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From Yokohama to Amsterdam: Meidi-ya and Dietary Change in Modern Japan

Abstract In this paper I will focus on the early history of Meidi-ya, a leading shipping and trading company in modern Japan that specialized in merchandizing luxury Western foods and liquors. Established in 1885, Meidi-ya provided an important means for the spread of Western food culture among the Japanese upper and upper-middle classes, and played a pioneering role in introducing modern promotional strategies to Japanese retailing business. From around the turn of the century, the company expanded its role from that of an importer of foreign products to that of a retailer of domestically produced foods. A few years later, it also became involved in food processing. By entering these new domains, Meidi-ya began to play an increasingly important role in the domestication of Western food in Japan. By analyzing Meidi-ya's marketing strategies, I will elucidate its role in the introduction and popularization of Western food in Japan, and the modernization of Japanese retailing and food processing. However, my aim is not to focus solely and simply on food. By examining changing consumption habits and the various socioeconomic processes involved, I will also discuss the role of enterprises like Meidi-ya in producing new class identities and status sensibilities in Japan.