Welcome to this Blog! (Presentation day)

Friday, February 26
Project Presentation


Thanks for coming to see my presentation today!

The aims of my project are:

• to discuss what rices signifies in Japan today
• to see how rice may be linked to Japanese constructs of identity
• to investigate the interaction between rice and "foreignness"

To do this, I researched the background of rice and foreign food culture in Japan. Then I visited several different restaurants in Tokyo, investigating unusual usage of rice as a mediator between domestic and foreign identities. At each establishment, I considered the way rice seemed to serve as a signifier of 'Japanese-ness' even in the context of an otherwise foreign dish or foodstuff.

This is my project on the topics of "delicious" and "change" for Gavin Whitelaw's JSPS101 Introduction to Japan Studies course in Winter term of 2009/2010.

Please take a look around -- and feel free to eat a rice ball or two!!!


Thanks,

Casey Walker
International Christian University of Tokyo
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