Japanese cuisine in Malaysia: culture and identity

Despite the vast research in global Japanese food, little is known about the perspective of Southeast Asian countries, more specifically from the intercultural communication lens, the popular take on Japanese food abroad. Thus, this exploratory study is aimed at examining Japanese food businesses in Malaysia in terms of their online websites and the experiences of their patrons. In the context of this study, these Malaysian and Japanese patrons who have been in the two countries were selected as respondents for the study. The study employed three main methods, which were as follows: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), document analysis and the structured interview. Fifty three (53) websites were analyzed using SEO and document analysis methods while 13 respondents were interviewed. The findings showed that online visibility contributed to the popularity of the restaurants to a certain extent. Furthermore, the taglines used by the restaurants upheld and promoted Japanese culture and there were five main elements that characterized Japanese food identity in Malaysia. These findings underscored the importance of the Japanese cultural identity as providing a strong value base that has helped Japanese restaurants to promote Japanese food worldwide