Consumer spending in Japan is reflecting a more on-the-go lifestyle in which glamour and excitement appear to be taking precedence over more practical ways.
According to a government report released Thursday, fiscal 1997 sales increased in food catering services, gardening goods, health and cosmetic supplies, sporting goods and toys, compared with the previous survey for fiscal 1994. What's more, all those items also increased in fiscal 1994 over fiscal 1991.
On the other hand, The triennial report on wholesale and retail businesses shows that sales of foodstuffs such as rice, vegetables, beef and fish declined in 1994 and 1997 from the previous surveys. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry said the sales drop in a broad range of practical items partly reflects the so-called "price destruction" -- a drastic fall in prices -- amid growing imports of cheap products.
However, the ministry said that the overall result of the latest survey very much reflects the changing lifestyle of Japanese people, who, for instance, are increasingly inclined to patronize catering services rather than cook for themselves. Catering services such as pizza and boxed lunch deliveries went up 21.4 percent in 1997 over the 1994 figure, the report says.
The report also shows that the presence of parking lots is becoming an important factor for customers during shopping; annual sales went up an average of 10.5 percent in the past three years for shops with parking lots while those without parking lots saw only a 0.7 percent increase.