There is a fascinating front-page article in today's Wall Street Journal about
the passion for expensive (circa $1,000) rice cookers in Japan. A perfectly
functional cooker costs $10.
A quote follows:
"The latest rash of technology is a bit much for Mr. Nishijima, the rice expert.
"Just because you pay 70,000 yen [about $575] or 110,000 yen doesn't mean that
there's a drastic change in taste," says Mr. Nishijima, who adds that good rice
can be made with the simplest of rice cookers if it is to be eaten right away.
He thinks consumers might be too susceptible to hype. "It almost seems like
anything is OK as long as it's expensive," he says.
Toshiba's Ms. Saito says Mitsubishi's initial success was encouraging for the
entire industry. "We only put so much money into research and development if
rice cookers can't sell for more than 30,000 yen," or about $245, says
Ms. Saito, who believes there's still room for improvements. "But if we
know that consumers will pay 100,000 yen [$820], it changes the picture."
Sounds somewhat like the high end of the ham radio market, doesn't it!
Terry Zivney, N4TZ/9
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