Sales of sets for making traditional "nabe" stews have been rising fast with the sudden onset of cold weather, with some stores reporting close to a 50 percent increase in sales.
Brisk sales across Japan of sets for single-person meals apparently reflect changing lifestyles, such as the increase in the number of working wives and school-age children eating on their own before or after attending evening cram schools.
"What stands out is the rise in one-person sets -- which are popular because you can prepare them quickly, especially in households where family members take their meals separately," said a sales representative at Seiyu Ltd., a major supermarket chain.
Among the most popular are the stew sets combining cod, salmon, shrimp and vegetables in stock, or those with kimchee. The ingredients have been precut and prepared so that all one needs to do is to dump them into a pot and heat them up.
The stews are apparently popular for being high in nutritional content and for adding to body warmth.
"Sales have grown by 40 percent to 50 percent over last year, perhaps because of a sudden drop in temperature," said a sales representative at the supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co.
"On the weekends, familysize sets also sell well," the salesman said.
At Jusco Co., another supermarket chain, sales of stew sets with various ingredients have risen 30 percent, with those of special stews featuring blowfish and frogfish up 10 percent.