We have gotten to the point where customers will stand in line outside our shop for up to eight hours just to eat our onigiri.

Many people even foreigners line up in front of onigiri but they won't do that natto.

8 hours for an onigiri! This lining up to get something hot and popular is something I cannot understand. Is it really worth that much time? I will line up for 15-30 minutes, but anything longer, I'm out of there.

Lining up because the food tastes great, ok.

Lining up to save money, now do the calculations (income per hour - amount saved per hour), profit or loss ?

Line up for a ¥500 onigiri.

You can make over 800 onigiris in 8 hours!

I understand the promotional value of bragging about people lining up for hours to buy your product, but in Japan this is in no way guarantee of the product being of quality, after all people just love to line up for popular things even if they are not particularly good. Lots of people line up just so they can post a picture of the good or service in social media, and some just to post that they had to line up for hours.

8 hours for an onigiri? Are there really people who are that stupid?

Lots of people line up just so they can post a picture of the good or service in social media, and some just to post that they had to line up for hours."

Exactly this. Bragging rights.

Pretty good report here. Bongo is shown second. The first shop forms balls a dispenser and a folding machine. Later in the report Bongo is shown making them with a mold, suggesting anyone can do it. One of the customers' comments is "they are lovely and warm", which is better than Lawsons but not a high hurdle to clear. Personally I think half the problem will be people scrimping on onigiri they make at home, insufficient and too cheap fillings, cheap seaweed etc, due to preconceptions about what onigiri are. You will probably also have to add more salt than Western doctors say is healthy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpxpuVPCKDg

how many of those lining up are sakura?

the age old marketing method. even apple hires them to line up when a new product drops.

You couldn't pay me to queue 8 hours for a ball of rice wrapped in seaweed that is gone in 2 bites. I have better things to do with my life.

A new survey from the New Consumer and Coefficient Capital finds that 60% of Gen Z Americans have stood in line for 30 minutes or more, over the past year, to eat a specific food or at a specific restaurant.

The people near the front of the lone feel envied, and important thing for Gen Z.

92% said it was worth it an increased the “experience.”

how many of those lining up are sakura?

the age old marketing method. even apple hires them to line up when a new product drops.

That's true. I almost forgot about that. I was paid once to be a "sakura" for a new food product to attract locals. The payment was just enough like an "otsukaresama" payment. It was a great experience for me.