Effects of Globalization on

Japanese Food Culture

and Health
 Introduction
Japanese staples: grains and
proteins
Food aesthetics
Foreign and fast food
Current diet and health statistics
Hypothesis: Due to the adverse
consequences of globalization on
the changing Japanese diet,
Japan’s population will
experience increased instances
 Rice

In 2000, Asia was responsible for 95%

of global cultivation; East Asia for 35%
Introduced from China, 3rd century B.C.
to Jomon era (1,000 B.C.)
Meiji era: modern techniques made
cultivation possible in more areas
Southern region: more common
staples were sweet potatoes, wheat,
taro, radish, and millet
Japanese Millet, Echinochloa
crus-galli

Cereal grain only

grown in China,
Korea, and Japan
Once a lower-
class staple
Cultivated more
easily than white
rice
 The Case for Millet
Kobayashi argues for the frequent use
of millet rather than white rice
“Considering Japan’s self-suffiency
rate of food supply is 40 percent
(calorie-base) and the fact that it
imports more than half of its food
from overseas, changing from white
rice to miscellaneous grains is one
way Japan could help mediate the
world’s food problem” (2001)
More nutritious than white rice:
balanced proportions of protein,
vegetable fat, and starch. Has more
dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Soba and Udon
14th and 15th
centuries: wheat
noodles became
popular

Noodle carts

Original fast food

Noise allowed when

eating
 Buddhist influenced
Seafood meat-eating pan
permitted seafood,
led to reliance on
seafood

1989: Japanese
consumed 12
million tons of fish
and shellfish, which
only 2 million tons
being imported

“Eat it raw first if at

all, then grill it, and
boil it as the last
resort”
 Contain form of
Fugu tetrodotoxin,
liver and ovaries
poisonous

Poisonous
properties
known in China
around 200 B.C.

Basho, 17th
century: “I
enjoyed fugu
yesterday.
Luckily nothing
has yet
occurred”
Cattle
Meat-eating banned
until late 19th
century: Buddhism
and Shintoism

Richie equates
meat-eating with
becoming more
Western

Meiji era aphorism:

“A man who does
not eat beef is an
uncivilized man”
Soybeans
Soymilk, tofu,
miso, shoyu
Cultivation 4,500
years to 1,000
years ago in China
Japanese
domestication
credited to
Buddhist monks
Soybeans came to
Japan from Korea
by Buddhist
monks in the 6th
century A.D.
Food Aesthetics

Small portions in
separate dishes

Easy to handle with

chopsticks

Canon of presentation
Canon of Presentation

Artfully opposite colors

Moritsuke
Asymmetrical plating and law
of opposites
Seasonal variety
Curry

From England
Popularity rose in
Meiji Restoration
Second decade of
20th century: curry
powder made
domestically
2000: Once a week
consumption
Today, most
popular form of
curry comes in
instant pouch
 Ramen

Originally imported from China

1958: Chikin Ramen, invented using surplus
American flour shipments
Advertised on television, 13 million
packages sold in first year
1989: per capita ramen consumption 40
servings; 4.5 billion servings annually
 What’s The Most
Representative Japanese Food
of the 20th Century?
1999: survey of
1,500 Japanese
of varied ages

Ramen: 78.9%

Hamburger:
33.6%

Instant curry:
27.9%
McDonalds

1993: 1,043
locations

1997: 2,439
locations

Traphagen and
Brown’s
argument
 Diet Statistics

2001: 151 women surveyed;

average noodle consumption was
9 times a month
“Italian pasta” number one, udon
and ramen in second and third
Men: Ramen, number one; Italian
pasta third.
Equating Western foods with
Western values?
 Diet Statistics
2000: 30% of adult population
ate bread for breakfast
Rarely eaten at lunch or dinner
Timesaving?
Postwar schoolchildren eating
bread in school lunches
1995: Japanese purchased
eleven billion dollars worth of
American foods, more than any
other country
 Dietary Fiber Intake
Ministry of Health recommends a
daily intake of 20-25 grams for
adults
1952: average intake was 20.5
grams
1970: average intake was 14.9
grams
1998: average intake was 15
grams
Nakaji, et al.: “Lack of fiber
intake is thought to be a factor in
 Life Expectancy

WHO, 2003: 78 years for males,

85 years for females

Highest in the world for over 30

years

2004: Kobayashi says life

expectancy is due to those born
before 1920 and have
 Health Trends
Japan as an example of the
connection between dietary fats
and diseases
Ministry of Health, 2004: ½ have
lifestyle-related diseases, 1/3
allergic reactions, 1/5 obese
1 in 6 adults have diabetes or
are at-risk for developing,
includes men and women in their
30’s
 Conclusion

Food as a commodity

Globalization of diet

Homogeneity of food products

Health effects could be reduced

by consuming a more traditional
diet