News Details

Matsuya Foods Pioneers Water-Saving Rice for Sustainable Beef Bowls

NPO

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July 25, 2025

TOKYO — Matsuya Foods Holdings, the company behind Japan's popular gyudon beef bowls, is embarking on an ambitious pilot project to cultivate water-saving rice using dry direct-seeding techniques—an innovative method that forgoes the traditional flooding of rice paddies.

Faced with increasingly erratic weather patterns and rising rice prices, Matsuya aims to secure a stable, high-quality rice supply while slashing procurement costs by up to 50%. The company plans to introduce the eco-friendly rice into its restaurants as early as 2026.

To bring this initiative to life, Matsuya is collaborating with agritech startup Newgreen and Fuyo General Lease. In March, the partners planted rice seeds over two hectares of farmland in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. The expected harvest in October could yield 8 to 10 metric tons—enough to serve up to 72,000 gyudon bowls.

If the pilot proves successful, Matsuya intends to begin cultivating its own rice on 12 hectares next year, with plans to scale to 100 hectares by 2031. This would yield around 540 tons of rice annually—enough for nearly 4 million beef bowl servings.

The dry direct-seeding method significantly reduces water consumption by utilizing mycorrhizal fungi, which enhance plants’ ability to absorb moisture. This eliminates the need for planting machinery, water management, and seedling greenhouses, cutting operational labor by 70% and startup costs by 60%.

Until now, Matsuya has relied on wholesalers for domestic rice and has recently started blending local and imported rice to manage cost surges. The company is exploring annual contracts and offering its water-efficient method to farmers under license—potentially revitalizing idle farmland left by aging agricultural workers.

The move reflects a broader trend in Japan’s beef bowl market. Zensho Holdings, operator of Sukiya, already sources 100% of its rice domestically through its subsidiary, while Yoshinoya Holdings manages a 50-hectare rice farm in Fukushima and is expanding farmer contracts via its agribusiness arm.

Despite food service providers accounting for nearly 30% of Japan’s rice demand, they represent only 1% of advance rice contracts, according to the agriculture ministry. Most farmers prefer selling to the household market, where returns are higher. Matsuya’s entry into rice cultivation signals a possible shift in this imbalance—providing restaurants with more control and farmers with stable, long-term buyers.

NPO News Team!

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