A Study on Electric Rice Cooker Design of Japan and Korea

Abstract

In 1955, Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd. introduced the first automatic electric rice cooker. Due to its convenience and people’s familiarity with rice, the electric rice cooker quickly became an indispensible small appliance in Japan and was soon exported to other countries.
Herein we discuss the relationship of living culture and the spread of the electric rice cooker in Japan by reviewing its design, and then compare the design histories of electric rice cooker in Japan and South Korea, where rice is also a staple food.