日本飲食消費二十九年來最疲弱

Recently the Asahi News reported the following:
サラリーマンの小遣いがバブル後の最低水準に――。新生銀行系の消費者金融会社「新生フィナンシャル」が今年春に調べたところ、小遣いの平均額は月３万６５００円で、昨年より４１００円減った。その分、昼食費や飲み代を削ってしのいでいるようだ。
　減るのは４年連続。７年ぶりに４万円を下回り、２９年前（１９８２年）以来の低水準に落ち込んだ。これまでの最高額だったバブル期（９０年）の７万６千円の半分に満たない。
　仕事帰りの外食の回数は月２．９回で前年と同じだったが、１回の飲み代は３５４０円と昨年より６５０円減った。昼食代も昨年より１０円減り、４９０円に。自宅から弁当を持参する人も増えている。「景気回復の実感に乏しく、将来不安も根強いため、財布のひもを緩められないのではないか」と新生はみている。
(試譯文)
Businessman's pocket money : at the minimum level since the bubble. The amount of the average pocket money was 36,500 yen a month, which had decreased by more than 4,100 yen when compared to last year, as Shinsei Bank's consumer finance company the "Newborn Financial" examined the situation in spring of this year. It seemed that it was overcome by cutting down the amount of lunch expenses and the drink money.
It was the 4th year in a row to decrease. It fell below 40,000 yen after an interval of seven years, and it dropped to a 29-year low level (since 1982). It didn't come up to even half of 76,000 yen during the bubble economy era (1990) which was currently the highest amount.
The drink money on any one occasion had decreased by more than 650 yen to become 3,540 yen, although last year the frequency of dining out after work on the way home was the same as that of the previous year: at 2.9 times a month. The lunch fee was 490 yen, decreased by more than 10 yen compared to last year too. The number of those who brought the box lunch from home also had increased. The Newborn saw that "Because the feeling of actual economic recovery is lacking, and uneasiness about the future is also deep-rooted, purse strings might not be loosened".


Obviously, the wage earning class in Japan is now having a hard time.