Eating good food is one of the joys of living. Good food satisfies our appetite and makes us feel happy. Eating fine foods is a joy for many Japanese. Some Japanese go to Napoli to taste real Napoli pizza; others go to Okinawa to enjoy goya champuru (bitter gourd), a famous Okinawa cuisine.
How can we maintain the joy of eating easily when recent oil price surges have affected our spending and lifestyle? With only 1,000 yen in one’s pocket, there are still many ways of getting good food, satisfying our appetite, and making us feeling happy.
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August 16 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing and Economy and Health Care and Life and Research and Technology and Weekly Articles | No Comments »
Women love shopping. No matter how busy they are and what little money they have, women try to buy what they want. Shopping makes them happy and feel rewarded, especially when they buy luxury goods, which is what Japanese women want nowadays.
Who Buys Luxury Goods?
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June 06 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing and Weekly Articles | No Comments »
Earthquakes and Tsunamis are natural disasters that Japan has experienced. However, the global food crisis, or the so called ‘silent tsunami’, is a new type of crisis that the Japanese (especially the younger generations) have never experienced before.
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May 09 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing and Weekly Articles | No Comments »
“I don’t know what I can trust for our food.” This is how a Japanese woman on the street responded to an interviewer on a television program regarding several food safety issues in Japan.
Recent Chinese-manufactured Gyoza (dumpling) incidents have made consumers investigate where their food is
manufactured and has made them more careful when they buy. When they pick up a package of frozen food at the supermarket, they look at the background information on the package, and put it back when it says ‘made in China’.
Looking at Food Labels with Doubts
Such careful examination of background information on food packaging might not always guarantee food safety. Background information on food packaging may be fraudulent and the food may contain ingredients different from those shown on the label. The expiry date on the food may also be incorrect. People still remember the fraudulent actions of Japanese food manufacturers and restaurants such as Fujiya and Semba Kiccho, which were uncovered last year. Due to these incidents of fraud, Japanese consumers have started to look at the background information on food packaging with suspicion.
Increase in the Number of Complaints
Naturally, the number of consumer complaints about products and services has been on the increase. The Consumer Affairs Centre of Japan received over 8,000 complaints in 2006, about 2.5 times more than in 2002 (Source: 2007, Consumer Affairs Centre of Japan website). “Don’t complain. Don’t make waves.” These saying do not seem to be popular in Japan anymore. Japanese consumers have started to speak up about problems.
Forgotten Total Quality Philosophy
These recent incidents make us wonder – wasn’t it Japanese companies from the 1950s to the 1990s that developed and practiced various quality control approaches such as Kaizen, QC circle, and fishbone diagram? Consumers used to trust manufactures to provide quality products and services without holding any doubts; but not now. This may be the right time, therefore, for Japanese companies to revisit past practices to win back consumer trust.
March 01 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing | No Comments »
Just after 12p.m., restaurants on the shopping street are crowded with office workers. They are forming long queues in front of restaurants and shops. They form the lines not to enter the restaurants, but to buy Obento (boxed meals) for lunch.
Obento or Bento are boxed meals which can be taken anywhere to eat. School children bring hand-made Obento for lunch if their school does not provide any kyu-shoku (school lunch). At the workplace, Obento is eaten at the desk or outdoors. Ekiben (railway boxed meals) are another popular Obento which are sold on trains or at train stations in Japan.
Increase of Nakashoku (Take-out foods)
Take-out foods such as Obento and Souzai (cooked dishes) have recently become popular among Japanese households.
According to the Food Service Industry Research Institute, the market size of Nakashoku (take-out foods) in 2006 increased from the previous year by 1.3%, while the overall market size for dining-out industries decreased by 0.1% in 2006. Cooked dishes can be served at the dining table at home, or can be put into hand-made Obento as main or side dishes.
INSIGHTS OUT – Why Obento attracts Japanese?
1. Choice and Appearance
Various types of good-looking Obento attract the Japanese. There are many kinds of Obento, ranging from Japanese-style Obento consisting of rice, fish or cutlets, pickles and vegetables as a side dish; to Donburi (rice ball dish) consisting of rice topped with meat or steamed vegetables. They are garnished beautifully with different colored ingredients. The variety ensures that consumers do not get tired of eating Obento.
2. Nutritionally Balanced
Obento also attracts health-conscious consumers. For example, Makunouchi Bento, consisting of rice, fish or meat, and a side dish such as vegetables, looks colorful as well as being nutritionally balanced. Recently, ‘Anti-metabolic syndrome Bento’ has become popular among people who are worried about metabolic syndrome.
3. Convenience
Obento can be eaten anywhere. Busy office workers eat Obento at their desks or in meeting rooms with their colleagues. On sunny days, groups of office workers eat Obento at the Hibiya Park in Tokyo at lunchtime.
4. Low Cost
Obento is good for households who wish to save money, especially during economic downturns. Buying Obento is normally cheaper than dining out for lunch. You can pay only 500 yen for Obento, whereas you may pay 1,000 yen or more to eat lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Furthermore, hand-made Obento using left over foods means that lunch can cost almost nothing.
5. Communicating Feelings
Last but not least, hand-made Obento is a good way to communicate your feelings towards loved ones. Even very busy working mothers prepare hand-made Obento for their children because they want their children to enjoy their lunch. Also, their children look forward to eating the Obento that their mothers make for them.
Recent incidences such as frozen Gyoza (dumpling) poisoning and scandals of mislabeling hamburger patties has encouraged Japanese to hand-make their own dishes. By hand-making meals, you can make sure every ingredient you use is known, as well as knowing how it is cooked; though it is burdensome for working families to cook all dishes on their own.
February 15 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing | 3 Comments »
