As Japan faces its hottest summer in history, a sharp decline in the catch of sea urchin in the country¡¯s north has placed the spiny delicacy further beyond 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 ¡ª renowned for its rich sweetness ¡ª at a record ?15,000 to ?18,000 ($100 to $120), roughly double its price several years ago.
¡°Everyone is shocked when they see the price,¡± said Kimiko Sato, owner of the Sato Shokudo restaurant, across from Rishiri¡¯s Oshidomari ferry terminal, which her family has run for more than 50 years.
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