Earlier quoted context omitted.
I do live in Japan. Looking at APA Hotel in Ginza I see prices in the 10-20,000 JPY range ($66-$133) per night it just doesn’t feel insanely high. And thats smack in the middle of a major business/tourist area.
Well yeah, that doesn't look high in dollars for US people earning a lot, sure. But I never said that it looks high, I said that it increased. You could easily find APAs for about 5000 JPY not long ago. And don't forget that we currently have summer, so much less tourists.
Its not clear how much of the increase is due to tourist demand vs. global price inflation in general. 5000 yen is now $33. Thats an unthinkably low price in the US unless you are going for bedbugs and a piss-stained mattress…
Prices in Japan seem to be de-coupling from the rest of the world… e.g. the “Japanese only” language-locked Nintendo Switch 2