Why so many ‘Japanese’ restaurants in Germany are not Japanese at all

 

authentic japanese tonkotsu ramen from the Hakata Furyu chain

When you stroll through German cities, you see them everywhere: ‘Sushi & Ramen’ restaurants that promise Japanese flair, with bamboo decorations, cherry blossoms on the walls and a menu that is supposed to sound like Tokyo. Often there are 3 of those restaurants in the same street. But if you take a closer look (and perhaps have been to Japan), you quickly realise that this often has as much to do with authentic Japanese cuisine as a frozen croissant has to do with a Parisian boulangerie.

What many people don't know is that most of these restaurants are not run by Japanese owners, but often by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. There's nothing wrong with that, as many of them are hard-working, business-savvy and know how to run a restaurant efficiently.

But here's the catch: in some cases, the label ‘Japanese’ is not only used as a marketing strategy, but serves entirely different purposes, namely money laundering.

Dishes such as ‘fried California rolls’ or ‘duck ramen with hoisin sauce’ not only sound wrong, they are wrong. The actual quality is irrelevant, because cash is often used, little or no accounting is done, staff are not registered, and the restaurants change owners strangely often. In these cases, the food is secondary, the restaurant serves only as a front.

sushi with cream cheese?!

Of course, there are also many Vietnamese restaurants that operate transparently, and some that really strive to do justice to Japanese food. And there are also genuine Japanese restaurants in Germany, but unfortunately, these are rare and usually difficult to find.

What is missing: authenticity. Passion. And respect for the cuisine of another country.

My conclusion

I am not interested in exposing anyone or creating conflict between nationalities. However, I believe that those who use the name of a culture should also respect it. Japanese food is an art form, not a commodity that can be processed quickly to generate revenue.