Entertaining Western Barbarians: Culinary Diplomacy in Japan at the End of Edo Era

In 1853-1854, the United States and Russia got in contact with the Bakufu in order to open diplomatic relations with Japan. After presenting the fundamental components of Japan’s culinary diplomacy in an historical perspective, and describing political rituals surrounding the banquets organization, this article tackles the issue of Nagasaki as the central place for the introduction of western tableware in Japan. By using both written and iconogr aphic sources, this study also analyses the various types of narratives produced by the arrival of American and Russians in Japan. Beyond the mutual discovery of gastronomic otherness, this article also brings to light the strategies developed to reduce that gap, and the role played by these somewhat constrained convivial interludes in the process of political negotiation.