The Hokkaido Bank predicts 57K JPY increase per household for winter expenses

A article in yesterday's Hokkaido Shimbun Press reports that the Hokkaido Bank expect an increase of 57000 JPY per household of expenditures on gasoline, kerosene, and other expenses related to winter. This figure is based on a recent Hokkaido Bank study that predicts a gross 134.6 billion JPY increase in winter expenditures for the coming 2008 season. To make things worse, this study does not take into account effects of the expected increase for electricity rates.

This seemingly downward spiral is certainly straining things for all people living in Hokkaido. Food, fuel and utilities like electricity all have been rising steadily. Personally, this has been weighing heavily on my mind as of late, as I am contemplating another career jump in order to keep up with all of the price-increases and keep my family afloat.

I never really wanted to believe it, but the IT business here Hokkaido is starting to look very ghetto to me. There are a handful of good people, but most companies are pursuing a very conservative (read that as "weak" if it cannot let their employees stay ahead of inflation!) business plans for systems integration, made-to-order development, or call center and support.

It may have been a mistake to tie myself directly to the local economy, so I am actively looking for opportunities and challenges that are more global and dynamic. Lord knows, there are a tons of such jobs in Tokyo...