Curry rice is one of the absolute stars of Japanese cuisine and it has earned this status by not only pleasing your taste buds but also your wallet. If you’re looking to save money, you can easily make a big pot of curry roux with various vegetables and meat to have a few filling, nourishing meals for the next few days without spending a lot of money on ingredients.

But the price-friendliness of curry rice has been declining recently, according to the results of a study by economic trend research firm Teikoku Data Bank. Based on retail price statistics released by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Teikoku calculated that the cost of cooking curry rice at home recently rose to its highest price in a decade.

The cost of six ingredients was included in the calculation: rice, curry roux (half a block for a one-person serving), carrots, potatoes, imported beef and cooking oil. The study also took into account the cost of water and electricity needed to cook rice in a rice cooker, but does not appear to have included the gas/electricity costs of cooking the roux, vegetables and meat.

Based on retail statistics for the Tokyo area in June, the researchers arrived at 329 yen as the cost of cooking a serving of curry rice for one person, an increase of 10 percent compared to the cost of the same ingredients/consumables in June 2023, broken down as follows:

● Meat and vegetables: 203 yen (20 yen more than prices in June 2023)

● Rice: 97 yen (8 yen more than in June 2023

● Curry roux: 25 yen (1 yen more than in June 2023)

● Water/electricity: 4 yen (same as June 2023)

Image: Pakutaso

So what’s behind these rising prices? For meat, the weak yen is largely to blame. For decades, domestic Japanese beef producers have focused on producing high-priced meat, meaning imported beef is a more affordable alternative. The weak yen means buyers in Japan have to pay more for this imported beef, while Japanese beef has not come down in price at all and is still unaffordable for most home cooks to use on a regular basis. For rice, on the other hand, Japanese buyers predominantly buy from domestic producers, but the high temperatures in Japan during last year’s rice-growing season led to lower yields, which in turn led to higher prices.

Because of its popular taste and the fact that it’s easy to make large batches at once and reheat leftovers, curry rice is especially popular with families with children and single people living alone who don’t have time to cook every day. While a 30 yen increase in the per capita price of curry rice from 299 to 329 yen may not seem like much in isolation, that 10 percent price increase can have a big impact when it comes to something that goes towards several meals each month in a typical Japanese household. Teikoku Data Bank expects an even higher price increase to around 340 yen when figures are finalized for July.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun via Livedoor News about Jin

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