Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
お米一升、当時はいくらくらいでしたか？ — How much was one sho (1.8L) of rice back then? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N3)
You
お米一升、当時はいくらくらいでしたか？
おこめいっしょう、とうじはいくらくらいでしたか？
How much was one sho (1.8L) of rice back then?
Romaji: Okome isshou, touji wa ikura kurai deshita ka? / Reply Romaji: Sou ne, 50-en gurai datta kashira. Tamago ga ichi-en de ne.
Reply
そうね、五十円ぐらいだったかしら。卵が一円でね。
そうね、ごじゅうえんぐらいだったかしら。たまごがいちえんでね。
Hmm, around 50 yen, I think. Eggs were 1 yen each.
Gesture & etiquette
Listen with rapt attention—you're being taught economic history. If they hesitate on exact figure, do not press: 「だいたいで結構ですよ」. Compare gently to modern prices if they ask: 「今のお米一升は二千円くらいなんですよ」.
Economic memory question. 「一升」 (1.8 liters, ~1.5 kg) was the standard rice measure pre-modernization. Prices anchor era memory: 1950s rice ~10 yen/sho, 1970s ~500 yen/sho. Reference points: eggs (1 yen each early Showa), movie tickets (50 yen 1955), Tokyo university tuition (12,000 yen/year 1965). Unlocks era-specific narratives.