Introduction
Cuisines of various countries and other cultural features are more than simply things to eat and look at. They act as strong tools for expanding a country’s political and economic influence, and Japan is a bright example of such a situation. Its cuisine, including sushi, teppanyaki, ramen, and many other dishes, as well as specific traditional approaches to eating, became highly popular.
Other Asian countries, such as the Philippines, did not reach similar world-scale popularity, although their cuisines are still locally popular. People who visit these countries may be fascinated by their dishes and approaches to preparing and eating them, and local migrant communities may have restaurants with Filipino food. However, the prevalence of Japanese food is much larger than that of all other Asian countries. Instead of being represented simply by the country and local restaurants, many highly popular global food chains serve Japanese food.
Role of Food in Japan’s and the Philippines’ Global Standing
Japanese cuisine became widespread worldwide in the 20th century, and today, sushi, ramen, and other Japanese dishes are well-known virtually everywhere. The number of Japanese restaurants in the world increased more than fivefold from 2007 to 2017 (Farrer et al. 39). The reason for that is that thousands of Japanese migrants built successful food businesses based on their traditions and high level of self-organization. This situation can be characterized as the realization of the Japanese “culinary capital,” as the widespread dissemination of the country’s cuisine and culture increases its general political weight (Farrer and Wang 2).
While the relationships between cuisine and political influence are subtle, cultural influence raises the country’s political power. In addition, Japan uses its culture, including cuisine, as “soft power,” increasing its authority in various countries and improving its status without the use of military power or other harsh instruments (Farrer et al. 39). Thus, Japanese cultural impact on the world is tremendous, and its cuisine plays a significant role in it.
Japanese food became so popular that it eclipsed the popularity of other Asian foods, despite there being many other cuisines. Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malay, and Thai dishes are all distinctively different from the Japanese ones. Still, Japan is overrepresented in the food market and among researchers (Farrer et al. 1–2). The cuisine of the Philippines, for example, is focused on street food and has many specific and unique dishes with meat, fruits, and various sauces (Fernandez 12–13). While Filipino food often attracts tourists’ attention, and there are some studies of this cuisine, as well as local restaurants, it cannot compete with the highly globalized Japanese cuisine presence.
One can see that Japan is highly overrepresented among Asian countries, which corresponds to its economic power and more active citizens and people. Its cuisine gained significant global recognition and influence, surpassing the popularity of other Asian cuisines, including Filipino. One of the reasons is Japan’s successful efforts to promote its cuisine around the world.
In addition, Japanese migrants and their diaspora play a major role in establishing Japanese restaurants worldwide. The rise of global food chains specializing in Japanese cuisine has further contributed to its widespread presence. At the same time, Filipino migrants are usually not very entrepreneurial. While Filipino cuisine may be popular within local communities and among tourists, it has not reached similar global acceptance as Japanese food.
Conclusion
Therefore, Japanese food became widespread in virtually all countries, especially in Western ones. Its entrepreneurial migrants formed communities in these countries and created chains of restaurants, successfully competing with local food businesses. This situation increases Japan’s political weight and leads to tighter economic bonds with Japan, as these migrants usually maintain ties with their homeland. In addition, Japanese influence led to the situation where Japanese food started to be associated with Asian food in general, although there are many more local cuisines, such as Filipino. They cannot compete with Japan’s deliberate promotion of its culture and large globalized food businesses owned by Japanese people.
Works Cited
Farrer, James, et al. “Japanese Culinary Mobilities.” Routledge Handbook of Food in Asia, 2019, pp. 39–57. Web.
Farrer, James, and Chuanfei Wang. “Who Owns a Cuisine? The Grassroots Politics of Japanese Food in Europe.” Asian Anthropology, 2020, pp. 1–18. Web.
Fernandez, Doreen G. Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture. Brill, 2019.