Japanstudien 12

Volume 12 of Japanstudien focuses on the subject of food in modern Japan. Apparently, eating is not about nutrition alone, rather, food and eating are – in all cultures – invested with a complex set of signifiers and symbols. Food as an expression of material culture has thus become an important research focus in cultural studies and anthropology. Also there are several important contributions from numerous fields of economic and business research. This volume extends the analytical framework of food by approaching the subject in Japan from various methodological as well as interdisciplinary perspectives. The articles that deal with this complex issue provide insights into the dynamics and diversity of the development and the current state of the complicated research subject food in Japan. Four book reviews of English and Japanese publications widen the spectrum of the themes and disciplines included in this yearbook.