The purpose of this paper is to clarify the whole picture of umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) food system, and its structural changes, focusing on differences among producing regions and their interrelationship.
In the existing food system analyses, the spatial viewpoint has been weak. Then this paper has tried to refine the existing structural framework by introducing a new sub-structure named “spatial structure”, that means differences among producing regions and their interrelationship in the structures of the food system. By using the renewed framework, the characteristics of umeboshi food system have been outlined as follows.
Firstly, it has been found that between the Minabe-Tanabe region of Wakayama, the largest producing region, and Wakasa of Fukui, one of the medium and small producing regions, there are many differences on the factors which define the figure of the food system. In addition, the two food systems viewed from Minabe-Tanabe and Wakasa intersect at the processing stage through the raw material supply. This intersection underpins a hierarchical relationship between regions. These findings suggest that it is essential to focus the “spatial structure” of the food system.
