produce

When I first got here, I was surprised how reasonable the price of food seemed. I'd heard horror stories about the cost of living in Japan, but my city is small enough (or far enough away from Tokyo) to not have that problem. Yes, produce is a little pricey, but I've dealt with it. Until now. I have only been able to find iceberg lettuce in my supermarket, so I was shocked to see bunches of Romaine and Spinach today. Finally!!! Then I looked at the price. The spinach cost 798 yen. That's right- almost $7 a bunch! I would have to set aside a month's salary just to eat a good salad. So iceberg lettuce it is.