著者

李 商益

出版者

九州大学大学院比較社会文化学府

雑誌

比較社会文化研究

巻号頁・発行日

no.35, pp.61-68, 2014

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This research studies the development of ethnic business and its strategy in Tsuruhashi's Korea Town, one of the most well-known Korea Towns in Japan. The research focuses mainly on the seasoning used by food business operators. Tsuruhashi's Korea Town developed after World War II as a neighborhood with a large concentration of "old-comer" ethnic Koreans, and it was closely connected with the daily lives of its residents. In recent years, with an influx of South Korean newcomers and with the development of tourism, Tsuruhashi has become a well-known tourist spot. Tsuruhashi, alongside other Japanese Korea Towns such as Shin Okubo in Tokyo, gives people the opportunity to enjoy South Korean culture in Japan. That is why operators of ethnic businesses in Tsuruhashi need to cater to the needs of both Japanese tourists and local Korean residents. In order to study the strategies that they employ to this aim, I investigated the methods of seasoning used by food vendors. The findings of this survey are as follows: First, the operators of food related businesses are not long-time Korean residents of Japan, but mainly newcomers from South Korea. Second, local South Korean or North Korean residents form only a minority of the customer base, while the majority consists of Japanese tourists influenced by the recent boom for Korean culture in Japan. Given this background, it is clear that for the most part the seasoning, the major point that business strategy revolves around, is adapted to suit the tastes of Japanese tourists, although there may be some differences in approach among the sub-areas of the Tsuruhashi district.