Abstract
This paper examines the growth of a sushi culture in Singapore from historical, sociological, and comparative perspectives. Through a case study of sushi in Singapore, it aims to deepen our understanding of the mechanism of global popularization of Japanese popular culture and the interplay of popularization and localization in an Asian context. It consists of four parts. Part I discusses the history of sushi and the reasons for its popularity in Singapore. Part II examines the making of the sushi culture and industry in Singapore. Part III looks into different aspects of localization and their implications. Part IV identifies the characteristics of the sushi culture in Singapore and locates sushi within the context of globalization of Japanese popular culture.
This study shows that in the globalization of Japanese popular culture, Japanization and localization should be seen as two sides of the same coin. In the context of sushi in Singapore, eating sushi is a form of Japanization of Singaporean food culture. Critics are, however, too fast to point this out as a form of cultural imperialism or colonialism, overlooking the fact that we are consuming Singaporean sushi and not Japanese sushi. Sushi is re-made and consumed in Singapore. Hence, culturally, the acceptance of sushi in Singapore and overseas should be viewed as the result of culinary hybridization, cultural interchange, and an interplay of Japanization and localization.
