As Japan faces its hottest summer in history, a sharp decline in the catch of sea urchin in the country’s north has made the spiny delicacy further out of reach for many consumers already strained by high food costs. On Hokkaido’s Rishiri Island, restaurants offer a rice bowl with 100 grams of bafun sea urchin — renowned for its rich sweetness — at a record ¥15,000–¥18,000 ($100–$120), roughly double what it was several years ago.

$120 urchin rice bowl? Food prices soar amid warming seas in Japan. (2025, August 27). BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.