Japan has weathered its share of excruciating price hikes in the past two years. But this new one may hurt the most. A confluence of events has made the simple cabbage more expensive than ever – and some restaurants say it’s killing them.
Japan is already laboring mightily under a general tide of inflation. Rising wholesale food costs plus heating/lighting cost increases have made it difficult for businesses like ramen shops and soba joints to stay in business. Additionally, shortages have sent the prices of specific goods, like eggs and even rice, soaring.
Now it’s cabbage’s turn.
Cabbage should be cheap in Japan – and it usually is, selling for under 400 yen ($2.54) a head. However, some supermarkets in Tokyo are now selling it for between 580 yen (USD $3.68) and 888 yen ($5.64) a head. In one supermarket in Hyogo Prefecture, the price hit 1,090 yen ($6.92).
The price of cabbage was already trending up, having increased 3x in December from a year ago. Hot, dry weather during this past summer in cabbage-producing prefectures like Aichi and Chiba limited crop yields. Japan’s aging population and labor shortage may also play a role. The price rise has even made the vegetable a new target for thieves.
The price increase has Japan’s tonkatsu restaurants screaming. Japan’s classic fried pork cutlet is always served with an ample bed of shredded cabbage on the side. Many serve unlimited helpings of the stuff to their regulars.
However, current prices may challenge that. The owner of one tonkatsu restaurant, Katsukichi, told reporters that, with the price of pork returning to normal, cabbage is now the most expensive part of the dish.
Some Japanese social media commenters say they might abandon cabbage under these conditions and shift to eating cheaper vegetables, such as lettuce and hakusai (napa cabbage). Unfortunately, with the prices of vegetables rising in general, that might be a short-lived strategy…
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