Since washoku was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Japanese food culture has drawn attention from around the world.
The appeal of washoku does not stop at good taste.
Its essence is said to lie in making the most of seasonal ingredients and expressing the beauty of nature through tableware and presentation.
Moreover, cooking built on the umami of dashi is low in fat and healthy, which has earned it high praise overseas as well.
Yet even as washoku is praised worldwide, eating habits at home in Japan are changing rapidly.
Diets are becoming more Westernized, especially among younger people, and occasions for cooking traditional home dishes are said to keep declining.
Fewer households prepare New Year’s osechi dishes at home, and the bond between seasonal events and food is growing thinner.
Culture lives only when it is handed down in everyday life; simply preserving a record of it is not enough.
When it comes to passing washoku on, it is steady efforts, such as serving local dishes in school lunches and holding cooking classes in the community, that matter most.
To protect a culture we can be proud of before the world, shouldn’t we start by taking a fresh look at our own daily tables?
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