Emmett Duffy, Marketing Fellow Japan, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
Most people with a basic knowledge of working life in Japan have heard of the ubiquitous salaryman. Rising early in a white shirt and dark suit, he takes a long commute, spending an even longer day at the office before the requisite after work drinks before the last train home before doing it all again tomorrow. Thankfully, Japan is finally beginning to combat overtime, with Japanese employers putting more pressure on employees to leave the office at a reasonable time. This, coupled with people taking more time for themselves and their families mean that more Japanese are spending more time at home and consumption is changing because of this.
This, coupled with a rising number of single person and dual-working households as well as the rapidly-ageing population, we’re seeing growing demand for convenient options either in the form of home delivery or takeaways. These are often in the form of a home real replacement from one of the major convenience stores who are constantly innovating in their offerings in terms of taste and healthy options; lower calories, more vegetables.
Drinking at home is usually in the form of an alcoholic RTD (Ready-to-drink) which is often a fruit-flavoured, sparkling vodka mix or a whisky and soda. Producers are taking note and Suntory have just rolled out their newest campaign for Jim Beam encouraging home consumption with a homemade whisky soda highball despite it also coming in RTD cans. This is likely to shift younger people away from RTDs and towards buying bottles of spirits as most Japanese will stick to RTDs into their 30s. In the home alcohol is often consumed to help relax or indulge and is often taken alongside some speciality snacks such as prepacked bite-sized cheeses.
Convenience is the most important word for food and drink in Japan now and will be for the foreseeable future. For more information and inspiration regarding convenience, visit the Bord Bia Fuller Lives webpage: https://www.bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie/trends/fuller-lives/
Sources:
Spirits Japan Domestic Volume Report, International Wine and Spirits Report 2019
Consumer Foodservice in Japan, Euromonitor Passport 2019
Japan HRI Food Service Sector Report 2017, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Gain Report 2017