Japanese consumers turn to rice alternatives as prices rise

Soaring rice prices and increased consumer frugality are driving changes in dining habits of Japanese, including adding glutinous barley to rice and switching from rice to alternatives like bread and pasta.

There have also been moves to introduce foreign-grown rice, though it was unpopular at the time of the 1993 rice shortage.

Lawson introduced new varieties of Japanese rice balls onigiri using glutinous barley, a type of barley characterized by its sticky, chewy texture when cooked, accompanied by bonito flakes, salmon and tuna mayonnaise, at about 130 Natural Lawson stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area on April 23.