The Rising Sun coming Down Under Despite living 6,821km away1, we Australians welcomingly submerge ourselves in the wonder of Japanese cuisine. From 3-dollar sushi rolls, bursting with fresh veggies and sashimi, to the heavenly umami-rich 250-dollar courses offered in the heart of cities, it is clear that Japanese food has transitioned from a unique niche into an integral part of Australia’s multicultural lifestyle. This normalisation and increasing demand for Japanese food both inside and outside our homes represents the significant value which Australians regard Japanese culture. On a lighter sense, Australians adore the complex flavours introduced by this cuisine, such as the infamous ‘umami’ (the “fifth taste” after salty, sweet, sour and bitter2) and respect the sustainable and healthy attitude of Japan towards food. However, the deeper reason behind the embracing of Japanese cuisine is due to the social, economic and cultural values of Japanese food within Australian culture. When we smell and taste familiar flavours and spices, we feel as if we have travelled back in time. The emotions and thoughts we experienced at a particular, place or event overwhelm us, and we sense a comforting warmth in our chests. In fact, this desire to travel back in time through familiar foods is one of the driving forces in the consumption of Japanese food within modern Australian society. In Australia alone, there is an approximate 1500 Japanese restaurants3, which target the astounding 8.5 million (42%) Australians4 who enjoy and embrace the nation’s dishes within their lifestyle. In particular, Australians who have travelled to Japan and gained a significant appreciation for the culture are more likely to regularly consume the nation’s dishes as a means to relive their positive memories. This is a common experience across all tourists who have dared to immerse themselves in a foreign culture; we often find ourselves remembering and craving the distinct tastes and aromas of the particular cuisine in an attempt to reconnect with the past. As Japanese cuisine heavily focuses on seasonal ingredients available in particular regions, tourists experience an extremely wide variety of dishes during their stay dependent on the season and region travelled. For example, Hokkaido’s use of its regional specialty - fresh dairy products5, such as milk - has made the widely eaten Japanese-style curry especially popular in this city. Especially in cases where travel is not possible, Japanese food is an easily accessible opportunity both inside and outside our homes for Australians to reconnect with their experiences of travelling to Japan. In addition, Japanese cuisine serves as a means to continue a personal link between oneself and the country, and to maintain an interest and respect of Japanese culture in a multicultural context. Therefore, with around 480,000 Australians visiting Japan each year6, it is only logical that there would be a significantly increasing number of Australians who have had a taste of Japanese culture and are wanting more. Another key factor that helps to support the significant social value of Japanese cuisine in Australia is the increasing use of social media, especially in the young population. In fact,

1 “Distance from Australia to Japan” (n.d.) 2 Goldfield (2015) 3 Hayashi (2015) 4 “Chinese cuisine most popular…” (2019) 5 Niko (n.d.) 6 “Japanese Tourism in Australia” (2020) with 79% of Australians using social media platforms7, such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, we directly contact cultures around the world from an individual to a communal level. For example, currently trending “Japanese foodie pages” dedicated to posting popular Japanese food such as okonomiyaki, hotpots, obento and more are attracting more interest and curiosity surrounding Japanese cuisine. From this accumulation of individuals interested in Japanese food, many friendships and discussions may form on the basis of appreciating the nation’s culture. Therefore, the spreading use of social media has allowed a deeper awareness and attraction to Japanese cuisine, which has resulted in the embracing of Japanese food within Australia. The second reason behind the normalised enjoyment of Japanese cuisine within Australia is the economic benefits of consuming Japanese food. Affordable and adapted to accommodate for Australians’ taste, Japanese food has become increasingly popular over the years. In particular, sushi is becoming more and more popular – in 2014, 40% of Australians reported to enjoy sushi, compared to the 36% in 20098. Therefore, Japanese cuisine is available in most food courts and restaurants in the form of sushi, udon, ramen, donburi and more to meet the increasing demand and interest of Australians. For example, most of us have heard and often bought from Sushi Hub, a sushi chain restaurant based in Australia. Despite first opening in October 20069, there are currently over 100 Sushi Hub stores nationwide, which emphasises the exponentially increasing demand for fast Japanese cuisine due to its affordability. On the other hand, luxurious Japanese restaurants are thriving in the hearts of Australian cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne. Despite the 3, even 4 digit dollars for a single meal, Australians living in these cities are able to afford these jaw-dropping restaurant courses because of their relatively higher socioeconomic status compared to the rest of Australia10. However, the Japanese restaurants are not performing well just because of these crème de la crème individuals fine dining every week, but rather because of their effective displaying of the unique aspects of Japanese cuisine. Contrastingly to Japanese fast food, these lavish city restaurants focus heavily on the integration of philosophy and meaning behind each bite to present Australians with an opportunity to enrich their understanding of Japanese cuisine while celebrating a special day. For example, Tetsuya’s11, an internationally acclaimed Japanese restaurant situated in Sydney, incorporates Japan’s traditional usage of seasonal ingredients with original French approach to cooking. From 2002 to 2013, Tetsuya’s has earned a place in Restaurant Magazine (London) World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and won a Michelin Star in 2016. Lastly, the external introduction of Japanese culture and food into Australia has led to a significant appreciation of the cultural value of Japanese cuisine within our multicultural setting. In a modern context where the use of media platforms on advanced pieces of technology is becoming the new norm, the promotion of Japanese cuisine has led to a

7 “2018 Yellow Social Media Report” (2018) 8 “Australia’s Love Affair With Sushi” (2020) 9 Sushi Hub (2020) 10 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018) 11 Tetsuya’s (2020) significant impact on the perspective which Australians view Japanese culture, and helped to spark the interest in the wonder of Japanese cuisine. A central figure in introducing and creating interest of Japanese cuisine in Australia is Adam Liaw, the 2010 MasterChef Australia winner12. Liaw has successfully released 5 books prior to his victory, of which the latest is “The Zen Kitchen” where he stated, “In Japan, food is something used to celebrate to educate. It’s more than just a part of Japanese culture, it’s a totality of Japanese culture presented in its most tangible form.”13 In addition, he has effectively helped to further normalise Japanese cuisine within Australia through the 5th season of the television series “Destination Flavour”14. Taking the international audience along his journey to Japan, he enthusiastically introduced Japanese culture and food customs in different regions of the nation, and therefore increased respect and understanding of Japanese culture from a foreign perspective. Furthermore, he aided the audience to realise the significance of Japanese culture in the form of food in an increasingly multicultural world, and hence decreased potential rejection of Japanese cuisine. In 2016, the Japanese government acknowledged Liaw’s extensive passion for sharing Japanese culture through his cookbooks and television shows, and appointed Liaw as one of the official “Goodwill Ambassador of Japanese Cuisine” along with 12 renowned chefs around the world15. In conclusion, Australians have embraced Japanese cuisine with open arms because of the social, economic and cultural values we place upon Japanese culture within our country. Because Japanese cuisine acts as a means for Australians to interact, understand and appreciate Japanese culture, many individuals purchase fast Japanese food and perhaps the luxurious restaurant courses in the centre of cities to connect with their experiences of travel. Furthermore, another key secret behind the great demand for Japanese cuisine is behind the widespread promotion of Japanese culture on social media as a basis for forming relationships as well as the significance of accepting Japanese cuisine in a multicultural context. As quoted by Liaw, “Japanese cuisine touches every aspect of life - relationships, money, politics, manners and of course, health as part of it.”16

12 Adam Liaw (2020) 13 Gill (2016) 14 “Destination Flavour Japan” (n.d.) 15 Body (2016) 16 Gill (2016)

Bibliography: 1. Adam Liaw 2020, viewed 4 September 2020 at http://adamliaw.com/about-2/ 2. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, updated 2018, Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia – Stories from the Census, viewed 4 September 2020 at https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main %20Features~Socio-Economic%20Advantage%20and%20Disadvantage~123 3. “Australia’s Love Affair With Sushi”, 2020, Cannon Logistics, 27 November, viewed 28 August 2020 at https://www.cannonlogistics.com.au/blog/australias-love-affair- with-sushi/ 4. Boddy, N. 2016, “Celebrity chef Adam Liaw appointed Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador”, The Canberra Times, 10 June, viewed 4 September 2020 at https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6048189/celebrity-chef-adam-liaw- appointed-japanese-cuisine-goodwill-ambassador/ 5. “Chinese cuisine most popular, but Aussies still love McDonald’s” 2019, Roy Morgan, 15 February, viewed 1 September 2020 at http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7883-australian-cuisines-preferred-foods- february-2019- 201902150502#:~:text=The%20biggest%20improvers%20over%20the,23%25)%20fo ur%20years%20ago. 6. “Destination Flavour Japan”, n.d., SBS On Demand, viewed 4 September 2020 at https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/destination-flavour- japan#:~:text=Adam%20Liaw%20is%20taking%20food,of%20culinary%20discovery %20through%20Japan.&text=27m-,Adam%20Liaw%20is%20taking%20food%20lov ers%20on%20a%20journey%20of,it%20is%20a%20gourmet%20paradise. 7. “Distance from Australia to Japan” n.d., Distance From To, viewed 31 August 2020 at https://www.distancefromto.net/distance-from-australia-to- japan#:~:text=The%20air%20travel%20(bird%20fly,is%206%2C821%20km%3D%2 04%2C238%20miles. 8. Gill, R. 2016, “Adam Liaw on Japanese food in the Zen kitchen – a ‘manual for living’”, Daily Review, 3 December, viewed 28 August 2020 at https://dailyreview.com.au/adam-liau-japanese-food/ 9. Goldfield. H 2015, “You think you know umami”, The New Yorker, 19 March, viewed 28 August 2020 at https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/you- think-you-know-umami 10. Hayashi. S 2015, Japanese cuisine in Australia and Issues relating to Japanese food exports, Japan External Trade Organisation (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), August 2015, viewed 28 August 2020 at https://www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/australia/JVBFPresentations/3.a.JETRO_AgriFoo d.pdf 11. “Japanese Tourism in Australia – Statistics [2019]”, updated 2020, Camper Champ, 6 January, viewed 30 August 2020 at https://camperchamp.com.au/statistics/australia/japanese-visitors/ 12. Niko, n.d., “The Complete Guide to Japanese Regional Cuisine”, Fluent U, viewed 4 September 2020 at https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-food-vocabulary- regional-cuisine/ 13. Tetsuya’s 2020, viewed 3 September 2020 at https://tetsuyas.com/ 14. “The must-know stats from the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report”, 2018, Sensis, June, viewed 4 September 2020 at https://www.sensis.com.au/about/our- reports/sensis-social-media-report 15. Sushi Hub 2020, viewed 3 September 2020 at https://www.sushihub.com.au/about- us.html