Abstract
The objective of this research is to investigate upon the ethnic identity of the Korean Residents in Osaka City through the food culture and their adaptability towards the Japanese culture by taking concrete examples from their food culture, especially the festive food culture. I made a questionnaire-based survey as well as an oral-survey in the Korean-populated areas of Osaka. The purpose of this survey is to examine the festive food preparations, the changes of food patterns that have taken place as a result of living in Japan. The results of this survey showed that there was a correlation between the ethnic identity of the Korean Residents in Osaka City and their festive food preparations. The stronger was the feelings of ethnic identity, the stronger was the ethnic influence on the traditional festivities and the closer was the food preparations to the traditional Korean style. Regarding the dishes used, they were mostly made-in-Korea and were bought directly from Korea or at the Korean shops. Moreover, on the viewpoint of the mutual relation between ethnic identity and the representative festive food, i.e. the New Years festive food, the survey revealed that the amount of traditional Korean festive food prepared during New Years was proportional to the strength of feelings of ethnic identity of each family. However, there was no difference in the amounts of traditional Japanese festive food that the families prepare for the New Years and, moreover, no relation with the extent of the family's ethnic identity feelings.
