Japan’s national culinary treasure, sushi, was automated in 1958, when Yoshiaki Shiraishi, the Henry Ford of sushi, opened the first kaiten sushi (回転寿司 “revolving-sushi”) restaurant in Osaka. Today, the $5.1 billion business of conveyer belt sushi is dominated by four giant chains: Sushiro, Kura Sushi, Hama Sushi, and Kappa Sushi.
Competition between the big 4 firms is keen as a sashimi bōchō knife, and led to some bluefin-tuna-sized scandals this year. Last month, Tokyo police smelled something fishy, and arrested the president of Kappa Sushi for stealing corporate secrets from rival Hama Sushi. He later resigned. And in June, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency reprimanded Sushiro for promoting a sea urchin sushi 90 percent of their outlets didn’t actually carry.
Japan’s young people aren’t drinking up, the number of the nation’s older imbibers is shrinking, and nightlife is down due to COVID, so tax revenue from alcohol is down. To boost boozing, the National Tax Agency’s new “Sake Viva!” contest invites youngsters to submit business ideas to encourage alcohol consumption. You can even submit entries from abroad if they’re written in Japanese. Kanpai! (“Bottoms Up!”; “Cheers!”).
More:
“Japan has a message for its young adults: Drink more alcohol,” Rachel Pannett and Julia Mio Inuma, Washington Post
“Drink Up, Japan Tells Young People. I’ll Pass, Many Reply.” Hikari Hida and John Yoon, New York Times
Image (“Young Beauty With iPhone, after Kikugawa Eizan”) by Mike Licht. Download a copyhere. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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The culture of Japan, full of mystery. The Tea Ceremony. Zen Buddhism. Hello Kitty. And now an 18-karat gold Chicken McNugget.
To mark introduction of two new dipping sauces, Fruit Curry and Creamy Cheese, McDonald’s Japan is giving away a solid-gold Chicken McNugget weighing 50 grams (1.8 ounces), worth about $1500. Clues are being dropped on Twitter.
More:
“McDonald’s Japan Is Giving Away a Gold Chicken Nugget,” Elizabeth Licata, The Daily Meal
Isao Tomita, a pioneer of electronic music, died earlier this month at the age of 84. A composer, he was best known for his analog synthesizer arrangements of the classical music canon.
More:
“Isao Tomita Dies at 84; Combined Electronic and Classical Music,” Margalit Fox, New York Times
“Isao Tomita, Japanese pioneer of synthesizer music, dies at 84,” Daisuke Kikuchi, Japan Times
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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
“Jin Jin Jingle Bell,” by fashion model, actress, and J-Pop star Nozomi Sasaki. Perhaps Pentaphonic is the rapper on this track. This is a cover of a 1995 song by Moritaka Chisato.
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