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Contemporary yakiniku restaurants are direct descendants of the
Korean eateries of the 1950s, and the major change in their menus over the
years consisted in the quality and quantity of the served meat. 37 Per capita
yearly consumption of meat in Japan increased from 3 kilograms in 1955
to 9.2 kilograms in 1965, 22.5 kilograms in 1980 and 28.5 kilograms in
1990. This dramatic growth went hand in hand with the popularization of
yakiniku restaurants. For example, between 1963 and 1979 their number in
Tokyo increased from 17 to 1,118; in 1992, Tokyo counted 1,600 and Osaka
1,500 yakiniku restaurants. 38 These figures imply that a large proportion of
meat consumed in Japan since the 1970s took the form of yakiniku, which
was more affordable than beef stew (sukiyaki) and steak. The consumption
of grilled meat at home also increased at this time, demonstrated by the
skyrocketing sales of ready-to-use yakiniku dipping sauces. 39 Today
yakiniku ranks among most popular ‘classic’ meat dishes in Japan. Its Korean
roots are still recognized, similarly to the Chinese and Western origins of
the Chūka and yōshoku categories in the culinary tripod discussed earlier.
However, yakiniku has become utterly domesticated and has spread as a
favourite food in urban as well as rural areas. 40
The yakiniku case clearly demonstrates the role of Koreans in the
popularization of meat eating in Japan. In fact, this role was far more
A typical yakiniku restaurant in rural Japan, 2006.
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