Most of us who grew up in Japan have a favorite Umaibo flavor. The nostalgic cylindrical corn puff snack, found all over the country, is known for its flavor variety and affordability. In fact, after launching in 1979, Umaibo famously maintained a ¥10 per stick price for over 40 years, and caused significant outrage when it raised prices to ¥12 in 2022, then to ¥15 in 2024. If you felt betrayed by this price hike, brace yourself: Umaibo’s newest “Modern Art Flavor” retails at ¥100,000 per piece, bringing a whole new meaning to the word inflation.
Just kidding — the Umaibo is actually a conceptual art piece created by New York-based contemporary artist Tomokazu Matsuyama, who is currently holding his first large-scale solo exhibition in Tokyo until May 11 at Azabudai Hills Gallery. As a satellite project of the exhibition, Matsuyama is staging what he calls “Tribute+Collaboration” with various iconic Japanese brands across industries, including limited edition Issey Miyake clothing, BE@RBRICK figurines and, of course, exclusive Umaibo.
There are only 50 of these aristocratic Umaibo in existence, adding to their mystique and demand. At ¥100,000 — ¥110,000 with tax — the “Modern Art Flavor” Umaibo is 10,000 times the price of the ¥10 blueprint. The craziest part is that you can’t actually eat the Umaibo, as it is encased in a sealed acrylic box. During an interview on March 7, Matsuyama explained that he created the piece to make art more accessible to the public through the national snack.
© 2025 Tomokazu Matsuyama Studio, LLC.
About Tomokazu Matsuyama
Matsuyama, the man behind the most luxurious Umaibo of all time, is a globally renowned Japanese contemporary artist. Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1976, he moved to the United States in 2002 and is currently based at his studio in Brooklyn, New York. He focuses primarily on paintings, sculptures, installations and large-scale public works. Fusing facets of Japanese, Chinese and European paintings with pop culture elements, Matsuyama’s colorful compositions possess a modern, yet timeless sensibility.
Reactions to the Modern Art Flavor Umaibo
In a twist not unlike last year’s controversial $6.24 million purchase of the art piece “Comedian” (2019), a duct-taped banana by Maurizio Cattelan, Matsuyama’s Umaibo have all sold out. On March 8, the very first day of the exhibition, Azabudai Hills Gallery announced that all 50 pieces of the Umaibo “Modern Art Flavor” had been purchased. As the competition was so fierce, the gallery shifted to a lottery system, which meant only selected buyers could even attempt to purchase the Umaibo.
Online discourse around the topic has been varied, ranging from amusement to disbelief. One Japanese X User questioned, “is there caviar or truffle in it?” Yukiya Hagihara, who actually purchased one of the coveted Umaibo art pieces, speculated that it might not even have a flavor at all. While the Umaibo’s artistic value is up for debate, it certainly succeeded in creating a buzz, and in giving everyone the sudden urge to crunch on the humble snack.
