Press Releases

Inscription of “Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year” on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

December 5, 2013

1. December 4 (same day local time), it was decided at the 8th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, that “Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year” nominated by Japan would be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Japan highly commends and truly welcomes the decision.

2. Japan expects that the inscription of Japan’s very own Washoku, typically seen during New Year celebrations, as a dietary culture associated with a social practice embodying the spirit of the Japanese people of “respect for nature,” will create a momentum for making the appeals of Washoku more widely known in the world.

3. Japan will continue its efforts to further communicate to the world Japan’s appealing aspects, including Washoku.


(* The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)
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