Unfortunately, real wages in Japan have remained almost unchanged for the past 20 years. It can be said that real income continues to decline as wage growth has not caught up with the pace of price increases. As prices continue to rise, households' purchasing power will weaken if wages do not increase enough to make up for it. “Basic expenditure” covers necessities such as food and utilities. High food and energy prices are putting pressure on household budgets. There is a limit to how much you can save on utility bills, etc. A decrease in income will restrain expenditures other than daily necessities. Under such circumstances, the wisdom to live gracefully is required.
Even with today's low wages, there are some optimists who have a good balance of "basic spending" and "selective spending." Some people who have a deep knowledge of IT skills quit their jobs and live in the countryside. He rented 1000㎡ of land, including a house and a garden, for 40,000 yen a month, and started a self-sufficient life. There are many properties like this in the area. As a side job, this person also develops a private lodging using an old private house for city people who come to walk in the forest, play in the river, and climb mountains. Some IT-related companies encourage their employees to telework at summer resorts in an attempt to boost their morale. In response to such requests, he provided old private houses as "business trip offices" and "temporary resorts" for IT companies. Secure his own livelihood with self-sufficiency and telework. On top of that, he is pursuing his way of life while adding income from side jobs. Even with low wages, he practices to enjoy a rich life.
The current strongman theory is GDP supremacy, focusing only on "the total amount of goods produced each year." Making money is becoming the purpose of life. We have moved from an era in which society as a whole lack goods to an era in which there is an abundance of them. Problems have arisen in the economic model that has revolved around mass production and mass consumption of goods. We began to realize that there are things that cannot be measured by GDP alone. Before the establishment of the money economy, there was barter, the direct exchange of goods for goods. These economic activities are not included in GDP. The irrationality of "invisible value" with GDP alone exists in today's world. Perhaps the time has come to reconsider the Japanese way of life, which has been regarded as common sense and custom for nearly 70 years after the war.