If the central point of Abenomics is to boost prices and thus wages and consumption — the old "raise all boats" metaphor — then to a certain extent the plan has succeeded over the last year. Consumers don't seem to be fixated on cheap goods and services any more, though, to be honest, it's difficult to tell if this willingness to spend more is a function of anticipation for April's consumption tax hike. But for the time being there seems to be that old desire for high quality stuff, regardless of how much it costs; which isn't to say consumers aren't looking for cheap things, only that they aren't making it a priority any more.

This paradox seems to have had a bad effect on the fortunes of a company that some once thought was invincible: McDonald's. Since August, the fast food behemoth's Japanese operation has had to lower its sales projection for fiscal 2013 twice. Profits are expected to be around ¥5 billion, or a whopping ¥6.7 billion lower than originally thought. Sales have decreased five months in row, with the number of customers dropping for 7 consecutive months. The company is telling the media that the reason is "no hit product" this year, thus making it sound like a PR failure, but according to Asahi Shimbun, and almost every other Japanese media that has reported the story, McDonalds' poor showing seems to be more systemic, an indication of a sea change in consumer sentiment.

The company's response has been to bring in new blood. Sarah Casanova, a Canadian, was appointed president of McDonald's Japan last summer, and, again, it seems to be more a matter of an image makeover. The announced new strategy is to target women as a demographic, since it is younger females who have tended to resist McD's charms the most during its two straight years of falling revenues. The plan reinforces "healthy menu" items, which to a company like McDonald's means offering more things with chicken in them.