Nearly half of salarymen in Japan spend less than $3.40 on lunch a day: poll – The Mainichi

30 comments

1. That’s probably true for us considering that lunch is usually leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.

2. 4 days out of the week, yeah probably for me. I just make food at the office.

   Of course, I sometimes 8x that cost on one day of the week. It evens out.

3. Bento culture.

4. Is this supposed to be surprising? Aside from taking leftovers from the previous night, that’s 500 yen for lunch which can still get a basic but decent lunch from the market or conbini.

5. That seems perfectly plausible, considering most people either bring leftovers or get a 400-500 yen bento for lunch.

6. I dunno how people survive on that little food. Sometimes I see my co workers Lunches and I’m like….thats a snack for me. Non athletic people have it good. They don’t gotta eat a lot.

7. Makes sense. I consider myself well-to-do but because my lunch is leftovers (or rather a second portion that I set aside) from last night’s dinner so it will be zero. On some days when I don’t bring bento lunch starts at ¥1000

8. meanwhile my colleagues eat 1000 lunches and I barely can keep up joining team lunches…

9. Let’s see, 450 yen bentos. Current exchange rate makes it cost $3.05. (Currently 0.0068 yen to usd). That checks out.

10. With the current exchange rate, that’s enough for a decent lunch!

11. 220 yen famichiki + 150 yen onigiri + 160 yen latte.
    In total of 530 yen.
    Basically true, lol.

12. This year 147yen to dollar. “Less than 3.40”

    Next year 220 yen to dollar. “Less than 2.00 on lunch”

13. well considering the weak yen compared to USD is this even a surprise?

14. Work like an adult, live like a student.

    Gambatte!!

15. All retailers are desperately trying to hold down prices because most people’s budgets are so limited. About 1/3 of Japanese can easily pay higher prices while most of the rest are barely getting by.

    The result is that the 500 yen bento is smaller and tastes worse than a few years earlier – cheaper cut of fish, less rice, etc.

    It’s just one point in a general enshittification of life for average Japanese people which you can see on a lot of levels, from worse products in clothes stores to supermarket coffee that hardly smells of coffee any more.

16. 500 yen goes a long way sometimes.

17. Any family who does half decent meal planning can pull this off and still eat healthy and flavorful lunches.

18. More than half of salarymen in Japan also
    Make a fraction of what their western counterparts do in foreign countries as well.

19. Why would you spend ￥500-1000 on shitty combini or chain restaurant food when I can just eat leftovers or cook something in the morning. Even with a good salary and good savings, it’s not worth the money.

20. I usually spend 500-1000 is that bad? I am trying to eat healthy and ifs awful in Japan when you want to eat healthy but do not like fish.

21. How are they doing it? Leftovers and cooking? Gyomu Super is helping me a lot.

22. There are ¥500 bento everywhere during lunch time. They taste good, cheap, and enough quantity. I loved it!

23. Left overs and cheap bentos and lunch sets are amazing.

    Also, less obesety in Japan.

24. That buys you a can a coke and a bag of crisps in London right now

25. That’s about how much a school lunch costs and probably gets you about as much food. I think this is a non-story for anyone outside the restaurant industry

26. Anyone know the conversation for a common lunch in the USA to Yen?

    Would be interesting to see just how cheap the food here is in comparison.

27. Damn all my coworker are paying ¥1100 ¥1500 daily and we all make dick. Ive been bringing bento from home because I’m so sick or Ramen, I’ve lost 4 kilo since I started.

28. Yea that’s me, 270 yen sando plus a 150 yen onigiri, done and done.

29. That’s a gyudon with salad set at matsuya

30. In my job, large rice n curry for 390. Pretty good deal