Only a few years ago, Sushi was something really exotic for the Germans. Sushi Restaurants outside of Japan could rarely be found and their target groups were abroad living or travelling Japanese.
But since 2 or 3 years one can find more and more new Sushi Restaurants in Hamburg, almost every day there is a Sushi-Bring-Service-Flyer in my mailbox and at the supermarket in my street, they started to offer Sushi-boxes from the fridge beside frozen pizza, ice cream and others. For me, as I love to eat Sushi, these changes are great, because as the demand of Sushi is increasing, the prices are decreasing. Finally even I, as a poor student, can afford to eat Sushi more often. And I do so.
But although I am visiting Sushi Restaurants quite often, almost once a week, I have recognized that I know very less about them, in comparism to what I know about other restaurants, for instance Italian ones, which I am also visiting quite regularly.
So as the research topic for this semester of Intercultural Communication II was to find out more about people who are sharing collective identity and run ethnic businesses, this term paper gave me the opportunity to find out more about Sushi Restaurants in Hamburg.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Aim of survey
3. Methodological Approach
3.1. Data Collection
3.2. Difficulties of Data Collection
4. Results
4.1. Sushi Restaurants in Hamburg
4.2. How Japanese are German Sushi Restaurants?
4.2.1. Owners and staff
4.2.2. Restaurants and food
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This research investigates the level of authentic Japanese cultural influence in Sushi restaurants located in Hamburg, Germany, exploring the extent to which non-Japanese business owners have adapted or Americanized the traditional concept to suit local market preferences.
- Analysis of ownership demographics in the Hamburg sushi market.
- Evaluation of staff training and culinary origins in sushi establishments.
- Investigation into the adaptation of restaurant equipment and menu offerings.
- Exploration of the role of "Americanization" in the evolution of sushi in Germany.
- Assessment of customer perceptions regarding Japanese authenticity.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1. Owners and staff
Concerning the owners it becomes obvious from the results in chapter 4.1. that the owners and managers are mostly not from Japan. Consequently one may assume that these people have changed a lot about the Sushi Restaurants, as the Japanese culture is not their original culture.
Questions 6, 12 and 19 were created to find out whether the restaurant owners are interested in the Japanese culture although the Japanese culture is not the original culture of these people and if they want to communicate this culture through their restaurants. Question 6 was an open-ended question concerning the motives of the owner to open a Sushi restaurant. I formulated this question as an open-ended question as my intention was not to influence the respondent by already given alternatives. The answers given were as follows:
Only 8 of the respondents answered this question. 2 did not answer at all. 4 of the German owners and managers named as their motives that the idea came from visits to the UK (1 respondent) or from their visits to the US (3 respondents). On the other hand the Asian respondents named only once as motive the American role model. Instead other factors such as an original “Sushi Master” (2 respondents) or tradition and Sushi machine (1 respondent) were named by these owners. Interesting was, that those 2 respondents who answered that they opened the restaurants because they had learnt the technique from a “Sushi Master” were both originally from Korea, as this nationality also assumes to be the nation who invented Sushi.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the growing popularity of sushi in Hamburg and identifies the research gap regarding the cultural authenticity of these establishments.
2. Aim of survey: Defines the research objective to determine if sushi restaurants in Hamburg maintain Japanese authenticity or if they have undergone significant changes due to their non-Japanese operators.
3. Methodological Approach: Describes the use of self-administered questionnaires to collect primary data from restaurant owners and highlights the challenges faced during the collection process.
4. Results: Presents the findings regarding the demographics of owners and staff, the business structure of sushi chains versus independent restaurants, and the influence of American styles on the local sushi scene.
5. Evaluation: Provides a SWOT analysis of the research project, discussing personal findings regarding the survey design, communication hurdles, and lessons learned for future academic work.
6. Conclusion: Synthesizes the results to conclude that sushi in Hamburg has undergone an "Americanization" process, largely driven by profitability and consumer preference for an Asian appearance rather than strict cultural authenticity.
Keywords
Sushi, Hamburg, Intercultural Communication, Ethnic Business, Americanization, Culinary Authenticity, Restaurant Management, Market Research, Japanese Cuisine, Cultural Adaptation, Globalization, Food Industry, Business Strategy, Survey Analysis, Consumer Preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the extent to which sushi restaurants in Hamburg, Germany, retain authentic Japanese characteristics versus adapting to local or westernized trends.
What are the central thematic areas?
The study covers owner demographics, staff nationality, restaurant equipment, and the influence of American business models on the sushi sector in Germany.
What is the primary objective of the study?
The aim is to determine if the sushi sector in Hamburg is truly Japanese or if it has been fundamentally altered by non-Japanese owners and the influence of westernized "American-style" sushi.
Which methodology was utilized for the research?
The author employed a self-administered questionnaire targeted at sushi restaurant owners and managers in Hamburg, supplemented by secondary data.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body includes a classification of sushi chains versus independent restaurants, an analysis of owner motives, and an evaluation of staff expertise and restaurant design.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is best defined by terms like Sushi, Intercultural Communication, Americanization, Cultural Authenticity, and Ethnic Business.
How did the author describe the trend of "Americanization"?
The author observes that many German-owned sushi chains appear to model their businesses after American and British sushi concepts rather than traditional Japanese standards to satisfy local customer demands.
Why did the author consider the research project a "success" despite the low survey response rate?
While the data was not representative enough for a formal statement, the author views the project as a successful learning experience in planning, data collection, and project management for future academic endeavors.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Niciejewska (Author), 2007, Sushi Restaurants in Hamburg – What is still Japanese about them?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/80602
