World Cup fans may find Japan affordable
By Gregory Viscusi
Bloomberg News Service
TOKYO — The World Cup in Japan and South Korea will be the most expensive to stage, according to soccer's ruling body FIFA, and given Japan's reputation for high prices, many fans fear it will be the costliest to attend.
"There have been lots of horror stories in the press and some supporters may be reluctant to go," Kevin Miles, spokesman for England's Football Supporters' Association, said of the month-long tournament that starts May 31.
In surveys, Tokyo consistently scores as the world's most expensive city. Yet a day spent mimicking how a football supporter might pass the time shows it isn't necessarily pricier — and is sometimes cheaper — than cities in France, the United Kingdom and the United States, which have staged recent major soccer tournaments.
Hotels charge as little as $40 a night, filling lunches can be found for $6, and even in a fancy district such as Ginza a sushi dinner can be $20. A night of pub-crawling needn't cost any more than in London, Paris or New York. And it's cheaper still in the other host cities in Japan.
Thank a weak yen and an economy in its third recession in a decade. The Japanese currency has fallen 11 percent against the dollar and 7 percent against the euro in the past six months. Japan's consumer price index has declined 2.7 percent in the past three years, compared with a 6.5 percent rise among the 12 countries sharing the euro and 5.4 percent in Britain.
"When I moved to Tokyo from London four years ago it certainly was more expensive," said Jim Bonner, a 28-year-old Briton who works in public relations. "Then I went back to London this Christmas and was shocked by how much higher prices were in London than Tokyo."
Costly cabs
To be sure, Tokyo can be pricey. It starts with arrival at Narita International airport, where a taxi into the city costs 22,500 yen, or about $170. And stores in Tokyo really do sell $80 gift-wrapped melons, while coffee shops charge as much as $5 for filter coffee.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's cost-of-living survey says Osaka and Tokyo are the world's most expensive cities with scores of 140. New York gets 100, London 102 and Paris 95. Those indexes reflect the cost of rent and groceries and are based on what it takes for an expatriate household to maintain its lifestyle.
That's not the issue for most tourists. The first thing spectators should do is take the train into town. Competing services connect the airport to Tokyo, one for $22 and the other for $14.
Japanese coffee shops with their $5 cups exist for business meetings. After a 12-hour flight from Europe, head to one of Tokyo's 117 Starbucks or to cafes run by Italy's Segafredo, where an espresso costs $1.86 and a cappuccino is $2.10.
Then a spectator needs somewhere to sleep. Tournament organizers aren't much help — the cheapest hotels in their online list are $150 a room.
But the International Tourism Center of Japan lists 700 hotels and inns across Japan — with 116 in Tokyo and seven in Yokohama — that charge between $30 and $60 a night.
For lunch, every commercial street in Tokyo has restaurants offering set meals of noodle soups with tempura or grilled meats for less than $10, each displaying plastic models of their dishes. Convenience stores throughout Tokyo offer a variety of takeout lunches for under $10.
At the game
It's game time. A ticket from downtown Tokyo to the stadium in Yokohama is about $4. Need water to cope with June's heat and humidity? A half-liter bottle out of a machine costs just under $1.
Getting nervous watching your team? A pack of Marlboro or Lucky Strikes is 280 yen, or one-third the price in Britain.
After the game, win or lose, you'll need a beer. In a bar a bottle will cost between $3 and $3.75, comparable to prices in Britain. You don't have to tip. A cold can of Sapporo, Asahi or Kirin out of a machine costs $1.70, while cans of flavored "chuhi" drinks based on rice alcohol are $1.10.
Dinner costs about the same as lunch, though if you want a fancier meal, plenty of restaurants offer fusion cuisine for under $35 a meal.
