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SCMP’s Asia desk

A Japanese bento chain has apologised after its “no more rice” April Fool’s prank triggered public anger.
Takeaway rice bowl chain Hokka Hokka Tei admitted that it “showed a lack of consideration” by pretending it was not serving rice any more as an April Fool’s joke.
“We feel that we have upset everyone who regularly enjoys our freshly cooked rice,” it said in a social media post on Tuesday.
“Although the price of rice continues to rise, Hokka Hokka Tei will keep serving freshly cooked rice made from domestic rice at all of our stores. We hope that anyone who is worried can rest assured.”

The chain posted on its social media account on Tuesday midnight that it was terminating rice sales.
Following the post, the chain uploaded a “statement” from its headquarters director Kensuke Sato, saying that the decision was made because of rising rice prices in the country.
“As a substitute for rice, we would be grateful if you could purchase a side dish package,” it read.
Although the posts were accompanied by the “AprilFool’s” hashtag, many people expressed their anger and deemed the joke “not funny”.
Among them was Ryuji Sugasawa, a cooking influencer with a social media following of 2.8 million who was collaborating with the chain.
“April Fool’s Day is about heartwarming jokes that make you think, ‘That’s so stupid,’” he said on social media.
“Now that the rice shortage is a hot topic, there are people who will seriously misunderstand, so even if you [add the hashtag], it’s not funny.”

Rice prices in Japan have more than doubled in the past year, This Week in Asia earlier reported.
The burden on families is set to grow even heavier, with major food and drink manufacturers preparing to raise prices on over 4,000 products this month due to increased logistics, fuel and wage costs.
According to Hokka Hokka Tei, the joke was meant to serve as a prelude to promote its new fried noodle products, as reported by The Mainichi newspaper.
“We caused misunderstandings and made people uneasy,” a company representative said.
Last year, an April Fool’s prank went wrong in the Philippines after one man took it seriously.
Taragis Takoyaki, a Filipino food and drink chain, posted a picture on social media offering to pay whoever tattooed the company’s logo on their forehead 100,000 Philippine pesos (US$1,750) on April 1, 2024.
To see “further details” about the contest, online users were told to click the image. Those who clicked would have seen the enlarged image showing the words: “April Fools”.
A man, identified as online seller Ramil Albano, took the prank seriously and tattooed the logo on his forehead, claiming that he did not click into the image.
The brand initially refused to pay the sum, but the owner of the chain, Carlo Quion, eventually gifted Albano the cash after the challenger won sympathy from online users.


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Japan bento chain’s ‘no rice’ April Fool’s joke goes down the wrong way

A Japanese takeaway rice bowl chain has upset people with its April Fool’s joke saying it was not serving rice any more. Photo: Getty Images

Hokka Hokka Tei’s April’s Fool social media post announcing it was not selling rice any more. Photo: X/Hokka Hokka Tei

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The joke is ‘not funny’ and in bad taste, given how rice shortages are a big concern in Japan, its unhappy critics say


The joke is ‘not funny’ and in bad taste, given how rice shortages are a big concern in Japan, its unhappy critics say.


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