Food Customs of Japan By Zachary D. Williams Japan is made up of thousands of islands. More than half of Japan is mountainous and covered by forests. “The population of Japan is about 125,000,000 people, including approximately 2 million foreign residents,” (japan-guide). In Japan, outside appearances hold a great deal of value to people. Social ranking and status also play a major role in Japanese culture. In Japan, the age of everyone is known by everyone else. “Vertical ranking, mainly based on age, determines everything from where desks are placed in a classroom to the order in which cups of tea are distributed” (Newsome). The language is also different depending on age. Farming, fishing and forestry are the main sources of sustainability in Japan. There is not a lot of farming land and this makes it more difficult to produce large crops. This causes domestically grown food to cost more so people prefer to buy cheaper imported food. “Major agricultural products include foodstuffs (wheat, barley, maize, potatoes, rice, soybeans, sugar beets, and sugar cane), fruits, meat products (beef veal chicken horse, lamb, pork, and turkey), fishery products, and forestry products (timber)” (Encyclopedia of the Nations). About 70 percent of Japan is covered in forests. Of this 70 percent, 40 of it is man-made. Reforestation is necessary in Japan. The fishing industry in Japan is very large, but they still have to import a lot of fishery products. The need for importing fishery products is caused by “coastal water pollution and disputes over fishing in international waters,” according to Encyclopedia of the Nations. In relation to the large fishing industry in Japan, whaling has been important in Japan for over 1,000 years. Whaling was very important in the history of Japan. “Whaling in Japan dates back to the seventh century during the Yamato-Asuka period in ancient Japan,” (facts-about-japan). Whaling techniques improved in the 17th century which greatly improved the industry. Whaling provided food, oil, and other materials for the Japanese, especially in historic times. The Japanese didn’t like using boats with guns to kill the whales because they felt “it promoted indiscriminate killing of whales,” (facts-about-japan). In many whaling villages there were shrines built to worship the whales that were being hunted. During the 1900s, whales became a major part of the Japanese diet. This time period was after the Second World War and food items were scarce, so the Japanese referred back to whaling. In 1962 whaling was at its peak, but got banned approximately twenty years later. Table manners and etiquette are very important in Japan. In most restaurants and homes, people sit on the floor at low tables. There are formal and non-formal ways to sit at these tables. “The formal way of sitting for both genders is kneeling (seiza),” (japan-guide). The non-formal ways of sitting vary based on gender. The informal way for males to sit is with legs crossed, and the informal way for females to sit is with legs off to one side. There is also a proper seating arrangement. “The most important guest sits in the honored seat (kamiza) which is located farthest from the entrance,” (japan-guide). The shimoza is where the host or least important person sits. This seat is nearest the entrance. In Japan it is common for everyone at the table to share dishes. All of the dishes are put in the center of the table and there are special chopsticks to use to move this food to an individual plate. It is considered rude to blow your nose, talk about toilet related topics, or burp at the table. It is considered polite to finish all of your food, to use chopsticks properly, and to move all of the dishes back to their original places after you are finished eating. “You should also say Itadakimasu which means ‘I receive’ before eating and Gochisosama which means ‘Thank you for the meal’ after eating,” (Namioka, p.61-62). Drinking alcoholic beverages in Japan is acceptable but getting drunk in public is not. Also, if you are out drinking with friends you are not supposed to start drinking until everyone else has received their drink. After your table has all been given a drink, a toast is said and then everyone drinks together. The Japanese have many important festivals and ceremonies. One very important ceremony is the Tea Ceremony. “The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powered green tea, or matcha, is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting,” (gojapango). There are lessons that are given to people so that they can learn how to perform a tea ceremony. These lessons often take years to master fully. The masters of this ceremony are typically male, but women are also taught the ritual because of its effect on grace, dignity, poise, and discipline. Tea ceremonies take place in special tea rooms. These rooms are small and simply decorated. Often during these ceremonies small meals called kaiseki are served with the tea. These meals are light and simple. Conversation is kept to a minimum while guests relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The time length of one of these ceremonies varies. It ranges from 1 hour to 4 or 5 hours. “The Tea Ceremony is far from a disappearing art,” (food-links). Hina Matsuri or the Girls’ Day Festival is also very important in Japan. This festival is one in which families display any heirloom dolls they have. “The dolls are believed to be caretakers of the girls’ health and happiness, warding off bad luck and bringing good fortune,” (savoryjapan). During this festival, there are three types of food that are popular: hishimochi, shiro-zake, and hina arare. Hishimochi are diamond shaped rice cakes. These cakes are made with pink, white, and green layers. “Shiro-zake is the first variety of sake of the year,” (savoryjapan). Sake is a type of alcoholic beverage, and this one is sweet and unfiltered. “It came to be associated with girls even though women did not necessarily drink sake in the old days,” (savoryjapan). Hina arare are small balls of puffed rice. These balls of rice are also pink, green, and white. Sometimes these balls of rice are sweetened with sugar. The colors pink, green and white are significant in this ceremony. Pink is to represent the plum blossoms. White is to represent the snow as winter is fading. And green represents the growing of the fresh grass of the spring. One of the most important types of food in Japan is rice. This side dish is normally served with every meal and is cooked with a variety of different foods. Rice is important in Japan because it used to be currency in the old days. Also, gohan, the word for cooked rice means meal. There are four common types of rice: white rice (hakumai), brown rice (genmai), multigrain rice, and glutinous rice (mochigome). “Japanese rice is short grain and becomes sticky when cooked,” (japan-guide). White rice is served with most meals and is used with other foods to make different dishes. Brown rice isn’t thought to taste as good as white rice, but it is healthier so it is becoming more popular. Multigrain rice has different seeds or grains mixed in to make the rice taste better. Glutinous rice is stickier than white rice and is often used to make sweets. Some common rice products are rice wine (sake), rice vinegar, rice flour, and rice bran (nuka). Rice wine is also known as sake or nihonshu. This rice product is alcoholic and normally not served with other rice dishes since it is made from rice. Rice vinegar is used in dressings, pickles, and marinades. The darker vinegar is sometimes drunk as a healthy drink. Rice flour is normally used to make sweets and is gluten free. “Rice bran, or nuka, is the hard outer skin of the rice grains that are removed when polishing brown rice to make white rice,” (japan-guide). Rice bran is mostly used to make a type of pickle. Some common rice dishes: cooked rice (gohan), rice cakes (mochi), rice balls (onigiri), Tamago kake gohan, chazuke, kayu, donburi, sushi, fried rice, omuraisu, rice crackers (senbei), sweets, rice bran pickles (nukazuke), and rice bread (komepan). A bowl of rice is normally served with every meal and other dishes normally accompany it. Glutinous rice is steamed and pounded to make rice cakes. They are becoming more common year round when they used to mainly be eaten on New Year. Rice balls are normally wrapped in seaweed and lightly salted. Rice balls also contain a filling. They are sold in convenience stores. Tamago kake gohan is a breakfast dish that consists of a raw egg mixed with rice. This dish often gets seasoned with a bit of soy sauce. “Chazuke is another comfort food consisting of hot water, tea or light fish stock poured over rice,” (japan-guide). Chazuke often has a topping such as salmon and is a popular dish to eat after drinking. Kayu is rice porridge. It is thicker than most other porridges and is often made from leftover rice. This dish is served to sick people because it is easy to digest. Donburi is plain rice topped with something else. Donburi is normally topped with stewed beef, katsudon, tempura, chicken and egg, tuna, and raw seafood. Sushi contains cooked rice that is flavored with vinegar. Sushi is very popular both in Japan and outside of Japan. Fried rice was introduced from China and normally has a variety of ingredients added. Peas, egg, green onions, and carrots and rice are some of the common things added to fried rice. Omuraisu is rice wrapped in an omelet. This food is normally eaten with ketchup and found in cafes or diners. Rice crackers are made from rice flour. They can be either sweet or salty. Sweets are made from rice flour, glutinous rice, and sweet beans. Rice bran pickles are fermented with other vegetables and left to sit for some time. After the pickles are done sitting they are cleaned and cut. Rice bread is gluten free and sold at many bakeries in Japan. When eating rice it is polite to pick up the rice bowl while you are eating from it and to finish every grain of rice in the bowl. In 2011 Japan was hit by an earthquake which caused a tsunami. The earthquake was a 9.0 in magnitude and the tsunami waves reached a height of 32 feet. (New York Times) After this quake approximately 350,000 people were homeless and 10,000 were dead. (The National Geographic) This earthquake also caused meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi plant. An earthquake and tsunami like this happens more often in Japan than in the U.S. and it causes many problems. Any crops that might be growing are getting washed away by the tsunami waves and the water gets contaminated. This is dangerous for the residents and city officials have to try to find ways to prevent someone from drinking contaminated water. It is an ongoing problem for Japan because this kind of occurrence happens often. Bibliography Encyclopedia of the Nations. Japan. Retrieved from November 9, 2013, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific.Japan.html Facts-About-Japan. History of Japanese Whaling. Retrieved from November 7, 2013, from http://www.facts-about-japan.com/whaling-history.html Food-Links. Meals and Customs in Japan. 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