Noodle production and consumption: from agriculture to food tourism in Japan

AbstractThis study aims to examine the extent to which and how a regional daily humble food and foodways as a signifier of local and regional identities contributes to the regeneration and rejuvenation of the region through food tourism in Japan. Within an exploratory case study mode, the research context focuses on Japanese udon noodles, and the geographical focus of the study is Kagawa prefecture located in the island of Shikoku. The findings suggest that the historical, social and cultural significance of udon noodles production and consumption in Kagawa is the centre of local and regional identities, which in fact resulted in the creation of a new tourism trend, the so-called udon tourism, among Japanese domestic tourists. Implications for future research will be suggested.Keywords: food heritageidentityfilmcase studyudonfood tourismJapan AcknowledgementsDr Sangkyun Kim would like to express thanks to associate professor Chieko Iwashita, Takasaki University of Commerce, Japan, for invaluable support during Dr Kim's field work at the site. Also, special thanks go to Ms Mari Yamasaki at Takamatsu Tourism Information Plaza and Ms Saki Nakamura from Local Products Promotion Division, Kagawa Prefectural Government, who provided a release for copyright-protected maps for this publication.Additional informationNotes on contributorsSangkyun KimSangkyun Kim is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism at Flinders University, Australia. Dr Kim's research interests include the relationships between food, identity and tourism, with particular attention to intangible heritage, film tourism including fandom and celebrity culture, and tourist behaviour and psychology (e.g., emotion).Ashleigh EllisAshleigh Ellis is an Honours Student in Tourism at Flinders University, Australia. Ms Ellis's research interests include ethnic food culture, identity and tourism, special interest tourism and cultural tourism including heritage tourism.