Calbee - The Japan Times

Digital | ON: TECH May 19, 2019

by Chiho Komoriya

From keeping your touch screen free of potato-chip grease to using tap cards to gain access to exclusive online content, the smartphone keeps changing the way we go about life.

Business / Corporate | FOCUS Aug 27, 2018

Japan's star businessman who ignores his investors to make them rich

by Tom Redmond and Takako Taniguchi

When Akira Matsumoto speaks, investors hang on his every word. And here's what he tells them: You're less important than everyone else. The diminutive 71-year-old can get away with it because of his status in the Japanese business world, where he's known for his two ...

Food & Drink | KONBINI WATCH Jul 28, 2018

Calbee's edamame and cheese-flavored chips: Hardly unique, but good with a drink

by Patrick St. Michel

On their own, edamame already make for a solid snack, especially when paired with a glass of beer. But snack manufacturer Calbee sees opportunities to experiment everywhere. Its latest edamame and cheese-flavored chips attempt to elevate the humble soybean to another level; a new combination ...

Food & Drink | KONBINI WATCH Mar 3, 2018

Calbee gets beefy with Ikinari Steak flavored potato chips

by Patrick St. Michel

Japanese restaurant chain Ikinari Steak accomplished two big milestones this past month. First, they opened their fourth store in New York, a big step forward in plans to expand internationally. Perhaps more importantly though, they teamed with snack maker Calbee to produce their own ...

Business Jul 24, 2017

Japanese firms give telecommuting a try on designated day to ease rush hour congestion

by Daisuke Kikuchi

It’s Monday morning. You roll out of bed, grab a coffee, sit on the couch and you’re already at work. Sound good? Well, that’s how the government wants you to work.

National Jun 16, 2017

Calbee to resume three potato chip lines after mitigating spud shortage

Snack food maker Calbee Inc. said Thursday it will resume sales of three brands of potato chips it suspended in April because of a potato shortage. The brands set to resume Monday include its popular Pizza Potato chips and two other brands. The interruption was caused ...

National Apr 14, 2017

Spud shortage in Japan makes potato chips a hot commodity

by Shoko Oda

Demand for potato chips surged in Japan this week, with products on offer for six times their retail price online after snack maker Calbee Inc. halted the sale of some of its most popular chip brands. Calbee's pizza-flavored chips were selling for about ¥1,250 on ...

National Mar 17, 2017

Muji Shanghai shops cleared of unsafe food claims lodged by show

Shanghai government inspectors said they found no evidence to support a Chinese television show's claim that Muji retail stores in the city stocked food imported from areas of Japan allegedly contaminated by radiation. The CCTV show allegations dragged the chain's stock down Thursday in ...

Business / Corporate May 16, 2016

Time-pressed Japanese drop traditional breakfast in favor of granola

by Isabel Reynolds

Grilled fish, steamed rice and miso soup are disappearing from the nation's breakfast tables as more households opt for a less time-consuming way to start the day: granola. Sales of the oven-baked mix of grains, dried fruit and nuts, until recently a rarity on supermarket ...

Food & Drink | KONBINI WATCH Apr 22, 2016

'Black truffle' potato chips aren't as decadent as they claim to be

by Patrick St. Michel

A certain level of quality is expected when the words "black truffle" and "bistro" get thrown around — even if they appear on packets of chips in a convenience store. Calbee's Bistro Black Truffle Scented Beef flavored Poterich chips (¥152) promise a lot, but ...