CULTURE: In Japan, Asian is “In”

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Sep 9 1997 (IPS) - It’s hard to find a seat during lunch hour at ‘Chengmai’, a tiny Thai restaurant in downtown Tokyo. The mouth-tingling Thai curries and stir-fried dishes, costing around 10 dollars each, are a big hit with the office crowd that pack the place everyday and dinner is a reservations-only affair.

Chengmai’s Manager, Pran, recalls that customers were few and far between when she began working there nearly 25 years ago.

The Japanese considered coconut milk and lemon grass, essemntial ingrediants of Thai cuisine, as something “very exotic, to be tried once as an experiment,” she says . “Now these things are common fare for the Japanese – almost like soy sauce and miso (bean paste).”

Ten minutes away from ‘Chiengmai’ is the ‘Taj Mahal’, an Indian restaurant known for its spicy lunch buffets. Getting a seat during the week is almost impossible, complain would-be patrons.

“I love the curry and I eat here at least three times a week for lunch,” gushes Takemi Sato, a 26-year-old office worker.

Asian restaurants are making a killing in Japan, just one sign of the Japanese’ growing interest in the cultures of fellow Asians around the region. This is no small feat in Japan, whose people have a reputation for being one of the most finicky customers in the world.

Beyond the mushrooming of Asian restaurants, Japanese seem as if they cannot get enough of Asian films, music, clothes, travel and languages. The average Japanese now shows more interest in learning about their neighbours in the region. Previously, Japan’s cultural links with Asia lagged far behind economic ties.

“It’s almost too late,” said Midori Nakayama, 38, who has started Nepalese cookery classes and whose family spends their summer vacations lazing on the beaches of Cebu in the Philippines. “It’s amazing how we have ignored our fellow Asians for so long.”

Experts say the look-to-Asia trend is partly the result of Asia’s economic success, as well as a growing search for spiritual happiness among the Japanese.

“The Japanese became rich and powerful by learning from the superior technologies of the West, but now they realize that material success has made them lose something more precious as a result,” explained Gen Tamaki, who practices Indian ayurvedic medicine.

Tamak’s clinic is packed with patients and students, ranging from 20 to 70 years of age. “The Japanese are turning away from the once revered Western world and looking for alternatives which many believe lie in Asia,” he said.

Yoga and an interest in Asian cultural pursuits like traditional weaving methods, silk painting, dance or medicinal herbs has made inroads into the daily life of many Japanese.

Asians have also made a name for themselves in cultural circles. Filipino actress Ruby Moreno, 24, stars in many Japanese films and television dramas and in expensive department stores, clothing from Hong Kong and Korean designers are displayed next to famous French and Italian brand names. Sony Corp has just announced the creation of a new company in India that aims to bring the global music scene to India and export Indian music beyond its shores.

In short, Asian is in!

Analysts often say that Japan’s cultural relationship with the rest of Asia lags behind economic ties. A poll taken by Asahi newspapers in May shows that while trade has risen, trust for Japan based on warm friendship lags behind, not least due to the country’s past record of colonisation of much of Asia.

Whatever the experts say however, people-to-people lies and growing familiarity with and enjoyment of each other’s cultures — be it in food, fashion, art or literature — can only enrich Japan’s rediscovery of Asia.