Japanese restaurants in the UAE.. Strengthening friendship relations and enriching the values of diversity
Japanese food has been very popular in the UAE since the Japanese community began residing in the country 5 decades ago.
Despite the small number of Japanese residing in the country, Japanese restaurants have increased in popularity and their number has increased by 163.4 percent over the past decade, which reflects the community's appetite for international cuisine and the values of diversity that prevail.
The interest of the citizens and residents of the UAE in Japanese food contributed to further strengthening the relations between the two friendly peoples as the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them, according to statements by Japanese officials to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
For his part, Shiro Ohkubo, the Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine in the UAE and appointed by the Japanese government, mentioned the presence of 142 Japanese restaurants in the UAE in 2013, and their number increased to 342 restaurants in 2022, an increase of 163.4 percent.
Ohkubo, who is also the managing director of Summit Trading Company, the largest Japanese restaurant company in the Arabian Gulf region established in 1977, explained that these figures were issued by his company's database, which deals with most Japanese restaurants in the UAE.
He added that the customers of Japanese restaurants in the seventies of the last century were employees of Japanese oil companies in Abu Dhabi, while their customer base is now witnessing expansion and diversification.
Ohkubo said that the customer base currently includes members of the Japanese community, Emirati citizens, Arab residents, citizens of Western countries, as well as residents from India, the Philippines and other Asian nationalities who love Japanese cuisine.
His Excellency Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, said that the growth of the Japanese cuisine industry in the UAE is not linked to the number of Japanese community members in the country, which is estimated at 4,300.
He added that he witnessed how Japanese restaurants contributed to strengthening social ties between Emiratis and Japanese during Expo 2020 Dubai.
"Individual relationships are strengthening among other means at the dining table," Isuma said. "I witnessed this in the Soshiro restaurant chain, which was represented in the Japanese pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai."
He stressed that Japanese cuisine has left a distinctive character during the past fifty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, explaining that the increase in the popularity of Japanese foods in the UAE prompted the Japanese government to appoint an ambassador for Japanese cuisine in the country to enhance its spread, noting that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries appoints these people. Ambassadors based on the recommendations of ambassadors and consuls in countries.
Isomata noted that UNESCO included a Japanese social practice related to food in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. It is a practice (Washoku), a social practice based on a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food. Respecting the essential nature which is closely related to the sustainable use of natural resources.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news