Japanese media reported that Japanese tourists visiting Korea are buying rice at large supermarkets. This is because rice prices in Korea are less than half of those in Japan, where prices have surged without any signs of returning to previous levels. However, to bring rice, an agricultural product, back to Japan, tourists must go through quarantine at the airport.
Japanese ANN reported on the 15th that "Less than half price? Japanese tourists buying rice in Korea amid rising rice prices." The broadcast introduced a scene at a large supermarket in Seoul, where rice was sold for 29,900 won for 10 kg, stating, "That’s about 3,000 yen. It’s less than half the price in Japan." It also reported that the Japanese rice variety Koshihikari is cultivated in Korea and displayed at large supermarkets.
One middle-aged Japanese woman, after browsing the rice section with a shopping cart, said, "This is the price before it rose in Japan. I was thinking of buying some, so I contacted my family." Another two middle-aged female tourists remarked, "3,000 yen for 10 kg is cheap. We always buy rice in 2 kg packages at home, and at 1,780 yen, that’s half the price in Japan. We plan to buy some here in Korea and take it back," as they added the vacuum-packed rice to their basket.
ANN noted, "In addition to the inconvenience of dealing with larger luggage when returning with rice, quarantine must be completed." However, it cited a representative from a large supermarket as saying that since the beginning of this month, there has been an increase in Japanese tourists buying rice.
On a blog from Japan, a Japanese person identified as a middle-aged housewife named A shared her experience of buying rice during her trip to Korea on the 6th. A mentioned that after traveling to Cebu, Philippines, she bought 4 kg of white rice and 5 kg of brown rice while passing through Korea. A stated, "My mission in Seoul was to buy rice to bring back," and added, "The rice prices in Japan are too high, so I decided to buy some since I was in Korea."
To bring rice purchased overseas into Japan, quarantine procedures must be followed. A stated, "I had to declare the rice at both airports when leaving Korea and returning to Japan," and mentioned that "there was a sample form available, so it was not difficult to fill out."
Once the export phytosanitary certificate received from the quarantine officer is submitted at the quarantine counter at the Japanese airport, the rice can be brought in. A said, "The quarantine process took 30 minutes," adding, "I felt it was like muscle training because the rice was heavy."
Many posts from Japanese tourists buying rice in Korea were also shared on social media X (formerly Twitter). One user who brought back rice said, "I never expected to buy rice overseas and bring it back," while another wrote, "My wife bought 20 kg of Koshihikari rice while returning from her visit to her family in Korea."
NHK reported on the 14th that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries investigated 1,000 supermarkets nationwide from the 31st of last month to the 6th of this month and found that the average price of 5 kg of rice, including tax, is 4,214 yen (about 42,000 won). This marks a rise for the 14th consecutive week. A year ago, the price was slightly above 2,000 yen. Although the Japanese government began releasing stockpiled rice at the end of last month, it has not been able to lower rice prices.