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A decade lost to deflation has changed the landscape in Ginza, Tokyo’s premium shopping district. On the main street, a Gucci store has been replaced by low-cost fashion outlet XXI Forever. Next door to luxury jeweller Mauboussin, the casual clothes retailer g.u. is doing a brisk business offering cotton maxi dresses for Y990. 迷失于通缩中的10年，改变了东京高档购物区银座(Ginza)的景象。在主要购物街上，古驰(Gucci)门店已被低成本时装公司XXI Forever的店铺所取代。在豪华珠宝商Mauboussin的隔壁，休闲服饰零售商g.u.生意兴隆，店里销售的棉质长裙售价990日元。 Japan has been mired in deflation since 1999, a period known as the “lost decade”. Consumer prices, excluding food and energy, have fallen every year since, with the exception of 2008, when prices were flat. Meanwhile, nominal gross domestic product, which reflects the impact of deflation, has fallen from Y505tn in 1999 to Y468tn ($5.8tn) last year. 自1999年以来，日本一直受到通缩的困扰，这一时期被称作“失落的10年”(lost decade)。1999年以后，消费价格（不包括食品和能源）每年都在下跌——2008年除外，当年价格与上年持平。与此同时，反映通缩影响的名义国内生产总值(GDP)，从1999年的505万亿日元降至去年的468万亿日元(合5.8万亿美元)。 The long-term slump has forced businesses in Japan to slash costs and, in some cases, completely rethink their business model. Some Japanese companies have managed to avoid the worst effects of deflation and even thrive in difficult economic circumstances. As such, they offer some valuable lessons for businesses settling down for the long haul in the beleaguered economies of the west. | 
