‘Younger Japanese have been turning to high-end Western cuisine and fast-food chains. Japan’s annual rice consumption has fallen by 17 percent in the past 15 years. Demand for meat has exceeded that for fish since 2006, according to government figures. Some of the bigger kaiseki establishments are suffering from declining patronage, the soaring cost of seasonal ingredients and a shortage of apprentices willing to work backbreaking years for pitiful pay’. Read the full article here.
