I've always heard the opposite - that things like food and housing are quite cheap for a developed country. As long as you aren't expecting those things to be Western-style.
It is one of the weird things that get stuck in my head for no reason. No idea why I was reading random local news from Japan.
you must be joking.
And my God, the construction, convenience, and technology of Japanese houses beats the living crap out of the shoddy construction you see in the Bay Area. Do you get less usable land square-meters wise to some degree? Sure. But if you can concede some of that, the deal is way better because of the quality of life you can achieve.
I'm interested in Japanese houses because I want to live in it like a regular human being, for today. I'm not inerested in buying a house in San Jose because I have moral and ethical beliefs against propping up the housing-as-an-investment industry as if I'm some kind of investor.
That's how the empire works.
1. Depopulation
2. Efficient zoning laws
3. Rapid depreciation of home value over time due to natural risks(earthquake etc) and cultural norms
Tokyo has been growing at a much faster rate than NY or LA.