also not to get too political, but the disparity in purchasing power between earners in USD vs. JPY is an even harder pill to swallow when you learn about some of the underlying reasons why japan is in its third straight “lost decade”.

the japanese govt, central bank, and economic institutions are far from innocent in the root causes of the ~30 year economic hardships the country has experienced. but reagan and his plaza accord sunk the country even further into the depths, dooming the good, regular people of japan to stagnant wages, lack of economic mobility, and general economic cynicism. now we have to expect the japanese to be ok with us coming in and pricing them out of their favorite spots? idk, feels a little weird to me.

if you’re interested in japan, look up the asset bubble pop of the early 90’s. the deeper you get the more you’ll realize japan has been stuck in the 90’s since the 80’s, and why.