Kotatsu, tables with a heater attached to their underside and a thick quilt sandwiched between a two-layer top, are one of the coziest ways to keep warm while relaxing at home during winter in Japan. There is a drawback to all that toasty comfort, though, which is that kotatsu are generally…
For many people in Japan, the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 will remembered as a time when a trickle of consumer price increases became a flood, with such items as coffee, bread crumbs and electric power rates among the many to take a sharp upward spurt. The multivaried…
Feb 1, 2021
Japan is often touted as an expensive place to live. With a high quality of living, national health system, vibrant cultural scene, admirable levels of education and safety it’s not hard to understand some of the reasons why people want to call it home. These desirable factors come at a cost, though.
The nation’s capital was recently revealed as the world’s third most-expensive city to be an expat in, according to the Mercer Cost of Living Survey 2020. It ranked just below Hong Kong and Ashgabat. But don’t be fooled by big claims that living in Japan, or even Tokyo, will break the bank. Like any location around the globe, there are ways to cut down on living expenses without compromising your lifestyle.