Cost of Living Crisis is Real

 I've been watching Sky News for the past few months going on about the cost-of-living crisis in the UK and how this winter is going to be hard for a lot of people, having to choose between heat and eat.  I naively thought that Japan wouldn't be hit that hard.  I thought it would be the same as during the pandemic when the UK went into total lockdown, but Japan didn't.  We had one nationwide lockdown but after that it was prefecture by prefecture, if the number rose then companies and businesses were asked to close to bring the numbers down.  Because of this the economy wasn't hit as bad as in the UK.  A lot of small and medium size businesses survived and are still running today.  So, I thought it would be same with this crisis, that Japan would be hit but not so bad.  

In June and then again in October prices went up on most food stuffs.  Bread went from 65yen to 95yen, milk up by 5yen, flour has risen by 100yen the same for vegetable oil.  My weekly shop can cost between 3,000 to 5000yen more (18.00 to 30.00pounds more).  This I could deal with.  Then came the gas bill, 3000 yen more but not using any more gas.  Yesterday I got the electric bill, 22,000yen (130 pounds) for one month, twice what it was last year!  This amount is usual in the summer when I'm running air conditioner 24/7.  This time of year it is usually a lot less.  That gives me a chance to save for the winter when gas gets expensive.  I got the bill just as I was going shopping.  I felt sick to my stomach going around the shops. I noticed that a lot of people were shopping with caution.  There are very few safety nets in Japan. Welfare is based on family; you turn to family to help out before the government will help.  Even then government help is very limited. Food banks don't exist, kids can get free school lunches but it's a weird system, you have to pay then get the money back and this is only for elementary schools.  So, I am really struggling, where to save money.  I've been using cooler water to wash dishes, telling the kids not to run water when having a shower, get wet, turn off the water, shampoo and soap up and then rinse.  Now I'm wondering what to turn off to save electricity.  

One good thing is that I haven't turned to food for comfort. I'm so stressed that I feel sick and have the most awful headaches.  I'm trying to remain positive but it's hard.  Kids are good, they help out by giving me money, but I want them to save for the future.  We really don't know what is going to happen.  Back in 2019 did anybody think that we would see a worldwide pandemic that crippled the leading economies and then a war!?

I can still smile the antics of my cats.  They fight and zoom around the house, they curl up in the warmest places.  Alfie is a real lap cat; he will climb on anybody and sleep, one way of getting warm. 

Alfie sleeping on me!

And on Mikey.

Alan and Hannah.