News Japan’s takoyaki stalls swap octopus for sausage, raise prices amid soaring costs

Rising costs in Japan have taken a toll on even beloved street foods like takoyaki—fried octopus balls—with many shops raising prices and some in the Tokyo area replacing octopus with alternative ingredients such as sausage. Others are experimenting with substitutes, such as kamaboko (fish paste) and konjac (a firm, jelly-like food made from the yam). Outside a shop called Horaiya near Machiya-ekimae Station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram line in Arakawa Ward, a sign now reads, "Does not contain octopus." Asked about the change, 77-year-old owner Masako Hasegawa explained, "Post-COVID price hikes have made it too expensive to keep using octopus."




Previously, the shop offered traditional takoyaki—complete with octopus—at ¥180 (about $1.25) for five pieces. However, in November 2023, Horaiya began substituting sausage for octopus. Since then, rising costs for wheat flour and other ingredients have prompted a further price increase to ¥200. Despite the switch, the sausage version—technically "sausage-yaki"—remains a satisfying treat, served hot and freshly cooked with cabbage, red pickled ginger, agetama (crunchy tempura bits), and dashi broth, all topped with a Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce.

The data for Tokyo's 23 special wards in the Retail Price Survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also shows that the average price of octopus was 277 yen per 100 grams in 2014, but by mid-May of this year, it had jumped to 528 yen -- almost double, and even pricier than tuna. Takoyaki shops are challenged in part by the difficulty of passing price hikes onto customers given the snack's reputation as affordable street food. At least one major nationwide takoyaki chain raised prices by about 8% late last year.

Click to expand...

That's interesting, because the octopus population has generally been increasing over the last few decades. The price of octopus itself shouldn't be spiking.

I wonder if he actually raised prices enough to keep serving it, if he'd really lose that many customers. Y200 is dirt cheap. Wouldn't people still keep buying it for even Y300?

Lothor said:

That's interesting, because the octopus population has generally been increasing over the last few decades. The price of octopus itself shouldn't be spiking.

Click to expand...

There was a single haul of common octopus here in Devon that was worth £147,000! It was a ghastly thing to see on our local news.

I have to say, I think the proposed farming of octopus should be outlawed due to their high intelligence and ability to suffer. They are as close to an alien intelligence as we have here on earth with their delocalised central nervous system (most of ours is in our head) a thus autonomy of their arms and embodied cognition. They are the only invertebrate that requires a Home Office licensing for experimentation with all it's strict requirements to reduce potential suffering and other precautions, just like vertebrates.

These books are worth reading if you're at all interested…