Crown Prince visits Home Economics class in Tokyo
04 May 2005When the Norwegian Crown Prince visited Japan this April, his visit included a trip to Akasaka School to participate in a Home Economics class with preparation of Norwegian salmon.
Together with Ministry of Industry Børge Brende, the Crown Prince had a guided tour in the classroom and followed enthusiastically along in the students’ preparation of Norwegian salmon. The students prepared three dishes, including sushi of Norwegian salmon and soup with Norwegian salmon trout.
Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) is responsible for the arrangement, which is a part of the work to spread knowledge about Norwegian Seafood in Japan. In collaboration with the Japanese consumer organisation Women’s Forum for Fish, NSEC has started a project that will run at several schools in Japan, and the Crown Prince participated in the first class.
The Japanese eat around 67 kg seafood a year. In comparison, Norwegians eat about 55 kg each (round weight). Japan imports approximately half of all seafood to meet the demand.
”Even though the people of Japan love seafood, the trend among the younger generation is to eat less seafood. WFF is therefore working actively to impart knowledge to both young and older consumers, and is working with NSEC to spread information about Norwegian Seafood. The consumption of fish in Japan is strongly anchored in Japanese culture in addition to the clear health benefits that go with it”, says Fisheries Delegate Ola Brattvoll.
Japan is one of Norway’s most important markets for seafood, and fresh salmon is flown there weekly from Norway. Norwegian Salmon, salmon trout and mackerel are the most popular kinds of fish, and much is consumed raw in dishes like sushi and sashimi. Norway’s export of seafood to Japan totalled 2.7 BNOK 2004, which is around half of Norway’s total exports to the country.
Contact person: Head of Information Åshild Nakken, telephone: (+81) 90 5544 3500.