Bye Buy Butter

Thirty-five years ago, it was toilet paper. Now, consumers and bakeries are hunting butter as Japan is suffering a butter shortage.

Supermarkets are limiting butter to one per customer. At OK Mart, Hokkaido butter brand was available, up 100 yen from it’s previous price of 199 yen. Buyers were allowed only one package of the precious gold.

Manufacturers are apologizing as usual.

Bakeries and restaurants have been having butter troubles since late 2007.

Falling butter production in Japan is due to a variety of factors since 2006, including government efforts to maintain prices for local milk farmers, dairy closures, a decline in milk consumption, excessive import tariffs, and worldwide grain-feed price rises.

French bakery chefs are concerned: “We’ve had to come up with some new items that use less butter, like cookies. But you’re talking about flavor. How can you replace butter?” says a pastry chef at a bakery in Tokyo. la times

Butt Shortage Not First

Japan went into “oil shock” in 1973 when Arab members of OPEC set policies that would quadruple the price of oil. Reports predicted a shortage of goods, including (more…)

Opposite Directions

Decreasing auto sales in Japan, combined with new laws targeting elderly drivers and other efforts to prevent pensioners from driving, are making it more difficult for auto manufacturers facing a different demographic future.

Newsweek reports automobile sales in Japan have been declining steadily over time. It says aside from minicars and luxury foreign brands, sales of all other types of vehicles are decreasing. Newsweek details a number of factors for the developing disinterest in car ownership.

A 2007 report by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association includes data about the vehicle preferences of people aged 50 years or older. According to the report, “a large number of respondents in this category said they wanted to curb car-purchasing and other car-related expenditures. However, among goods and services they wished to purchase with their retirement benefits, ‘automobiles’ ranked fourth among a total of 19 items.” The research also showed people are keeping their cars longer.

To counter the continuing sales decline in Japan, car makers have been improving marketing strategies. Toyota’s Gazoo website features “Drive Dates” hosted by cute female “idols”. Toyota also developed, built and operates the Tressa Automall near Yokohama.

Nissan’s Cube compact car brand has it’s own artists and music label. Nissan has a whole website of entertainment, including Kid’s Nissan and Nissan origami. Honda is targeting the youngsters with games online at Honda’s ToyTown, which includes popup paper-craft instructions.

License To Shop

Meanwhile, Tokyo city government has been working to get senior citizens to stop driving. Tocho is so concerned about the increasing number of automobile accidents caused by elderly drivers, it is offering incentives to persuade golden agers to quit driving. (more…)

Prisons Plan for Geriatric Perpetrators

Age: 80Gender:M Crime: punched, hurled souvenirs and sandwiches at shinkansen conductor

Age: 65Gender:M Crime: attacked son with hammer then accidentally stabbed himself and died

Age: 87Gender:M Crime: strangled 82-year-old bed-ridden wife

Age: 67Gender:F Crime: stabbed her 76-year-old husband in murder attempt

Age: 69Gender:M Crime: murdered, buried 74-year-old woman

LetsJapan has been tracking this trend. Now The Sydney Morning Herald reports on Japan’s “neo-geriatric” crime wave and prison preparations, and offers some theories about why senior citizens are trading their little houses for time in the big house.

related stories:
As Japan Ages, Prisons Adapt to Going Gray (New York Times); Japan’s Ageing Society (BBC) Tokyo Greying (Reuters) Slideshow - Japan’s Aging Prisoners, elderly inside prison in Japan (New York Times)
Illustration from graphic novel “Doing Time” by Kazuichi Hanawa

Will Chisato Kon, from Aomori-shi, be the next worldwide Voice of McDonald’s?

More than 3,600 McDonald’s crew and managers from 53 countries entered the Voice of McDonald’s II singing contest. The deadline was in Sept 2007.

The first prize winner receives a $25,000 prize, but no recording contract.

The finals will be held at McDonald’s Worldwide Convention in Orlando, FL, April 14-17, 2008.

McDonald’s Singing Contest for Restaurant Crew and Managers

Chisato Kon profile