On May 25, Calbee will begin shipping some of its most popular potato chips in black-and-white packaging. The reason? Rising raw material costs connected to worsening conditions in the Middle East.
Why Are the Packages Changing?
According to the report, the current Middle East 情勢 (jousei, situation) has worsened. 情勢 is a word you’ll often see in Japanese news when discussing political or global developments.
With that instability, the price of ナフサ (naphtha) has seen a sharp 高騰 (koutou, soaring increase). Naphtha is a 主原料 (shugenryou, main raw material) used to make plastics and synthetic fibers. Since snack packaging relies heavily on plastic, the impact is now reaching everyday products.
Major snack manufacturer Calbee announced that three of its main products will switch to black-and-white packaging. Starting with shipments on May 25, products will be replaced 順次 (junji, sequentially/in order).
The flavors affected are:
- うすしお味 (usushio aji) – lightly salted flavor
- のりしお味 (norishio aji) – seaweed & salt flavor
- コンソメ味 (consommé aji) – consommé flavor
In this case, the writer experimented with the convenience-store-limited lightly salted version.
Using AI to Preview the Future
Rather than waiting for the official release, the writer used generative AI tool Gemini to turn existing package photos into black-and-white versions.
Many people on social media are already enjoying this kind of image processing using Gemini and ChatGPT. By giving a prompt (an instruction to the AI), the writer transformed the colorful packaging into monochrome designs.
There was a slight 違和感 (iwakan, sense that something feels off), likely because the image was AI-generated. Still, once the real black-and-white versions are released, this could become reality.
One funny detail? When Gemini recreated the image, the white-and-black “DOMDOM” logo on the writer’s T-shirt somehow turned red. Even AI makes unexpected design choices!
Do Japanese-Language Names Suit Black and White Better?
Looking at the results, the writer began to wonder: do products with katakana names look less natural in black and white compared to products written in hiragana or kanji?
So he bought two other Calbee snacks to test:
- かっぱえびせん (kappa ebisen)
- 堅あげポテト (kataage potato)
かっぱえびせん in Black and White
Normally, かっぱえびせん is associated with a strong red color inspired by shrimp (えび). But in black and white, the design emphasized a more traditional Japanese feeling—what many would call a stronger “和” (Japanese-style) impression.
堅あげポテト in Black and White
For 堅あげポテト, the kanji 堅 (katai, firm/hard) seemed to stand out even more in monochrome. The bold character was visually 引き立つ (hikitatsu, enhanced; made to stand out) by the simple color scheme.
The writer felt both products actually suited black and white quite well.
More Changes Might Come
The effects of rising naphtha prices may continue to spread. In Japanese, this kind of possibility is often expressed with 〜かもしれない (kamoshirenai, might/may).
At the same time, this unexpected situation could become an opportunity for 見慣れた (minareta, familiar) products to be reborn with a fresh look.
Still, the writer expresses hope that the Middle East situation will stabilize soon.
Cultural Context: Packaging in Japan
In Japan, snack packaging is an important part of brand identity. Bright colors and bold designs help products stand out in crowded convenience store shelves. A sudden shift to black-and-white packaging is visually striking—almost artistic.
There’s also an interesting linguistic angle. Products written in hiragana and kanji often feel more traditionally Japanese, while katakana names (like ポテトチップス or コンソメ) tend to signal Western influence. Seeing these different scripts in monochrome changes the emotional impression.
If you're working on reading Japanese packaging, being able to distinguish hiragana, katakana, and kanji is essential.
Learn Japanese from This Article
Key Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 情勢 | jousei | situation; state of affairs |
| 高騰 | koutou | sharp rise; soaring (prices) |
| 主原料 | shugenryou | main raw material |
| 順次 | junji | sequentially; in order |
| 違和感 | iwakan | sense of discomfort; something feels off |
| 引き立つ | hikitatsu | to stand out; to be enhanced |
| 見慣れた | minareta | familiar; used to seeing |
Grammar Spotlight 1: 〜に伴い
Structure: Noun + に伴い
Meaning: as; accompanied by; due to (formal, common in news)
Example from the article context:
- 中東の情勢の悪化に伴い、ナフサが高騰している。 Chuutou no jousei no akka ni tomonai, nafusa ga koutou shite iru. As the situation in the Middle East worsens, naphtha prices are soaring.
This expression sounds formal and is frequently used in news reports and official announcements.
Grammar Spotlight 2: 〜かもしれない
Structure: Plain form + かもしれない
Meaning: might; may; possibly
Examples:
影響はさらに広がるかもしれない。 Eikyou wa sara ni hirogaru kamoshirenai. The impact may spread further.
白黒パッケージが意外に人気になるかもしれない。 Shirokuro pakkeeji ga igai ni ninki ni naru kamoshirenai. The black-and-white packaging might become surprisingly popular.
This is an essential everyday grammar pattern for expressing uncertainty.
Useful Expression
- 白黒にする (shirokuro ni suru) – to make something black and white
- 発売される (hatsubai sareru) – to be released (product)
- 似合う (niau) – to suit; to look good on
Example:
- このデザインは白黒がよく似合う。 Kono dezain wa shirokuro ga yoku niau. This design really suits black and white.
Continue Learning
📚 Working on your reading skills? Our Hiragana Basics: Starting Japanese Writing Natively lesson is a great next step.
📚 Want to understand the verb forms used here? Check out Nai Form: Negating Without Auxiliary Words.
📚 Working on your reading skills? Our Katakana Essentials: Adapting Global Words to Japanese lesson is a great next step.
これからもよろしくお願いします。 Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.