TOKYO, Nov 15 — Japan recently recommended two people as its first-ever living national treasures in traditional Japanese cuisine, but the traditions they embody face an uncertain future amid lifestyle changes and a shortage of successors driven by the country’s shrinking population, Kyodo News reported.
While mastering the arts under a seasoned chef or sake brewer can be technically demanding and require a high degree of craftsmanship, the elevation of Eiichi Takahashi, 87, of the restaurant Hyotei in Kyoto and sake brewer Naohiko Noguchi, 93, is hoped to encourage younger generations to take up the mantle.
Interest in Japanese food and culinary culture has boomed globally since washoku and traditional dietary cultures of Japan were added to the intangible cultural heritage list in 2013 by Unesco.
