Japan's casual restaurant chains are joining a growing list of businesses that are passing on fast-rising costs to customers. Starting this month, some of the biggest operators are bumping up the prices of popular meals.
The Marugame Seimen "udon" noodle chain is marking up its main dishes by up to 60 yen, or 44 cents, from Tuesday.
That includes a 50-yen increase for its popular Kamaage Udon offering, which represents a 17-percent jump. It's the first time ever that the company has raised the price of the dish.
The Denny's family restaurant chain will mark up 71 dishes, including desserts.
Prices for hamburger steaks will increase by as much as 44 cents, and for pasta dishes they'll go up by a maximum of 36 cents.
The Royal Host chain will raise the prices of 16 steak offerings by up to 19 percent from Wednesday.
And the Hidakaya Chinese restaurant chain has already raised the prices of most items by up to 36 cents each.