In November 2023, Kikkoman Corporation hosted a special workshop at the Culinary and Health Department of the Guangzhou Vocational School of Tourism & Business, an institute for secondary education in Guangzhou, China. Kikkoman has held annual workshops on washoku Japanese cuisine at this school for ten consecutive years, since 2014. Even during the pandemic, the exchange effort continued with online lectures. This workshop marked the first in-person session in three years. This event is a highly regarded example of one of Kikkoman’s management principles: To promote the international exchange of food culture.

This year’s guest lecturer was Mr. Hitoshi Kakizawa, who acted as general manager of the Kikkoman-operated Japanese restaurant “ 紫MURASAKI” which was featured at the Japan Industry Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai China. Mr. Kakizawa introduced participating students to two traditional Japanese dishes: kuwayaki-don chicken rice bowl and sawani-wan clear soup. Kuwayaki-don involves stir-fried chicken seasoned with soy sauce, sesame paste and sansho Japanese mountain pepper served atop rice, while the soup is made with julienned vegetables and thinly sliced pork cooked in dashi stock seasoned with soy sauce.

After a demonstration by Mr. Kakizawa, students practiced cooking these dishes in groups of four. They were highly motivated to learn about ingredients specific to Japanese cuisine, such as dashi stock, burdock root and wasabi, and approached him with questions about handling these foods and their cooking techniques. In the Q&A session that followed, Mr. Kakizawa encouraged students to be inquisitive, to try many different foods, cooking methods and seasonings, and to ultimately seek their own gastronomic path. Mr. Ma Jianxiong, head of the Culinary and Health Department and representative chef of Guangdong Province, commented on this international exchange event, saying, “This activity will help students broaden their international perspective and gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture—and also provide them with an opportunity to become a bridge between China and Japan.” Through such events, Kikkoman continues to promote the international exchange of food culture by fostering future chefs and developing friendly relationships among food professionals around the world.