WASHOKU is social practice based on a comprehensive set of skills, knowledge, practice and traditions related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food. It is associated with an essential spirit of respect for nature closely related to the sustainable use of natural resources. WASHOKU has developed as part of daily life and with a connection to annual events and is constantly recreated in response to changes in human relationship with natural and social environment. Basic knowledge, social and cultural characteristics associated with WASHOKU are typically seen in New Year’s cerebrations when Japanese people immerse themselves in their tradition transmitted from generations to generations, thus reaffirming their identity and continuity. WASHOKU in New Year’s celebrations are regionally rich in diversity, given that each province has its own historical and geographical specificity. People make various preparation to welcome the deities of the incoming year; pounding rice cakes, preparing special meals such as beautifully decorated dishes called Osechi, Zoni and Toso, using fresh locally available ingredients each of which has a symbolic meaning. These dishes are served on special tableware and shared by the family members, or shared collectively by the community members, ensuring peoples’ health and social cohesion. This provides an occasion for elderly persons to teach the meanings contained in this social practice to the children. In daily life, WASHOKU has important social functions for the Japanese to reaffirm identity, to foster familial and community cohesion, and to contribute to healthy life, through sharing traditional and well-balanced meals.

Japan 2013

Inscribed in 2016 (11.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Jeju Island, off the southern coast of mainland Korea, is a volcanic island with a population of about 600,000 people. Some landforms of the island were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in 2007. An average Jeju haenyeo holds her breath for one minute while diving ten- meter underwater to gather marine products. When a haenyeo exhales after each dive, she makes a unique sound called "sumbi-sori." A haenyeo works for six to seven hours a day in summer and four to five hours in winter. She dives about ninety days a year. The income generated from diving work significantly contributes to Jeju households. A Jeju haenyeo has her own mental map of the sea, including the location of reefs and the habitat for shellfish. She also has a command of local knowledge on the winds and tides. The maps and knowledge are acquired through repeated diving experience by each haenyeo. Most Jeju haenyeo rely upon upper-skilled haenyeo’s (sanggun) weather forecast for diving rather than listening to the official forecasts. Jeju haenyeo communities practice a shamanistic ritual for the goddess of the sea (jamsugut). The ritual includes prayers for safety at sea and an abundant catch. The ritual has a part for the haenyeo to sing a song called “Seoujet-Sori.” “Haenyeo Norae” (Haenyeo Song), which used to be sung while rowing their boat out to the sea for diving, has been an important part of Jeju haenyeo culture.

South Korea 2016

Chiêu Trưng Temple Festival is one of the four most famous temples in Nghe An ("Cờn Temple, Quả Temple, Bạch Mã Temple, Chiêu Trưng"), located on Long Ngâm Mountain, in Thach Ban Commune, Thach Ha District, Ha Tinh Province. Chiêu Trưng Temple in Ha Tinh consists of 3 buildings (Hạ Temple, Trung Điện Temple, Thượng Điện Temple) and a mausoleum. The Thượng Điện area has a plaque issued by King Le Thanh Tong: "Nam Thiên Tuấn Vọng". In the middle of the Thuong Dien is a statue of Chiêu Trưng Dai Vuong Le Khoi made of painted wood, bearing a solemn appearance. Chieu Trung is a very sacred temple, established to worship General Le Khoi - son of Le Tru, second brother of Le Loi. Le Khoi's posthumous name is Vo Muc, from Lam Son village, Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province. In 1446, Le Khoi led his army to quell the rebellion. Wherever his army went, they won, but on the way back, he fell seriously ill and died at the foot of Long Ngam Mountain, in Dinh Ban Commune. In 1487, Le Khoi was awarded the title of Chieu Trung Dai Vuong by King Le Thanh Tong. To commemorate the great contributions of Chieu Trung Dai Vuong Le Khoi, the two districts of Thach Ha and Loc Ha coordinated to organize his death anniversary with many traditional cultural and sports activities. The Chiêu Trưng Temple Festival is held to commemorate the contributions of King Le Khoi and pray for favorable weather, calm winds, calm seas, and good crops. The Chiêu Trưng - Le Khoi Temple Festival is held annually, attracting a large number of visitors from all over the country. Before the main ceremony at Le Khoi Temple, the local people at the temples of Thach Kim, Mai Phu, Thach Ban, Thach Hai, and Thach Tri communes solemnly organized palanquin processions, royal decrees, and sacrificial objects to celebrate the death anniversary of the famous general Le Khoi. The processions were led by two exemplary elders. During the festival, the palanquin processions were elaborately prepared, with each procession having more than 100 people. The procession also includes a group of musical instruments, umbrellas, flags, sacrificial objects, etc. The procession by boat usually has 5-7 boats/group. Boats of neighboring villagers and fishermen from other places often go in and out of Cua Sot and the dragon boat racing group also join the procession. The festival takes place in 4 communes: Thach Ban, Thach Hai (Thach Ha district) and Mai Phu, Thach Kim (Loc Ha district), from the 1st to the 3rd of the 5th lunar month. The ceremony includes: opening ceremony, palanquin procession, sacrificial ceremony and death anniversary ceremony, dragon boat procession. In which, the opening ceremony took place on the morning of the 1st of the 5th lunar month at the main temple of Chiêu Trưng Dai Vuong Le Khoi and from the temples of Le Khoi in the communes to the main temple. The procession of royal decrees and sacrificial objects from the temples to the main temple on the top of Long Ngam mountain. After the dragon boat procession on the Cua Sot River, representatives of the two districts held a ceremony at the main temple to commemorate and pay tribute to the great general Le Khoi and pray for national peace and prosperity. The festival includes many practical and meaningful cultural, artistic and sports activities imbued with the traditional flavor of the locality such as: walking on stilts, playing chess, flying kites, boat racing, volleyball... Through the festival, fishermen pray for favorable weather and wind, protection for each fishing trip to have a good catch, and a full boat of seafood. This is also an opportunity for Ha Tinh to promote and introduce the tourism potential in the area, contributing to attracting domestic and foreign tourists to visit. In 2017, the Chiêu Trưng Dai Vuong Le Khoi Temple Festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Tidal flats, nicknamed "sea fields" in Korea, have long provided an important source of livelihoods for local people. The traditional practice of maintaining tidal flats as communal property has been transmitted to the present in the form of village cooperatives. Korean tidal flats are a treasure trove of diverse ocean resources and have held a disproportionate influence over the formation and development of the nation’s diet. \t The practice of harvesting shellfish and other invertebrate animals in coastal wetlands enjoys a long and steady history on the Korean Peninsula. The western and southern coastal areas have produced many large shell middens dating to the New Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages all the way to the Goryeo Dynasty. Written records on tidal flat harvesting can be found in a book on seafood from the Joseon period—Jasan eobo by the Practical Learning scholar Jeong Yak-jeon (1758–1816). Tidal flat harvesting involves a number of performative rites, enriching Korean culture and traditions. The most well-known community tradition associated with it is the gaet je, a seasonal festival praying for a good harvest. In addition, there are separate community rituals for predicting the quantity of the catch or to celebrate a good harvest. Tidal flat harvesting has been designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage for the following reasons: It possesses a time-honored history with many active transmission communities over an extensive area; This history is supported by written records from at least the Joseon period; The diverse skills and techniques manifested in tidal flat harvesting hold great potential for academic research; There are many unique rites and festivals associated with tidal flat harvesting; The practice shows great local diversity through, for example, the different tools applied; and It continues to serve as an important source of livelihoods in Korean communities. As tidal flat harvesting is being transmitted across the western and southern coastal areas in many villages, no particular individuals or organizations have been recognized as official holders of this element.

Pasembor or Pasembur is also known as Malaysian Indian Salad. This dish is a mixture of cucumber slices, onion, potato, bean curd, bean sprout, dried shrimp, crab fried in spices and fried squid, served with sweet and spicy peanut gravy. The gravy is akin to the gravy of the gado-gado (mixed vegetable salad) dish or satay (grilled meat in a skewer). This dish is normally taken in the afternoon as a vegetarian diet if not mixed with seafood. Traditionally, the Tamil Muslim pasembor seller turns his motorcycle as a kiosk for the preparation and selling of this dish. Nowadays, the seller moves about using a small lorry.

The Whale Worship Festival in Quang Binh is held on the 15th day of the first lunar month with the meaning of going out to catch seafood, wishing for a smooth sailing trip. In particular, the procession of the Thanh Hoang palanquin at the ancestral temple and the reading of the Than Ngu's funeral oration at Linh Ngu Temple are always the most unique parts of the Whale Worship Festival in Canh Duong. Fishermen, boat owners, members of cooperatives and cooperatives gather at Ngu Linh Mieu Temple and An Cau Ngu, offering incense and offerings to the Than Ngu - two giant whale skeletons that people often call Mr. and Mrs. whales. The procession consists of nearly three to four hundred people in beautiful traditional costumes. Along with that, the flags, parasols, palanquins, flowers... and boat models, along with the lion and dragon dance troupe, bring a vibrant festival atmosphere. The most important ritual part of the Whale Worship Festival is the reading of the Than Ngu's funeral oration. The most prestigious elder of the village is allowed to offer incense and read the funeral oration. The oration expresses gratitude for the protection and support of the whales and the whales for fishermen during their sea trips, as well as the fishermen's prayers for a peaceful and fruitful sea season. After the ceremony, there are festival activities with traditional folk games such as: basket shaking, boat racing, net weaving competition, etc. In addition, there are other activities such as: beach soccer, culinary competition. The Whale Worship Festival in the Quang Binh fishing village integrates many traditional art forms, folk performances, with their own identity and characteristics such as: bong dance, rowing on the can, swimming competition, etc. The most impressive is the rowing on the can - ho khoan performance, which combines the lyrics and melodies of smooth, lyrical tunes (including mai ba, mai nen, ho khoan); Unique is the running-word dance (or Dong Dang dance), which is a form of collective dance, holding flower lanterns while dancing, and arranging them into Chinese characters: "Thien-ha thai-binh", "cau ngu-dac loi" ... to pray for the country to be peaceful, a prosperous and happy life. The dance is flexible, combined and in harmony with the music from traditional instruments, such as: trumpets, sanh tien, xap xeng, drums ... The Whale Worship Festival in Quang Binh contains many cultural values and has an important meaning in consolidating the community. With its unique cultural and historical values, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the Whale Worship Festival of coastal people in the districts of Quang Trach, Bo Trach, Quang Ninh, Le Thuy, Ba Don town and Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018.

Kimchi is a vegetable dish which is made by seasoning various vegetables or wild edible greens with spices, fruits, meat, fish or fermented seafood before undergoing lactic fermentation. In this course, tastes of the ingredients blend well producing a unique flavour. The tradition of Kimchi-making dates back to the 10th century and it has hundreds of variants. As rice typifies the staple food of the Koreans, so does Kimchi, the Korean’s side dish. It is served not only at every meal but also on special occasions such as weddings, holidays, birthday parties and memorial services for the deceased as well as state banquets. The daily consumption of Kimchi by Koreans is great in amount. Each Kimchi variant differs in ingredients and recipes according to seasons and localities. It has remarkable nutrition values as well. Koreans take it for granted that they help each other in Kimchi-making among neighbours, relatives or workplace colleagues. In this practice they boast their Kimchi, give advices on skills and congratulate each other on their successful Kimchi-making.

North Korea 2015

Inscribed in 2013 (8.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity As the temperature falls in late autumn, the topic of choice for most Koreans is kimjang, making a large quantity of kimchi to sustain them through the country’s long and harsh winter. Kimchi, a categorical name for Korean-style preserved vegetables seasoned with local spices and fermented seafood, was recorded as part of Korean diet as early as 760 years ago. Kimchi has been an essential part of Korean meal across class and regional differences. The most humble meal consists of cooked rice and kimchi, but even the most luxurious banquet is not complete without kimchi. Kimjang incorporates Koreans' understanding of their natural environment, and closely reflects their regional ecosystems. Over time, Koreans have developed methods that best fit their specific natural conditions. Kimjang is thus deeply rooted in the natural milieu of Korean habitats. Preparation for kimjang follows a yearly seasonal cycle. In spring, households secure shrimp, anchovy, and other seafood for salting and fermenting. In summer, they purchase sea salt to be stored for up to two or three years, to let the bitter taste of brine out. In late summer, red chili peppers are dried and ground into powder. In late autumn housewives carefully monitor weather forecasts to determine the optimal date for kimjang: it is important to choose the right temperature for the kimchi to acquire the best taste through storing it in cool and stable conditions. In the custom of exchanging kimchi among households after kimjang, innovative skills and creative ideas are shared and accumulated.

South Korea 2013