Popular Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya is under fire for hygiene concerns after it’s admitted that one of its stores did, indeed, serve a bowl of miso soup with a full rodent in it. The incident is raising concerns over the company’s hygiene and management practices after it failed to disclose the incident back when it happened two months ago.
Too much protein
The controversy began this week on Japanese social media. Some users noticed a Google Review for the Sukiya beef bowl store in Minamiyoshikata, Tottori Prefecture, from back in January. The review appears to have been deleted. However, images on social media contain text from the reviewer saying they ordered the chain’s famous tama-kake breakfast on January 21st, a screaming deal that retails for under 300 yen (USD $2.00).
They got more protein than they bargained for, though, as the set’s miso soup contained what appeared to be a full mouse carcass.
(You can see the post here – CONTENT WARNING: it’s disgusting.)
In the one-star (naturally) review, the user claims they reported the incident to local health authorities.
Why didn’t Sukiya go public?
At first, many expressed disbelief that the image was real. They assumed – or hoped, maybe – that the disgusting depiction was AI-generated.
Yesterday, however, the chain confirmed the incident. In a posting on its website, Sukiya claims the mouse wasn’t in the soup itself but that the creature had curled up into one of the bowls and passed away. They claim the employee who served the soup poured it into the bowl without noticing the whole-ass mouse carcass.
Sukiya says it temporarily closed the store and inspected the building for any cracks or other openings that might need sealing. It says it opened the store two days later after receiving a seal of approval from a local health inspector.
Additionally, the chain says it’s instructing all staff at all stores to examine all bowls before serving to make sure they’re free of “contaminants.”
The question is: Why didn’t Sukiya disclose this incident after it happened?
In its statement, the chain wrote, “Many customers are feeling stressed and concerned from hearing incomplete information about this incident second-hand, which is a result of us withholding information from our home page and other outlets at the time of the incident. Once again, we apologize to our customers and those involved for the trouble and concern we’ve caused you.”
The chain did not make any commitment to be more forthcoming in the future. However, it vowed to work to prevent a recurrence.
Sukiya, which is owned by Zensho Holdings, was founded in 1982 by Ogawa Kentaro. Today, it has 2,333 stores in all 47 prefectures in Japan, as well as hundreds of stores across Asia. It even has 29 stores in Brazil (not surprising, given Japan and Brazil’s deep connections) and 22 in Mexico.
A result of understaffing?
This isn’t the first hygiene incident to roil Japanese restaurant chains. Japan trackers will remember the infamous “sushi terrorism” incident from 2023. Hardcore UJ followers may even remember our 2019 story about workers at fast-food joints filming themselves doing disgusting things with ingredients.
However, those were cases of explicit hygiene violations in an attempt to go viral on social media or have a laugh. The Sukiya incident, by contrast, brings into question the chain’s ability to create a safe environment for its customers.
The admission has drawn a massive reaction on Yahoo! News JP, where it’s amassed over 7,000 comments overnight. Many expressed doubts that someone would fail to notice an entire mouse in a soup bowl.
Others wonder whether the problem stems from Japan’s chronic understaffing problems. With the acceleration of population decline, Japanese businesses – especially low-paying service industry businesses – are struggling to fill positions.
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