Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku, London stands as the inaugural culinary college exclusively dedicated to Japanese cuisine in the UK, teaching authentic cooking and cultural practices.
We embark on this journey by initiating the teaching process with the identification of ingredients, adapting to local cultures and environments. As an example of this, distinguishing the nature of water. Water, a fundamental and crucial ingredient in Japanese cooking, is primarily soft water (containing fewer minerals) in Japan. This softness plays a pivotal role in enhancing the UMAMI flavour from the ingredients. Conversely, in many European countries, the prevalent hard water hinders the extraction of UMAMI, even when using the same set of ingredients.
In 2013, UNESCO recognised traditional Japanese cuisine, or Washoku, as an intangible cultural heritage. According to a survey conducted by the Japanese government, the number of Japanese restaurants outside Japan was approximately 54,700 in 2013. This figure has seen a constant increase, with the most recent survey reporting about 187,000 Japanese restaurants in 2023. The decade has witnessed a remarkable tripling of Japanese restaurants worldwide. Notably, there has been a 20% increase in the European region between 2019 and 2021, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic across European countries. This presents an excellent opportunity to acquire authentic Japanese cooking skills and knowledge with us. By doing so, you'll elevate your professional standing and who knows, maybe even venture into opening your own Japanese restaurant business on a global scale!
Director for Export Strategy, Export Policy Planning Division.
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
HARA Kentaro
December, 2013, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) registered Washoku - traditional dietary cultures of Japanese - as an intangible cultural heritage and it has been attracting a great deal of attention globally. Since then, the number of Japanese restaurants overseas has increased about 3 times in these 10 years, from 55 thousand in 2013 to 187 thousand as of 2023.
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