Line Survey Shows Japanese Teenagers Most Likely to Eat Rice Almost Every Day

In a smartphone survey conducted by LY Corporation in early August, when users of the Line communication app were asked how many days a week they ate rice, 74% overall said that they did so “almost every day.” Despite much talk about a movement away from rice and diversification of food, it seems that rice actually remains an essential part of the Japanese diet.

Those in their teens most commonly ate rice “almost every day.” This is likely due to family members preparing children’s food at home and meals being provided at school. While similar results were seen for those in their twenties through sixties, it comes as some surprise that the largest percentage of those eating rice no more than three days a week were people in their sixties, at 14%.

When respondents were asked how they ate rice at home, at nearly 90%, the overwhelming majority stated they “make it in a rice cooker.” The wide variety of rice cookers that are available these days, including mini-sized ones perfect for people who live by themselves and multifunction cookers, means that almost every household has one. On the other hand, there was a small number, 5%, who “make it in an earthenware pot.”

The next most common way to eat rice at home was to “buy it in a bentō or onigiri (rice balls),” followed by “retort pouches” and “frozen food products.”

The percentage of women using a rice cooker was slightly higher, while men were more likely than women to buy bentō and onigiri, or eat retort pouch rice.

The survey was conducted in early August. Valid responses were received from 5,255 people.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)