If you are a sha-in worker, yes. For other workers, not so much. I’ve also been working in Japan a good 20 years and my wages haven’t changed at all the last several years and the recent jump in food prices and energy bills is hurting. And that’s not just me; everyone I know feels like they’re slipping behind in ways they haven’t before. Wages have stagnated for a lot of people, and most folks working contracts are not getting those increases you may be.