 20-30km, 45 seconds
     Telephone, long distance, 30-60km, 36 seconds
     Telephone, long distance, 60-100km, 0800-1900, 22.5 seconds
     Telephone, long distance, 100km, 0800-1900, 20 seconds
     Telephone, public phone within Tokyo, 60 sec
     Telephone, public phone to mobile phone, 0800-1900, 8 sec.
     Toothpaste, Colgate 140g, Made in New Zealand
     Toothpaste, Colgate 130g, U.S. import
     Toothpaste, Aquafresh 160g, Made in Japan

Video rental for 1 night

¥¥

¥300,000
¥500,000
¥230
¥200
¥200
¥120
¥98
¥80
¥100
¥230
¥190
¥2,000
¥160
¥103
¥280
¥190
¥180
¥260
¥320
¥600
¥1,800
¥100
¥130
¥140
¥100
¥3,000
¥90
¥110
¥110
¥130
¥2,000
¥300
¥280
¥320
¥760
¥1,810
¥422
¥220
¥650
¥90
¥340
¥80
¥72,000
¥20,000
¥1,750
¥2,830
¥60
¥10
¥10
¥20
¥40
¥50
¥80
¥90
¥30
¥80
¥300
¥198
¥250

¥500

$2,513.00
$4,190.00
$1.93
$1.68
$1.68
$1.01
$0.82
$0.67
$0.84
$1.93
$1.59
$16.76
$1.34
$0.86
$2.35
$1.59
$1.51
$2.18
$2.68
$5.03
$15.08
$0.84
$1.09
$1.17
$0.84
$25.13
$0.75
$0.92
$0.92
$1.09
$16.76
$2.51
$2.35
$2.68
$6.37
$15.16
$3.54
$1.84
$5.45
$0.75
$2.85
$0.67
$603.22
$167.56
$14.66
$23.71
$0.50
$0.08
$0.08
$0.17
$0.34
$0.42
$0.67
$0.75
$0.25
$0.67
$2.51
$1.66
$2.09
$4.19

Okay, so it's expensive .. but we knew that!

It wouldn't be so bad if the most important main food group weren't so atrocious .. the one item with a recipe that is universal .. really!!

Pizza is basic Italian (well, maybe American via Italy) food .. how can they mess with it so much ??? .. so it looks like ..??

I just can't go on .. tears are streaming down my face .. I have to show you .. the unbelievable, unimaginable and unthinkable .. the inedible!

Japanese .. pizza .. no, I'm sorry .. they have no right to call it pizza .. call it Fred .. call it anything but pizza ..

If you're a pizza lover .. hold your noses and close your eyes .. here it is ..

The Japanese pizza catastrophe
(And where is a good Roman vomitorium when you need one??)

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