Flavors of Japan

The Japanese Food Culture Festival Committee is a joint endeavor organized by individuals concerned with private enterprise and the public sector. The Committee, united by their singular vision to promote the understanding and appreciation of the multi-faceted culinary heritage of Japan, has created the first ever Japanese Food Festival in New York (March 4-10 2007). The Committee’s goals are to introduce new and rare Japanese ingredients and food products to the United States, in a comprehensive way from both economic and cultural perspectives.

The purpose of this festival is directly in sync with the Japanese government’s new efforts to promote Japan’s culture and related industries internationally. Through the efforts of Japanese pioneers, Japanese pop culture has found its way into the homes of average Americans by way of comic books, fashion, and even movies. During this great growth in interest of all things Japanese, a simultaneous rise in the country’s food culture has captured headlines internationally. On the whole, many Americans have turned their attention towards healthier eating and begun to recognize the rich benefits of a macrobiotic diet and traditional Japanese food ingredients. The amount of Japanese food “loan” words in the average American vocabulary has also steadily extended from tofu to wagyu. At the same time, chefs once unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine are now picking up on its regional flavors, recognizing the diverse styles, and incorporating these unfamiliar tastes into the American food vocabulary and palette. Because of the innovations of such chefs, Americans are moving beyond the old sushi stereotype and appreciating how to enjoy Japanese food through both fusion and authentic dishes. Currently Kaiseki cuisine, arguably the pinnacle of Japanese fine dining, is yet to be understood by most of the Int. culinary community. And therefore it is vitally important to improve both the quality and quantity of information related to Japanese culinary culture.

Moreover, it is the demand for the most flavorful, and exclusive that has spurred new growth in the restaurant and food service industry. One of the great hopes of this project is for chefs and enthusiasts alike to incorporate more Japanese products into the gourmet landscape. It is a known fact that chefs influence the dining public, and if American chefs begin to use these products in restaurants it will not be long before they start appearing in a broader variety on supermarket shelves. Our Japanese restaurant week, which is part of the festivities, is the first of its kind in NYC.

Although Japanese food has gained in popularity in the past ten years, it has not yet graduated to mainstream acceptance as Italian and Chinese have. Therefore, this novel and multifaceted festival, which is being held throughout the NYC landscape in intimate kitchens to banquet halls, through symposiums and showcases, has been created in order to bring greater cooperation between both American and Japanese industries. For the first time, an International forum for Japanese food is being created. On both sides of the Pacific, from New York’s Festival Committee to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which just posted an ambitious goal of tripling the exports of Japanese agricultural products from ¥330 billion to ¥1 trillion, a united effort has begun. Japan is prepared to open the doors to its treasured culinary practices and the American food industry is ready for it.

The number of Japanese restaurants in the US has now exceeded the 9,000 mark, which shows a two-fold increase within the last ten years. Within the state of New York alone, 900 Japanese restaurants have opened. According to the 2005 Zagat Survey, five of the nations top 20 restaurants are New York based Japanese restaurants. It is no wonder why New York City, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, was chosen as the prime location for these inaugural events. The city will play its own role as a cultural ambassador to the Japanese food world.