Originally Posted by
Steve B.
Think about all those Amazon Prime and UPS trucks needing fuel, with everybody and his uncle shopping mail order. My wife and I went shopping yesterday for new dishes, Bed, Bath and Beyond had Zip, neither did Home Serve or Home Goods, so no shes online, like everbody else, so the costs of all goods goes skyrocketing along with gasoline.
I live in Japan, and stories like this leave me scratching my head. Japan imports pretty much everything, but store shelves are full here. Also, inflation in Japan right now is 1.9%. Japan’s approach to the pandemic was different than nearly everyone except Sweden. There were no mandatory lockdowns or restrictions in Japan, during a few periods Japan’s government asked schools and businesses to close or limit hours. But compliance was voluntary, and many schools and stores remained open as usual.
Because businesses could stay open, and workers could keep working, the economy kept moving. As people were still able to make money, and Japanese generally save a significant part of their income, there was much less need for the government to implement “stimulus” programs. Japan’s government spent less than 1% than America’s during the pandemic, and didn’t print vast amounts of money to fund stimulus spending.
It was odd to be in Japan and to be able to live more or less normally during the pandemic when many people in America and Europe were required to stay home, and only go out for essential matters. While people in New York couldn’t eat in restaurants, I was flying to Hokkaido to go skiing (5 times), to Okinawa to tan on the beach (twice), so see the Nutcracker play to a sold out house at the National Theater, and to enjoy eating out whenever I felt like it.
Having come to Japan America, I was very much worried about losses of freedom, after all, America is supposed to be the “Land of the Free.” But I think I have found more freedom in Japan.