VOA新闻杂志2022--日本著名小吃价格40年来首次上涨

Price of Famous Japanese Snack Goes Up for First Time in 40 Years

The cost of a well-loved snack in Japan is increasing for the first time in over 40 years.

Umaibo corn puff¹ was introduced in Japan in 1979. Its name means "delicious stick." People have loved Umaibo for many years for its special crunch² and its 10-yen³ price. One Japanese yen is less than one U.S. cent – or one-hundredth of a dollar.

The maker⁴ of Umaibo, Yaokin Corp, is increasing the price to 12 yen. The snack's first-ever price increase will begin in April.

The price change is a reminder⁵ that Japan is feeling the effects of rising costs of raw materials and transportation. Prices of goods have been rising in many countries. But Japanese companies have so far avoided increasing prices out of fear of losing buyers.

Longtime fans of Umaibo are surprised and saddened by the cost change.

"Umaibo have been the same price for so long, so a 2-yen increase is a big deal," 59-year-old Noriko Eda told Reuters. "I was surprised."

Umaibo come in 15 flavors, or tastes, such as cheese, seasoned fish egg and creamy corn soup.

Around 700 million of the crunchy sticks are sold each year. The cost has stayed so low that even children can buy themselves Umaibo. For many Japanese, the snack reminds them of when they were young.

Takeshi Nemoto has been in charge of purchasing snacks at Tokyo snack shop Kawahara Shoten for many years. He said other snack manufacturers may also have to raise prices.

"There's nothing we can do," he said. "From the manufacturer's point of view they can't stay profitable anymore unless they raise the price."

Some fans of Umaibo saw the change as the end of an era.

"We're witnessing a turning point of history," rock musician Atsushi Osawa said on Twitter. His band, Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai, included the snack in a 2010 song. They sang about Umaibo's "miracle price."

The musician said, "The price has started to diverge⁶ from the lyrics⁷."

Words in This Story

snack -–n. a small amount or kind of food eaten between meals

delicious –adj. very tasty

crunch –n. the sound of something being crushed (often by the teeth)

point of view –n. a way of looking at or thinking about something

era –n. a period of time associated with an event or some thing

miracle –n. an unusual or wonderful event

1 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

2 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

3 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

6 diverge   

v.分叉，分歧，离题，使...岔开，使转向

参考例句：

• This is where our opinions diverge from each other.这就是我们意见产生分歧之处。
• Don't diverge in your speech.发言不要离题。

7 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。