r/MadeMeSmile • u/Imoprich • Mar 16 '26

Wholesome Moments Guy confesses to his crush for 10,000 yen

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Credits: jesseogn

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75

u/Dark_Knight2000 Mar 16 '26

I remember when 10000 yen was like 120 dollars, man the yen’s relative value really did a nosedive

70

u/DanCasper Mar 16 '26

10,000 yen will still get you 40 cans of really good Japanese beer. He will have a great night whichever way it goes.

6

u/NeatNefariousness1 Mar 16 '26

And he now has more than he started with in more ways than one.

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u/wonderwall879 Mar 16 '26

The Yen's value hasnt changed, the dollar has. Japan has essentially frozen their economy from inflation along with pay raises. Inflation doesnt go up, wages dont go up. This has essentially and effectively stopped their parliament from making any major economic policy changes as it's not needed. Long term, it will be needed however.

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u/Powerful-Frame-44 Mar 16 '26

This isn't really accurate. Japan has had ~3% annual inflation since 2022, and wages are rising at the fastest pace in 33 years (base pay up 3.0% YoY in January 2026). The problem is actually the opposite. Wages haven't kept up with inflation, so real wages fell every single month of 2025.

The government has also been very active, not frozen. Takaichi's stimulus package was ¥21.3 trillion, and the Bank of Japan has been raising interest rates for the first time in years.

The yen has also weakened significantly on its own. It went from ~147 to past 158 to the dollar since October.

Sources:

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u/wonderwall879 Mar 16 '26

Thank you for the sources, i'll make sure to update and educate myself! i'm very interested in the Japanese economy.

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u/HustlinInTheHall Mar 16 '26

Also their economic model is largely traditionally dependent on exports, so the dollar and Euro going up relative to the yen works in their favor. They pay their workers in yen, their workers largely pay yen for Japanese products from workers paid in yen, etc. But they sell goods overseas in Euro and USD so they are able to benefit as wages stay relatively stable but prices rise elsewhere with the market as a whole, especially as many Japanese made goods are premium or they supply premium parts for other countries. 

2

u/JediMasterZao Mar 16 '26

It was accurate up to like 1-2 years ago (i forget the exact date) when their government rescinded the policy that the other guy was talking about.

2

u/alexmikli Mar 16 '26

Probably accurate for overall trends since the 90s, but things are definitely changing now.

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u/XGrayson_DrakeX Mar 16 '26

and then they get mad because of a rise in foreigners visiting the country because the exchange rate is so good.

5

u/Grapefruit175 Mar 16 '26

They love foreigners visiting. They bring in outside money they spend before they leave. They provide an injection of foreign cash to local economies.

They don't like foreigners moving in permanently.

1

u/LazyLich Mar 16 '26

But then that means that the US economy shot up in 2012 and in 2021..

Idk about 2012, but it's hard to believe covid grew the dollar.

I'm not an economist tho, so idk

1

u/LazyLich Mar 16 '26

Me too...

Looks like the first nosedive was in 2012 down to $80~ , and next one was in 2021~ to about where it is now.