Hiyayakko is evolving. Traditionally a staple on summer dining tables, in recent years, as home drinking has spread, products with seasoning or sauce have increased, and demand as a snack has been growing. According to a private-sector survey, by usage category tofu is led by miso soup at around 40%, while hiyayakko also reaches about 30%, and that share is gradually rising. With summers getting longer, demand for eating it as-is without cooking is expanding. On the other hand, cooked uses such as mapo tofu remain in the single digits, leaving a market structure largely split between miso soup and hiyayakko.
Against this backdrop, companies are introducing flavorful products with distinctive tastes and strengthening their proposals for hiyayakko that consumers choose for its deliciousness.
Among major manufacturers, Takano Foods is again releasing its “Yawatoro Edamame Flavor Tofu” in a limited-time run this year. The company aims to capture snack and drinking-snack demand.
Sagamiya Shokuryo has added summer-oriented flavors to its “Otsumami Yakko” line with a dedicated sauce. It promotes the appeal of easily enjoying izakaya-style flavors such as the trendy “mala” at home.
Sato no Yuki Foods has launched “Dashitama Tofu.” It recreates the taste of tamago tofu without using eggs and adds the umami of dashi. It is also broadening ways to eat it through suggestions such as condiment pockets and toppings.
Seasonal change is also behind the trend. In autumn and winter, tofu is mainly used for hot pot dishes, but with longer summers, that season is shifting year by year, and the period that is neither “hiyayakko nor hot pot” is getting longer. For this reason, companies are trying to support year-round sales by strengthening hiyayakko.
Hiyayakko is now expanding beyond a side dish into use as a snack or a single-item dish. Because tofu is an ingredient that can become any kind of dish, its value is likely to expand further depending on how it is proposed.
