Washoku and dietary habits
Even though many aspects of the eating culture were still passed down to the next generation the traditional food culture was reported to be on a decline amid changing household structures, consumer preferences, and economic trends. Even though awareness of lifestyle diseases is rising, which is a common reason for special dietary requirements in Japan, guilty food pleasures like junk food, heavy meals, and deep-fried dishes remain popular. With nuclear family households at the center of the busy city life, the food service industry and store retailers selling ready-to-eat meals were benefitting from their popularity as a fast and flexible option to still hunger.Additionally, with international trade growing in importance amid declining self-sufficiency and advancing economic partnership agreements on agricultural produce, wheat-based diets, and meats benefit from consumer price development. While rice remains the staple meal in Japan, trend foods like fluffy bread and Korean chicken are impacting dietary habits.
Between food trends and peculiar specialties
Washoku is commonly considered a healthy dietary culture characterized by the sparse use of oil and seasonings, and the variety of fermented food like soy sauce, miso, and fermented soybeans (nattō). Contrasting the traditional diet is rapidly changing trends, with media driving their reach. It is no rarity that the latest food trends are picked up in Japanese TV programs, with variety shows, documentary-type programs, and even news programs touching on buzzing food products.Between nutritional balance and emerging trends, food services in Japan also offer specialties marked as controversial in the international society like whale meat and live seafood. While live seafood is not a habitually consumed dish, raw food is a popular preparation method in the form of sashimi, thinly sliced meat, or fish. But even though food services are subjected to strict hygiene regulations, food poisoning incidents at restaurants are not uncommon compared to other preparation facilities, with animal products being the most common causative food.
