One of the main stories on the news while I was in Japan (n.b., I am back, the girls are still there for two weeks) was that the main tax on gasoline of 25 yen per liter (approximately $1 per gallon) expired on March 31st. They said additionally that it would take at least one month to renew the tax (if indeed they could get it by the opposition which holds the upper house of parliament).
Two odd things happened on April 1st. First, although some gas stations lowered their prices, some did not. Did they think people weren't going to notice? Second, people were lining up and waiting for hours to get gas from the places that did. Did they not know they had at least a month? Does it make sense to wait an hour to save $15 on a tank of gas (especially for someone who can afford a car?)
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