What comes to mind when you hear “algae”? A green layer in a pond, or seaweeds like kelp and wakame?
Now, algae are drawing attention as materials that could support future lifestyles. At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the Japan Pavilion features algae as one of its key themes. CHITOSE’s cross-industry initiative, MATSURI, is showcasing “ALGAL by MATSURI” — a window into the future, filled with fashion, cosmetics, food, and paints made from algae.
In this article, we will pull back the curtain on more “ALGAL by MATSURI” creations, with a focus on “Tsumugi of the Earth” *1, a staple food beloved by the Japanese people. TableMark unveils two innovative offerings: packed cooked rice in a green-hued container and a uniquely shaped rice ball resembling a single grain of rice, known as onigiri in Japanese cuisine.
*1 Tsumugi is a type of fabric traditionally woven from hand-spun threads. The name “Tsumugi of the Earth” evokes the slow, steady weaving together of earth and water — the land that nurtures rice and the water that supports algae — expressing the natural cycle that sustains our lives.
Both are yet-to-come products, designed with the dining of the future in mind. What is the meaning behind the somewhat unusual looks of these two visionary creations?
Featured in This Interview
Ms. Natsumi Murata
Household Products – Team Three, Marketing Dept, Strategic Planning Division, TableMark Co., Ltd.
Everyday Rice, Empowered by Algae
For this special occasion, the packed cooked rice container was made from the material kneaded with microalgae. The rice ball was designed to evoke the familiar look of wakame gohan (seaweed rice), featuring microalgae bits and wrapped in seaweed derived from microalgae. Spirulina, a microalga envisioned in this product, contains 60 types of nutrients, including proteins, plant pigments, minerals, dietary fiber, and vitamins. Because microalgae can be cultivated with minimal water and on land unsuitable for traditional agriculture, their production has a lower environmental impact compared to terrestrial crops or livestock, making microlagae a globally recognized ingredient of the future. Offering highly nutritious and sustainable ingredients in familiar forms is one of the key messages behind “Tsumugi of the Earth.”
Connecting Food and the Environment is TableMark’s Responsibility
In “Tsumugi of the Earth” is a reflection of TableMark’s long-standing commitment to environmental mindfulness and its dedication to connecting society through food. Starting from the core products such as frozen noodles and packed cooked rice, all TableMark products are cultivated in fertile soil, enriched with the blessings of the Earth. For them, global issues such as climate change and resource depletion are not distant concerns.
The ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact are also reflected in the branded cooked rice series, where packaging is made from rice-derived plastic, emphasizing the harmony with nature. The continuation of these efforts is the current exhibition, “Tsumugi of the Earth”. The use of containers made with microalgae is an attempt to explore their potential as a resource of the future.
Thirty Years of Creating the “Ordinary” and Looking Forward
The inspiration for “Tsumugi of the Earth” comes from TableMark’s packed cooked rice, which makes its 30th anniversary this year. Originally launched with the vision of becoming the “rice for the 21st century,” the product was still unfamiliar to many at the time. Undeterred, the company set out to make packed cooked rice a staple on everyday dining tables. “A time might come when rice cookers are no longer needed.” With that vision, TableMark transformed what was seen as emergency food into a convenient option for daily meals.
Today, packaged rice has become an essential part of life for families without rice cookers and for people who want quick and easy meals in their busy lives. Why has it become such a beloved product? At the heart of this is a dedication to adapting and challenging to changing times and people’s lifestyles.
To ensure greater customer satisfaction, TableMark carries on countless behind-the-scenes improvements, such as enhancing taste and strengthening safety measures. Differences in texture, consistency, and taste – displaying such key information for each rice variety directly on the packaging of the branded rice series, is one such effort. Not only does it serve as a selection guide for customers, but also creates the simple joy of comparing flavors. Today it is Koshihikari, tomorrow it is Yumepirika *2 – having the freedom to choose rice to match your taste or mood is one of such daily pleasures.
*2 Koshihikari and Yumepirika are Japanese rice varieties, distinct in texture and flavor.
It is these efforts to enrich the everyday dining experience that have brought us to the packed cooked rice we have today. TableMark’s purpose—“Bringing joy to meals and fun to the table”—comes to life in each and every one of these ongoing efforts. Packed cooked rice has evolved from emergency food to an everyday staple, and now into a food culture that brings enjoyment. “Tsumugi of the Earth” is the next step in this 30-year journey, proposed as the “new normal” of the future.
For a Future Filled with Happiness and Joy
“Tsumugi of the Earth” is an exhibition born from TableMark’s search for the “new normal,” building on their legacy of transforming packed cooked rice into “our current normal”. As lifestyles and values shift with the times, the question is: how do we protect and cultivate the richness of our food culture? That very mindset has come to life at the Expo, a place that embodies the future.
“Rather than choosing something just because it is eco-friendly, I hope for a future where we simply enjoy good food, and it just so happens to be good to the environment.”
Ms. Murata’s words reflect an aspiration for a future where the richness of everyday meals and care for the environment naturally go hand in hand. It is a future where caring for the environment is not a “special effort,” but simply part of the everyday joy of eating. This vision aligns closely with the kind of society MATSURI aims to create.
“Tsumugi of the Earth” is woven from 30 years of experience walking alongside everyday Japanese meals., and a forward-looking vision for the future. It is up to each one of us, standing in front of this exhibit, to help shape what becomes the new ordinary. So, what does the dining table of your ideal future look like?
Written by Mizuho Suzuki, Natsuho Konno / Translated by Tanya Topolian
