Today, more than 90% of the world’s populated areas are always connected to the internet. People interact digitally through social media and other online means, and capitalized on their reputations through shares, likes, and comments. This reputation permeates society as capital, and can be called evaluation capitalism . Until now, people have engaged in economic, lifestyle, cultural, and social activities using monetary capital, labor capital, social capital, industrial capital, and other capital as yardsticks. In today’s society, however, visualizing and analyzing this so-called evaluation capitalism, for example, what people around the world value, what they are interested in, and how their values have changed, is effective for recognizing the current state of society and predicting the future. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has drastically shifted in people’s values and driven the creation of new frameworks for social systems, economic conditions, and national policies. Moving forward, my aim is to strengthen the three scientific viewpoints and use them to create a framework for the next generation of Cool Japan strategies. In Japanese, these three viewpoints are known as tori no me (bird’s-eye view: overarching analysis of the ecosystem), mushi no me (insect’s-eye view: observational analysis of mechanisms), and sakana no me (fish’s-eye view: comparative analysis of flows and trends).
The Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters at the Cabinet Office and the Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform (CJPF) have released an infographic summarizing the key findings of their joint global social listening survey. While analysis of the results yielded a variety of findings, simply put, the survey indicated that the SC era is progressing, for example, sustainability, social, circular economy, and community. As the major shift in values which can be called the first year of green Cool Japan activities is needed, CJPF is reviewing its whole strategy with food and food culture as a starting point. Specifically, we have outlined three steps: discovery, empathy, and co-creation. Using both tangible and intangible resources of Cool Japan, we hope to create a companionate framework in which people from around the world and in Japan can transcend barriers and work together to create the next generation.
We believe that reorganizing Japan’s cultural value from a global perspective and a future-oriented approach, and upcycling society and the economy on a regional scale are the new Cool Japan strategy of the future. As the first step, we have launched our on-demand media platform cjpf.jp to analyze so-called Japanized effects from around the world, examine model patterns of advanced cases, and promote content creation. We hope this can help you to find various answers.
投稿タグ: Japanese Food Culture
A “Delicious” Economy to Change the Future of Society—Living in a Country with the Best Food in the World
Japan can perhaps be called the country with the best food in the world.
In a global survey asking which countries people most want to visit after the pandemic, Japan was number one among people living in Asia and number two among those in Europe and the US. In both cases, Japan was at the top end of the list. Moreover, the number one reason people wish to visit Japan is said to be for its food. As this suggests, while many foreign visitors to Japan come in search of delicious food, Japan in fact has the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. The total number of stars and three-star restaurants in Tokyo far exceeds that of Paris, which can be called the home of Michelin star framework. A characteristic of the restaurant industry in Japan is that many Japanese chefs have honed their skills not only in Japanese cuisine, but also in French, Italian, and other foreign cuisines, and have earned Michelin stars. Further, outside of Michelin stars, there are countless numbers of Japanese chefs who have won first place in international cooking competitions such as the Pasta World Championships and the World Pizza Championships. We can therefore say that Japan is the country that evolves tastes of other countries in more delicious way.
Elsewhere, Japan has an abundance of delicious, seasonal foods from both the sea and the mountains. Thanks to an excellent supply chain, customers can consume these ingredients while they are still fresh. Meanwhile, advanced fermentation techniques developed in the preserved food culture have broadened the range of umami flavors. There are many positive aspects of Japanese food, such as the diversity of food culture, which varies from region to region, including traditional and local cuisine, and the high level of “seasoning technology” in factories producing seasonings and processed foods. Alongside its “deliciousness” technology, Japanese food is also highly regarded worldwide for its health benefits and for its lower environmental impact compared to Western food. In 2005, the number of Japanese restaurants overseas stood at approximately 25,000. In 2010 this number doubled to 50,000, and expanded to 150,000 in 2020. With such wonderful characteristics, it is essential that we seriously address how to maintain and develop our globally respected food culture. Doing so can help Japanese food culture maintain its dominance over the centuries.
In a future of exploding world population, food will become a global growth industry. In this sense, Japan’s food culture can become a major competitive advantage due to its superior technology and long tradition. However, people living in Japan are yet to realize the possibilities that their food assets can bring. Resources related to food, such as expertise on natural environment, agriculture and fisheries, as well as seasoning techniques, are gradually being lost and replaced by elements from overseas. Without a vision, much like the lost decades of the past, many of our food assets will and quietly disappear without being passed on, perhaps within several years from now.
How, then, should we utilize Japan’s food assets?
One key to doing so will be the sharing of a vision. I have termed this approach Japan’s Delicious Future Strategy. Clarifying the route to becoming a “delicious economic power” is an important growth strategy for Japan’s era of so-called degrowth.
In contrast to skyrocketing global populations, Japan is facing an unprecedented population decline caused by low birthrates and an aging population. I believe that the best and most positive strategy to utilize Japan’s existing assets is to combine accumulated food traditions and techniques in a new way, based on the excellent asset of “Japanese food”, to create the abovementioned delicious economic power. Japanese society today is operating under a system that was established in the era of mass production and mass consumption, and is based on the assumption that the population will increase. It is only natural that problems will occur if we try to maintain this system in a declining population. We must therefore switch our mindset and consider a way of life that ensures happiness even with fewer people.
Meanwhile, some countries around the world are learning from Japanese food. One such example is The Culinary Institute of America, also known as the Harvard of culinary schools in America. This is because Japanese food is delicious, sustainable, and healthy, which are the elements that Japan does best. A truly enjoyable lifestyle is one that satisfies both physical and mental health. Eating a delicious and healthy meal with friends in a natural environment can bring the same level of pleasure and satisfaction as any form of entertainment.
As the world’s first self-sustaining community, the ReGen Village in the Netherlands have succeeded in attracting the wealthy. In Estonia, meanwhile, the e-Residency system allows access to the country’s transparent business environment, which is favored by many leading companies. Considering what Japan can do, there is great potential if we seriously promote the healthy and delicious aspects of our food culture. If we can provide healthy, delicious experiences, and demonstrate the evidence behind it, visitors will no doubt come flocking. Further, when tourists look for a destination, Japan has a certain advantage over other potential destinations because of its safety, cleanliness, and food safety and security. Regardless of tourism, there are many elements that make up attractive communities in Japan. Incorporating such people into an ecosystem like those seen in the Netherlands and Estonia can help Japan become an entirely new, delicious economic power.
It’s easy to boast that Japanese cuisine and Japanese food is the best. That said, the origins of Japanese food can be found in many different Asian food cultures. A Meiji-period philosopher Okakura Tenshin said in his The Book of Tea, published in New York, “The Western world, which is superior to nature, must learn from the Eastern way of thinking, which is one with nature and coexist with it.” Rather than making the way of life in harmony with nature and the joy of healthy and delicious food as uniquely Japanese elements, it’s important to communicate them to the world while respecting the awareness that Japan has received these benefits from Asia. Further, contributing to the resolution of issues in East Asian countries struggling with declining birthrates and aging populations next to Japan is something that only Japan can do, and it will also help to cultivate a sense of leadership.
To conclude, I would like to introduce my ten guiding principles to ensure Japan to become a delicious economic power. While these are guidelines for Japanese food, at the same time they are also domestic economic measures and that they will help Japan contribute to the international society in a uniquely Japanese way. These ten guiding principles aim to enhance the Japanese brand and generate a positive, global cycle through food.
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1. Geo Gastronomy
With mountains of varying heights, broad ocean areas and powerful ocean currents, and diverse regional characteristics filled with nature’s blessings, Japan is home to water and land that are full of vitality. The purity of the cuisine nurtured by this water and land, strength of the ingredients, and delightful tastes should be expressed by each region.
2. Seasonality
Humans have lived in harmony with nature in each of the four seasons for thousands of years. It is important to review this history, look forward to spring, and be thankful for the autumnal harvest. For the future, we must sharpen the emotions and rhythms associated with the seasonal changes unique to Asia, such as the 24solar terms and the 72 solar terms.
3. Satoyama and Satoumi Lifestyles
It is important to share our appreciation to our ancestors for creating the satoumi ecosystems, and to pay respect to the activities to connect it to the future. We must position these ecosystems as universal models of successful life and food cycles, and strive to disseminate these models worldwide.
4. Carrying on a Healthy Food Culture
Japan and other Asian countries have developed various food and lifestyle cultures, such as fermented foods and fermentation technology, that have been created for health and happiness. We must therefore interpret these wisdoms as new recipes, pass them on with children of the next generation, enhance the platform for research and practice to share, and expand opportunities for learning.
5. Tolerance of Cultural Diversity
As seen in its respect for various gods (kami) and coexistence with nature, Japan has incorporated various foreign cultures into its life and developed them over time. It is important that we maintain this diverse and generous curiosity and fulfill our role as a gastronomy hub connecting the world’s food cultures with “delicious” food.
6. Global Perspective
We must always be aware of future food issues and changes in values and tastes, and consider how the characteristics of Japan’s regional foods can co-create and synchronize with the world while contributing to its development. We must spare no effort to establish such everlasting relationships.
7. SDGs
Japanese food culture is environmentally friendly and healthy, and has the potential to be a solution for sustainability. On the other hand, we must be ready to confront problems unique to Japan, such as food waste, so that we can realize a fully circular society.
8. Branding and Design
It is important to strengthen communication and brand strategies in all food categories by utilizing IT and design. In turn, we must contribute to the branding of not only food, but also Japan as a whole, by creating various stories related to food and communicate them to the world.
9. Utilization of Technology
By combining the techniques of artisans that poduce unique Japanese tastes with cutting-edge technologies such as AI and food tech, we must bring together the wisdom of all those involved in food, aim to create intellectual property, and promote the creation of a delicious global community with which the world can interact.
10. Creation of a Food Industry Community
We must position the creation of the world’s most delicious society at the core of Japan’s growth society by collaborating with a multitude of stakeholders such as from various industries -including not only food service, agriculture, fisheries, food-related companies and retailers, but also entertainment companies, electrical appliance stores and mobility businesses-, academia and politicians.
The most important thing is to value the pleasure that food brings, the pleasure that interaction brings, and the pleasure that life brings. This is the key to Japan’s future growth strategy.
Highly Unique Regional Food Cultures Born from the Blessings of the Kuroshio Current
Food and Food Culture are Key to Environmental Solutions
Today we face various global issues, such as global warming due to human activities, loss of biodiversity, nitrogen pollution, and COVID-19. From Japan, it might seem like some of these are irrelevant matters in a faraway world. However, with products and information travel all across the globe in the blink of an eye, the world has gotten smaller. Things that have been pushed off as a hassle sometimes come back full circle. Japan procures food, animal feed, raw materials, and fuel from various countries worldwide, and bears a great deal of responsibility for future possibilities. That is, if Japan gets serious about solving these global issues, it can make the world better connected through trade. This is perhaps the very purpose of Cool Japan.
Moving on, some of you may be unfamiliar with nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen is an essential element for proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Humans absorb nitrogen from food proteins. Nitrogen (N2) is ubiquitous, and accounts for around 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere. However, N2 is incredibly stable and cannot do much by itself. Only when it is transformed into a reactive compound such as ammonia can it be used as a fertilizer for crop production, a raw material for industrial production, and a fuel for energy production. Technology for the artificial synthesis of ammonia was put to practical use in the early 20th century, and since then nitrogen has brought great benefits to us as a fertilizer for mass food production. That said, much of the nitrogen we use is released into the atmosphere in a reactive state. This in turn leads to a wide range of environmental problems such as global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, air pollution, water pollution, eutrophication, and acidification. These combined environmental impacts are known as nitrogen pollution.
Our world is huge but finite. Including ourselves, there are many different living things in the world, and we all influence and impact each other. Human activities have become so large that they have drastically changed the material cycle and in turn caused various environmental problems. In doing so, we have made the world more difficult for other organisms to survive. There are many things we can do to ensure that future generations can live in happiness, and to ensure that the world’s living things can remain as they are. Food is one element of our daily lives that is closely linked to global issues. The production, distribution, processing, consumption, and disposal of food are significant sources of greenhouse gases and nitrogen. The production of some food has a particularly large impact on the environment. When food is wasted, the resources that have been used in every process from its production to its delivery to the consumer are also put to waste. Reexamining the handling of food, as the accumulation of small improvements, can ultimately play an important role in solving global environmental problems. Japan is home to a rich food culture, abundant ingredients, and most importantly, outstanding human resources. In addition to revisiting food culture from all over Japan, we must also seek to create a new food culture. By thinking about food sustainability together, implementing it, and communicating it to the rest of the world, I hope we can inspire future possibilities. Food and food culture are the key to solving the world’s many environmental problems.
Pointers for Circular Economies from Satoyama Culture
More than ten years have passed since COP10 was held in Nagoya and the world was introduced to the concept of satoyama—a unique environment where people and nature coexist in harmony— and the concept seems to be gradually taking root. Elsewhere, the impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for society to take a new direction.
While the definition of circular economy seems to vary to region, the main concept is that—in contrast to a linear economy (use and dispose) and even reuse—a system where used products and materials disposed in the production process are reproduced into new products, given new value, and then sold again.
In many rural regions of Japan, where the satoyama wisdom has been passed down from generations to generations, this circular approach is a core of people’s lives and continues to this day.
With rice, for example, the ingredient in Japanese sake and sushi, both of which are becoming increasing popular worldwide, an incredibly efficient cycle has been in place for generations. It is a well-known fact that sake lees, a byproduct of sake brewing, are used to make amazake (a sweet, non-alcoholic sake) and a wide range of pickles including Narazuke. Meanwhile, in the production of daiginjo and other types of sake with high rice polishing ratio, a large amount of rice flour is generated as a byproduct. This rice flour is reused in rice crackers and dumplings. Rice bran is another byproduct of the production process, and in the Hida area of Japan where I live, this has been reused as a kind of wax for polishing the floors and pillars of wooden houses for many years. Further, after the rice bran has been used to care for the home, it is then scattered onto nearby fields, returned to the soil, and reused as fertilizer for new crops.
Examples such as these are too numerous to see throughout satoyama areas. Another example can be seen in the use of the kaya grasses used to make thatched roofs, such as those in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go. Harvested grass is used as snow shelters in the drying process, and then used for thatched roofs after drying. Later, part of the roof that have been damaged by wind and rain is removed and reused as livestock feed. This is then digested by the livestock and returned to the soil to complete a highly sophisticated circular system.
The word mottainai—that is unfortunate for anything to go to waste－has attracted attention in the past, but the source of the creation such a system in our lifestyle seem to have its roots unmistakably in the Japanese mentality. I believe that this approach holds a wealth of clues for the future of social formation.
There is also another perspective we must examine when learning from satoyama areas to create circular economies. This is bartering, or the exchange of goods without using money. It was not so long ago when I spoke with a neighbor who had acquired his garage in exchange for a gallon of sake. Sharing out the vegetables you have harvested with your neighbors, making pickles from the vegetables you receive, and then giving this back to others. Whether it is sake or farm products, this approach can be thought of as an element of a virtuous cycle between the deities who bring about a good harvest and local citizens. Perhaps our ancestors already known the importance of connection when forming societies. In the quest for convenience, in modern society we have reaped the benefits from the market and monetary economies, but these systems are far from perfect. In order for us to create a new, more enriched society in the future, it is essential that we learn quickly from satoyama and satoumi ecosystems and take the necessary actions. We must not delay, as with declining and aging populations, it can be said that the future of satoyama areas are not that long anymore.
Transforming Conventional Notions Surrounding Scallops A Global Brand Strategy from Iwate Prefecture in Sanriku
The Direction of Japan as a Tourism Hotspot—Terroir and SBNR through VISON
The French word terroir, frequently used in the wine industry, comes from another French word, terre, meaning “land.” Terroir refers to a combination of natural factors that give products their unique, locally rooted characteristics, including geography, terrain, and climate.
At BuzzFeed, which is one of the largest digital media outlets in the US and Japan, we feature various articles from a diverse range of fields. During the pandemic, however, when there were restrictions on returning home and other forms of travel, there was a particular rise in interest in news about locally rooted food. In FY2021, we released 34 articles tagged #deliciouslocalfood, which were shared more than 25,000 times on social media, accumulating more than 1.25 million views. In this article, I would like to consider how to apply current reader interest to post-COVID-19 tourism.
VISON, one of Japan’s largest commercial resorts, opened in July 2021 in Mie Prefecture based on the concept “Alongside Our Region.” Mainly through markets offering fresh fish from the nearby Kumano-nada sea and fresh local vegetables, as well as restaurants and hotels, VISON aims to provide experiences based on “healing, food, and knowledge,” combining tradition and innovation to revitalize and create new regional economies. At the same time, VISON also plays a key role in solving regional issues that are common throughout rural areas in Japan, including population decline, ageing communities, and worker shortages in agriculture and forestry. The core concept of this resort is terroir, or in other words, local production for local consumption.
By providing this terroir and attracting people from outside the region—who typically spend more than local customers—, the region can acquire foreign currency. In turn, this can help maintain high wages and ensure high-quality local employment. Using cuisine to communicate the appeals of the region’s ingredients, culture and worldviews to visitors from outside the region can ultimately help to solve the issues that the region faces.
To solve local issues through the new employment of 1,000 people, VISON is aiming to attract around eight million visitors a year, which is around the same number as one of Mie’s most popular tourist destination, Ise Jingu Shrine.
Meanwhile, interest in “spiritual but not religious (SBNR)” activities, such as mindfulness, meditation, and yoga, is growing on a global scale. According to the Pew Research Center in the US, approximately a quarter (27%) of American adults consider themselves to be SBNR. The prolonged pandemic is presumed to have strengthened this trend, and the SBNR mindset will no doubt become an increasingly important part of our lives.
In this post-COVID-19 era, destination development around Japan using a new framework like the above—combining food culture and spirituality—can become the centerpiece of a tourism policy to drive the achievement of the SDGs and economic growth.
The combination of regional food culture and spiritual spots like this is the same as to the pilgrimage route to San Sebastian and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. From the pilgrimage route in Shikoku to Eihei-ji Temple and Chuson-ji Temple in Hiraizumi, Japan has an abundance of its unique tourist destinations that fuse regional food culture with spiritual elements. As such, this has the potential to be an incredibly effective tourism policy.
However, when communicating information like this that requires a certain level of education and knowledge, it is not enough to simply target individuals based on attributes such as age and gender on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. For those unfamiliar with the ideas and concepts behind local production for local consumption and regional social issues, even the terminology can be a challenge. As such, communicating via highly reliable, high-context media is paramount.
For terroir, spiritual cultures, and other unique Japanese tourism resources that are difficult to put into words, it will be important to showcase their appeal and strengths in visible formats. The future role of global media will be to bring about social reform through the media by (1) making readers in Japan and around the world aware and arousing interest; (2) promoting understanding; and (3) encouraging them to consider.
The Course of Action for Plant-based Gastronomy—Our World in 2050
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has led to drastic changes in today’s lifestyles and habits, and there is a sense throughout society that we have entered a new phase.
At the same time, we are also beginning to feel the impacts of worldwide social issues such as global warming in our daily lives.
For example, in addition to torrential downpours becoming the norm in recent years, every year we are seeing typhoons of record-breaking scale. We are also experiencing major changes elsewhere, with declining fish catches, seasonal changes, and poor harvests of previously stable vegetables and other crops.
As civilization has advanced and the quality of our lifestyles has improved, unknowingly, we have also been causing huge damage to the global environment.
Further, with a global population explosion on the horizon, some say that we will require two earths if we are to continue with our current way of life.
Against this backdrop, countries across the world are coming up with diverse ideas to tackle these environmental issues, engaging in various initiatives to rebuild the planet.
In gastronomy, eating is the common denominator among people worldwide that is essential to sustaining life. I believe that food can provide one solution to these environmental issues, and have realized the importance of promoting and developing environmentally friendly lifestyles through food. A plant-based diet is one solution that can have an effective outcome for the global environment.
This plant-based diet has been closely related to the Japanese diet since ancient times.
One example is shojin ryori, a vegetable-based Buddhist cuisine, which is a key part of Japanese food culture. Shojin ryori was first introduced to Japan in the 13th century. A lack of logistics at the time meant that individuals would source local, seasonal ingredients themselves, only taking the necessary amount to ensure harmony with nature and show their appreciation for nature’s blessings. This was a self-sufficient, sustainable way of life.
This ancient approach can help us rethink the gluttony in modern society.
My hope is to promote lifestyles that can have a positive effect on both health and the environment. With the knowledge that I can help people improve the environment in a stress-free manner through dining, whether at home or restaurants, I have therefore taken action. One initiative that I have developed for society is the 1,000 Vegan Project, through which we aimed to switch from regular meals to vegan meals at 1,000 locations nationwide. From Wakkanai in Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa Prefecture in the south, we worked with various companies to provide more than 100,000 vegan meals, contributing to society through people- and environment-friendly food.
Moreover, working with chefs to host restaurant events showcasing vegan food, we are engaged in activities to promote plant-based food as part of regular menus. We are also continuously working with food companies to drive the shift toward plant-based meals through product development.
I have already seen how food-based solutions can transform our notions of food and in turn lead to even greater achievements, and I believe that food has the potential to lead the globe toward sustainability. I hope to change awareness through the medium of food, which is essential for everyone’s survival irrespective of nationality, race, religion, or any other trait. I look forward to creating a society full of delicious foods from the world of plant-based gastronomy. How wonderful it would be to be able to help rebuild our beautiful planet by applying this mindset on a global scale.
To make this a reality, I have come up with three key elements that are essential to creating food-based solutions, collectively naming them as “Future Recipes to Rebuild Food Ahead of 2050”.
These geo gastronomy recipes are paramount to creating a sustainable future for food ahead of 2050. On February 19, 2022, the recipes were broadcast from the Space Center as a declaration of our intent.
1. Locality and Technology
Fusing technology with historical local gastronomy to analyze ingredients from mountains, seas, and lands—from macroanalysis of the earth from a space perspective to microanalysis of local ingredient genomes—to create people- and environment-friendly, circular recipes for the future.
2. Carrying Forward the Expertise of Our Ancestors
Learning from the expertise of our ancestors who have created a circular society from the dawn of humanity to the present day and reexamining local cuisine. Also, focusing on the possibilities of natural microorganisms in fermentation and maturation processes for long-term preservation.
3. Food Innovation
Transforming food loss and waste into value through new food innovation recipes. (In addition to the food-supply crisis caused by drastic population increases, approximately one third of food produced globally is said to go to waste.)
The idea is that these “recipes” become keywords so that humanity can coexist with nature to drive the creation of circular economies. Ultimately, circular economies around the world will create a more beautiful earth in 2050.
As we work to create a brighter tomorrow ahead of 2050, I believe that plant-based gastronomy is not far away from becoming a global movement.
It’s important to learn how our small social contributions through food can help to create a better world for the future. I will continue to work with various individuals worldwide to achieve a sustainable society.
A Pioneering Spirit to Spread Satsuma Shochu Worldwide―Satsuma
The Changing Roles of Chefs in Green Jobs and the Role of Career Education in Japan
The United Nations has said that up to 37% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from global food systems. As we all reap the benefits of these food systems, we all play a role in global warming. As such, it is essential that we reexamine consumer behavior that up until now has been indifferent to environmental issues, and that we change our routines accordingly. Economic strategy in post-COVID-19 Europe has been focused on “green recovery”, and as one example, the European Commission has formulated the Farm to Fork Strategy. In Japan, too, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is currently putting in place various environmental policies.
Key to these strategies and policies is consumer education. While the fact that these economic strategies take a so-called product-out approach remains unchanged, what is important is to generate demand. To make the transition to more environmentally conscious consumer behavior, efforts in Europe to make environmental education a compulsory part of primary education are progressing, and similar efforts in Japan will no doubt follow suit. Having consumers acquire complete knowledge of environmental issues will help to promote the shift away from this indifferent mindset. However, there are limits to what compulsory education and a sense of responsibility can bring. Added value associated with environmental awareness must exceed price and quality. The automotive industry, for example, has been a gamechanger in linking environmentally conscious consumer behavior to status. In the same way, food systems must aim to link consumer behavior to a more enriched society. The ability to do so will be the key moving forward. For example, the goal for sustainable food systems could be to create decentralized societies or circular and ecological societies. This would ensure that, rather than local consumers feeling like they have to consume local ingredients and organic ingredients, doing so would help to create successful industries based on local food cultures. Goals such as these could be a significant driving force behind the transition to sustainable, abundant food systems.
In Europe and US, there has been increasing attention on the role of chefs, whose responsibility in food systems is to create added value. They are also seen as influencers. Recently, it is not uncommon for chefs to have their own vision for society based on a complete viewpoint. The Michelin Guides, which assess restaurant quality, have begun awarding restaurants with Green Clover symbols. These symbols recognize a restaurant’s sustainability and environmental protection initiatives. Roles in environmentally friendly establishments such as these have been defined as green jobs, and the creation of green jobs has recently been incorporated into the policies of various countries. Although it’s easy to think that green jobs only refer to roles in environmental industries, the International Labour Organization defines green jobs as any “decent work”—that is, a role that contributes to preserve or restore the environment. In this sense, it is important that we transform green jobs into an attractive proposition for the youth who will lead the next generation. Just as there is a common motive for working in medicine and welfare among the youth today, in the future, we will no doubt see an increasing number of young individuals with common career anchors working in green industries.
I believe that for Japan to be a respected, attractive country among the global youth of the next generation, we must work to position green industries and green jobs at the center of Cool Japan activities. Washoku (Japanese cuisine), which has been designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as a culinary custom founded on respect for nature, is a key element that can help us achieve this vision.
In the career education sector, there are many things that we have to do. In developing individuals for green industries, in addition to teaching them about techniques and technologies, we must also promote professional ethics. It is therefore important that we take part in environmental education, which begins in primary education. We must also educate people on washoku based on the principle of respect for nature. Washoku is not only something we must protect, but something we must use to learn about mentality, outlook, and future vision. In doing so, I am in no doubt that Japan will continue to be seen as a “cool” location by people across the world.