"Vegan," "vegetarian," "organic" and "superfood" are just a few of the key phrases used to smithereens in recent years.
These yokomoji (Western words) are also a popular marketing tool in Japan, an effective way to associate brands with health and wellness and, to a lesser extent, environmental and ethical responsibility.
From the trendiness of these words alone, one may assume that such products and services will be gone tomorrow, together with the feverish demand for tapioca milk tea drinks. But what if these words are a modern-day variation on, or a natural evolution of, the Japanese table? Vegan, vegetarian, organic and superfood concepts, are, in fact, rooted in how Japanese people have approached eating for centuries.