Inflation, Climate Raise Cost of Cabbage for Tokyo’s Tonkatsu Restaurants

Rising cabbage costs, fueled by climate change and inflation, are eating into the profitability of Japan's tonkatsu fried pork cutlet restaurants.

Transcript

00:00Like many tonkatsu restaurants,

00:02Katsukichi in Tokyo once offered bowl upon bowl

00:05of free, sliced cabbage with their fatty,

00:07deep-fried pork cutlets.

00:20Cabbages, traditionally sliced and served raw,

00:23cooked in their fields this summer in Japan

00:25as the country endured its hottest season

00:27in recorded history.

00:29Climate change has driven up the price

00:30of key staples there, with recent inflation data

00:33showing a nearly 65% year-on-year increase

00:36in rice prices in December.

00:38Water shortages have also made lettuce,

00:40green onions, and daikon radish more expensive.

00:44I didn't expect this.

00:47I'd heard of wheat,

00:52but I'd never heard of cabbage.

00:57I'm surprised.

00:58Meanwhile, bird flu outbreaks have caused

01:00egg shortages, further pushing up costs.

01:03Adding to the pressure, a weak yen,

01:05labor shortages, and rising transport costs

01:08have created a perfect storm for Japanese restaurants.

01:11There's a lot going on right now.

01:18At first, I didn't really care,

01:20but now that there's so much going on,

01:24I'm starting to think it's a bit of an inflation.

01:29A record 894 restaurants in Japan

01:32filed for bankruptcy last year.

01:34And with everything from the cost of bread

01:36to beer and noodles expected to rise,

01:38many more are expected to fold in 2025.

01:42While Shinagawa Katsumi says his restaurant will persevere,

01:46he's planning to be far more parsimonious

01:48with his once abundant,

01:49yet suddenly very expensive cabbage.

01:52Kamishu and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.