by Olivia and Caitlyn
With a brief and simplified yet comprehensive understanding of Japan’s history under our belts, it was time for us to really go out into modern-day Japan in search of our commodities. For those who need a quick reminder, our class focuses on the cultural lives of commodities in Japan– specifically on those of medicine, textiles, tea, and last but certainly not least, sugar.
Sugar grew in its popularity rapidly after its reintroduction to Japanese society through Nagasaki, one of the few ports that had contact with foreigners during Japan’s seclusion period in the 16th century. As a result, in its early days in Japan, sugar was considered both a rarity and a luxury. This possibly explains the ways in which sugar is used in Japanese confectionary sweets, as a little bit of sugar went a long way in terms of maintaining the value of a dessert.
Sugar in Japan is unique in many different ways. For one, while in Western cultures we tend to have a love-hate relationship with the sweet-tasting carbohydrate, Japan seems to have a love-love relationship with confectionery goods. Something the reading for today’s class noted is that Japan appears to have a delicate sense of restraint and indulgence, especially in terms of sweet treats. To sum up what was an interesting thirteen page article (which you should read if you have the time, linked here), there is a particular distinction made in Japanese culture within how they specifically show their love for sweetness and sugar.
The indulgence in Japanese citizens in terms of sweets tend to come from the indulgence of the time it takes to admire and enjoy sweet treats. Sugar and sweetness as a whole isn’t necessarily demonized here, and sugar doesn’t receive the same amount of scorn that it does in many Western cultures. In fact, Japan loved sweets so much that they widely adopted the Western holiday tradition of Valentine’s Day in the mid-20th century and even created a reciprocity holiday in the 1970s called White Day where you pay back any gifts you were given to the people who gave you said gifts on Valentine’s Day. Of course, beyond the love of sweets and the joy of sharing them is the financial and capitalistic aspect of why these holidays came to fruition in the first place (both traditions were brought to Japan by– you guessed it– confectionary companies), but beyond that, Japan has always had a relatively healthy relationship to sugar and sweetness.
This is reflected clearly in Japan today. Our assignment for our daily journals was to find an interesting use of sugar and think about the item in terms of our theme of the cultural life of commodities. I was personally fascinated by a large building filled with omiyage (Japanese souvenir shops) near Shibuya crossing and the ways in which Japanese locals interacted with the sweets. While I don’t have much of a sweet-tooth myself, I could see the struggle of some of the people I was with as they were surrounded by the tantalizing view of rows upon rows of sugary goodness. You can walk the streets of Japan and very easily find many different kinds of treats to indulge in, but you will notice the time and care that Japanese citizens will take in these shops. They ask questions to the shopkeepers about the distinct flavor notes of different pieces of chocolate, take their time in examining the 1:1 scale food replicas on display, or sometimes even just stand and take a deep breath to ground themselves in the aroma of buttered bread and sticky syrups.
Other students made interesting observations in comparing notoriously sugary items in Japan to items from America. One observation that stood out to me personally was that two students made similar observations about carbonated sodas; while we both use high fructose corn syrup in order to help create the iconic sweet Coca Cola flavor (although in Japan there is a mix of natural cane sugar with HFCS), carbonated drinks in Japan tend to have a higher amount of acidity in their drinks, whether it be from phosphoric, carbonic, or citric acid. The higher counts of acid in Japanese drinks offers a richer and tangier flavor that emphasizes the fizz of the carbonated drink. Additionally, one student found that after letting a bottle of coke stand overnight, there was a clear difference in the taste profile of coke here as opposed to in America; there is a higher ratio of syrup to water here that made the drink both thicker and sweeter after standing overnight.
I think that finding sweetness in Japan involves more than simply purchasing a sugary good. Japan has a very unique relationship to sugar that doesn’t exist in America, and there is a lot of merit to examining the ways in which that relationship is portrayed in everyday life. At the end of the day, whether or not you purchase an omiyage-ya (souvenir shop gift), prefer Japanese sodas to American ones, or indulge in the variety of unique flavors offered almost only in Japan, there is a certain sweetness to exploring a new culture and the ways they utilize a common raw, natural ingredient. Engaging with practices of restraint over indulgence in order to help us reconstruct our tumultuous relationship with sugar so that we can lead sugary lives free of guilt sounds pretty sweet to me.
(photos coming later— I am lame and lack storage, sorry everyone!!)