Cost of Living in Japan
How Laborers Live
The following tables are from “The Labor World” for July 1, 1898. The editor sent a form to be filled out by the laborers themselves, to get accurate statistics of their lives and work. A few samples throw light upon the inner life of Japanese laborers:—
No. 1.—House, two rooms; a family,—man (30), wife (23), mother (53), two sisters (14 and 11); occupation, blacksmith.
| Working days in a month | 26 |
| Working hours in a day | 12 |
| Daily wages | $0.52 |
| Monthly income | 13.83 |
| Monthly expenses | 13.65 |
| House rent, one month | 0.96 |
| Rice | 5.76 |
| Fuel and light | 1.08 |
| Vegetables. | 0.87 |
| Fish | 0.96 |
| Sake (rice beer) | 0.24 |
| Soy (Japanese sauce) | 0.73 |
| Tobacco | 0.20 |
| Hair cutting and dressing | 0.83 |
| Bath | 0.88 |
| Pin money | 0.25 |
| Sundries | 0.89 |
No. 55.—House, two rooms, with kitchen; a family,—man (27), wife (25), boy (6), girl (2); business, iron worker.
| Daily wages | $0.25 |
| Overtime income for one month | 1.50 |
| Monthly income | 8.28 |
| Monthly income | 8.28 |
| Monthly expense | 9.44 |
| House rent | 0.75 |
| Rice | 3.25 |
| Fuel and light | 0.41 |
| Vegetables | 0.60 |
| Fish | 0.60 |
| Soy and miso | 0.23 |
| Tobacco | 0.25 |
| Hair cutting and dressing | 0.18 |
| Bath | 0.20 |
| Pin money | 0.60 |
| Sundries, including interest on debt | 2.37 |
Increase in Living Expense
The following interesting comparison between the cost of living in 1889 and 1899 is from “The Miyako”:
(Calculated monthly expenditure of a family of six members—a married couple, a parent, two children, and one servant—living with strict economy.)
| 1889. | 1899. | |
|---|---|---|
| yen. | yen. | |
House rent (a house containing the furnished rooms of 6, 4½, and 2 mats, respectively |
2.50 | 5.00 |
Cleaned rice (at the rate of 2 shō per day) |
4.50 | 7.00 |
| (1 to 3 shō per yen.) |
(8 shō 5 gō per yen.) |
|
Soy |
0.45 | 0.75 |
Salt and miso (including 1½ gō of salt and some miso) |
0.40 | 0.70 |
Oils (3 shō of kerosene and 5 gō of vegetable oil) |
0.45 | 0.69 |
Sugar |
0.60 | 0.90 |
Milk (1 gō per day) |
0.90 | 1.10 |
Newspaper (only 1) |
0.25 | 0.35 |
School expenses (for 2 children) |
0.80 | 0.90 |
Stationery expenditure (for the children) |
0.60 | 0.90 |
Hair dressing |
0.34 | 0.69 |
Price of bath (every other day for the family) |
0.90 | 1.50 |
Vegetables |
0.90 | 1.50 |
Fish food (9 messes for the family) |
1.08 | 1.80 |
Beef (6 messes for the family, about 2/3 of 1 pound) |
0.60 | 1.20 |
Tsukudani and other auxiliary foods (6 messes) |
0.24 | 0.42 |
Tea |
0.40 | 0.50 |
Fuel |
1.00 | 1.80 |
Total |
17.21 | 28.20 |
Security money for rent |
7.00 | 15.00 |
These include necessaries, but if other petty expenses are taken into calculation, a family of 6 members as mentioned above will require a monthly income of at least 35 yen on which to maintain themselves decently.
Wages of Japanese Workmen
Following is a table of the average wages:—
| 1902. | 1911. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| yen. | yen. | ||
| Carpenter | per day | .775 | 1.063 |
| Plasterer | „ | .863 | 1.150 |
| Painter | „ | .860 | 1.238 |
| Tile Roofer | „ | .613 | 1.225 |
| Roofer | „ | .913 | 1.213 |
| Bricklayer | „ | .900 | 1.250 |
| Furniture Maker | „ | .800 | .988 |
| Stone Mason | „ | .925 | 1.250 |
| Gardener | „ | .600 | .838 |
| Paper Hanger | „ | .825 | 1.025 |
| Matting Setter | „ | .900 | 1.175 |
| Sawyer | „ | .863 | 1.088 |
| Compositor | „ | .575 | .750 |
| Printer | „ | .400 | .650 |
| Wooden Clog Maker | „ | .638 | .625 |
| Cooper | „ | .700 | .528 |
| Fireman | „ | .550 | .813 |
| Coolie | „ | .450 | .575 |
| Jeweller | „ | .650 | .650 |
| Tailor, Jap. clothes | „ | .688 | .738 |
| 205Cabinet Maker | „ | .550 | .888 |
| 205Lacquerer | „ | .513 | .600 |
| 205Shoemaker | „ | .750 | 1.038 |
| 205Harness Maker | „ | .675 | 1.038 |
| 205Cart Maker | „ | .550 | .588 |
| 205Founder | „ | .813 | .700 |
| 205Blacksmith | „ | .813 | 1.075 |
| 205Rice Pounder | „ | .375 | .483 |
| 205Dyer | per month | 8.875 | 8.375 |
| 205Washerman | „ | 10.000 | 7.750 |
| 205Jap. Sock Maker | „ | 6.000 | 9.500 |
| 205Eur. Confectioner | „ | 9.750 | 13.000 |
| 205Male Servant | „ | 2.625 | 4.000 |
| 205Female Servant | „ | 2.000 | 3.250 |
| 205Tailor, Eur. clothes | „ | 17.625 | 30.000 |