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Kimch’i production in Japan, 1980–2001. 45
year amount (in tonnes)
1980 34,059
1985 46,636
1990 83,474
1995 93,304
1997 120,560
1998 180,147
1999 250,000
2000 300,000
2001 360,000
A combination of factors stimulated the swift popularization of kimch’i in
Japan. Manufacturers’ efforts to revive the stagnating market for pickled
vegetables, and the tough competition between them, is considered to have
played an important role. 46 The ethnic food boom and health food fashion
that swept Japan during the 1990s were also significant, because they led to
shifts in attitude, particularly among women, towards spices and garlic.
Kimch’i was embraced as a delicious food with healthy properties, such as
the ability to increase stamina, prevent cancer and even generate weight
loss. 47 The third factor behind the rapidly growing popularity of kimch’i in
Japan was the changing attitude toward Korea. This change was inspired
by two international sporting events that took place in Seoul – the 10th
Asian Games in 1986 and the 24th Olympic Games in 1988. The publicity
surrounding both events engaged the interest of the Japanese public, leading
to the growth of Japanese tourism in South Korea. A general shift, in
the midst of the economic recession of the 1990s, from (expensive) Europe
to (cheap) Asia as the most popular tourist destination provided additional
stimulus to travel to South Korea, in particular among young women.
After 1994, when a visa was no longer required for Japanese nationals to
enter the country, the stream of tourists increased rapidly (from 1.5 million
to nearly 2.5 million in 2000). The decline caused by the terrorist attacks
of 11 September 2001 and the sars epidemic of 2003 was only temporary.
In 2004 the number of Japanese tourists in South Korea recovered, again
reaching nearly 2.5 million. 48
The co-hosting of the World Cup of 2002 by Japan and Korea, and
the years of preparations preceding the event, undoubtedly generated
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