New government figures show household spending in Japan rose in the last fiscal year. It is the first time in four years the figure has ticked up, but spending still has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

The internal affairs ministry said on Tuesday that households with two or more people spent just over 280,000 yen, or about 2,160 dollars, on average per month during fiscal 2021, which ended in March.

That is up 1.6 percent in real terms from the previous fiscal year, when spending fell 4.9 percent because of the pandemic.

But spending went up as people began going out again. Transport expenditure jumped by 22.9 percent.

Hotels and restaurants also reaped the rewards. People spent 19.9 percent more on accommodation, and 6.4 percent more on dining out.