The USC U.S.-China Institute invites K-12 educators to join Teaching Japan Through Foodways: WASHOKU, Nature & Cultural Identity, an engaging onsite professional development workshop at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Centered on the exhibition WASHOKU | Nature and Culture in Japanese Cuisine, this program explores Japan’s traditional food culture as a dynamic lens for teaching culture, geography, sustainability, human-environment interaction, and everyday life. Through a docent-led exhibition tour, participants will discover how washoku reflects the close relationship between people, nature, and culture, while tracing its historical development and enduring significance in contemporary Japan.
More than simply Japanese cuisine, washoku is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage and represents a living cultural tradition shaped by Japan’s natural environment, history, and social practices. Rooted in respect for seasonal ingredients and regional diversity, washoku reflects the interplay between nature and human ingenuity. The exhibition demonstrates how biodiversity, fermentation, craftsmanship, and centuries of cultural exchange have shaped Japan’s foodways while highlighting washoku’s continued evolution through sustainability, innovation, and its growing global influence.
Organized around five thematic sections—What is Washoku?, Ingredients the Archipelago Provides, The History of Washoku, Beautiful and Natural - True Washoku, and The Future of Washoku—the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through Japan’s culinary heritage. Educators will encounter displays on regional ingredients, the science of umami, historical dining practices from the Jōmon period to the present, traditional cooking tools and aesthetics, contemporary efforts to preserve and reimagine Japanese food culture, and more. Interactive exhibits and immersive displays illustrate how food serves as a powerful entry point for understanding geography, history, science, culture, and environmental sustainability. Presented by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, the exhibition is organized by The Asahi Shimbun, with special support from the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, and supervised by Yo-Ichiro Sato.
The workshop begins with a docent-led tour of the exhibition, followed by a collaborative discussion focused on classroom applications. Participants will receive classroom-ready teaching materials to support K-12 instruction. Parking expenses will be covered, and participants will receive a certificate of participation that may be eligible for professional development credit.
Whether you teach social studies, geography, or interdisciplinary subjects, this workshop offers a valuable opportunity to deepen your understanding of Japanese culture, discover practical strategies for integrating foodways into K-12 teaching, and connect with fellow educators committed to bringing global perspectives into their classrooms.
REGISTER HERE