Although Japan is an oriental country, it only accounts for 1% of the population5%, but the country embraced Christmas as an economic opportunity decades ago and enthusiastically embraced the traditions of Christmas.
In previous years, Christmas trees and twinkling lights adorned in Japanese shops and restaurants were everywhere during Christmas Day, but this year, although this is also the case, there seems to be a lot less "laughter" on the streets. In fact,Many Japanese people say they wish the evening party would end sooner.
With the sharp increase in basic foodstuffs, the cost of holiday cakes in Japan has risen significantly this year compared to last year. Not only that, but some Japanese parents have also said that they will spend less on gifts for their children.
A study released in early December by private credit research firm Imperial Data Bank found that Christmas cakes are more expensive than they were a year ago, with the basic ingredient of holiday staples having skyrocketed over the past year.
Of the 100 cake companies surveyed, 81 said they were forced to raise their **The average cost of a cake with a diameter of 15 cm is set at 4,468 yen (30.).66 US dollars), up 78%。This figure is also more than 13% higher than in 2021.
Japan's monetary easing has exacerbated the country's "hyperinflation". As of November this year, Japan's core CPI has been above the central bank's 2% target for the 19th consecutive month, and the headline CPI is also hovering at a nearly 40-year high.
Rising costs can be seen everywhere throughout the Japanese economy. The basic ingredients of the cake – milk, sugar and eggs – have been used by about 20% since last Christmas**. In total, there have been 30,000 food items in the last 12 months
More seriously,Strawberries (the key ingredient in Japanese Christmas cakes) are as much as 50% largerThe reason is that the weather was too hot this summer, and the strawberry harvest was hit hard. And just in early December, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in several poultry farms in Japan sparked new concerns about the "egg shock".
While prices continue to rise, the amount of year-end bonuses is also disappointing. In the Imperial Data Bank survey, about 42% of executives kept bonuses unchanged13.Eight percent of companies said they had reduced their bonus payouts, and just over 12 percent said they were unable to pay any bonuses this year.
Due to the shrinkage of the year-end bonus, many Japanese families have even canceled their "holiday travel plans" at the end of the year and reduced their spending on gifts. Some say that in addition to basic food***, try to save for the coming year.
After the pandemic over the past three years, many Japanese employees have become Xi to working from home, and for them, holiday outings are not "necessary".
In another survey conducted by a Tokyo-based health supplement manufacturer, nearly 26% of respondents said they wanted to avoid year-end parties altogether, compared to 416% saidSince the past year has been too hard to work, they intend to "sleep" during the New Year.
In addition to inflation, the increase in labor shortages is also one of the main reasons for this phenomenon. After the pandemic subsided, employees had to devote more time to make up for the shortage, resulting in a generally very tired Japanese workforce.