r/japan

Japan's fisheries agency said Tuesday it will launch the world's first sales to the public of eels hatched and fully raised on farms, at a time of global concern about depleted eel populations in the wild.

An online store run by major retailer Aeon Group will carry the product on a trial basis from May 29, charging around 5,000 yen ($31) apiece.

Most eels consumed in Japan are caught at sea early in their life cycle and raised at fish farms. But as the sustainability of wild stocks faces increasing pressure, efforts are underway to commercialize the production of eels using eggs taken from farmed eels.

Fish feed and personnel costs weighed heavily on the venture, but improvements through technological advances have helped reduce production costs drastically.

From a farming cost of roughly 40,000 yen per eel during fiscal 2016, the figure has dropped to about 1,800 yen today, according to the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency. The goal is now to reduce it to around 800 yen, as the current cost is still three to four times higher than farming naturally caught eels.

Amid concerns about the sustainability of eel populations, the government plans to shift the production method so that by 2050, all eels in distribution will be artificially hatched from eggs and raised at fish farms.

Japan’s convenience stores are so integrated into society that during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, they restored operations faster than much of the government disaster response.
Within 24 hours, 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart were distributing food, water, and emergency supplies across affected regions — not as charity, but through their normal logistics systems.
What’s fascinating is that Japan officially classifies konbini as “essential social infrastructure,” alongside roads and hospitals.
These stores don’t just sell snacks:
they handle banking services

government documents

tax forms

package logistics

bill payments

welfare monitoring for elderly residents

disaster response distribution

There are ~56,000 konbini in Japan, and their inventory systems predict demand using weather, local events, and historical consumption patterns.
A rice ball made at 6am can be on shelves by 8am and removed by 2pm purely due to freshness standards.
The entire system feels less like retail and more like a parallel operating system for society.
Honestly one of the most impressive infrastructure models I’ve ever researched.

I contacted Sakai Moving yesterday regarding moving my bed frame, computer table set, and 2-door refrigerator, but they quoted me ¥200,000. My furniture only costs around ¥50,000, so I feel the moving fee is too expensive.

Do you know any cheaper moving companies you can recommend?

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