The trains are crowded with sweaty salarymen, office ladies and school children switching to summer uniforms, and the humidity descends on Tokyo like a cloud … it must be early summer! It’s not only the mercury that’s rising, but gasoline prices as well.
Following a global trend towards record high oil prices, Nippon Oil Corp and Idemitsu Kosan (two of Japan’s largest oil companies) announced they were raising wholesale prices by Y4/litre. According to a May 27 Japan Today article, the average price for a litre of gasoline is likely to exceed Y110 for the first time since February 2001.
For those of us that grew up using standard, not metric, measurements, price per litre doesn’t mean that much. Translated into dollars, the average price at the pump in Japan is $4.24/gallon — which stings a bit more.
In this case, Tokyo isn’t actually the most expensive city on the planet. London gasoline costs $5.22 a gallon, and Paris gasoline $4.92 (according to the Pasedena Star News). Cries of “that’s outrageous” to gasoline prices slightly higher than $2.00/gallon by Americans somehow appear less convincing. Perhaps fewer SUVs on the road would help?
So how does this affect the Japan frugalite? Well a surprisingly large number of us own cars, either for pleasure driving or (due to a rural or suburban location) for daily life. The obvious way to wave money in the face of higher gas prices is of course alternate transportation — walking, bicycles, trains, buses and taxis. Combining errands can also be helpful, like going shopping in the morning after dropping your spouse off at the train station for work.
To those who must drive a vehicle, why not choose a hybrid car? The Toyota Prius, a hybrid electric/gasloine vehicle, was first launched in 1997. Don’t worry, you don’t have to plug it in — the Prius generates its own electric power. Used Priuses can be found at quality dealerships for a reasonable price, and the car itself not only saves money on gasoline, but also qualifies the driver for tax breaks on the yearly car tax paid in Japan. While the Prius and other hybrids are more expensive than gasoline powered automobiles, the savings potential might make up for the extra cost, particularly for a used vehicle.
Higher gasoline prices are an inconvenience and certainly help to lighten the wallet. However, they can also serve as a wakeup call, directing our attention to the “hidden” costs of how we live.
© 2004 Wendy J. Imura.