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What is washoku, Japanese cuisine on Unesco heritage list? It depends who you ask

  • Unesco recognised washoku, literally ‘Japanese cuisine’, as Intangible Cultural Heritage 10 years ago, but its definition is unclear, and opinions differ
  • Does high-end Japanese food count? How about dishes with foreign roots, such as ramen and tempura? Either way, food remains one of Japan’s biggest exports

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Tonkatsu is one of the most popular Japanese foods. But does this deep-fried pork cutlet, an adaptation from Western cuisine, count as washoku, or Japanese cuisine? Photo: Russell Thomas

Of the many aspects of Japanese culture, from martial arts to manga, that have found themselves exported and beloved the world over, the country’s cuisine is perhaps the best known.

Japanese food is almost synonymous with high quality, healthy dining, with dishes and ingredients making their way onto menus globally, and not just in Japanese restaurants.

Furikake seasoning, panko breadcrumbs, kombu seaweed, dashi stock, miso, mushrooms marketed with Japanese names – it all presents an allure that is as beguiling as it is big business.

Such is the case in Hong Kong. The city imported 457,000 tonnes of food from Japan in 2022, with a total value of more than US$560 million; of this, imported fish from Japan were valued at US$136 million, helping to supply the 3,979 restaurants (as of July 2023) licensed to sell sashimi.

Sansada is one of Tokyo’s most famous tempura restaurants. Tempura can be considered washoku despite its foreign roots. Photo: Russell Thomas
Sansada is one of Tokyo’s most famous tempura restaurants. Tempura can be considered washoku despite its foreign roots. Photo: Russell Thomas

Restaurants continue to open, even if many existing businesses are bearing the brunt of a ban on the importation of seafood from 10 of Japan’s prefectures, which went into effect in August last year.

While sushi and ramen are totems of Japanese food worldwide, they form just two elements of the country’s domestic cuisine, which was inscribed just over a decade ago on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list as washoku.
Born and raised in the suburbs of London, Russell Thomas writes on topics as diverse as history, culture, travel, music and food. After working as a music news editor, he travelled extensively around East and Southeast Asia, and now lives in Tokyo. His work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, The Japan Times and The Fader. He is the founder of long-running music blog yesnomusic.
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