Author(s): Hamzon Situmorang, Robert Sibarani, Echo Sibarani,
What it means by ‘Traditional’ is something which has been transmitted from generation to generation or some generations. What it means by traditional food in this research is food which is in accordance with the Japanese philosophical, cultural, and environmental concepts; it has become a custom transmitted from generation to generation. It was found, however, that the philosophical, cultural, and environmental concept on Japanese food in Medan was different for consumers even though its names were still the same. These changes can be seen from the way it is eaten, eating environment, and the food ingredients or structure. This research used the theory of cultural change proposed by Ienaga Saburo, a change which is caused by the context of time, place, philosophical change between the users and the creators of culture. The research gathered the field data from four Japanese restaurants in Medan and conducted interviews with the Japanese who had visited these Japanese restaurants in Medan.