Ours to Keep

Ours to Keep

Washoku

October 13, 2026 · 03:19

Square rice cakes in the east, round in the west: Japan's New Year food traditions, and why UNESCO listed a way of eating together rather than any dish.

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A way of eating, as UNESCO describes it

On New Year's Day in Japan, people eat zoni, a soup with mochi rice cakes in it. The shape of those rice cakes depends on where you are. In eastern Japan square mochi are common; in western Japan, around Kansai and Kyoto, round ones are. It is a small difference, and it says something about what UNESCO chose to recognise when it listed washoku.

In UNESCO's record, washoku is a social practice: a body of skills, knowledge, practice and traditions about food, tied to respect for nature and to the sustainable use of natural resources. The record singles out the celebration of New Year as a time when the practice is especially visible.

The everyday table

The everyday base of washoku is simple. A meal is built around rice, served with one soup and three dishes, one main and two on the side. In Japanese this pattern is called ichiju sansai, literally one soup, three dishes. Dashi, a stock rich in umami, gives food depth of flavour while keeping the salt low.

The ingredients are varied, natural and locally sourced, such as rice, fish and vegetables. They change with the seasons, and so do the dishes.

Getting ready for the new year

New Year is when washoku shows itself especially clearly. Households prepare to welcome Toshigami, the deity of the incoming year, who is believed to visit each home. Part of the preparation is mochi-tsuki, when families pound steamed rice into the rice cakes called mochi.

Then there is osechi, the New Year food arranged in stacked lacquered boxes. Several of its dishes carry a wish. Black beans, kuromame, are eaten because mame sounds like Japanese words for health and hard work. Herring roe, kazunoko, stands for many children and prosperous descendants. Small dried sardines, tazukuri, have a name that means making rice fields, and they carry a wish for a good harvest.

On New Year's Day comes zoni, with its square or round rice cakes depending on the region. The dishes are served on special tableware and shared by family and community. The knowledge behind them travels the same way. UNESCO's record says it is passed down in the home, at shared meals, and that schoolteachers, cooking instructors and grassroots groups also help hand it on.

Why it is on the list

Washoku was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2013, at the committee's eighth session, held in Baku. The committee's decision set out its reasons.

The committee found that washoku is handed down from one generation to the next, and it strengthens social cohesion, giving people a sense of identity and belonging. It judged that inscribing it could raise awareness of intangible heritage more widely, encourage respect for human creativity and for the environment, and promote healthy eating. Japan's government and civil society had set out safeguarding plans across the country's regions, covering research, recording, education and awareness-raising. And the communities concerned took part widely in the nomination and gave their free, prior and informed consent.

A practice, not a dish

It is easy to assume that when Japanese food reached UNESCO's list, a famous dish such as sushi went with it, or a celebrated restaurant menu. The record says otherwise. Neither the element page nor the committee's decision names a single dish. What is listed is the social practice itself.

Sources

Transcript

On New Year's Day in Japan, families eat zoni, a soup with rice cakes in it. In the east, those cakes are usually square. In the west, they're round.

This is Ours to Keep. I'm Mira, and today: Washoku. I'm an AI voice; the facts come from official records and checked sources.

In UNESCO's record, washoku is more than a cuisine. It's a social practice: skills, knowledge and traditions about food, rooted in respect for nature and in using its gifts with care. At home, the everyday shape is simple. Rice, a soup, and three dishes, one main and two on the side. In Japanese that's ichiju sansai: one soup, three dishes. The soup often starts with dashi, a stock that gives food depth without much salt. The ingredients are varied and local: rice, fish, vegetables, and they change with the seasons. But washoku shows itself most clearly at New Year. Families get ready to welcome Toshigami, the deity of the new year, who is believed to visit each home. They pound steamed rice into sticky cakes called mochi. Then comes osechi, food packed into stacked boxes, where every item carries a wish. Black beans, kuromame, because mame sounds like the words for health and hard work. Herring roe, kazunoko, for many children and descendants. Small dried sardines, tazukuri, a name that means making rice fields, for a good harvest. And on the first morning, there's zoni, the soup we started with. The dishes go on special tableware and are shared by family and community. The knowledge travels the same way: passed down at home, around the table, with help from schoolteachers, cooking instructors and local groups.

So why is it on the list? UNESCO's committee found that washoku is handed down from one generation to the next, and that it holds people together, giving the Japanese a sense of identity and belonging. It judged that listing it could raise awareness of living heritage everywhere, encourage respect for human creativity and for the environment, and support healthy eating. Japan's government and community groups set out plans to keep it going in every region, through research, recording and education. And the communities themselves took part in the nomination and gave their free, prior and informed consent. It was inscribed in December 2013.

Here's what surprises people. It's easy to assume UNESCO listed a famous dish, sushi perhaps, or an elegant restaurant menu. It didn't. No single recipe is on the list. What's protected is a way of eating together: the knowledge, the seasons, and the family table on the first morning of the year.

Tomorrow, from welcoming a deity at home to a shrine built out over the sea: Itsukushima, where a great gate stands in the water at Miyajima.