Japanese Food: An Analysis Of Culture Through The Values Derived From Attributes

The Japanese culture has expanded its horizons in many countries and regions.In special, Brazil, where the Japanese immigrants Represents the second biggest Japanese descendent group out of Japan, its values and habits has an important presence in Brazilian territory.One of the important aspects of this culture is the Japanese food.The sushi and sashimi awakened the curiosity of Brazilian people generating a growing consumption of Japanese cuisine.It is important to mention that this consumption is not restricted to high level income market, but with the increase of restaurants by weight,the low income people is consuming Japanese food.In order to analyse the culture deployed from this habit, this article has the objective to identify the values linked to the attributes pointed by the consumers of Japanese food.The research applies the methodology of Theory of Means End Chain - MEC.Within this perspective, product attributes allow the consumer to achieve certain benefits that are linked to a higher level, allowing the ranking of personal values.The latent values cause consumers to recognize products that lead them to achieve their goals and desired end states. Thirty in-depth interviews with consumers of Japanese food were made between the months of November 2012 and April 2013.The laddering technique is applied, using personal interviews, with questions that express the goal in a game of links between perceptive elements.This technique is based on the implications glimpsed in the Theory of MEC, with the central concept of 'ladder', exploring three levels: attributes, values and consequences.This technique provided the construction of an implication matrix and the hierarchical value map, to confirm the main elements of such behavior.The survey results showed, among consumers, values such as openness, exciting life, satisfaction, pleasure, happiness, self-esteem and affectionate relationship and friendship.These values suggest an alignment with the Japanese culture mainly happiness, affection and friendship relationship.