The young people of Japan are beginning to move away from traditional Japanese food, and foreign chefs may be the best way to preserve the cuisine. This is also true of some products in the Japanese food production industry which is looking to other countries to aid in production. The Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku has interested many foreigners, but getting a work visa in Japan for Japanese cuisine specifically is difficult due to a five year time limit placed on the visa.
Looking past the subject of this article, we see that this is a story we have read many times over at this point. For all it’s cultural and traditional vitality, Japan seems to be dying out. The solution seems to be foreigners, but if foreigners maintain Japanese tradition, is the tradition still truly Japanese? Rather, it seems that there is no great solution to save the Japanese identity as it is. As the population diminishes and tradition grays, it is the definition of “Japanese” that must change.
As Japan tries to bring in foreigners, we again see issues related to work visas as we did in “Japan cries 'Help wanted,' but few foreigners heed the call” from Week 4. It seems that Japan is fighting itself as it tries to solve its issues. This is not surprising for a nation as culturally rich as Japan. I interpret this as a similar internal struggle to the one one might face when questioning a change in personal identity, especially a part you enjoy. You change to survive and maybe even for your better health, but you don’t want to let go. In the case of Japan it seems tragic in a way. But in times of change there is a great potential for growth, and I am curious to see what Japan will be like in a few decades.
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