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solarwings

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Hmm... we took the monorail at ard 6am during our mad rush from international terminal to the domestic terminal. And there were already a fair number of passsengers in the train when we board it

Could be old info that wasn't updated.

Good to know.. thanks!
 

Aegis

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Yup and most other seafood too.

What I learnt from this trip is that Otaru may not be the cheapest place to buy fresh/dried scallops. Sea weed and 昆布 still ok.

You'd be surprised how cheap things are at Sapporo Outer Market. Google for the place location.That marketr primarily caters to their locals, so the $$ are cheaper. Its virtually impossible for any tour groups in SG to go there de. See the difference between F&E and packaged tours? F&E allows you to mingle with the locals at their levels... packaged tours forces you to see pre-determined tourist spots.

If you want fresh scallops at the source, meaning straight off the farms, you may consider touring the east coast of Hokkaido. Abashiri, Yubetsu and Mombetsu are major producers of ultra high quality scallops and other seafood. You can see some of their 'kelong' along the coastline when you drive along it.

百色恋人choc can be bought at the factory itself. The place is a must go in Sapporo.

And you gotta try the western pastries and cakes in Sapporo. You'd be surprised how the Japs can actually improve on western dishes with their Japs elements. They're not cheap but the taste is something you can't get here in SG for that kind of $$.

If you're going to hakodate, go find the snaffles shop the cheesecakes are the best. I've seen them at sapporo Jr, Haneda airport and during a sapporo fair in yokohama's sogo. Can never find back that taste...
 

cancer81

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Haha yup, and Hokkaido is typically cheaper than Tokyo for most products.

Its amazing we can keep using words eg 'cheap', 'great value, buy' these days when we shop in Japan. :s13: It used to be 'OMG, freaking expensive' not too long ago.

Thanks alot to MIW for making SG so damn expensive as compared to Japan. Not only u guys made things in SG so much more expensive than the US, you managed to suppassed Japan these days. :eek::(

And most of us don't even earn 60% of their average yearly salary:(
Japan has been going through a lot of deflation and thanks to it's rather "good" exchange rate to the USD things got worse.

It is still quite pricey in some places. You have to pick your battles and if you want to be a cheapo, losing your gaijin-ness is really important.

I walk into their supermarkets make a beeline for the cooked food section :s22: yumyum
 

cheefarn

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Japan has been going through a lot of deflation and thanks to it's rather "good" exchange rate to the USD things got worse.

It is still quite pricey in some places. You have to pick your battles and if you want to be a cheapo, losing your gaijin-ness is really important.

I walk into their supermarkets make a beeline for the cooked food section :s22: yumyum


Yup yup me too. And the food is so tasty and fresh=:p;)

I was in a supermarket at Asahikawa and I saw them selling 菜心over there! wow, I didn't know 菜心 can grow in such cold weather. :s13: A bag about the size of Yili 菜心 that you see in NTUC was selling at 95yen only! TMD, CHEAPER than NTUC! and Hokkaido 菜心 are 100% organic and fresher than we can get here

Those authentic Enoki mushrooms are going for 50yen a box... fully grown in Biei. 4 large pieces of raw Salmon at 398yen

See here.


 

VD

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you obviously cannot compare the prices like that, you have left out on the shipping/handling cost. Any imports comes with Tax, shipping & etc cost.
 

darkmatt

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you obviously cannot compare the prices like that, you have left out on the shipping/handling cost. Any imports comes with Tax, shipping & etc cost.

our local branded products also more ex than their local branded products
 

cheefarn

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you obviously cannot compare the prices like that, you have left out on the shipping/handling cost. Any imports comes with Tax, shipping & etc cost.

Maybe. But Yili products are locally grown. For other vegs from Malaysia and Indonesia, and last checked, none of their farmers command the kind of income the Japs farmers do.

Yet when their products are sold in SG eventually, the selling prices are actually higher than what the Japs are selling.

So who has been jacking up the prices so dramatically in the process? I don't think I need to eleborate further liao. Things won't be so expensive here if rental and transport costs are not so high.
 

cheefarn

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our local branded products also more ex than their local branded products

Well said. General cost of living in SG is indeed higher than the people living in Hokkaido, and I'm not even factoring in housing and car costs.

Jap import their branded stuff just like we do right? Why Timberland products are so much cheaper at Rera outlet mall as compared to Timberland outlet mall at IMM? And why the Japs can offer much bigger stocks varieties as compared to ours?:(:s8:

Eg, Scholl slimming tights are selling at ard 50% of what its being sold here. Wifey bought a few pairs (she's very fat:s13:). This product was selling at approx SG$30 at various pharmacies in Sapporo and Furano.

The exact same product (in english packaging) are going at a ridiculous price of $70 at BHG at Bugis Junction!!:eek::eek: Something is wrong somewhere lor
 

VD

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Basically SG got no land for farming, no natural resources.... only thing we have is FT :). Everything is imported, at least most things we eat, use and wear. Just compare to our neighbors, is sufficient. People always see the negative things but hardly the positive ones. For example, Taxation, Japan tax starts from 5% to 40%, USA taxation starts from 10% to 39+% and our taxation starts from 0 to 20%.

anyway, just my view. I think I'm OTing.
 

kangtan

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really meh that hokkaido cost of living is lower than singapore.

product to product maybe true for some. compared to say 10 yrs ago, yes now alot cheaper. but lower cost than singapore - eg food, can you get a simple lunch for $4 or 300 yen?

certainly it is a very nice and beautiful place to visit but i will never even think about staying or working there long term.
 

darkmatt

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really meh that hokkaido cost of living is lower than singapore.

product to product maybe true for some. compared to say 10 yrs ago, yes now alot cheaper. but lower cost than singapore - eg food, can you get a simple lunch for $4 or 300 yen?

certainly it is a very nice and beautiful place to visit but i will never even think about staying or working there long term.

yoshinoya beef bowl.

its freshly cooked there
 

cancer81

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yoshinoya, coco ichibanya is more like salary man food. Beef bowl and curry rice is come in, order, eat, pay and leave.

under 500 yen. I am not complaining about lack of space and enjoyment in their branches when all I want is to refuel and get on with shopping in Akihabara :s13:
 

cheefarn

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really meh that hokkaido cost of living is lower than singapore.

product to product maybe true for some. compared to say 10 yrs ago, yes now alot cheaper. but lower cost than singapore - eg food, can you get a simple lunch for $4 or 300 yen?

certainly it is a very nice and beautiful place to visit but i will never even think about staying or working there long term.

In a word... YES:s13:

Although your choice of food would be quite limited. Its entirely possible to have a decent meal (breakfast esp) for 300-400yen in Hokkaido. 7-11, Lawson and Sencomart are your great choices. Of cos, the various venues as mentioned by other bros here applies too

FYI some Sencomart offers free upper level seating area with proper tables and chairs for you to eat your purchases bought downstairs. The place is spacious and very clean (cleaner than many of our Food Republic ah) so the experiecence is great. Fully aircon too.

Anyone who will be staying at Sapporo Tokyu Excel hotel the next time can try this out. There's a Sencomart outlet just a street away from the hotel and it features free upper level seating. I had declious western breakfast set of bread, omelette and coffee for 400yen only. :)

In any case we cannot really compare our hawker/coffee shop food with whats available in Hokkaido. Yes we can have a meal for $4 here, but what about portion size, and most imptly, quality of the food?:s8::(

Its no secret that no tks for our ever rising cost of living, hawker food here is no longer the ones we know of say 5 yrs ago. Many stalls are ran by salaried PRC and most can't cook for nuts. :( God knows what they put into your food as ingredients.

And many stalls kept increasing their prices while REDUCING the meal portion, quality and overall standards. Although such stalls tends to collapse after a short while, there are other stalls who have no choice but to follow their steps just trying to make ends meet.

You don't see such things happening in Hokkaido lor. You won't find PRC, indians or other FT cooking Japs food in Japan. :s13:It just doesn't happen. If you can imagine paying Food Republic prices for your meal purchases daily, you basically can have quite a few high quality choices in Hokkaido ya :)

And when their gasoline prices are actually CHEAPER than what's being sold in SG, you know something is very wrong again.

Ok la let's not OT any further. I understand what I saw so this is why I'd like to share my experience with you guys
 
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darkmatt

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yoshinoya, coco ichibanya is more like salary man food. Beef bowl and curry rice is come in, order, eat, pay and leave.

under 500 yen. I am not complaining about lack of space and enjoyment in their branches when all I want is to refuel and get on with shopping in Akihabara :s13:

no matter how much u rush akiba, u will not finish it in 1 day. lol
 

Jerroldscv

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hi TS, im heading japan from 5-8 july
can u recommend me a budget hotel with close to local mrt ?
thanks
 

kanashii23

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anyone have any idea whether the singtel Huawei E589 mifi work with b-mobile SIM card over there?
 

IntelligenceA

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hi dimitri_can

may i know whether snack shops at airports, KIX eg, has cardboard boxes ready for tourists buying alot of snacks? I was hoping to do my most of my snacks shopping at KIX before entering departure, then check in the box as luggage. rather than carrying the snacks around while touring.

thanks!
 
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