How much does handkerchief cost in Japan?

¥601 per sheet, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.

Which Japanese city has the cheapest handkerchief?

Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Fuchu (Tokyo) was cheapest at ¥459 and Utsunomiya the most expensive at ¥1,100.

How much have handkerchief prices changed in Japan over the past year?

As of September 2026, +0.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).

How much have handkerchief prices changed in Japan over the past five years?

+3.0% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 103.5.

When were handkerchief prices in Japan at their highest?

The series peaked at 103.9 in April 2026. The latest reading is -0.4% against that peak.

What is the difference between the index and the yen price?

This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).

Miscellaneous · code 9761

Handkerchief price in Japan

ハンカチーフ

Average retail price

¥601per sheet+0.6% year on year

2026-09 · unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities

Surveyed specification: 男性用，綿１００％，格子柄，〔サイズ〕４６～４８ｃｍ，普通品

Cheapest surveyed city: ¥459 Fuchu (Tokyo)
Priciest surveyed city: ¥1,100 Utsunomiya

Price in your city:

¥650per sheet+8.1% vs national average#43 cheapest of 52 cities

See all 52 cities, cheapest first

#	City	Price (JPY) · per sheet
1	Saga	¥513
2	Nagano	¥546
3	Aomori	¥550
4	Saitama	¥550
5	Niigata	¥550
6	Toyama	¥550
7	Fukui	¥550
8	Kofu	¥550
9	Nagoya	¥550
10	Otsu	¥550
11	Kyoto	¥550
12	Wakayama	¥550
13	Tottori	¥550
14	Hiroshima	¥550
15	Tokushima	¥550
16	Kochi	¥550
17	Fukuoka	¥550
18	Nagasaki	¥550
19	Miyazaki	¥550
20	Kagoshima	¥550
21	Sagamihara	¥550
22	Hamamatsu	¥550
23	Kobe	¥568
24	Sendai	¥575
25	Kitakyushu	¥578
26	Morioka	¥587
27	Akita	¥587
28	Fukushima	¥587
29	Mito	¥587
30	Gifu	¥587
31	Matsue	¥587
32	Okayama	¥587
33	Yamaguchi	¥587
34	Kumamoto	¥587
35	Oita	¥587
36	Sakai	¥587
37	Osaka	¥622
38	Kanazawa	¥623
39	Takamatsu	¥623
40	Matsuyama	¥623
41	Kawasaki	¥632
42	Chiba	¥633
43	Tokyo (23 wards)	¥650
44	Yamagata	¥660
45	Maebashi	¥660
46	Sapporo	¥715
47	Tsu	¥715
48	Nara	¥733
49	Yokohama	¥770
50	Naha	¥880
51	Shizuoka	¥953
52	Utsunomiya	¥1,100

Retail price survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. This is a survey average, not a shop price — actual prices vary by store. 総務省統計局小売物価統計調査 · Surveyed items and specifications

Key facts

Handkerchief costs ¥601 per sheet in Japan as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, up 0.6% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for handkerchief reads 103.5 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, up 0.1% year on year and up 3.0% over five years.

Handkerchief sits in the miscellaneous group of Japan's CPI basket, with 681 monthly observations from January 1970 to September 2026. The series peaked at 103.9 in April 2026 and bottomed at 25.1 in January 1970; the latest reading is -0.4% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +5.9%.

Latest CPI

103.5

2026-09 (2020=100)

YoY %

+0.1%

5y change %

+3.0%

Change since 1970-01

+312.4%

Annual average index by year

Annual average consumer price index for Handkerchief in Japan (2020 = 100)
Year	Index	YoY %	Months
2015	97.9	+0.7%	12
2016	97.9	0.0%	12
2017	98.2	+0.3%	12
2018	98.5	+0.3%	12
2019	98.5	0.0%	12
2020	100.0	+1.5%	12
2021	100.4	+0.4%	12
2022	99.9	-0.5%	12
2023	101.0	+1.1%	12
2024	101.5	+0.5%	12
2025	103.1	+1.6%	12
2026	103.6	+0.5%	9

Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.

Average retail price by month

2026-09	¥601
2026-08	¥601
2026-07	¥600
2026-06	¥601
2026-05	¥602
2026-04	¥601
2026-03	¥602
2026-02	¥600
2026-01	¥600
2025-12	¥599
2025-11	¥601
2025-10	¥598
2025-09	¥598

Frequently asked questions

How much does handkerchief cost in Japan?: ¥601 per sheet, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
Which Japanese city has the cheapest handkerchief?: Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Fuchu (Tokyo) was cheapest at ¥459 and Utsunomiya the most expensive at ¥1,100.
How much have handkerchief prices changed in Japan over the past year?: As of September 2026, +0.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
How much have handkerchief prices changed in Japan over the past five years?: +3.0% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 103.5.
When were handkerchief prices in Japan at their highest?: The series peaked at 103.9 in April 2026. The latest reading is -0.4% against that peak.
What is the difference between the index and the yen price?: This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).