While domestic consumption of sake has cooled, sake exports from Japan are on the rise, with the volume and value of sake exports reaching record highs in 2021. In particular, the growth in consumption of high-end sake is remarkable. Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished […]

The annual year-end Osechi shopping season has begun at department stores and supermarkets in Hokkaido. Osechi-ryōri are traditional Japanese New Year foods. In Japan, the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, and more people are expected to return to their parents’ homes during the year-end and New Year’s holidays. In anticipation of this, many manufacturers are […]

Bakeries selling “high-end white bread,” which had been on the rise for a while, are closing one after another. The boom of high-end white bread is slowing down sharply. At one time, shoppers formed long lines to buy white bread that cost nearly 1,000 yen per loaf. This boom spread not only to the city […]

Department stores and other retailers are increasingly focusing on frozen foods. The Covid-19 disaster has increased demand for “bulk purchases,” where consumers complete their purchases in one trip, and has also attracted attention to value-added, premium-priced frozen foods. The reason why companies have been expanding their lineups of premium-priced products in recent years is because […]

Patrons of Tokyo restaurants and bars will be able to light up indoors for the last time on Tuesday as one of the world’s most cigarette-friendly cities starts enforcing anti-smoking laws from April 1. The ban was part of Tokyo’s preparations for the now-delayed 2020 Olympics, and covers establishments with hired employees, meaning many of […]