Japan’s favourite puffed corn snack was just sold at auction for ¥1.15 million

Umaibo, Japan’s long-selling cylindrical corn puff snack – arguably the epitome of cheap dagashi treats – just fetched a staggering ¥1,150,000 at auction, turning the humble candy store staple into a high-art talking point.

You read that right – the tasteful (sorry) piece, titled ‘Umaibo: Contemporary Art Flavour’, was created by New York-based Japanese contemporary artist Tomokazu Matsuyama in collaboration with the snack’s maker Yaokin and first unveiled as part of his 2025 solo exhibition ‘Tomokazu Matsuyama: First Last’ at Azabudai Hills Gallery.

Originally released as a limited run of 50 sticks priced at a cool ¥100,000 each, Matsuyama’s work reimagines the ubiquitous hollowed-out snack as an item of high art. And as much as we wanted to taste the extra-special nibble when it was first unveiled, it was quick to sell out (and way too expensive).

Encased in a clear acrylic box with exclusive line art on the packaging, the piece challenges perceptions of value, consumer culture, and what everyday objects can mean when reframed as art.

Now that one has sold for over 10 times its original price, we’re thinking maybe we should have splurged on a contemporary-art-flavoured Umaibo back in 2025 after all.

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