Matsuya's Official X Account Posts a Video Choosing the 'Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal' for Lunch on Launch Day

At 11:50 a.m. on September 29, Matsuya’s official X account (@matsuya_foods) posted a single video with the caption, “Lunch today is… settled — Matsuya’s Black Mapo!! (╹◡╹).” The video features the Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal, which went on sale that morning at 10 a.m. at Matsuya locations nationwide except for some stores, spotlighting it on the very afternoon of its launch day.

The video runs about 15 seconds. The first half opens with a close-up shot of the Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal served in a white bowl. Cubes of white tofu sink into a glossy black, thickened sauce, topped with translucent thread-like ingredients (apparently glass noodles) and green onion cut into thin strips at the center. A spoon scoops up the tofu along with the sauce, and the camera zooms in on the cross-section of the sauce-coated tofu. The text “Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal” stays displayed in the upper left throughout.

In the second half, the footage switches to a Matsuya promotional card. Over a photo of the finished black mapo tofu, the copy reads “The depth of douchi, tianmianjiang, and malajiang” and “This blackness is proof of richness,” followed by a “On sale from 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 29” notice and a photo of the full set meal to close out the video.

A 890-Yen Set Meal, with a Packet of Sansho Pepper

According to the promotional card, the Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal costs 890 yen. The set comes with rice, salad, and miso soup, plus a packet of sansho pepper that lets you add extra spiciness and numbing heat. Miso soup is not included with takeout orders. Details about the product itself — such as pricing, nutritional information, and the à la carte option — are covered in the article that reported on the nationwide launch earlier that same morning.

The Third Post on Launch Day, Overlapping with “Meat Day”

The official X account referenced the Black Mapo Tofu Set Meal repeatedly that day. At 7:20 a.m., it posted a morning greeting reading, “And today is also Meat Day (╹◡╹),” and at 10 a.m., timed with the launch, it announced a Follow & Repost Campaign offering a chance to win 1,000 Matsuya Points by lottery. After one unrelated post in between, it put out this video at 11:50 a.m. This makes it the third post that day to feature the same product.

The launch date, September 29, falls on “Meat Day,” observed on the 29th of every month. The release date of a mapo tofu dish built around beef’s umami thus coincides with the “Meat Day” the official account mentioned that morning.

In an Eating-Report Context, This Emoticon’s First Appearance in About a Month

The emoticon “(╹◡╹)” used to close out the post is the most frequently used staple expression on Matsuya’s official X account. In its most recent eating-report posts, however, a different emoticon, “( ¯꒳¯ ),” had appeared consistently from late August through mid-September. This is the first time “(╹◡╹)” has appeared in an eating-related context since the Pork & Kimchi Set Meal post on August 25. Opening with a pause marked by “…” before closing with an emoticon is a construction that recurs often on the official account.