Products more expensive in Japan for no reason, Japanese being ripped off?

[rich dude kryptonite]

Add Hulu to this list of rip-off artists.

[Hijinx]

Add Hulu to this list of rip-off artists.

Yeah, I just saw that. J-consumer, bend over and take it deep.

[Effected After]

I don't see there being enough demand for American TV for them to make much money at $20/month here.

[rich dude kryptonite]

I would gladly pay for something that is the same as Hulu US. Up-to-the-minute updates of tv shows that have aired in the US. As it stands, everything on that site is available at the video store. Not worth it.

[Hijinx]

I would gladly pay for something that is the same as Hulu US. Up-to-the-minute updates of tv shows that have aired in the US. As it stands, everything on that site is available at the video store. Not worth it.

The free video store of torrents.

[Booker]

Yeah, I just saw that. J-consumer, bend over and take it deep.

i just seen that shitz too, cuz.


imma take the money they want and go buy a 3000 yen bag of grapes.........



















then imma eat em.

[jron]

Laptops, PC memory and other parts, DVD/BR players, TV's are all at least double the USA prices (and often much more)
And isn't China (where 90% is made) a lot closer to Japan, so wouldn't transportation to Japan be cheaper than to the USA?
:-P

[yu_ominae]

And yet even more strange, Japanese people eat constantly. If they are not eating, they are talking about food.

Oh yes sir, they do.
The most striking example are those magazines about things to do in your spare time and the tourist guides. Where I come from they are full of pictures of old buildings and stuff, but in Japan they seem to be mainly about where, what and when to eat.

Probably why people keep on telling me about food from my country which I didn't even know existed

[RK11]

I don't understand why a lot of people got so upset by David calling Japan expensive.
Of course there are products here that are cheaper than in Europe (like 100 shop products), but generally, a lot of things are more expensive.
Fruit for example, bananas, kaki and pineapples are ok, but sometimes I find apples for over 300 yen each. Not to mention strawberries or watermelons.

David, I think this is partly caused by the Japanese logistical system. I once hitched a ride with a fruit truck in Australia, huge thing with a trailer and lots of fruit. Delivered it all to a market and that's it.
A few years later I hitched a ride with a Japanese fruit "truck", it was a little pick-up truck, half-full. It dropped of some crates at this warehouse, then at at a supermarket, then at another place. This process obviously is more expensive.

Getting an apartment is also an annoyance. You have to pay about 5 months up front, and are lucky if you can every see any of that back.
Flight tickets are expensive too, no Ryanair here
Luckily Air Asia is now flying to Japan and next year Peach air will begin it's operations.

But perhaps the worst rip off are phones here. Not only is it a terrible hassle to get one, you can only choose expensive models. The phones are not that special and a phone that costs 3 man here would only fix 60 euro's in Germany. In Europe I would just get a cheap phone for texting and calling with a prepaid sim for 20 euro's. Here I'm forced into an overpriced contract.

But well, at least sushi is cheaper and tastes better here.

[cucashopboy]

But perhaps the worst rip off are phones here. Not only is it a terrible hassle to get one, you can only choose expensive models. The phones are not that special and a phone that costs 3 man here would only fix 60 euro's in Germany. In Europe I would just get a cheap phone for texting and calling with a prepaid sim for 20 euro's. Here I'm forced into an overpriced contract.

I got my mobile from au for free since I've got no need for the latest model, there was an initial 3000 yen admin charge, and my phone bill is about 2000 yen a month. I think that's quite reasonable.

[Shakes Spear]

I would gladly pay for something that is the same as Hulu US. Up-to-the-minute updates of tv shows that have aired in the US. As it stands, everything on that site is available at the video store. Not worth it.

Just get a U.S. ip address and watch all of the shows you want. Hulu, both flavors, networks, etc. I pay about 4000yen/year for a VPN. Best money I've spent in Japan.

[Shakes Spear]

Phones aren't cheap here but they are FAR from being the biggest ripoffs. Try getting a family portrait done at the local studio! Be sure to bring plenty of KY and a fat wallet!
Just spent 3man on my kid's shichigosan photo. That's the "special package" consisting of kimono rental and one portrait, plus an additional pose.
If I wanted a CD with the digital files it would be 2500yen per photo! WTF??!! We're talking about 10mb for 2 files on a 20yen CD burned using free software for 5000yen!

[Andun]

Phones aren't cheap here but they are FAR from being the biggest ripoffs. Try getting a family portrait done at the local studio! Be sure to bring plenty of KY and a fat wallet!
Just spent 3man on my kid's shichigosan photo. That's the "special package" consisting of kimono rental and one portrait, plus an additional pose.
If I wanted a CD with the digital files it would be 2500yen per photo! WTF??!! We're talking about 10mb for 2 files on a 20yen CD burned using free software for 5000yen!

Yep. It's cheaper to buy some good camera equipment and do it yourself (which is what I did). We already had a kimono.

[Shakes Spear]

Yep. It's cheaper to buy some good camera equipment and do it yourself (which is what I did). We already had a kimono.

C'mon now. Let's be at least a little bit realistic. A professional grade camera will cost you well over 100,000 yen and proper lighting about the same. I'm sure a kimono isn't cheap to purchase either.
While I'm sure you'd like to believe that you're a regular Annie Leibovitz when it comes to taking photos, the truth is that sometimes it's best to let a professional do the job.

[Andun]

C'mon now. Let's be at least a little bit realistic. A professional grade camera will cost you well over 100,000 yen and proper lighting about the same. I'm sure a kimono isn't cheap to purchase either.
While I'm sure you'd like to believe that you're a regular Annie Leibovitz when it comes to taking photos, the truth is that sometimes it's best to let a professional do the job.

It all depends what you're after. Personally I'm happy with the more natural photos I've taken over the glossy studio variety. Of course it did help that I was into photography at the time and had decent equipment and the fact that my wife is a kimono fitter and has access to them. I don't know what the cost would be to rent them.
If you want a stylized indoor setting then, yeah, you'll have to pay for it. But with a reasonable SLR and a decent lens you can take excellent photos outdoors yourself. Digital allows you to take as many as you want without any additional cost. Anyone can get at least one great photo out of a thousand.

[Shakes Spear]

It all depends what you're after. Personally I'm happy with the more natural photos I've taken over the glossy studio variety. Of course it did help that I was into photography at the time and had decent equipment and the fact that my wife is a kimono fitter and has access to them. I don't know what the cost would be to rent them.
If you want a stylized indoor setting then, yeah, you'll have to pay for it. But with a reasonable SLR and a decent lens you can take excellent photos outdoors yourself. Digital allows you to take as many as you want without any additional cost. Anyone can get at least one great photo out of a thousand.

This doesn't do anything to refute my claim that proper equipment to take a quality photo is expensive. And obviously not everyone has access to free kimonos.
And every once in awhile most folks want to get the glossy studio variety to put on the wall.
I also took loads of my own outside the studio and many of them are decent, but without the proper equipment and lighting you'll never get a professional photo.

BTW, being "into" photography does not make you a photographer. It just makes you an enthusiast like the rest of us.

[Andun]

BTW, being "into" photography does not make you a photographer. It just makes you an enthusiast like the rest of us.

Never said I was, but my pics are good enough to put on my wall.

[RK11]

I got my mobile from au for free since I've got no need for the latest model, there was an initial 3000 yen admin charge, and my phone bill is about 2000 yen a month. I think that's quite reasonable.

I was probably exaggerating when calling it the biggest rip-off. But still, a phone without a contract would be about 3 man for the cheapest model. With a contract you can get the phone for "free", but still you have to pay more for extra's such as calling to other providers, texting and even a recharger (with softbank at least). 2000 yen a month with a 2 year contract will be at least 48.000 total. Back home I never spend that on phones. If you use your phone a lot, 2000/3000 would be about the same as it would cost you in a lot of places. But what bothers me is that here there seems to be no option for people who would normally spend less than a 1000 yen a month, making short calls and texting mainly.
Also, if I would be leaving the country, I still have to keep paying for a phone I don't want.
I really enjoy living here, but I can't wait for the day they deregulate the phone market.

[RK11]

Phones aren't cheap here but they are FAR from being the biggest ripoffs. Try getting a family portrait done at the local studio! Be sure to bring plenty of KY and a fat wallet!
Just spent 3man on my kid's shichigosan photo. That's the "special package" consisting of kimono rental and one portrait, plus an additional pose.
If I wanted a CD with the digital files it would be 2500yen per photo! WTF??!! We're talking about 10mb for 2 files on a 20yen CD burned using free software for 5000yen!

wow, that's a step up in extortion.
Yesterday I was exaggerating about the phone's, this is worse.
Number 1 would be Funerals and weddings, now I'm thinking of it. Some hotels charge 50.000 to allow the couple to wear their own suit or dress. I could find a very nice suit for that.

But about the photo studio's, I went with my wife to Vietnam and there we found a photo studio specially catering to Japanese customers. We had a 3 hour photo shoot, she wore 2 wedding dresses and 1 kimono, had her hair done by 2 stylists. I wore a suit and a kimono. They edited the backgrounds really professionally and then made a little hardcover book for us. This costed about 18.000 yen. Then we paid 200 yen per photo for the digital files. She was really happy thinking about all the money we saved.

[Wonky]

C'mon now. Let's be at least a little bit realistic. A professional grade camera will cost you well over 100,000 yen and proper lighting about the same. I'm sure a kimono isn't cheap to purchase either.
While I'm sure you'd like to believe that you're a regular Annie Leibovitz when it comes to taking photos, the truth is that sometimes it's best to let a professional do the job.

Well, I don't seem to recall Sears being so rip-off-tastic when my parents took me there to have my pics taken when I was a kid...

[Andun]

Weddings are definitely a rip off... which is why some prefer to have their wedding overseas.
However I find phone services and the internet to be better and cheaper than back home in NZ.

[kurogane]

Photography is to the soul what Mexican tap water is to the bowels.

[Andun]

Photography is to the soul what Mexican tap water is to the bowels.

Interesting you should mention Mexico:
The Art of Stealing Souls

In San Juan Chamula it is illegal to take photographs in church. If you are caught using a camera in church - jail time is a distinct possibility. Older generation film cameras and todays SLR and digital SLR cameras still use mirrors. The Mayan beliefs led to photography being banned inside of churches.

Mirrors were considered a major part of the Mayan religion and culture. Mirrors opened portals into the Otherworld, allowing ancestors and gods to pass through between the two planes. They believed when praying to a saint, the soul leaves the body. To help the soul find its way back into the body, mirrors are placed in front of saint statues to reflect back the soul.

[不良外人]

Poor David. Gets his ars* kicked, and is thread hijacked. heheh A bit like the school playground at lunchtime. Grin.

[Shakes Spear]

Never said I was, but my pics are good enough to put on my wall.

Might we find any of your works here?? LOL

http://youarenotaphotographer.com/be...nap-fall-2011/

[Andun]

Might we find any of your works here?? LOL

http://youarenotaphotographer.com/be...nap-fall-2011/

Ho, ho, ho. I actually liked some of those. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all.
Anyway, my point was that anyone can take a good pic in the daylight with decent equipment which isn't that expensive these days. But yeah, you're right about the expense of going to a pro here and to get indoor lighting right you need a pro or some very expensive equipment.

[Effected After]

If I wanted a CD with the digital files it would be 2500yen per photo! WTF??!! We're talking about 10mb for 2 files on a 20yen CD burned using free software for 5000yen!

This is generally the case with photographers, both overseas and in Japan. You see it as buying a bit of data on a piece of plastic. For them, it's selling the rights to their photos. This is the reason why they charge what they do. It's pretty standard in the photography profession.

Remember, these guys have to live off the number of photos they take a month. It's not like they are taking photos from morning until night every day. So they have to charge a little more to keep themselves fed - otherwise they'd go out of business, and we'd be stuck taking our own pictures. And while it's obvious that there are many, many people out there who think 'I can do it as good as any photographer', there are very, very few who really can. Generally no one has the heart to tell them how much they actually suck.

[Andun]

Remember, these guys have to live off the number of photos they take a month. It's not like they are taking photos from morning until night every day. So they have to charge a little more to keep themselves fed - otherwise they'd go out of business, and we'd be stuck taking our own pictures. And while it's obvious that there are many, many people out there who think 'I can do it as good as any photographer', there are very, very few who really can. Generally no one has the heart to tell them how much they actually suck.

I agree for the most part. For example the Keio train line in Tokyo has obviously been using their own employees to do their advertising PR pics over the past few years ― poor quality photography and bad photoshop jobs.
However that aside, photography is not what it used to be. The digital camera has made casual photography a lot easier allowing pictures to be taken without a flash in a wide number of lighting settings and editing can be done very easily on a computer. Looking through amateur camera magazines these days pro and amateur camera work is mostly indistinguishable except when it comes to the use of lighting in indoor settings.

[Shakes Spear]

This is generally the case with photographers, both overseas and in Japan. You see it as buying a bit of data on a piece of plastic. For them, it's selling the rights to their photos. This is the reason why they charge what they do. It's pretty standard in the photography profession.

Remember, these guys have to live off the number of photos they take a month. It's not like they are taking photos from morning until night every day. So they have to charge a little more to keep themselves fed - otherwise they'd go out of business, and we'd be stuck taking our own pictures. And while it's obvious that there are many, many people out there who think 'I can do it as good as any photographer', there are very, very few who really can. Generally no one has the heart to tell them how much they actually suck.

Point well taken. I guess the question is would they do more business if they were charging a more reasonable price or do they feel they have to anally rape you because they're pretty sure you won't be coming back anytime soon?
Different philosophical POVs I suppose. Me, I trust in my ability to deliver a good value that will ensure repeat business.

I have a suggestion for them though. If they want to give the appearance of being a highly skilled professional, they ought to use something other than Picasa as their display and select software. Just sayin.

[Shakes Spear]

Looking through amateur camera magazines these days pro and amateur camera work is mostly indistinguishable except when it comes to the use of lighting in indoor settings.

That's because what separates professionals from amateurs is not the photos, it's the cost to take them. There's an expectation of quality that comes with laying your hard-earned money down.
If my brother asks me to shoot his wedding for him I'm not going to charge him, but if there is a problem I'm also not going to expect to catch a lot of shit from him about it either.

[Effected After]

Point well taken. I guess the question is would they do more business if they were charging a more reasonable price or do they feel they have to anally rape you because they're pretty sure you won't be coming back anytime soon?
Different philosophical POVs I suppose. Me, I trust in my ability to deliver a good value that will ensure repeat business.

I've done sales where the goal was high turnover, with a low profit per item, and I've also done work which is high quality, with more profit per sale with less turnover. There is definitely more money to be made in high-turnover. Think of McDonalds - they make barely anything off a cheeseburger, but the fact that they sell millions of them means that they make good money.

These days I go the other way - I provide a high quality service, at higher prices. I don't make as much money as I would with a high turnover, but I have a lot more satisfaction with my work, as I'm able to do it properly, instead of having to rush to get out the next project. I think that's always going to be the benefit of going to a smaller more expensive business, whether that be a restaurant (McDs compared to a high-end owner-operated restaurant), photography (Sears vs. a freelance photographer), or anything.

When it comes to pretty much any kind of service or sales, you can choose two of the following three: quick, cheap, quality. You can almost never get all three. Either it will be quick and cheap, at the sacrifice of quality, or it will be quick and quality, costing lots, or it will be cheap and quality, but will take a long time.

[Andun]

Point well taken. I guess the question is would they do more business if they were charging a more reasonable price or do they feel they have to anally rape you because they're pretty sure you won't be coming back anytime soon?
Different philosophical POVs I suppose. Me, I trust in my ability to deliver a good value that will ensure repeat business.

People only go to have photos done for 'special occasions' ― 753 as you mentioned, weddings (if they don't hire a photographer for the wedding day) etc. So the most these studios can expect you to come back is not much more than 5 times in a lifetime. So I guess it makes more sense to them to take as much as they can get.
Studios do sometimes have campaigns however. One studio pic we have of our daughter cost only about 2500 yen down from 6000. Also, prices do vary from studio to studio. My wife works at an upscale wedding hall that also has a photo studio. They are very expensive but are set up with many types of costume and backdrops.

[SantaKraut]

Poor David. Gets his ars* kicked, and is thread hijacked. heheh A bit like the school playground at lunchtime. Grin.

Yeah 'cause GP is full of fockwits who take a personal offense when someone says anything bad about "their" beloved Japan but then piiss on it themselves 5 threads over.
Fact is in Japan everybody focks with everybody else and retail pricing is one of the most disgusting aspects of this place.
Explain this to me asssholes, Bridgestone winter tire, obviously made by a Japanese company, costs $95 at Tire Rack, same focking tire costs over 20,000 at Yellowhat.
And that was 3 - 4 years ago when the exchange rate wasn't as good as it is now.
Bigger market and volume, more competition are obviously not the only reasons, it is pure unadulterated rip off and price fixing.
I just bought a Japanese laptop, made in China, from the States and paid less than half of what it would have cost here had they sold it with the same specs.
But they are only selling a much lower spec model for 40% more.
I could list examples all day long so all those feckers on page one of this thread criticizing the OP should feck off, he is absolutely right, this place blows when it comes to retail.
Fock Japanese shopping, I buy most everything I can online and stock up on everything else when I am on an oversea trip.

[Effected After]

Business overhead in Japan is higher than in other countries, so businesses have to charge more to cover their bottom line. The rent for the store selling that tire will be higher than overseas, as will the utilities, the salaries, the shipping costs, everything. To expect the tire to be the same price as in a country with lower overhead is to be naive. If a company sold a product at the same price in all countries, they would be in the red in some of those countries while pricing themselves out of the market in others.