Go Tokyo Your Experience
On a bone-chilling night, people often want to eat something to warm each other’s body and mind. Many Japanese people’s first choice is “tonjiru” – a hearty miso soup made with pork, miso, and various vegetables. It is said that this winter, “tonjiru” has sparked a huge trend across Japan. Not only have major restaurants begun to offer tonjiru, but this dish has even led to the booming development of numerous shops specializing in rice served with tonjiru sets. However, Japanese netizens remain skeptical of this emerging trend.
After all, in recent years, Japan has seen various trends of specialty shops, and many of these trends have gradually faded, leading to the closure of most specialty shops. So, can tonjiru specialty shops signify a new food culture, or is it just a flash in the pan? Next, let’s explore this together~~
Reports by Japanese media on “pork miso soup specialty shops”
Recently, Japan’s TBS television station produced a special report on “pork miso soup specialty shops,” exploring why more and more restaurants are starting to feature pork miso soup as their main product.
Some restaurants even specialize in serving rice with pork soup sets, successfully transforming into dedicated pork soup shops!
Various “pork soup set meals”
Expert analysis points out that there are two main reasons behind the mushrooming of pork soup specialty stores. First, making pork soup at home is fraught with difficulties; pork soup is usually considered a side dish, but it requires time-consuming preparation of various ingredients, along with the additional preparation of the main dish, which can be daunting.
Another reason is that there are no strict restrictions on the vegetables and miso required to make pork soup, allowing each family and store to create pork soup with different flavors, which easily enables the creation of a unique brand image.
Two main reasons for the increase in tonkotsu soup specialty stores: ① Making it at home is too complicated, it’s easier to eat out. ② It’s easy to create a personalized feature.
UberEats delivery personnel have also felt a significant increase in tonkotsu soup orders during winter.
Although reports suggest that pork soup specialty stores may evolve into a new culture, many Japanese netizens are pessimistic about it.
Reflecting on the various specialty store trends that were popular in Japan a few years ago, such as toast, rice balls, or bubble tea specialty shops, these were initially thought to become a new culture. However, as these trends faded, most shops either closed or transformed, leading one to inevitably question whether pork soup specialty stores will also be merely a flash in the pan…
The once-famous Japanese high-end toast brand “Nakamura” has recently been reported to be facing a wave of closures.
In a few more years, we will be able to see whose opinion is correct, won’t we?
