The Rise of the East

Although Japan has no cultural heritage with French pâtisserie, it has become increasingly popular since the 1970s. Chefs came from Europe to work in the 5-star hotels and equally Japanese chefs travelled to Europe, and France in particular, to work under the famous chefs and pâtissiers in the great restaurants, hotels and boutiques. Of course, many of them took the route of cuisine, but many others chose the world of pâtisserie, working with pâtissiers like Lucien Peltier, Gaston Lenôtre and Jean Millet. Japanese pâtissiers like Hidemi Sugino, Yukihiko Kawaguchi and Katsuhiko Kawata took the French culture of pâtisserie shops back to Japan. The Japanese people have adopted the culture and it is well engrained in modem society, with many department stores having pâtisserie counters in the food halls, along with pâtissiers opening their own shops in many towns and cities throughout Japan.