Rice is cooked using fully automated cookers at a company in Yokohama.
A chef at a sushi shop in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward uses vinegared rice produced by an outside supplier.
More retailers, especially small and medium-size restaurants and supermarkets, are entrusting rice cooking to outside suppliers in an effort to cope with chronic manpower shortages.
Workers at a manufacturer in Yokohama make rice balls to be sold at a supermarket.
Because of the shortage of workers, some stores are forced to reduce opening hours or even close down their business. This could have a serious impact on rice consumption as well.
At the same time, outside suppliers’ quality of rice cooking is being tested, as the taste of rice counts in attracting customers at smaller stores more than at large chain stores.