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Japan’s Culinary Traditions Struggle Despite First Living Treasures

Japan has recommended Kyoto chef Eiichi Takahashi, 87, and sake brewer Naohiko Noguchi, 93, as its first living national treasures in traditional cuisine. Officials and industry groups say aging membership and a shrinking population threaten who will carry the crafts forward.

By matthew jonathan

November 15, 20262 min read

Japan's Culinary Traditions Struggle Despite First Living Treasures — Japan’s Culinary Traditions Struggle Despite First Living Treasures

Japan has recommended Kyoto chef Eiichi Takahashi, 87, and sake brewer Naohiko Noguchi, 93, as its first living national treasures in traditional Japanese cuisine, yet Japan's culinary traditions struggle to find successors as the population shrinks and lifestyles change.

Takahashi works at the Kyoto restaurant Hyotei. Noguchi brews sake. Mastering either craft under a seasoned master is technically demanding and takes a high degree of craftsmanship.

The honors are meant to draw younger people into the work. Interest in Japanese food has boomed worldwide since UNESCO added washoku, the traditional dietary culture of Japan, to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2013.

Industry welcomes the recognition

Shinichi Terada, head of the Kyo Ryori Association, said the recommendation has "shaped the identity and form of Kyo ryori." The association groups long-established traditional restaurants specializing in Kyoto cuisine.

Kyoto welcomed a record 12.68 million inbound tourists in 2025, and 43.5 percent of them sought out culinary experiences. The city hopes a living national treasure in Kyoto cuisine will lift its popularity further.

The Japan Toji Guild Association, which represents sake brewers, said the news "gives all involved in traditional sake brewing hope and courage." Exports of Japanese alcohol reached a record high in 2025 at around 149.5 billion yen ($936 million), according to trade statistics.

A shortage of successors

The government moved to protect these arts in 2017. It listed culinary culture alongside flower arrangement and tea ceremony under the "revival of lifestyle culture" provisions of the Basic Act on Culture and the Arts.

A fiscal 2017 survey of related organizations by the Cultural Affairs Agency showed the scale of the problem. In a multiple-response question, 74.0 percent cited "aging membership" and 72.8 percent cited "decrease in membership."

An agency official voiced concern about the industry's future, pointing to a gradual decline in traditional Japanese restaurants and employees.

In 2021, the government set up a registration system for intangible cultural properties. In 2025 it widened eligibility to include "lifestyle culture," which opened the way for master chefs and sake brewers to become living national treasures. The Cultural Affairs Agency said it hoped the step would allow "skills honed over many years to be passed on to the next generation."

Satoshi Inoue, a professor at Momoyama Gakuin University in Osaka who specializes in the law on protection of cultural properties, said: "It's important for people to gain a broader understanding of the fulfillment found in this work, as well as the facets of the industry itself."