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December 2023 marked ten years since “Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year” was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, during this period the number of Japanese restaurants overseas almost tripled, growing from around 55,000 to 187,000 as part of a worldwide boom in popularity. While over 80% of consumers in Japan have positive perceptions of washoku such as it being healthy and seasonal, they also have negative perceptions such as it being difficult to cook and taking a long time to prepare and clean up after. Challenges also exist, such as local dishes making good use of regional specialties not being passed on sufficiently.

The FPCJ has invited Mr. Yoshihiro MURATA, the third-generation master chef of Kikunoi who supervised the menu for the leaders at the G7 Hiroshima Summit held in May 2023 and worked towards having washoku added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, to discuss the popularization of washoku in Japan and abroad, and the current state of and issues for maintaining washoku traditions.

The briefing was attended by journalists from Brazil, China and the USA.

■Date: Jan. 31 (Wed), 2024, 10:30-12:00

■Theme: Popularization and Passing on Skills of Washoku, Ten Years After Inclusion on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

■Briefer: Mr. Yoshihiro Murata, Master Chef at Kikunoi

■Language: Japanese, with consecutive English interpretation

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