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When Yoshihiko Koyama ordered a fried dumplings set meal at a well-known Chinese chain restaurant in Tokyo in September he noticed something different — the price was a little higher than his previous visit.

Koyama was charged ¥710 instead of the ¥670 he usually paid for the set menu in a Hidakaya restaurant in the capital’s Okachimachi district, illustrating how eateries and restaurant chains such as Hiday Hidaka are passing on soaring material and energy costs to consumers.

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