Japan's rice crisis

After a poor harvest in 2023, Japan is struggling with rice shortages and the cost of rice has almost doubled in the last year. The government says it's going to tap into its emergency stockpile to get rice back on the shelves. Things are so serious that the agriculture minister had to resign after joking that he never has to buy rice because his supporters give him "plenty" of it as gifts.

So how are the Japanese coping with rising prices of their beloved staple? Tsutomu and Mai share their experiences. Mai, a mother of four boys, says she has started mixing barley with rice.

(Photo: Mai's son Haruto. Credit: Mai Kuwazuru)