An Arm and A Leg and a Baby

Posted in food, Japan, life overseas, prices

Hello hello! Yeah, I’m behind.  This post was intended for last week, but you know how things go.  Part of it was that I wanted to get a few extra pictures for this post.  The other part was that I have another major task going on that has put everything else on hold.  But it’ll be done soon.

So, this week’s new adventure: learning how to ride a bike with a baby strapped to me.

Yeah.

But it wasn’t too bad.  I’ll admit, I was a bit wobbly at first, which is probably more from the fact that it’s been a long time since I’ve ridden.  BUT, goodness gracious, what a time saver!! In a land where a 30 second shortcut makes a difference, this is like a gold mine.  What?? A trip to the grocery store only takes 20-30 minutes?  Before, 20 minutes at least was just walking time, plus carrying all the stuff home!  Which, when you consider that you only buy what you can carry, means frequent trips to the store.

Happy day!  Besides the time factor, having a basket on the bike means that it takes a literal burden off my back.  Carrying an 18lb baby, plus my purse and sometimes her diaper bag and then another 20 lbs of milk, meat, and all that heavy stuff…  I think you get the picture.

Well, for this week’s non-serious post, I thought I’d take you along with me to the grocery store to kinda get a feel for what prices are like.  I get questions about prices all the time.  So, for all you who have asked, this one’s for you.

(So, after adding in all these pictures, it occurred to me that there are other things I could have posted the prices of, like fish, rice, etc. Maybe I’ll save that for next week.  Besides, I kinda looked weird snapping photos in the grocery store anyway. Also, I used today’s exchange rate for the price comparisons.)

 

6 slices of bread. Now, they are a bit thick; you can also get it cut in 8 slices for the same price. At the current exchange rate, it's about $1.16
6 slices of bread. Now, they are a bit thick; you can also get it cut in 8 slices for the same price. At the current exchange rate, it’s about $1.16
1 Liter (Roughly 1 Quart or 1/4 Gallon) of milk. $1.41 (or $5.64 per gallon) Also, I have no clue if this is 1% or 2% or whole milk. I know it's not soy by the kanji. But I'm still investigating for Rosalyn's sake when it comes time to give her milk (goodbye formula!!).
1 Liter (Roughly 1 Quart or 1/4 Gallon) of milk. $1.41 (or $5.64 per gallon) Also, I have no clue if this is 1% or 2% or whole milk. I know it’s not soy by the kanji. But I’m still investigating for Rosalyn’s sake when it comes time to give her milk (goodbye formula!!).
Butter (... or margarine?) It's like a butter spread. Right now there is a butter shortage in Japan (you can only buy one at a time), and the price makes me think this isn't the real thing. 2/3 pound = $1.73
Butter (… or margarine?) It’s like a butter spread. Right now there is a butter shortage in Japan (you can only buy one at a time), and the price makes me think this isn’t the real thing. 2/3 pound = $1.73
A Mango. Now, typically I don't buy these, but I wanted to give Rosalyn a break from the limited variety of apples, bananas and pineapple that's available right now. It was a special buy for us. 358 yen= $2.98 Now, for an average size apple here, it's not uncommon to pay about 82cents per apple.
A Mango. Now, typically I don’t buy these, but I wanted to give Rosalyn a break from the limited variety of apples, bananas and pineapple that’s available right now. It was a special buy for us. 358 yen= $2.98 Yup. For one mango. Now, for an average size apple here, it’s not uncommon to pay about 82cents per apple.
4 pieces of asparagus. I believe I paid about 82 cents for this.
4 pieces of asparagus. I believe I paid about 82 cents for this.
Garbanzo beans. LOOK! English! I spent a while searching for these. $2.37 a can.
Garbanzo beans. LOOK! English! I spent a while searching for these. $2.37 a can.
Ok, I didn't buy this. Sour cream. $1.98 for roughly a 1/4... CUP. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
Ok, I didn’t buy this. Sour cream. $1.98 for roughly a 1/4… CUP. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
2 Decent chicken breasts. I can't always find them like this, a lot of the time they have lots of fat. So, 1 pound 2.5 ounces = $3.39
2 Decent chicken breasts. I can’t always find them like this, a lot of the time they have lots of fat. So, 1 pound 2.5 ounces = $3.39
Pork. 1/2 pound = $3.15
Pork. 1/2 pound = $3.15
Beef slices. 11 oz = $3.85 Seriously, meat prices make me want to become a vegetarian.
Beef slices. 11 oz = $3.85 Seriously, meat prices make me want to become a vegetarian.
Lastly, Flour Tortillas. We usually only get tortillas from Costco, but it's nice to see them in the stores and know that at least they are becoming known. Corn tortillas forget about it. They can only be found at the foreign food stores for a ridiculous price and they're not even that good. 5 medium size tortillas = $2.21
Lastly, Flour Tortillas. We usually only get tortillas from Costco, but it’s a comfort to see them in the stores and know that at least they are becoming known. Corn tortillas forget about it. They can only be found at the foreign food stores for a ridiculous price and they’re not even that good. 5 medium size flour tortillas = $2.21

 

Published by nipponalva

4 thoughts on “An Arm and A Leg and a Baby”

  1. Some of those prices seem high, but others seemed OK. Just like anywhere, it depends if it is grown there or imported, I suppose. The can of garbanzo beans struck me as really pricey!

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  2. The milk says, “Uses 100% fresh milk” and “ingredients-processed” milk. In other words, it’s been messed with or has some additives. Probably added more cream, or took some out, or whatever. They don’t do 1%, 2%, etc. in Japan. Sometimes they enrich it with extra calcium (calcium carbonate, I think), too.

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    1. Awesome, thanks for making my job easier! A friend here helped me to understand what I needed to look for to see if it was fresh milk or ingredients processed, but this answers questions I had about the information she gave me. 😀 I need to take you to the grocery store with me!!

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  3. Yeah, there are a few things that are comparable with American prices but others that seem ridiculous to me! When I lived in Japan before, I primarily shopped at the 100 yen store (AKA the dollar store) because that’s all I could afford, haha! Having a daughter now, and for my own health’s sake, we know that’s not appropriate anymore. 🙂

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