From an international perspective, I declare: Japan is now poised to create a new food culture for the future.

What important things lie hidden within our "unconscious" or "taken for granted" aspects, often surfacing when compared to other countries? How does "Japanese food" appear from an overseas perspective equipped with sharp antennae? Eiko Kanba, leader of Dentsu Inc.'s "Food Lifestyle Lab," pressed Justin Potts, who resides in Japan and is involved in various food production activities.

From left: Eiko Kanba (Dentsu Inc.), Justin Potts (President, Potts House Productions)

The Reason He Fell in Love with Japanese Food: "Fermentation"

Kanba: With the recent increase in foreign visitors to Japan, opportunities to recognize Japan's strengths from an overseas perspective have grown. Justin, when you visited Japan as a traveler, you became completely hooked on Japanese food, right? Now you design projects across Japan focused on food and tourism. What was the initial spark that got you hooked?

Justin: A major factor was Japan's fermentation culture. While fermented foods exist worldwide, I truly "experienced" how Japan has cultivated a uniquely original fermentation culture. The trigger was pickles and miso soup served at a farmer's home. They were completely different from commercially available products. Encountering fermented foods made using traditional, locally passed-down methods utterly captivated me.

Kanba: After that, your interest in fermentation only grew. Now you hold a "sake sommelier" certification and even brew sake at a sake brewery, right?

Justin, working as a brewery worker at Kidoizumi Sake Brewery

Justin: Fermentation is truly profound. Among the many microorganisms present, it's not about which is good or bad; fermentation occurs precisely because they all live in the same environment. There's so much to learn from this, and observing the relationships between microorganisms even offers hints for building societies and shaping communities. It's a major theme I want to pursue indefinitely.

Japanese food culture is constrained by "frames"

Kanba: Justin, you bring an international perspective while being deeply immersed in Japanese food culture. That's precisely why I want to ask: What do you see as the challenges facing Japanese food culture?

Justin: I think it's being overly concerned with "frames." If you imagine a setting for drinking sake, most people picture a similar scene—drinking indoors at night, for example. Many would be surprised to hear about drinking outside during the day. But surely there are flavors and luxuries unique to daytime that can only be experienced then. Shouldn't we be free to enjoy it more freely?

Kanba: Perhaps we've unconsciously adopted these "must-be-this-way" frameworks, and cases that transcend them have become fewer. By breaking those frameworks, new value could emerge in food, right?

Justin: I believe culture evolves while inheriting past forms. Modern sushi isn't exactly the same as it was in the Meiji era, and Japanese ramen and washoku also get localized in different regions overseas. I feel the true nature of culture is adapting to what people of the current era and region seek.

Kanba: So that's how flavor and culture truly take root in people.

Justin: Looking at current alcohol consumption in Japan, the number of people drinking sake isn't particularly high. Within that context, how do we create new value that meets the demands of today's people? It's possible because we have the foundation of long-cultivated techniques, combined with modern technology and know-how. Japan also possesses cutting-edge technology, as seen in retort pouch foods, making fusion with tradition feasible. We are truly in an era where we can create a new food culture.

The fusion of tradition and cutting-edge technology. Japan makes it possible.

Kanba: Creating food culture by blending tradition and cutting-edge technology. What do you think is needed to achieve this?

Justin: First, we must connect traditional food culture. In Japan, "delicious" is taken for granted. While this signifies being at the forefront of food, it makes it harder to feel the "importance and gratitude of food," weakening our ability to pass traditional food culture to the next generation. Therefore, the key lies in how we can effectively transmit it.

Kanba: With the boom in inbound tourism, opportunities to explain Japanese food culture to foreigners have increased. This sometimes leads Japanese people to rediscover its wonders. Such communication connects food culture.

Justin: The communication partners don't have to be foreigners; children are also good. Moreover, compared to the past, the ways information is presented have become more diverse. The media available are richer, and sometimes sharing a meal together is more effective than explaining with words.

Kanba: So, it's about sharing Japan's traditional food culture in this way.

Justin: Exactly. And we can combine that with cutting-edge technology. As I mentioned earlier, Japan's food technology is undoubtedly at the forefront. The coexistence of traditional culture and the cutting edge is remarkable. How we fuse these elements—that decision will determine the future of Japanese food. Creating the food culture of tomorrow is our role.

Food, being the very source of human life, interacts with every aspect of living and reflects societal changes and cultural trends. Dentsu Inc.'s 'Food Lifestyle Lab' is a project aiming to improve society through food by providing solutions related to this very food. Composed of members with diverse expertise and insights across the company, it leverages its network extending beyond the company to engage in roundtable-style innovation creation. Currently, the internal team consists of about 20 members. The project's origins date back to the early 1980s, and since then, it has continuously accumulated and updated various insights.