←back to thread

Price of rice in Japan falls below ¥4k per 5kg

(www.japantimes.co.jp)
126 points PaulHoule | 1 comments | 30 Jun 25 19:54 UTC | HN request time: 0.33s | source
Show context
kondro ◴[30 Jun 25 23:41 UTC] No.44429105[source]▶
The fact the average Japanese person won't even consider trying imported Japonica rice from Australia or USA is madness if budget is a consideration.

But as someone who's tried many varieties of Japonica, there is a difference between the best Japan-grown rice and non-speciality rice grown elsewhere, as well as a difference between fresh (Japanese enjoy eating new rice, which is different from many rice-eating cultures) and old rice.

I pay somewhere around AUD$14/kg for Japanese rice in Australia, but I also don't eat it that often and I'm not that price sensitive.

But also, the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week. That's ¥800 at the rates in the article (~USD$300/year). Japan's cost of living is generally pretty low, but I doubt +/- $100/year is effecting many people.

replies(21): >>44429124 #>>44429140 #>>44429162 #>>44429204 #>>44429227 #>>44429286 #>>44429334 #>>44429340 #>>44429385 #>>44429410 #>>44429585 #>>44429984 #>>44430120 #>>44430156 #>>44430349 #>>44430442 #>>44430589 #>>44432334 #>>44433101 #>>44433599 #>>44433646 #
georgeecollins ◴[01 Jul 25 13:21 UTC] No.44433646[source]▶
It's probably like the price of gas in America. Easily seen, frequently bought so it causes anxiety. I know for some in America transportation is a serious concern, but there is also a lot of irrational reaction as well. After COVID, the person in the office next to mine was really upset that gas was like +$1. Like your house went up a quarter million in value and your mad because gas cost $5. You're never going to buy enough gas for it to matter. People are strange.
replies(2): >>44434327 #>>44434548 #
1. PaulHoule ◴[01 Jul 25 14:38 UTC] No.44434327[source]▶
I've thought about carbon pricing. $100 a tonne sounds like a nice round number and it is in the ballpark where it is claimed that carbon capture and storage is affordable for coal burning power plants, oil refineries and such.

That comes to about $1 a gallon on gas, which I have two thoughts about: (1) I don't think it would change people's behavior that much -- gas has been $1 higher at times in the past and it didn't discourage me from driving and I'm not rich, I wouldn't consider spending more than $25k on a car whereas I know people who think nothing of buying an $80k truck. (2) I think Americans are highly sensitized to price increases right now and I think it would politically impossible to add $1/gallon to the price of gas, people would complain they are all out of spoons or it is the straw that breaks the camel's back or something. I think even 10 years ago it might have been easier, but right now, forget about it.