“Irasshaimase”: the cross-cultural dynamics of Japanese restaurants in Sydney, Australia

Abstract

This thesis examines the interplay of cultures within Japanese restaurants in Sydney, unpacking the process by which Japanese culture is negotiated, constructed and performed. It charts the cultural sites that Japanese cuisine traverses before arriving in Australia and how this influences the way in which the commodity is received in the new host country. Analysing culinary culture provides a foundation on which to identify the multiple intermediaries that contribute to the production and consumption of foreign commodities locally, domestically and globally. This fosters an understanding of the meanings ascribed to cultural products outside of their native countries and how they participate in individual, national and international identity formation. This study aims to explore the wider sociocultural and political effects of these practices.