Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010

Courtesy of Sanyo

It would take a lot more space than we have here to pick apart the claim that Japan’s food self-sufficiency woes can be alleviated by… rice. So let’s not go there: let’s just salute the Gopan. Sanyo have always had their finger on the pulse when it comes to consumer electronics with a comforting aura of eco-awareness, but now they’ve really outdone themselves: this is the world’s first bread maker that can whip up a respectable loaf from a few cups of shiro gohan. Advance word is that the resulting product actually tastes half-decent, too. The Gopan can also do regular wheat loaves and noodle dough, making this the first bread maker that people in Japan might, y’know, actually buy.

¥49,800. Available at all major electronics stores. http://jp.sanyo.com/gopan