Speaking of Movies...

I know that in the US people have been complaining about movie tickets for a while now. Especially when talking about seeing a 3D movie, the tickets can seem expensive. They're even more expensive if you're wasting your extra 3D money on a movie like Clash of the Titans or The Last Airbender...

Anyone want to take a stab at what a movie ticket costs in Japan?? Think really hard and remember that anything you like to do in America is ridiculously expensive in Japan. Here is a list of 'American' things and their prices in Japan. Reading it should give you some time to guess ticket prices.

Driving: $3000 for a license and about $4.25 per gallon of gas.
Pizza: Around $30 to $40 for a large pizza with a few toppings.
Potato Chips: Typically $3+ for a bag half the size of what they sell in American grocery stores.
Beer: About $25 for a 12 pack...if you can find a 12 pack.

Getting the idea? The crap you get used to in America is not exactly popular in Japan, so it gets expensive. People don't typically have pizza delivered in Japan, and potato chips are usually only eaten with friends at some sort of drinking party. There is a heavy tax on Beer which is why many people drink Happoshu, myself included.

As for driving, roads and parking are just not an efficient use of space or energy, so if you want this privilege, you REALLY have to pay for it. Parking in Japan is similar to that of New York, its expensive and just plain difficult to find a space.

So the typical movie price in Japan is......1800 Yen!! Thats $21.50 with today's exchange rate. Add in the fact that the movie is 3D, and that becomes $30 dollars. Insane right?? Most theaters will offer some sort of student discount, but that doesn't knock the price in to the reasonable range by any means. Plus, if you are only traveling to Japan for a few months, there won't be many blockbuster movies out that you haven't already seen. There tends to be a lag time for big American movies to get to Japan, but some exceptions to the rule include Spider-man and I Am Legend which released the same day or earlier than America.

Something interesting to note about movie theaters in Japan, they tend to have cheaper ticket prices in the evening. This is quite the opposite case in America, but one reason is that people don't want to risk catching the last train in Japan, so an earlier movie is better.

So the next time you plan on seeing a movie in Japan....don't. Rent it when it comes out at Tsutaya, save 20 dollars and use that money to go out drinking with some buddies. You know what I always say, you learn more Japanese being blitzed out of your mind than from any movie...

Pictured: Fluency