Matsuya Launches Its 18-Year-Running Autumn Classic 'Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso' Today at 10 AM

At 10 a.m. on September 8, Matsuya launched the autumn classic “Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal” (880 yen, tax included) at Matsuya locations nationwide, with a few exceptions. The same day, a push notification from the official Matsuya app also announced the launch with the line “It’s back again this year‼️” Marking its 18th autumn since debuting in 2008, the dish has now been announced four times — following the official news post on September 3, the official X post on September 4, and a campaign announcement on the morning of launch day.

The Phrase the Notification Chose: “You Won’t Be Able to Stop Eating Rice”

The app notification’s title read, “From 10 a.m. on Tue, 9/8 – You Won’t Be Able to Stop Eating Rice‼️ Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso🍆,” while the body read, “It’s back again this year‼️ Pork and eggplant tossed in spicy miso — Matsuya’s autumn classic🍚✨”

The official news post repeatedly emphasizes how well the dish goes with rice, describing the sauce as “a spicy miso sauce that makes the rice go down easily” and “a rich, spicy miso sauce that pairs perfectly with rice.” The notification’s title, “You won’t be able to stop eating rice,” appears to be a colloquial rewrite of that phrasing. The opening line of the notification body, “It’s back again this year,” likewise appears to be a simplified version of the news post’s “Matsuya’s classic menu item returns again this year” and “makes its appearance again this year.”

The phrase “pork and eggplant tossed in spicy miso” condenses the news post’s “combined with pork loin and onion” and “given a fragrant finish with spicy miso sauce”; in the notification, the cut of meat is simply called “pork” rather than “pork loin.” “Autumn classic” is likewise a shortened version of the news post’s “autumn tradition” and “a classic menu item every autumn.” While the news post’s body text uses no emoji at all, the notification adds exclamation marks and emoji — ‼️🍆🍚✨ — using the eggplant (🍆) and rice (🍚) emoji to fill in for words within its limited character count.

Entering Its 18th Autumn, Back to Pork Loin from Last Year’s “Thick Pork Boneless Short Rib”

“Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso” first appeared in September 2008. Matsuya’s official news posts have repeatedly framed its return with the word “comeback” over the years — “It’s making a comeback” (2022) and “A hidden fan favorite that has made repeated comebacks in the 15 years since its 2008 debut” (2023). This year’s news post likewise foregrounds that history, stating that “since its 2008 debut, it has been beloved as a classic autumn menu item for 18 years.”

The tax-included set meal prices recorded in past launch announcements are as follows.

Year	Product Name	Set Meal Price
2022	Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal	750 yen
2023	Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal	750 yen
2024	Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal	830 yen
2025	Stir-fried Thick Pork Boneless Short Rib and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal	980 yen
2026	Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso Set Meal	880 yen

In 2024, a “bowl” version (730 yen) with the topping served over rice was added for the first time. The following year, 2025, the meat was switched to “Thick Pork Boneless Short Rib,” green peppers were added, and the product was renamed entirely to “Stir-fried Thick Pork Boneless Short Rib and Eggplant with Spicy Miso,” with the price rising to 980 yen. This year, 2026, Matsuya has switched back to pork loin, restored the name to “Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso,” and launched it at 880 yen — 100 yen less than last year.

This year’s lineup includes the Set Meal at 880 yen and its Double-size version at 1,370 yen, along with “Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso” at 780 yen, its Double-size version at 1,270 yen, and the Only option at 780 yen. All prices are tax included, and takeout is available (miso soup costs extra for takeout orders). Shareholder benefit vouchers can be used for the Set Meal, “Stir-fried Pork and Eggplant with Spicy Miso,” and the Only option, but not for the Double-size versions.

To celebrate the launch, Matsuya has also announced a Follow & Repost Campaign offering a chance to win 1,000 Matsuya Points (entries close September 14).