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Perspectives on Culinary Craft in Japan: a mini colloquium

  • Writer: i-comcul
    i-comcul
  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read

Japanese culinary craft is legendary. Yet what is behind this phenomenon? This colloquium features perspectives from two researchers on their long-term research on the social and cultural dimensions of culinary craft in Japan. Everyone is invited to participate in this academic discussion on Japanese culinary craftwork.  

 

 

Takumi: The Spirit of Perfectionism in Japanese Culinary Craft 

Taru Lindblom, University of Helsinki 


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Lindblom’s presentation examines the social and cultural commitments, as well as the sense of duty (giri) and feelings of shame (haji), experienced by culinary craftsmen and artisans. Drawing on ethnographic research for their book project, Takumi, Lindblom explores how Japanese chefs and wagashi artisans perceive their roles in society and illustrates the diverse manifestations of commitment that their craft entails. The relentless pursuit of perfection is a prevalent ideal within Japanese society, yet the authors argue that it is particularly exemplified by the concept of takumi—a master craftsman—who embodies this ideal. 

 

Taru Lindblom works as a Professor of Food Culture at the University of Helsinki, Finland. 

Trained as an economic sociologist, her research explores the aesthetic, sociocultural, and moral dimensions of food consumption and production, cultural taste, and leisure consumption. Her recent publications regarding sustainable food practices includes Beyond meat reduction in the sociology of sustainable food consumption: the entrenchment of cheese in Finnish consumers’ everyday lives (with Sami Koponen and Mari Niva). She has co-authored books on Japanese culture in Finnish (Okashi, 2022 and Takumi, 2025, with Heikki Valkama and Arto Lindblom). 

 

Craft as Care: Small-Scale Culinary Entrepreneurship in a Tokyo Neighborhood 

James Farrer, Sophia University 


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Farrer’s study examines how gastronomic work in Tokyo neighborhoods operates as gendered care work and a form of community social infrastructure. Based on a decade-long public ethnography in a Tokyo neighborhood (www.Nishiogiology.org) the research documents the motivations, economic realities, and social meanings of small-scale culinary entrepreneurship based on a personalized service. Findings show that these owner-operated eateries typically function with minimal staff, relying on intimate partnerships and community support. Despite financial insecurity, proprietors emphasize meaningful work and caring relationships with customers, creating dense neighborhood networks that counter isolation in an atomizing society.  

 

James Farrer is Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo. His research has focused on the contact zones of global cities, including ethnographic studies of foodways, nightlife, sexuality, and expatriate cultures. His recent publications include The Global Japanese Restaurant: Mobilities, Imaginaries and Politics (with David Wank) and Globalization and Asian Cuisines: Transnational Networks and Contact Zones. He leads a public ethnography project on neighborhood Tokyo foodways (www.nishiogiology.org). 

 

This event is organized by James Farrer and the ICC Collaborative Research Unit “Sophia Food Studies: Mobilities, Sustainability and Ethics”.

 

 
 
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