Dining In is the New Dining Out in Japan as Food Prices Continue to Rise

Eating Out Less to Save More

The ever-increasing cost of food is bringing about a change in consumer dining habits in Japan. In late June, Tiger Corporation conducted a survey targeting 658 men and women aged 20 and older, which revealed that 90.4% felt they were spending more on food in recent years.

A total of 62.1% of respondents stated that they now “eat more often at home and dine out less.” The most common reason for this shift was “cutting back on spending because of rising prices” (65.3%).

Asked what they wanted to gain by eating at home, the top response, at 45.4%, was “better value for money than when dining out.” This was followed by “convenience” (36.8%) and “nutritional balance” (34.7%).

When the 346 respondents who stated they “want to invest in kitchen appliances to improve their satisfaction with dining at home” were asked specifically what they wanted to purchase, the top two items were a “rice cooker” (54.9%) and a “microwave oven” (44.2%).

Although food prices in general have been increasing, the cost of rice has fallen compared with the soaring prices seen during last year’s rice shortages. So, while people are choosing to dine at home as a way to save money, they also want to feel contentment at being able to cook delicious rice every day.

Data Sources

• Data from survey on rice and rice cookers (Japanese) from Tiger Corporation

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)