Japan’s Washoku as Intangible Heritage: The Role of National Food Traditions in UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage Scheme

Abstract

Abstract:“Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese” was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, joining the company of French, Mexican, and Mediterranean “national” food traditions in the exclusive List. Although a relatively novel abstraction, washoku (literally “Japanese food”) was formally defined and recreated by a panel of government-appointed experts for inscription purposes.This paper investigates washoku’s evolution into intangible heritage and the consequences of inscription. Analysis of field data from official meetings and primary text sources reveal that Japanese food heritage was both influenced and undermined by UNESCO’s intangible heritage system and the overriding precedent set by the “gastronomic meal of the French.” The example of washoku, though successfully inscribed, casts doubts on the feasibility of national food traditions in UNESCO’s system for intangible heritage, including their roles in promoting cultural diversity and heritage preservation.