"In 2013 'traditional Japanese dietary culture' (washoku) was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Washoku's predecessor was 'national people's cuisine', an attempt during the Second World War to create a uniform diet for all citizens. Japan's Cuisines reveals the diversity of Japanese cuisine and explains how Japan's modern food culture arose through the direction of private and public institutions. Readers will discover how tea came to be portrayed as the origin of Japanese cuisine, how lunch became a gourmet meal and how regions on Japan's periphery are reasserting their distinct food cultures." --Publisher's website.

Introduction -- What is traditional Japanese food? -- Tea cuisine and the origins of Japanese cuisine -- Rice and its identities -- The making of the modern boxed lunch -- National people's cuisine -- When local food became local cuisine -- Local food cultures in Saga, Kōchi and Hida -- Conclusion.