I’m really enjoying the strong dollar and using my US-issued credit cards in Japan to buy just about anything with US dollars. It wasn’t always this way. I can remember back in 1995 when the rate was USD1.00=JPY85 and only about 10 years ago it reached USD1.00=JPY76. So, I’m enjoying my newfound wealth but it’s still nowhere near what it was when I arrived here in the mid-70s, and the rate reached USD1.00=JPY306. Back then my rule of thumb was that $30=10,000 yen.

Still, the strong dollar vs the yen is a rare but probably short-lived treat. As just one example, I recently ate the meal pictured below in a local restaurant in Kyushu. The Japanese price was 1,100 yen but I paid only $8.00 for it with my US credit card. I would guess that a similar Japanese meal in the US would cost about $16.00, or double what I paid. I’m sure there are many US tourists who want to get over here now to take advantage of this. Some are saying that the dollar will keep rising to the low 140 range. How high will it go? Are other FTers in Japan enjoying this newfound wealth too?


$8.00 Japanese teishoku