Recently, with the continuous depreciation of the yen against the yuan, Japanese luxury stores have become a "shopping paradise" in the eyes of many Chinese tourists.
It is understood that the price gap between some brand-name bags and brand-name clothes in China and Japan can reach 3,000 yuan.
With such a high price difference, many purchasing agents and ordinary consumers have gone to Japan to sweep the goods.
Why is the yen depreciating?
To understand the current shopping boom, it's important to first explore the reasons for the yen's depreciation.
Relevant economic experts pointed out that the current depreciation of the yen is affected by many factors. This includes changes in the global economic situation, the impact of international political factors, and fluctuations in the domestic economy.
In recent years, Japan's exports have been hampered to some extent due to the impact of the pandemic in China, while the US dollar has appreciated relatively due to its safe-haven value in global trade.
In addition, market expectations that the Japanese economy may decline sharply due to the epidemic also make it possible for the Bank of Japan to start easing policy again, which will push the yen down.
There are also media reports that a Japanese company has raised a large amount of US dollars for overseas expansion, which has further exacerbated the pressure on the depreciation of the yen.
As of April 29, 2024, the yen has fallen to 158 yen to 1 dollar, a 34-year low.
Everyone knows that there was an economic crisis in Japan in the 90s of the last century, when the bubble burst, the exchange rate was only 1:150.
It can be seen that the situation of Japan's economy this time is even more severe than the previous economic crisis.
Chinese tourists are changing the consumption pattern in Japan.
As the saying goes, the building near the water gets the first month, and after we Chinese people learned the news of the collapse of the yen, they got on planes and went to Japan.
Did they travel to Japan? Maybe a third of the reason is there.
More often than not, they are eyeing luxury stores in Japan.
In the case of the depreciation of the yen, if you buy a bag in a Japanese luxury store, you can get 3,000 yuan different from the domestic one, so what about buying 10 bags? Buy 100 pieces?
In this context, the daigou industry has also ushered in an unprecedented prosperity. Many daigou take advantage of the exchange rate to purchase large quantities of goods in Japan and sell them to domestic consumers through online platforms.
Some professional purchasing agents can earn tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan in profits through a single journey.
That's a lot of money for 80% of people.
The daigou made considerable profits and met the demand of domestic consumers for Japanese goods, which can be described as a win-win situation.
However, there are pros and cons, and the prosperity of the purchasing industry has also brought some problems, such as uneven quality of goods and difficulty in ensuring after-sales service.
Of course, the credit for all this comes from the relatively stable RMB of ours. Four years ago, 1 yuan could be exchanged for 14 yuan of yen, but now it can be exchanged for 21 yuan of yen, which is equivalent to a 7% discount on shopping.
The United States is the bulk of the wool.
In fact, compared with the United States, the difference we earn by purchasing agents is just a drizzle.
In the past few years, Warren Buffett has often expressed his bullish views on the yen in public, but people just talk about it, and no real money is thrown into it.
Instead, he used a tanuki to exchange for the prince.
Warren Buffett first borrowed money from Japanese banks, because Japanese banks have negative interest rates all year round, which is equivalent to borrowing money without paying interest, and zero cost input.
Then put the money into the Japanese stock market, invest in the leading stock market in Japan, and earn stock appreciation and dividends.
What is this called, taking your money, earning your money, and even more so is yet to come.
Due to the collapse of the yen, the dollar can be exchanged for more yen.
When you borrow money, you borrow yen, and when you repay it, you pay it back in dollars, which is equivalent to earning the difference in the yen plummeting.
In three years, the yen has depreciated by nearly 50% against the dollar, which is equivalent to borrowing 100 yuan and now only having to pay back 50 yuan.
After these means, Buffett invested in Japan and earned at least 700 billion.
Just ask you if you are ruthless!
The wool comes out of the sheep.
However, against the backdrop of such prosperity on the streets of Japan, it is the people at the bottom of Japan who bear the pain.
For ordinary people in Japan, the depreciation of the yen has brought a series of repercussions.
As the cost of imports rises, the prices of goods and services in Japan generally rise, which leads to a decrease in the purchasing power of consumers and an increase in the cost of living.
The most direct manifestation of this is that last year, Japanese people only needed 700 yen to eat a bowl of ramen, but this year, it will cost 1,500 yen.
The cost of living has more than doubled.
Contrary to the rise in prices, Japanese wages have fallen instead of rising, and have been falling for two consecutive years.
The common people of Japan are miserable, prices are rising, wages are falling, who can stand this.
Of course, the depreciation of the yen has strengthened the international competitiveness of Japan's exports, which is expected to boost export growth and economic recovery.
Is the Japanese government just sitting idly by?
In the editor's opinion, the Japanese government's attitude towards the collapse of the yen is relatively ambiguous, although they have also taken measures, but they are all painless.
For example, the Bank of Japan announced a 0.1% interest rate hike, which is enough for what to do?
For example, the Bank of Japan also warned that if the yen depreciates too quickly, they will not tolerate such behavior.
Do these two measures have any positive effect on the depreciation of the yen?
Let's take a look at what our netizens have to say about this matter.
This netizen from Guangdong said: "Three or four thousand, round-trip air tickets plus accommodation fees, three or four thousand is not equal to no province." ”
You are counting to buy one, and people buy it in boxes, and of course the profits are big.
This netizen said: "How do you feel that you are inducing us to go to Japan in disguise?"
The Anhui netizen said: "I feel that travel and shopping are all in support of Japan. ”
The Beijing-based netizen said: "At the beginning of the year, someone suggested that I buy some yen. ”
It feels like your friend is cheating on you.
This Fujian netizen said: "It's hard for my compatriots who went to Japan to work. ”
Indeed, many compatriots in Japan on the Internet say that they are currently in a difficult situation in Japan, and they are ready to consider resigning and returning to China because they are making a lot less money than before.
This netizen from Henan said: "The yen has fallen, and so many people are rushing to buy goods, is it driving people's GDP." ”
The netizen from Jiangsu said: "I went and found that the yen is cheaper and things are expensive. ”
There are also smart netizens who asked, how much is the price of gold in Japan, and I want to buy gold.
In fact, the price of gold will not fall, because the price of gold is calculated according to the international gold price, even if you change it to yen, it will not be much cheaper.
#以书之名#