Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

With its traditionally rich culinary culture and the Japanese people’s sensitivity and their punctilious pursuit of high quality food, Tokyo is acknowledged as the food capital of the world.  The Michelin Guide, a prominent French restaurant guide with competitive listings, has awarded more stars to Tokyo than New York or even Paris.  Food & Wine, one of the top culinary magazines in the United States, rates Tokyo the most exciting restaurant city in the world.  As such, Tokyo will host the World Summit of Gastronomy 2009 from February 9 to 11, 2009, a magnificent international cooking show that is being held for the first time in Asia, and is going to be a not-to-miss event for food enthusiasts.  This event is to showcase and promote the Japanese cooking culture to the general public and culinary professionals, as well as the latest culinary scenes from different parts of the world by inviting the world’s top chefs.

The event has three missions: 1) to provide international culinary exchange opportunities to chefs from around the world, 2) to promote Japanese food culture and Japanese culinary brands to the world, and 3) to introduce the importance of dietary education, which the Japanese government recently passed a law to advocate domestically and internationally.  The contents approach these three perspectives in unique ways during this three-day unprecedented event.

The top notch chefs such as Joël Robuchon and Nobu Matsuhisa are invited to this event to demonstrate their traditional, original and unique cooking methods as well as their cooking philosophies and innovative view on Japanese cuisine.  The varieties of the chefs’ background – not to mention Japanese, but also French, Italian and French – characterize today’s global culinary landscape, since they will demonstrate how Japanese food and ingredients influence their conventional styles.

The cooking and kitchen tool trade show probably takes the largest space in the Tokyo International Forum, the cutting-edge convention venue in central Tokyo, to introduce the latest products with Japan’s one-of-a-kind sleek and stylish, high quality, compact but efficient and well designed products.  Promoting Japanese food culture is not simply sampling Japanese food and ingredients; the event’s demonstration sessions also approach from Japan’s historic background, regional climate characteristics and, most importantly, Japan’s unique hospitality and manners at dining occasions.

Global affairs also strongly connect to culinary industries.  Some food ingredients are becoming hard to get, and several food-safety issues have been casting a shadow on chefs and gourmands.  Cooking professionals will discuss this topic in the 90-minute symposium on the first day.

Japanese food has been promoting itself to the mature phase and gained enough popularity and has become one of the major cooking elements in the world.  In addition, there are more ingredients that are unique to Japanese food becoming known and accepted among the global community.  The event will carry the multi dimensions of Japanese food culture, high food quality, cultural and social sensitivity and traditions that are all respected and renowned in today’s world.  This is going to be a must-see experience for a wide range of audiences including Japanese food fans, gourmet enthusiasts and young generations who would contribute to better human life and pursue innovative cooking to evolve th­­­­e human culture.

For details of the World Summit of Gastronomy 2009, go to www.tokyotaste.net

——– Nori Akashi: Public Relations Manager at the New York Office of JNTO

Japan National Tourist Organization
New York Office
One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020
TEL: 212-757-5640  www.japantravelinfo.com