ABSTRACT
Regarding modern studies into Chinese food culture outside China, Japanese scholars contributed the a lot. This paper examines the history of food studies in modern Japan from three perspectives: cuisine, diet history, and food culture. It finds that Chinese food studies in Japan are expanding and features interdisciplinary cooperation in terms of theories and methods. The Japanese experience provides insights into Chinese food studies: First, research into the history of particular subjects should be cautious about research paradigm of dynastic history which might ignore the overall historical development and ideological mobility of food culture. Second, investigation of micro life should not be neglected due to its practical significance and social value. Life of ordinary people reflects the inheritance and development of Chinese gastronomic culture. The daily life of ordinary people carries the historical inheritance and development of Chinese gastronomic culture. This view is helpful for our research to have more practical significance and social value. In addition, on the critical, open and cross-disciplinary perspectives, we can promote China’s food culture studies which move towards a more specialized, systematic and logical direction.