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The Mainichi
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Where's the octopus? Japan 'takoyaki' shops sub in sausage, hike prices amid rising costs
TOKYO -- Rising costs in Japan have impacted even the popular delicacy, "takoyaki" fried octopus balls, with chains hiking prices and some shops in the Tokyo area even replacing octopus with sausage as food makers look to other ingredients like "kamaboko" fish paste and konjac (a firm, jellylike food made from konjac yam) as substitutes. Will we no longer be able to casually enjoy the unique texture and flavor of octopus? Prices rise even after replacing octopus "Does not contain octopus" reads a sign this reporter noticed outside one takoyaki shop called Horaiya, near the Tokyo Sakura Tram's Machiya-ekimae Station in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward. I asked the store's owner, 77-year-old Masako Hasegawa, about the reasoning. "Post-coronavirus price increases have driven up costs too much to continue using octopus," she explained. Formerly, the store sold takoyaki containing octopus at 180 yen (around $1.25) for five pieces. It started replacing octopus with sausage in November 2023, but since then, the cost of wheat flour and other ingredients has gone up, leading to a price increase of 20 yen to 200 yen. While the items are "sausage-yaki," the taste holds up well, being served hot, freshly prepared with cabbage, red pickled ginger, "agetama" fried batter and a "dashi" broth and topped with a Japanese version of Worcestershire sauce. "After switching to sausages, some customers drifted away, saying, 'I prefer octopus,' but the sausages are more popular with children and customers with bad teeth, as they are softer and easier to eat. Many patrons come in after work or school, so we want to continue to offer good food at an affordable price," said Hasegawa with a smile. Costlier wheat flour and eggs, labor, electricity ... Tokyo-based research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. in December 2024 released a report citing how business was getting tricky for stores selling floury delicacies like okonomiyaki and yakisoba due to increases in the cost of raw materials such as flour and eggs, as well as operating costs such as labor and electricity. But above all, the rising cost of octopus had hit stores specializing in takoyaki. When the firm estimated the cost of preparing takoyaki at home, it found that in 2015 the average price per 12 pieces was about 170 yen, but in 2024 this was more than 250 yen (approx. $1.70). The data for Tokyo's 23 special wards in the Retail Price Survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also shows that the average price of octopus was 277 yen per 100 grams in 2014, but by mid-May of this year, it had jumped to 528 yen -- almost double, and even pricier than tuna. Takoyaki shops are challenged in part by the difficulty of passing price hikes onto customers given the snack's reputation as affordable street food. At least one major nationwide takoyaki chain raised prices by about 8% late last year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have been enjoying takoyaki parties -- known as 'tako-pa' -- at home, but on social media, users report substituting traditional octopus with ingredients such as "chikuwa" fish paste, cheese and cod roe. Posts could be seen to the effect of, "Octopus is expensive, flour is expensive, and cabbage broke my spirit," expressing frustration over the rising cost of ingredients. To cater to this rise in demand for substitutes, a kamaboko fish cake manufacturer in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, suggested in April on social media that its products have "chewiness that won't lose to octopus!" Meanwhile, a producer in Gunma Prefecture, a region known for konjac, has started developing chewy products that could be used in takoyaki. Can 'takoyaki culture' be saved? Is takoyaki destined to shift from an affordable treat to a luxury food? When this question was posed to Mana Kumagai, president of the Japan Konamon Association -- an organization that promotes flour-based foods -- she gave a measured answer. "Originally, 'radio-yaki' -- the predecessor to takoyaki -- included fillings like konjac and green peas, and it has never been rare to use various ingredients during home takoyaki parties," she said. Radio-yaki and "chobo-yaki" -- which involved baking wheat flour dissolved in dashi broth and adding ingredients like beef tendon and konjac -- were developed in Osaka in the 1930s. In nearby Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, a type of egg omelet containing octopus was popular, which later led to adding octopus to radio-yaki, creating what became known as takoyaki. According to Kumagai, octopus prices began to surge around 40 years ago, causing takoyaki shop owners' ongoing concern. Octopus used for the item in Japan is mainly imported from around Africa. While octopus was once called the "devil fish" in inland regions of Europe and the United States, it has become popular worldwide, and growing demand has driven prices up. Kumagai commented, "Some restaurants continue to try to keep their focus on octopus by replacing the 'madako' common octopus with other species, such as North Pacific giant octopus. While enjoying the different types of takoyaki, we'd like to preserve the original taste of takoyaki so that it can be passed on to the rest of the world."
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan's tourism hot spot Hakone to introduce lodging tax in 2028 to boost infrastructure
ODAWARA, Kanagawa -- The mayor of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture announced on June 10 that the popular hot spring resort town intends to introduce a lodging tax in April 2028. While tourism is the area's core industry, the burden of overtourism is straining municipal finances. Hakone is considering implementing the lodging tax not as a "special purpose tax" whose usage is limited to tourism measures, but a "general tax" that can be used for broader purposes, which would be unprecedented in Japan. Hakone Mayor Hiroyuki Katsumata announced the move at a regular town assembly meeting on June 10. He explained the reason for the introduction, stating, "It is essential to promote policies that will enable residents and businesses to live and work with peace of mind, and ensure that tourists are satisfied with their visit, no matter how many times they come." Hakone has a population of about 11,000. In 2024, the number of tourists exceeded 20 million for the first time in six years, with 3.98 million staying overnight. The town has more than 500 inns and hotels, and the number of private lodging facilities is also increasing. Although Hakone has the highest revenue from bathing taxes in Japan, it faces a heavy financial burden from tourist-related expenses such as garbage and sewage disposal, firefighting and emergency medical services, which are not covered by tourism measures. Without action, the town is expected to have expenditures exceeding revenue by about 1 billion yen (roughly $6.96 million) in fiscal 2029. In 2019, Hakone established an expert panel to discuss funding for sustainable tourism community development and maintenance. It has held 13 rounds of discussions on measures to collect "tourism community development funds" from tourists, which will be used not only for tourism policies but also for the maintenance of social infrastructure. The panel considered options such as raising the bathing tax, but submitted an interim report to the municipal government in May this year suggesting that "the introduction of a lodging tax is the most appropriate solution." It estimates the new tax would generate an additional 590 million to 1.33 billion yen (about $4.11 million to $9.26 million) in annual revenue, and plans to maintain the bathing tax as well. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of April 21, lodging taxes have been introduced in Tokyo and the prefectures of Osaka and Fukuoka, as well as seven cities and two towns in Japan. Another two prefectures, nine cities and one village plan to introduce such a tax by April 1, 2026. However, all existing lodging taxes are special purpose taxes, with revenue restricted to covering tourism-related spending. In contrast, Hakone is considering introducing the lodging tax as a general tax, which would become part of the town's general revenue. When a municipality seeks to introduce a tax not specified in the Local Tax Act, it must consult and obtain consent from the internal affairs minister. Regarding the possibility of the lodging tax being introduced as a general tax, a ministry official said, "Since discussions begin after the ordinance is passed, we cannot comment at this time."
Nikkei Asia
26-05-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan to market fiber-optic network OS abroad as Huawei alternative
TOKYO -- Japan's communications ministry plans overseas trials of a general-purpose operating system for fiber-optic network equipment, Nikkei has learned, aiming to offer an affordable alternative to the proprietary software used by many companies and help countries rely less on Huawei and other Chinese products. Testing begins this fiscal year in over 10 countries across Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa. Local carriers will assess the performance of the OS and compatibility with their systems. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will recruit companies to handle the trials soon.
20-05-2025
- General
Just One in Nine Japanese Under the Age of 15: Child Population Continues to Fall
Japan's estimated population of children under the age of 15 was 13.7 million as of April 1, 2025, according to annual data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, released on the May 5 Children's Day holiday. This was 350,000 fewer than the previous year and marked the forty-fourth straight year since 1982 that the number has fallen. It is also the lowest on record since comparable statistics were first compiled in 1950. There were 7.0 million boys and 6.7 million girls. Children under 15 represent 11.1% of the total population, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous year, in the fifty-first consecutive annual decline since 1975. Meanwhile, the population of those 65 or older numbers 36.2 million or 29.3% of the overall population. At around 2.7 times greater than the number of children, it demonstrates a clear demographic imbalance. By prefecture, Okinawa had the highest percentage of children at 15.8%, followed by Shiga and Saga, both at 12.7%. The lowest percentage was in Akita (8.8%), with Aomori (9.8%) and Hokkaidō (9.9%) filling out the bottom three. As a general tendency, percentages were higher in the west and lower in the east of the country. According to the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, Japan has the second lowest percentage of children among the 37 countries in the world whose populations are 40 million or greater. South Korea has the lowest percentage with 10.6%, followed by Japan (11.1%), Italy (11.9%), and Spain (12.9%). By three-year age groups, children aged 12 to 14 were the most numerous, at 3.1 million, followed by 3.0 million for 9- to 11-year-olds, 2.8 million for 6- to 8-year-olds, 2.5 million for 3- to 5-year-olds, and 2.2 million for newborns to 2-year-olds. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)
The Mainichi
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Survey shows Japanese vulnerable to misinformation online: gov't
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Around half of respondents to a survey believed at least one of 15 instances of false information on social media after seeing or hearing about it, the Japanese government's first-ever survey on public awareness of misinformation showed Tuesday. With the spread of fake news, data and comments becoming a serious problem, the government is eager to accelerate efforts to improve media literacy, as people are often prone to believe unsourced information presented online. Among the respondents, 47.7 percent were misled. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, examined false claims such as the idea that the mass beaching of sardines or whales signals an impending earthquake or results from seismic activity. One in four who came across such information went on to spread it further by telling family, friends or posting on social media, with 27.1 percent saying they found the content "surprising" and over 20 percent describing it as "interesting" or "helpful to others." Internal affairs minister Seiichiro Murakami told reporters that the survey "has highlighted the importance of measures to enhance (media) literacy," with his ministry urging people to be skeptical and to check the veracity of information before spreading it. The outcome of the latest survey showed 90 percent of respondents said they recognized the necessity of media and information literacy, but many had not taken any steps to improve their understanding. The survey was carried out online between March and April, targeting 2,820 people aged 15 or older across the country.
