This paper analyzes the meals served in association with Buddhist rites in urban merchant families from the late Edo period to the modern period, based on records of Buddhist rites maintained by Kyoto merchant families. The paper shows that upon the death of the head of a merchant family, a dozen or so communal meals were held for the mourning family, relatives, servants, merchants, and neighbors, and that there was a fixed relationship between tableware and dishes in terms of their contents, which differed from the contemporary image of Kyoto cuisine. The study also investigated the relationship and degree of dependence between merchant houses and “shidashiya” caterers by examining the cycles of clients, transformation of dishes, geographical situations of each party, and payment records.

The purpose of this paper is to reconsider the type of Japanese milk-food culture and to analyze its popularization forms such as adoption, acculturation and fusion into Japan to clarify the characteristics of milk-food culture diffused in Japan where milk products are abundantly utilized in the daily diet. Data were collected through the Internet searches and dietary surveys of university students, and analyzed by focusing on the use and cooking of milk products as well as the intended effects of combining milk products and other foods to determine the types of Japanese milk-food culture. Categorizing current Japanese milk-food cultural aspects, the eight cultural types were identified, which were luxury, nutritional supplement, Western-style food culture, fusion with rice, fermented food, seasoning, pleasure food, and fried food. Milk products became popular in Japan as they were adopted, acculturated and fused into the food culture according to each type. Milk products were used to add rich and sweet flavors not found in Japanese food and to create the smooth texture, without disturbing the taste of other ingredients. Milk products will continue to be adopted, acculturated and fused further with many foods and ingredients used in Japan to create a new Japanese milk-food culture. The typological classification model presented in this paper is expected to be used as the tool to analyze characteristics of Japanese milk-food culture.

This paper aims to introduce a new historical source with the feast menu record at the time of the imperial visit to Nijo-jo Castle and to explain a part of the acceptance of namban-gashi in Kyoto during the Kan’ei era.

The menu stated in the new historical documents is characterized by being categorized by the people who received the feast and indicating the number of people. It was believed that aruheito candy was prepared for at least 1,803 people and kasutera sponge cake for at least 1,367 people.

Especially the fact that kuge (court nobles) and jige yakunin (lower-ranking officers) were treated to namban-gashi was responsible for the familiarity of aruheito candy and kasutera sponge cake among people in Kyoto. It was also believed that they might have been served to kuni daimyo (daimyo having domain of one or more provinces) and other daimyos as well, and that might have contributed to the spread of namban-gashi to other provinces.

This study reports on the process of recreating the menu for the banquet recorded in Mouri Motonari-kō Yamaguchi go-Gekō no Setsu Kyōō Shidai, and a case study of the recreated banquet menu being put to use. Motonari-kō Yamaguchi go-Gekō no Setsu Kyōō Shidai records six banquet menus for the visit of Motonari Mouri to Yoshitaka Ouchi in 1549, along with the tableware that were used.

The dishes in the six banquet menus are similar, and there was found to be a regularity to the order in which the dishes were served. The recreation of the dishes was based on the cuisine in Mino-Kagami written by Yoshiyasu Tamaki, a vassal of the Mouri clan, and other historical documents of the same period. Miso, salt, vinegar, sake, honey, and starch syrup were used as seasonings, while soy sauce and sugar were not used. Ingredients that are not available now, such as otter and swan, were replaced with similar ingredients.

The recreated banquet menu was commercialized as Samurai Gozen–Mouri Shoku, and there was also a plan to serve it as a school lunch, although this had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to be used in the realms of tourism and education in the future.

This paper reports on the results of the 2020 questionnaire-based surveys (N=1605) concerning Year-end and New Year traditions related to food and activity in Japan, in comparison with the 2017 result (N=1665). At the end of 2019, about 70% of the respondents did year-end cleaning and consumed toshikoshi soba on New Year’s Eve, as was the case in the 2017 survey. However, the number of respondents who prepared New Year’s dishes, osechi, decreased in 2020.The most favorite osechi dishes were kamaboko, followed by nimame and nimono. Fish dishes came out on the bottoms. The ranking was the same in the 2017 survey, but the amount consumed decreased in 2020. The most cited reason for making osechi was that it was part of the traditional custom, followed by the belief that it would bring good luck. Households with children tend to make the most effort to uphold the New Year’s tradition than those without children.For those who did not make osechi noted that it required too much time and effort to prepare; the increased accessibility of store-bought osechi; and smaller family size. The period for eating osechi has become shorter in the 2020 survey. In both surveys, many of the participants responded that they cherish “spending time with family” on New Year’s Day. The New Year tradition is a precious opportunity to preserve the Japanese tradition and pass the culture on to the next generation. However, the result of the 2020 survey shows that it is slowly declining, as seen in comparison with the 2017 survey result. The reason why the traditional New Year practice is being neglected may likely be due to pressures from work expectations. We should seriously reevaluate our work-life balance during the holiday season for the preservation of our national traditions.

The purpose of this study is to deepen understanding of traditional Japanese food culture in elementary schools. For this purpose, kelp (konbu) was taken up as a teaching material. Two nutrition teachers supported exchanges between two elementary schools, in Hokkaido and Okinawa Prefecture, using school lunches and information and communication technologies (ICT). Results showed that the use of ICT enabled exchanges between distant regions, and that school lunches, used for experiential learning, gave students a hands-on, realistic sense of their classroom studies. These experiences contributed significantly to meaningful two-way linkages between distant regions. This study confirmed the effectiveness of exchange learning that combines online communications with food-related experiences. Analysis of the post-survey questionnaire confirmed an increased awareness of the importance of kelp, local foods, and foods that have been eaten over a long history. The program deepened understanding of traditional Japanese food culture.