There is no free lunch

As I've always noticed in my daily life as well as during my previous visits, Japanese products do not come cheap. Particularly noticeable are the agricultural produces and foodstuff. Be it bread or bean or berry, Japanese produces are many times more expensive than their counterparts in China. For us who are used to the inexpensive Chinese foodstuff, the high prices of the Japanese produces are off-putting, but I can see the strong justifications. The high prices guarantees those who are engaged in farming a decent standard of living. They also guarantee that the produces are of high quality. The fact that the general public agree to pay the high prices ensures that wealth is distributed more evenly and that the food they eat is tasty and safe. Compare that with China where the farmers live a pretty miserable life because they are exploited and their livelihood is insecure, and the general public pay little for their food but are exposed to all sorts of risks because the food has been tempered, conteminated and sometimes intoxicated in all sorts of ways.

As the old adage goes, there is simply no free lunch. We pay quite a lot for our lunch when travelling in Japan, but in return we can enjoy some gastronomic delights and much peace of mind, and it is worth every penny of it.