Japan has long served as the globe’s cautionary tale on deflation, stagnation, and the consequences of a dwindling, greying population. In the 20 years leading up to 2015 — while the U.S. economy grew by more than 130% — the Japanese economy grew not at all. It simply carried on quietly through its gloom with […]
Japan
The 2-Minute Thought: Why laundromats in Japan are booming
japanupdate.com “Anyone wondering what a decade of deflation, rising female labour participation, falling marriage rates and soaring pollen counts can do to a nation could study Japan’s self-service launderettes boom.” So riffed the Financial Times poetically last fall. In most of the developed world, self-service laundries have been declining – which makes sense in a […]
3000 people attend a cat’s funeral? Only in Japan . . .
Kitkat bars in dozens of flavors, rockabilly music, and KFC for Christmas dinner? These are a few of Japan’s quirky infatuations. And then there are cats – all kinds of cats. . . Only in Japan would a cat named Tama-chan become so revered that she would be given a Shinto-style funeral attended by thousands. […]
How do we know Japan’s economy is brightening? From the secondhand market for luxury handbags
Japanese women are using their luxury handbags for a savvy currency play. Photo Source Komehyo The economic mood in Japan is brightening and consumer confidence is way up. That is the word anyway from Takuji Ishihara — not an economist but the president of Komehyo, a well known dealer in secondhand high-end handbags. Working across from […]
