Extra 20 yen

Salarymen across the nation are weeping into their miso soup this morning with the realization that from today the price of a packet of cigarettes has been increased by 20 yen.

Or maybe not. 20 yen isn't much a rise really.

As you may know I had a failed attempt at giving up smoking at the beginning of the year. I put in a pretty pathetic attempt really and haven't had another go since. It's definately something that you have to decide to do on your own though - otherwise you can't do it.

I've only been a smoker in Japan. I used to think it was completely disgusting. But another reason was the price - a packet of cigarettes in Australia currently costs about AU$10 (about 800 yen). The most expensive ones here cost about 300 yen a packet - even counting in that some of the packets in Australia have more cigarettes in them - that's still a big price difference. The question is though is the high price really that prohibitive?

Recently there has been a number of restrictions placed on smokers here. It's not such a bad thing. Even though I smoke I don't like to be in the stream of smoke from other people. I'm usually pretty concerned with where mine goes - especially in a restaurant. I don't like people smoking near me when I'm eating either.

And unlike any smokers I've lived with I am obsessed about emptying ashtrays. I hate having full ashtrays around - even 3 butts is enough to prompt me to empty it. I even empty ashtrays at other peoples places. Maybe when I decide to attempt quitting for the second time I should keep a few pics of overflowing ashtrays around to help with my resolve. It's easier to stave off the cravings when you're feeling nauseous.