I should have been a little more clear here; I’m not talking about the Louvre where there are indeed people from all over unable to resist snapping a picture of the Mona Lisa.
I saw this in smaller museums where you wouldn’t even go unless you had a real interest in the subject. An example that jumps out is a small museum in Prauge that had a small collection of old weapons, about 20 cases of stuff. There were only a few people in there, including a younger Japanese girl who spent about 15 minutes inside taking a picture of every case with a nice digital SLR without really looking at the weapons. It was like she was hell-bent on taking a picture of every display case in the city.
And I agree that the people described in the OP are likely not “foodies” or bloggers. The OP was talking about airline food and food court fare. I’ve never been to Japan, but I bet they have pizza there.
No, I meant exactly what you are describing. Not actually looking at the exhibits at all, other than setting up the photos. Yes, there were tourists of every description taking photos pf the Mona Lisa, but I’m not referring to them.
I’m talking about a (specific) group who were essentially cataloguing the museum in photos without actually pausing to look at anything. It was as if they were on a mission to record as much as possible. If it was a matter of being hard-pressed for time, they proably could have bought a book from the gift shop that had te works photogrpahed in a way the preresented them far better. It seemed to me as if the purpose of the photos was to provide documentary proof that they had been in the presence of these things rather than to marvel at them and want to share the experience later.
We were with an American/Canadian tour group and there were also groups from Sweden and Germany, and they did not “catalog” their visit in the same way.
I take pictures of dishes in my house that I think are impressive, but that’s rare.
I’ve taken pictures of food a couple of times in Mexico, because some of the things there are noteworthy. Not often, but sometimes.
For aesthetics, that’s one of the big reasons I’m a weirdo that just doesn’t appreciate “Iron Chef.” Too much dang emphasis on the presentation. It’s food for crying out loud. That’s relevant, because it’s a Japanese program.
It seems to me that it’s a little-known fact, but the Japanese are more food-fixated than any other culture in the world. Of that much I am certain. When I lived in Japan, if I ever took a trip, the first question my acquantances asked was “what did you eat?” It’s expected to bring individually-wrapped pieces of snacky things when you return from a trip, to demonstrate a feeling of “sorry I was away, wish you were there”. It seems like anytime you turn on a TV in Japan, there’s at least one cooking show playing. If you travel with someone to another town, the first thing they want to do is eat the local specialty food, and mail some home to mom. And everywhere has some sort of local specialty food. Even if it’s raw fish caught that day, there will be a shipping stand where you can pack the catch of the day in dry ice and styrofoam to send home to someone you love. Another thing is that due to tight living space and sanitary restrictions, food is a welcome gift because it’s completely disposable. You eat it, it’s gone, you’re done. It doesn’t hang around cluttering your home forever like other tourist trinkets.
Exactly why this is, I can’t offer more than a WAG: one strong tenet of Japanese culture is of equality and harmony. Food is about the only subject that is both universal and non-controversial. It’s a basis for sharing about your experiences… from a meal, you can extend conversation to the restaurant, to the lady who ran the restaurant, to the part of town, etc. You don’t have to make awkward conversation about what an expensive hotel you stayed in (or didn’t), or about the luxurious amenities you experienced (or didn’t). Whip out an individually wrapped snack, or a picture of noodles… mission accomplished.
Oh… I will add one thing… generally in Japan, the sort of restaurants they have are Japanese. There aren’t Thai or Ethiopian restaurants scattered on every block like there tend to be in some areas in the US. So a lot of the food they see really is big news to the folks back home.
You don’t take pictures of your food?
I’ve never really thought of why, but I guess it’s because, well, when you go to restaurants, the food is pretty, and you want to take pretty pictures? Although I’ve taken pictures of raw, unprepared food as well…
I guess when you’re on tour, you want to be able to show people what you ate?
Speaking of taking pictures of bathrooms. I took this picture in my bathroom at a hotel in northern Bavaria. It was on the inside of the toilet seat. I laughed quite heartily.
I don’t find this nearly as bizarre as people taking pictures of *each other, *standing in front of famous landmarks. How many pictures of each other do you need? Do you have to prove that you were there?
I’m the guy who patiently waits until everyone’s out of the shot.
In summary, it’s a cultural difference. Nobody in the thread has yet explained the difference to my satisfaction. The most thoughtful explanation I’ve seen here is the Japanese unconscious/cultural/social use of food to represent harmony and equality. That makes sense to me. My perception of Japanese culture is that it is extremely polite, way beyond anything most Americans experience. So it makes sense that it’s difficult to speak about something without a common and inoffensive subject, just as Americans talk about the weather.
I’ll add an observation: in the US, we admire, glamorize, and make myths of the rugged individual, the loner, the hero. My guess is that the Japanese think that loners are failures and outcasts, the opposite of heroes.
I don’t think the photo-taking thing is limited to food, though. East Asians love taking pictures, period. Get on a bus in Seoul or Tokyo and you’ll see young girls posing in front of their own cellphone cameras all the freakin’ time. I don’t think digging into the meaning of food in Japanese culture is the answer here - I think it’s more a matter of why East Asians are so obsessed with taking pictures in general. I find this particularly ironic because East Asians also hate the concept of candid photos - I swear, all my Korean girlfriends have exactly the same expression and pose for every single photo they take: wide-eyed, smiling without showing teeth, doing the V thing with their fingers. (I realize that girls in the US do that a lot as well, but in my experience it’s more prevalent among Asian girls.)
Yes, but why on the airplane? Whenever my (adult) students would show photos of their recent trips overseas, the first photo would inevitably the airplane meal. Other food I can understand, I take plenty of food photos myself. The airplane meals, though, don’t really look any different than a bento from am/pm.
Still, for my last business flight I decided to take a photo of the lunch tray so I could show my wife, “see? I was on a plane!”
Well, assuming the Japanese really are more likely to take photos of food, isn’t “cultural difference” an explanation? Why do you think there has to be a deeper meaning?
As you just pointed out, Americans do the same thing (i.e. find inoffensive things to make for polite conversation). No real difference there.
Gotta chime in here and agree. I was in Makuhari in Chiba City last autumn. It’s across the bay from Tokyo. ( which I never got to visit. :smack: ). I couldn’t believe the number of stores selling cellular phone decorations. The little baubles that hang from the tiny loop in the phone? Incredible !!
I was at a major trade show. The number of very very conservatively dressed Japanese businessmen who would pull out their cellular phones- replete with tons of dangly bobblies- was amusing.
The most beautiful meal I’ve had in years was on that trip. Some of it was tasty and some of it was not ( lobster mousse? :eek: ) but the entire event was stunningly presented.
Meh. So they enjoy taking photos of their food. So do some of my Korean ex-family members.
I’m not Japanese but I’m pretty immersed. I’ve taken pictures of airplane meals. I’ve also taken pictures of a Lotteria burger when I was in Korea. I have a colleague who photographs every single meal he takes. That’s his hobby and he’s not alone. I’ve never thought this strange and when family come to visit Japan, they too frequently take pictures of their meals.
Why? Food is important and memorable, whether it is a Nutella crèpe from a street corner in Paris or a three star restaurant meal. When I look back at my food pictures, I’m able to remember a lot about that day. What did I do before I had that meal? Who was I with? What did we talk about? What did we do afterwards? And, most importantly, what did I eat? Because food is important.
I travelled for a while in China in the past and when Chinese people ask me what I liked the most about my trip I always answer: the food. I invariably get a proud nod of approval. However, I didn’t take any pictures of the food then, and I regret it. What did we have that night in Hangzhou? I don’t really remember and I wish I did.
I’ll turn around the op’s question a bit: why do people take pictures of famous buildings? They’ve been photographed thousands of times and you can easily obtain pictures that are better than anything you’re likely to take. So I have a photograph I took of the Parthenon. It looks like a crappy postcard. It’s not really special. When I look at it I don’t even remember taking it; I just remember the hundreds of other pictures of the Parthenon I saw. However, the picture of the moussaka I had after I visited the Acropolis, now that’s what really sends me back to Athens.
On a semi-related note:
When I was last in Paris, my wife and I went to a kitchen store. We weren’t really there to buy anything, we just thought it would be interesting to see what kind of things they had. Noticing a pair of Japanese tourists doing the same thing we were doing, a customer exclaimed that she didn’t understand why anyone would travel halfway around the world to go see cookware! Yet, the store in question is featured somewhat prominently in Japanese guidebooks.
What’s always puzzled me is - whether of food, each other standing in front of stuff, or of the airport furniture - what do they do with all those photos? They must have thousands from each trip. Are the modern equivalents of slide nights a big deal over there? How do they find to time to even sort them out, let alone look at them all?
A theory of one of my friends is that for many cultures known for their work ethic, such as the Japanese, taking pictures acts as a sort of “surrogate work”. That could explain why they feel the need to document everything (in museums, for example). Now what I don’t know is if Koreans (who according to you also take a lot of pictures) are also known for their strong work ethic, and which other cultures are also picture-takers. Swallowed My Cellphone didn’t notice this behaviour in Germans, who are also known as great workers. Maybe other people have had different experiences.
I guess this is more a IMHO answer, but I will say that it’s actually a nice way to document your travel.
Last year I travelled with some friends to Europe, at least one of whom made it a point to photograph each meal. At first, this seemed unusual to me, but once we were home it became a really neat record of what and where we ate. A year later I find myself really envious of those photos and wish I’d done the same. I mentioned this to a co-worker and she said she and her husband took a lot of photos of the food they had in Italy. Both because it was pretty and because it was a nice remembrance of the gastronomic part of the trip.
When I think about the confluence of the growth of foodie culture and the increasing convenience of digital photography, it wouldn’t suprise me if this were a trend we’ll soon be seeing in other cultures (including our own).
I take pictures of food all the time, and yeah, people do look at me funny sometimes. I’m pretty damn American, but I am of 100% Japanese ancestry. I do it to document noteworthy fast food which is a particular fetish of mine. When I’m traveling, one of the most important things to me is to hit up all the famous food joints. I love those stupid travel food shows. I figure my photos are a helluva lot more interesting than people taking photos of themselves in front of tourist attractions.
This is almost certainly the case. “Surrogate work”? What does that mean?
Many, if not most, Japanese love food.
Japanese love to talk about food. This is attested by the huge number of food-related shows on Japanese television.
Japanese love to travel.
Food is an important part of the travel experience for Japanese tourists. Again, looking at Japanese television, there is also a great number of travel-related shows on. Possibly more than half the time is spent talking about the food. In some cases that all they talk about.
Japanese love to take pictures. This is somewhat a cliché but it’s true. With the advent of digital photography, there is nothing to keep people from talking pictures of everything they wish.
It follows from 1-5 that there is a high likelihood of Japanese tourists taking pictures of food. People not only enjoy taking them, they enjoy sharing them and looking at them.
Now, why is photography so popular in Japan? It’s been popular here for a long time. You could possibly tie this popularity with traditional aesthetic values. While traditional European aesthetics were all about staging and finding the One True Ideal representation, traditional Japanese art and literature is all about capturing the fleeting. Haiku poetry is a lot like snapshot photography: capturing a fleeting image that got our attention. Matsuo Basho’s travel poetry is very much like modern travel photography.
