Hesitating at "Minimum Two Orders"... Japanese Travelers Memorize "I Am Alone" [Is Solo Okay?] ①

Korea Enters the Era of 8.04 Million Single-Person Households
How Far Have Perceptions and Services Come?
Japan Surpasses 18 Million "I Live Alone" Households
From Research to Public-Private Collaboration

Editor's NoteWe are now in the era of 8 million single-person households. The proportion of single-person households in Korea stands at 36% of all households, higher than Japan's 34%. However, there is widespread sentiment that services for people living alone are still lacking. How should we prepare for this change? By looking at the diverse services offered in Japan, a neighboring country that has long been preparing for the rise of single-person households, we aim to explore what Korea has yet to attempt.

"Gamjatang can only be ordered for two or more people, so if you want it, choose the pork back-bone soup instead."

"There are many places like Chinese restaurants, snack bars, and university areas where eating alone is possible, so target those."

These are examples of "tips for traveling alone in Korea" that are circulating on Japanese online media and social networking services (SNS). Japanese instructors teaching Korean mention the phrase "혼자예요 (Honjaeyo)" as a useful real-life expression in Korea. In Korea, there is a tendency for solo dining ("honbap") and solo drinking ("honsul") to be considered taboo. It can be difficult to order just one serving of dishes like army stew, grilled pork belly, or spicy stir-fried chicken,so it is important to clearly state that you are alone when entering a restaurant.

Korea's "I Live Alone" Population Surpasses 8 Million...Japan Has Over Twice as Many at 19 Million

A Korean travel agency targeting Japanese customers introduces the Korean travel phrase "혼자예요" (I am alone). Konest.

The increasing proportion of single-person households, driven by low birth rates and an aging population, is a phenomenon shared by both Korea and Japan. According to "Single-Person Households in 2025: A Statistical Overview," released by the National Data Agency on December 9, the number of single-person households in Korea stands at 8.04 million, accounting for 36.1% of all households. In Japan, the 2024 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's National Survey on Basic Living Conditions found that the proportion of single-person households is 34.6%. Back in 2019, the proportions were 30.2% for Korea and 26.9% for Japan.

While Korea has just surpassed 8 million single-person households, Japan has more than twice as many, with around 19 million people living alone. As of 2023, there were 18,995,000 single-person households in Japan, and 46% of them-nearly half-are seniors aged 65 or older. The issues single-person households must address now extend beyond eating or drinking alone to include funerals, inheritance, and more. Moreover, the number of single-person households in Japan continues to rise, and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects that the proportion will reach 44.3% by 2050.

Despite this, the average monthly consumption expenditure for single-person households in Korea and Japan is similar-1.69 million won in Korea and 169,000 yen (approximately 1.56 million won) in Japan. However, the ways of living alone and perceptions about it are completely different. According to a "National Perception Survey on Happiness" conducted by McDonald's Korea and Gallup Korea among 1,034 adults nationwide, 70% of Korean respondents said they preferred eating with others over eating alone.

In contrast, a survey conducted last year by Japanese market research firm Cross Marketing among 2,500 men and women aged 20 to 69 found that 42% answered "no" to the question, "Have you ever felt there was a barrier to eating alone?" The menus that people were most reluctant to eat alone were "yakiniku," "hot pot or shabu-shabu," and "buffet," but even these categories saw a 4-6 percentage point decrease in reluctance compared to the previous survey in 2022.

When asked, "What image comes to mind when you think of someone eating alone?" the most common response in Japan was "no particular image" (45%), followed by "I envy their freedom" (22%). Only 10% had a negative image. Cross Marketing interpreted this as "a general decline in reluctance or barriers to eating alone."

Earlier Than Korea...Expansion of Products and Services Targeting Single-Person Households

The development of customized services in Japan to make life easier for single-person households has contributed to these differences in perception. Across Japan's B2C (business-to-consumer) market, restaurant franchises with single-seat tables are steadily increasing, and there is a clear trend of reducing bulk products in favor of small packages and smaller portions as the standard. Even in the home appliance market, small-capacity refrigerators under 200 liters have the highest market share.

There are also ongoing efforts to analyze single-person households not just as consumers but as a unique lifestyle. Japanese real estate company Able operates a separate "Hitorigurashi Kenkyusho (Solo Living Research Institute)" dedicated to studying single-person households, regularly researching and analyzing changes in their lifestyles across housing, consumption, and leisure.

Public-private cooperation is also active. Last October, Japanese think tank Japan Research Institute established a research group on "lifetime organization services" for elderly single-person households, with participation and collaboration from multiple companies. The related market is estimated at 1 trillion yen (about 9.24 trillion won).

Japanese media predict that the single-person household market will become a blue ocean in the future. Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) explained, "With the increase in single-person households, demand for related services is surging, creating many opportunities for private businesses to participate."