"I Bought It at a Seoul Mart"... Carrying Heavy Rice Sacks with a Strain Is Trending in Japan

"I Bought Rice in Korea": SNS Purchase Stories Go Viral
"Heavy, but... More Japanese Buying Rice in Korea"

As rice prices soar in Japan, increasing the burden on households, more Japanese tourists are showing interest in Korean rice.

Japanese visitor A, who came to Korea, revealed on the 6th through X (formerly Twitter) that they purchased Korean rice. X

Recently, on social networking services (SNS), reviews from Japanese tourists who purchased Korean rice have been posted, noting that the price of Korean rice is more than half cheaper compared to Japan.

Mr. A, a Japanese tourist visiting Korea, revealed on June 6 through X (formerly Twitter) that after traveling to Cebu, Philippines, he stopped by Korea and bought 4kg of white rice and 5kg of brown rice at a Korean supermarket. Mr. A said, "My mission in Seoul, Korea, was to buy rice and bring it back," adding, "Since rice is expensive in Japan, I decided to buy rice while I was in Korea."

He stated, "I went around supermarkets checking rice prices here and there," and explained, "In Japan, 10kg of rice costs about 8,000 yen (approximately 80,000 won), but in Korea, 10kg of rice costs about 3,000 yen (approximately 30,000 won)."

To bring rice purchased overseas into Japan, quarantine procedures must be followed. Mr. A said, "The quarantine process itself was not difficult, but carrying the rice was tough," and added, "The rice was heavy, so I thought of it as muscle training."

He posted a photo of the rice he brought into Japan and said, "I was able to safely bring rice from Korea," noting, "Recently, the number of Japanese people purchasing rice overseas has been relatively increasing."

The Japanese government has taken measures such as releasing stockpiled rice twice to stabilize rice prices, but has struggled to control the price surge. Reasons cited for the rice price spike in Japan include reduced rice production due to abnormal weather such as heatwaves, panic buying caused by earthquakes, and increased demand due to a rise in inbound tourists.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, the average retail price of 5kg of rice nationwide last month was 4,206 yen (approximately 42,000 won), more than double the price from a year ago. This is the highest price since the ministry began compiling related statistics in March 2022.

In response, the Japanese government has prepared additional measures to control rice prices. On the 9th, Taku Eto, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, announced, "We will conduct stockpile rice auctions every month until July," and stated that an additional 100,000 tons will be released in late June.