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I’m tempted to open those cans!
In Japan, the world of canned food offers a great deal of variety. You can find very sophisticated canned food on any supermarket’s shelves. |
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 Cans with photos of waitresses from Maid Café’s |
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Japan is one of the countries with the most varied selection of canned foodstuff. Years ago, eating canned food was synonymous of malnutrition and cans contained food that was preserved using thousands of additives and artificial colors. In other words, canned food was: emergency food.
But gastronomy has reinvented itself… and so has canned food. Its quality has improved noticeably, to the point that it has become a luxury good.
Not content to have elevated canned food to the category of gourmet, the Japanese demand something more: surprising and original ideas such as canned noodles or bread, manga or military packaging, limited editions...
The world of canned food in Japan is fascinating. If you try it you’ll like it!
Some famous canned food products
Oden-kan:
The first product to offer a different sort of canned food was Oden-kan (kan means can in Japanese). Oden is a typical Japanese dish eaten all winter long throughout the country. This product went on the market in 1980, but it didn’t become a hit until almost 10 years later, when a shop in Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood put it in one of its soft drink vending machines. The invention spread by word of mouth and, with television’s help, it became a famous food product everyone wanted to try.
Ramen-kan / Canned noodles:
Ramen is one of the most popular foods in Japan. This canned product was invented in 2007 by Mr.Yamada, owner of a noodle restaurant located in Akihabara. During an earthquake in 2004, Mr. Yamada gave victims warm noodles to eat. Many people were able to eat after the disaster thanks to him, and that was what gave him the idea of making noodles to go. But finding the right formula was not a simple task. Noodles are made of flour and they spoil if they’re left in liquid too long… After experimenting for a year and a half, he managed to produce noodles made of konnyaku, which absorb less liquid. It was a huge success, as was the fried version, which came out that summer.
Pan-kan / Canned bread:
Pan-kan is a famous bread because it’s very tasty, spongy, and comes in different flavors: chocolate, strawberry, green tea, and butter... In November 2007 a version of the cans with manga comics came out as a limited edition with only 1,000 cans, which were sold in vending machines in Akihabara. These cans were a hit among Otakus, who waited in long lines at the vending machines and begged for the product to be replenished when it ran out. No one wanted to be left without his can of bread with a manga comic label!
Milimeshi / Army food:
Toward the end of last year, a book published on the subject made army food very popular in Japan. The phenomenon was interesting because this product wasn’t sold at normal supermarkets… a limitation that turned this foodstuff into an exclusive dish, something all the more tempting. A company called “Mokku” took advantage of this opportunity and invented canned military food targeted at civilians.
The canned products are inspired by the food served to Japan’s self-defense armed forces. What did they do? They simply changed the label. They canned it and put out 3 different types of meals with the slogan: "Packed Meals For Grown Ups". Just heat them up in the microwave. Those who want to feel like real soldiers can follow the wartime instructions and warm it up in a saucepan with hot water. And the real freaks can eat it without warming it up first, that way they’ll enjoy a real war scene.
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