"I Thought It Was Just Gimbap" ... Shocked by the 93,000-Won Price, the Japanese Cash Cow Ehomaki Generating 680 Billion Won

Economic Impact Analysis of Japanese-Style Gimbap Ehomaki
Seasonal Food Enjoyed on Setsubun (February 3) Gains Popularity
Rising Prices and Changing Consumer Patterns Lead to Surging Sales

The economic impact related to the sale of Ehomaki for Setsubun (February 3) in Japan has been estimated at approximately 680 billion won.

Lopia Kuwana Sun City Store, a major Japanese discount supermarket chain. Lopia Sun City Store Instagram

On February 3 (local time), Japanese media outlet Yorozu reported, citing Katsuhiko Miyamoto, an honorary professor at Kansai University in Japan who is well known for his analyses of economic effects, that "the economic impact of Ehomaki sold for this year's Setsubun is estimated to be about 72,881,380,000 yen (approximately 680 billion won)."

Ehomaki is a seasonal food eaten on Setsubun in Japan, and its appearance is very similar to Korean Gimbap. However, the ingredients differ: while Gimbap uses relatively standardized fillings such as pickled radish, spinach, carrots, and eggs, the composition of ingredients in Ehomaki varies widely depending on the region and the retailer.

Ehomaki is being sold at Lopia's Nagoya store, a major discount supermarket chain in Japan. Lopia Nagoya Instagram

According to Professor Miyamoto's research, total sales of Ehomaki this year are expected to reach about 32,978,000,000 yen (3.071 billion won), higher than in 2025 (27,479,000,000 yen) and 2024 (31,655,000,000 yen). Based on these sales, the resulting economic impact is explained to be around 72.8 billion yen.

Professor Miyamoto cited continued price increases and changes in consumption patterns as the background for the rise in sales. He explained, "Consumer prices, especially for food, surged in 2024 and 2025, and this trend is likely to continue this year as well." He added, "As consumers show a stronger preference for premium products, high-priced Ehomaki are selling well, and the prices of Ehomaki themselves are rising every year."

In fact, Ehomaki made with ingredients such as gold-leaf seaweed, bluefin tuna, abalone, shark fin, snow crab, caviar, and Yonezawa Wagyu (premium beef from the Yonezawa region) can cost between 5,000 yen (46,000 won) and 10,000 yen (93,000 won) per roll. Despite these high prices, demand for premium Ehomaki is reportedly increasing.

Ehoma-ki. Shirogohan, a Japanese home-cooked meal website

In the same analysis, Professor Miyamoto estimated losses from Ehomaki discarded after sales at about 1,648,900,000 yen (15.4 billion won). This figure assumes a disposal rate of 5% or more for Ehomaki and calculates that a portion of the projected total sales of roughly 32,978,000,000 yen will not be sold and will instead be thrown away.

Through Kansai University, he stated, "It is astonishing that a single food item can generate this level of sales in just one day," but also emphasized, "Since the country is working to reduce food waste, it is necessary for society to cooperate in these efforts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.