Nearly identical Umaibo snacks cost 15 yen each.

One of the nice things about living in Japan is that there are a handful of snack foods that seem to do everything in their power to keep prices low. Garigari-kun ice candies and Black Thunder chocolates are two famous examples, but arguably the most cost-effective snack to date remains Umaibo.

Umaibo are sticks made of the same puffed corn material used in snacks known as “cheesies” or “cheese puffs” in other parts of the world. They’re available in a wide range of surprisingly accurate flavors like Cheese, Corn Potage, Cow Tongue, Octopus Balls, and many more. But their biggest claim to fame is that since their release in 1979, their price has only risen from 10 yen to 15 yen (US$0.10).

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But very soon, a limited run of Umaibo is coming that will blow the previous price increases out of the water. Only 50 Umaibo Modern Art Flavor (Umaibo Gendai Bijutsu Aji) sticks are going to be sold with the staggering price tag of 110,000 yen (US$746) each, including tax.

As the name suggests, these Umaibo are works of art rather than your run-of-the-mill commodity. Their concept and package were created by Japanese-born, American-based artist Tomokazu Matsuyama, who sometimes incorporates pop art themes into his style which fuses classical with modern and Eastern with Western.

The question that’s probably on everyone’s minds at this point is probably what “Modern Art Flavor” tastes like. To put it simply, the Umaibo inside the package is exactly the same as the ones normally sold for 15 yen because the entire piece is based on the question of whether art alone can be used to enhance the value of an already widely loved product.

Unfortunately, that still doesn’t answer what the things taste like. As mentioned, Umaibo come in a vast array of flavors, so what would the “standard” flavor used in these artworks be?

I just assumed it was Cheese, but that’s because I always associated those things with cheese puffs. On the other hand, Corn Potage is certainly a stalwart flavor, alongside Octopus Balls, Vegetable Salad, Spicy Cod Roe, and Sugar. The first released flavors were Tonkatsu Sauce and Salami, but new flavors were added so quickly afterward that hardly seems relevant to make either one the “main” flavor.

As we can see, this is clearly high-concept art that causes us to ponder many of life’s questions. Another such question would be if the buyer should eat the Umaibo inside. Considering this is conceptual art, the Umaibo itself is of little value. In fact, eating it may only add to the concept and the flavor-dust-encrusted wrapper left behind could continue to have artistic, and presumably monetary, value all its own.

The only way to find out is to buy an Umaibo Modern Art Flavor and see. However, if you’re one of the many people who don’t have 100,000 yen kicking around for a puffed corn snack, you can at least still appreciate it while it’s being exhibited at Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo from 8 March. It will be a part of Tomokazu’s First Last exhibition, along with some of his other colorful and vibrant works.

▼ Also on display will be Passage Immortalitas, which reimagines the biblical Annunciation as taking place in front of some leftover pizza, with a Hello Kitty pencil case and spilled bag of Lay’s potato chips off to the side.

But if you are a person of expensive tastes, these limited corn snacks can also be purchased through Azabudai Hills Gallery and will be sold online at a later date. Also, if you happen to need a high-grade protective case for it, we know just the place to get one!

Source: PR Times, Tomokazu Matsuyama, My Game News Flash
Images: PR Times (unless otherwise noted)
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