LETTER FROM TOKYO

Economic difficulties, changing tastes, and the surge of tourism are restoring the popularity of a condiment with a mixed reputation in Japan: furikake, a seasoning designed to be sprinkled over plain white rice. It comes in a wide variety of flavors, from salted or purple shiso leaves (yukari) to dried versions of dishes, such as grilled eel. One of the most popular types is noritama, a mixture of dried seaweed and egg. Traditionally sold in individual packaging, furikake now populates entire supermarket aisles.

Sales of the main furikake producers – Marumiya Shokuhin Kogyo, Mishima Shokuhin, and Nagatanien – makers of the very popular Tarako Ochazuke (made with soy sauce infused with scallop and bonito flavors, and mixed with salty crackers and seaweed), have surged since the end of 2022. According to the Fuji Keizai Institute's Furikake Market Sales Trends study, the market is expected to reach 57.5 billion yen in 2024 (€364.2 million), up from 53.8 billion yen two years earlier.

Sales had also surged during the "Heisei rice riots" of 1993 when a particularly hot, dry summer led to a rice shortage and a sharp increase in prices. They also rose in the 2000s, when the Japanese economy was in crisis.

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